<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Idea: Hive-mind monster --> <!--X-From-R13: "Penaqba X. Dvpxzna" <nfurfNcp4.mraarg.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: Sun, 02 Nov 1997 01:47:18 +0000 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 199711020147.RAA13671#pc4,zennet.com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Idea: Hive-mind monster</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:ashes#pc4,zennet.com"> </head> <body background="/backgrounds/paperback.gif" bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" alink="#FF0000" vlink="#006000"> <font size="+4" color="#804040"> <strong><em>MUD-Dev<br>mailing list archive</em></strong> </font> <br> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] <br clear=all><hr> <!--X-Body-Begin--> <!--X-User-Header--> <!--X-User-Header-End--> <!--X-TopPNI--> Date: [ <a href="msg00201.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00203.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00257.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00199.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00202">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00202">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00202">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Idea: Hive-mind monster</H1> <HR> <!--X-Subject-Header-End--> <!--X-Head-of-Message--> <UL> <LI><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#null,net">mud-dev#null,net</A></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Idea: Hive-mind monster</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: "Brandon J. Rickman" <<A HREF="mailto:ashes#pc4,zennet.com">ashes#pc4,zennet.com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Sat, 1 Nov 1997 17:47:04 -0800</LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> On Fri, 31 Oct 1997 (Halloween) 10:31:28 PST8PDT, Derrick Jones <gunther#online1,magnus1.com> wrote: >I've actually toyed around a little with a borg mob. I assumed a >flawless, continuous connection between Local and Group minds. As one >borg learned information/skills/tactics, every borg learned the same >things. The main problem I faced was that if the borg were allowed a >sufficient foothold in an area, they became impossible to kill. For >example, if enough borg were attacked by fire, all borg became resistant >to fire; if they faced enough characters wielding swords, their >dodge/block/parry skills would improve for the entire race. I soon found >that players would quickly run out of ways to kill the borg, much like the >Star Trek version. While my original goal was to create a nigh >indestructable race, I found that they became unwieldy and unplayable. >I'll probably never release them unless my players _really_ piss me off. Hive mind behavior versus natural selection: I suppose creating a group mind means having less data to store for each "indiviaul" monster, since the individuals are just mobile instances of the hive parent. There may be some useful pieces of evolutionary theory that would make the Borg model more useable. It is variation within a species (like one creature being less susceptable to poison X than another) that "causes" the evolution of a more resistant species during critical moments. Those members of the Borg that are more vulnerable to fire will die when attacked by fire, and the survivors will be those less vulnerable. The next generation (or version if you prefer) of Borg would then be less vulnerable to fire. This is fairly standard natural selection. The problem with the instant adaptation of the Borg, as quoted above, is that it doesn't account for the resources needed to build better Borgs. That is to say, the more invulerable the Borgs are, the harder it should be for them to reproduce: they need faster CPUs, or more memory, or more redundancy, etc. Of course in an optimal situation there are always enough resources, but then there is the risk of overpopulation and a resulting lack of resources. (i.e. there is no such thing as an optimal situation.) In that case the more efficient Borg, those that are perhaps not so resistant to fire, are selected for the next version. Now for the extra fun part: this latest generation of Borg, more efficient but less fire resistant, also have a latent ability to become fire resistant when needed. Eventually the best way to kill a Borg may be to set fire to it, then start beating it with a stick. If the fire won't kill it maybe the beating will, because it is unlikely that an individual Borg would be invulnerable to this strange attack combination. [I would recommend reading some Richard Dawkins, perhaps _The Selfish Gene_, for more stuff on natural selection. And _Why Things Bite Back_ by Joseph Tenner for fun theories on fighting increasingly resistant pests.] [I'm behind in responding to the list. I'll track down the old threads in the next few days.] - Brandon Rickman - ashes#zennet,com - While I have never previously found a need for a .sig, this may be considered one for the purposes of this list </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00201.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Less numbers, more roleplaying.</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00203.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] To catch a mage (was fear of magic)</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00257.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] newbie</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00199.html">Re: DESIGN: ECONOMICS: Money Supply</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00202"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00202"><STRONG>Thread</STRONG></A></LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> <!--X-BotPNI-End--> <!--X-User-Footer--> <!--X-User-Footer-End--> <ul><li>Thread context: <BLOCKQUOTE><UL> <LI><STRONG>Re: [MUD-Dev] newbie</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00237" HREF="msg00237.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] newbie</A></strong>, Sauron <a href="mailto:dlove#kusd,kusd.edu">dlove#kusd,kusd.edu</a>, Tue 04 Nov 1997, 21:47 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00249" HREF="msg00249.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] newbie</A></strong>, Derrick Jones <a href="mailto:gunther#online1,magnus1.com">gunther#online1,magnus1.com</a>, Fri 07 Nov 1997, 04:13 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00253" HREF="msg00253.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] newbie</A></strong>, coder <a href="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</a>, Sun 09 Nov 1997, 04:31 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00257" HREF="msg00257.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] newbie</A></strong>, Matt Chatterley <a href="mailto:root#mpc,dyn.ml.org">root#mpc,dyn.ml.org</a>, Sun 09 Nov 1997, 13:10 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </ul> </ul> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00202" HREF="msg00202.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Idea: Hive-mind monster</A></strong>, Brandon J. Rickman <a href="mailto:ashes#pc4,zennet.com">ashes#pc4,zennet.com</a>, Sun 02 Nov 1997, 01:47 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="00199" HREF="msg00199.html">Re: DESIGN: ECONOMICS: Money Supply</A></strong>, coder <a href="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</a>, Sat 01 Nov 1997, 23:26 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="00200" HREF="msg00200.html">Re: Less numbers, more roleplaying.</A></strong>, coder <a href="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</a>, Sat 01 Nov 1997, 23:24 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00201" HREF="msg00201.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Less numbers, more roleplaying.</A></strong>, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Sun 02 Nov 1997, 00:14 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00260" HREF="msg00260.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Less numbers, more roleplaying.</A></strong>, Marian Griffith <a href="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl">gryphon#iaehv,nl</a>, Sun 09 Nov 1997, 16:33 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL></BLOCKQUOTE> </ul> <hr> <center> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] </center> <hr> </body> </html>