Re: PBM design: give away the formulas? (*FORMULAE !)

From: rob@ccc.govt.nz (Rob McNeur)

Date: Mon, 21 Jun 1993 12:00:33 +0000

In article <127@rt.com>, skrenta@rt.com (Rich Skrenta) writes:
> Should PBM's give the formulas in the rules?  Gamers seem to take two
> sides on this:
>
Hide the formulae (or 'formulas' if you're American !  :-)  ).
In real life, there is always a 'trial and error' learning curve on almost
anything. I prefer the same sort of thing in PB(e)Ms.
Optimization of output should be learned by experience.
For those not interested in optimization, not having the formulae won't be a
problem. For those who are interested in optimization, having to do the
background work to learn from experience should all be part of it (and may
actually mean that fewer people try to optimize, and more people try to just
play for the fun of it).

>    Hide the formulas:
>
> 	o  Shouldn't need to do math to play the game.
> 	   Things should work "intuitively."
>
> 	o  Learning how the game subsystems work is part of the fun.
>
I agree with both of these. and include
 	o  Adds more realism to the game, rather than reducing it to a maths
 	   class

>    Show the formulas:
>
> 	o  Old-timers will know the formulas anyway, so not giving
> 	   them to new players put them at a disadvantage.
>
Oldtimers may have a fairly good idea, learned by hard-won experience.
But even oldtimers should never be able to work out the formulae exactly,
merely to a best approximation from the final results.

> 	o  Trying to guess the rules shouldn't be part of game play.
> 	   Not giving the formulas forces players to use trial-and-
> 	   error to discover how things work, which is tedious and
> 	   unenjoyable.
>
Rubbish, using trial and error adds interest. Of course, it also means that
many people end up finding something that works in their favour and keeping
doing the same thing, rather than trying something new, but that's their
choice.

> How do most gamers side on this issue?
>
Let the players *PLAY* Oly II, rather than have to pass a math test to gain
entry. Having to work through formulae should be left to mathematicians and
accountants....    :-)

Rob McNeur
Rob@ccc.govt.nz

References

PBM design: give away the formulas?
skrenta@rt.com (Rich Skrenta)
Sat, 19 Jun 1993 18:12:59 +0000

Referenced By

PBM design: give away the formulas?
skrenta@rt.com (Rich Skrenta)
Sat, 19 Jun 1993 18:12:59 +0000