Re: AI in FT (was Re: Be gentle...)

On Wed, 16 Jul 1997, Joachim Heck - SunSoft wrote:

> Tom McCarthy writes:
>   Yes although the smarter your AI gets the better you can control
> this kind of behavior.  However as an example I will mention a "dumb"
> independent-acting weapon that causes some of the problems you
> describe, namely the land mine.  During a war, land mines mostly do
> their job of denying territory to the enemy.	Once the war is over,
> however, the mines remain and now they attack civilians and livestock,
> the very things they were designed to protect.  Particularly unfunny

(urge to flame has been supressed, but don't push it...)
You've got things a little confused. The use of landmines in a military 
situation, uses them as area denial tactics. In a defensive scenario,
one
lays a minefield in certain aeas and lets  people know it. You use them
to
force your opponent to follow the paths that you want. Simply laying a
minefield in an area and not keeping it covered with fire is sheer
idiocy
unless you are retreating from a superior foe. The other guy can simply
roll up and clear it with heavy engineering assets. 

The little butterfly mines that everyone complaigned about were created
with the express purpose of maiming childrem and civilians. There is no
difference between sniping at civilians out of the hills or laying mines

designed to kill indescrimnately. Both are simply terror tactics. 

Modern uses of mines forces the enemy to clear them or pay the
conssequesnces. The FASCAM system of mines the US uses have a long or
short delay for self destruction. Several Hours or several days.  You
lay
them over an area where the enemy forces are approaching and keep the
area
covered with fire. As soon as the red force attempts to penetrate the
mine
field, you let him have it. 

The british have stopped useing the JP.233 system because of the above
treaty. JP.233 is a runway denial munition that has cratering bomblets
and
antipersonell and anti material mines. The idea is to put a bunch of
holes
in the runway and then leave lots of nasty little presents for the
engineers to clean up before they can get to work fixing the holes in
the
runway. 

>   Recent legislative efforts in this country and Europe have been
> aimed at reducing the danger from weapons of this type and one

Is the EC also planning on legislation that will ban HE and Napalm in
the
hopes that third world dictators wont use them on the civilians too?

> suggested method has been to make them smarter.  For example, a mine
> could disarm itself after a certain period of time.  The problem then

More likly self destruct at then end of a given period. The chances of
such a system lasting beyond its intended time is very remote. Fuzing
systems have become very reliable. Artillery shells have to stand some
pretty serious G load. Scattered mines,don't go through nearly as much
rigourous activity. 

- Ryan Montieth Gill  /|\   Scotland Forever  DoD# 0780/AMA/SOHC -
- _ryan.gill@turner.com or labrg@emory.edu_   '85 CB700S 'Mehev' -
- I speak not for CNN, nor they for me.   '72 CB750K 'The Barge' -
- www.mojoski.com/~rgill	     '76 MonteCarlo 'Bumblecrow' -
---		Senator Koella Should go to JAIL !!	       ---
--- Kill someone and leave the accident you should go to jail! ---