On Wed, Dec 05, 2001 at 11:41:05PM -0800, Tom Holub wrote: > On Wed, Dec 05, 2001 at 11:22:53PM -0500, Mark Mielke wrote: > > Tom: Do you see the potential, even if you don't believe it would ever > > amount to anything in your life time? > I see that you have absolutely no clue what you're talking about. If you > increase robot phaserlocking to be 100% accurate, ROBOTS WILL STILL SUCK AT > NETREK. You're talking about the wrong problem. I see that you don't like me. I see Netrek as a very fine art, with a larger problem space, but not one beyond other games I have played. The "art" in this case, is not the ability to obtain Admiral in 48 hours. The "art" is the ability to formally define the strategies *on paper*, in a form that can be followed by another team if executed perfectly. A robot team does this very effectively. If it's all in your head, it is useless. So you get to be Netrek champion of the world... so what? Can you accurately explain what you do? Or do you just trust your mind to do the figuring for you? It is my belief that all true arts are only more beautiful once their intricacies are exposed to critique. As an example that I am sure you will again try to hold against me, the game Tic-Tac-Toe used to be widely admired, and is still admired by children. However, once one realizes that the person who goes first always wins or ties if done properly, the game of Tic-Tac-Toe is exposed as not being a horribly interesting art at all. Rather, it is a cross of 4 lines with a very biased set of rules that ensures that only the ignorant can have fun playing it. Netrek is far different. The ignorant (not in terms of ability... in terms of knowledge and experience) have a great amount of difficulty picking up the strategies and skills. Games between the ignorant may end up with *no planets* being taken, or few planets being taken. Games between the clued start with the planets being bombed away, and often at least one take in the first five minutes. There are so many ways to play the game. This is the art. The ability to adapt to the strategies utilized by the other team, and properly reflect their strategy into something that is more beneficial to the us. If the other team is confused, it may be time to take the lead, and cause them to be on the defense. Adapting does not require creativity or independent thought, although creativity can be an effective edge. Don't assume that because others have failed, or that because you suspect you would fail, that it is not possible. People have always laughed at other people for pursuing little understood arts. I suggest to you, that if you are not able to make a robot to do what you do, then it is you yourself who does not understand the art. Perhaps your mind does, but if you can't accurately put it to paper, you don't understand it yourself. It is the same as a math teacher who cannot explain how he simplified one expression into another using proper mathematic rules. Would you trust him to teach your children? The art of Netrek, is the ability to come up with a set of truths, patterns, strategies, and how each item interacts with other items. If such does not exist, how can one be certain that one is playing the best Netrek possible? One has simple not met an appropriate challenger yet. mark -- mark at mielke.cc/markm at ncf.ca/markm at nortelnetworks.com __________________________ . . _ ._ . . .__ . . ._. .__ . . . .__ | Neighbourhood Coder |\/| |_| |_| |/ |_ |\/| | |_ | |/ |_ | | | | | | \ | \ |__ . | | .|. |__ |__ | \ |__ | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them... http://mark.mielke.cc/