Re: PBM design and formulae - a fresh start

From: gym@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Graham Matthews)

Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1993 09:45:42 +0000

gym@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Graham Matthews) writes:
> >If I wanted to make a PBM game that was a tennis game then somehow
> >I have to include all the physical variation (that goes on in a real
> >game of tennis) in my PBM game. If you don't do this then you are not
> >really simulating tennis (and the context of this discussion was
> >simulation games).
russw@cs.utexas.edu (Russ Williams) writes:
> Yes, but I think what I was trying to get at was that even if you do
> completely model all the physics of the ball, racket & human body in
> your tennis game, you are not really simulating tennis, because a
> pbm game is inherently a cerebral process: you read your results
> and figure out your turn and mail it back, whereas tennis is
> inherently a physical reaction contest: you see the ball coming
> and figure out your reaction, and then you have to do it!
>
> The experience of running an empire, e.g., is primarily mental;
> physical dexterity does not matter.  You receive reports from
> the front and you give military orders, etc.
>
> The experience of tennis is primarily physical (as well as mental).
>
> A disabled person could run an empire well, but would not play
> tennis well against an abled person.

Sure I am not going to be able to model the player's (not the
character's) actual physical abilities, but instead I am going to do
something like give them 1000 points to spend and they can spend i
on quality of backhand, forehand, volleys, ... physical fitness. So
they set up an imaginary character and play him/her. Now this isn't
capturing the real person so its a little unrealistic - but to that
I would counter that most of the skills you suggest for running a
large empire would not in fact be useful in a running a real empire.
In a running a real empire you need to be able to delegate, to
understand political intrigue, etc. And whats more you need yo be able
to live for a 1000 years since most empires run a lot longer than the
one lifetime of a person - this suggests that in an empire running game
you have the same problems with respect to physicalness as a tennis
style game.

graham

--
Graham Matthews                   Go west, go west
Dept Comp Sci, Univ Edinburgh     Where there's work so I'm told
gym@dcs.ed.ac.uk                  California's never cold

References

Re: PBM design and formulae - a fresh start
gym@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Graham Matthews)
Wed, 07 Jul 1993 12:21:44 +0000
Re: PBM design and formulae - a fresh start
russw@cs.utexas.edu (Russ Williams)
Mon, 12 Jul 1993 19:18:35 +0000
Re: PBM design and formulae - a fresh start
gym@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Graham Matthews)
Tue, 13 Jul 1993 11:05:08 +0000
Re: PBM design and formulae - a fresh start
russw@cs.utexas.edu (Russ Williams)
Wed, 14 Jul 1993 07:28:50 +0000
Re: PBM design and formulae - a fresh start
gym@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Graham Matthews)
Tue, 06 Jul 1993 11:48:17 +0000

Referenced By

Re: PBM design and formulae - a fresh start
gym@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Graham Matthews)
Wed, 07 Jul 1993 12:21:44 +0000
Re: PBM design and formulae - a fresh start
russw@cs.utexas.edu (Russ Williams)
Mon, 12 Jul 1993 19:18:35 +0000
Re: PBM design and formulae - a fresh start
gym@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Graham Matthews)
Tue, 13 Jul 1993 11:05:08 +0000
Re: PBM design and formulae - a fresh start
russw@cs.utexas.edu (Russ Williams)
Wed, 14 Jul 1993 07:28:50 +0000
Re: PBM design and formulae - a fresh start
gym@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Graham Matthews)
Tue, 06 Jul 1993 11:48:17 +0000