[MUD-Dev] Re: Less numbers, more roleplaying.

[coder at ibm.net]

On 27/11/97 at 11:28 AM, Richard Woolcock <KaVir at dial.pipex.com> said:
>Appologies for the length of the examples in this mail...
>Adam Wiggins wrote:
>> 
>> [Richard Woolcock:]

>> > So called 'Intelligent' mobs should go for the weakest opponent.
>> 
>> They should?  I consider myself intelligent, yet I always consider
>> the most dangerous opponent to be my first target in a combat
>> situation.

>Hmmmm I'm not sure now.  Certainly, you'd be more worried about the most
>dangerous opponent, but equally, which would you rather have?

Run some examples thru a simulator.  This is actually a non-trivial
simultaneous equation.  Some variables under consideration for each
protagonist are:

  How much X damages you per blow.
  How many blows from you required to remove X.
  Damage to your defences from X per blow.
  How much are X's blows affected by the damage you inflict on X?
  How much are your blows afftect by the damage X inflicts on you?
  etc...
  
It gets even worse if the values for each of the above are actually curves
which decay based on the state of X.  It could very easily end up with the
optimal order of attack changing ov every blow, requiring the entire
equation set to be re-solved each time.
  
--
J C Lawrence                               Internet: claw at null.net
----------(*)                              Internet: coder at ibm.net
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...