Re: (OT) Rules "inspiration" (was [OT] Bring and Battle

Mikko Kurki-Suonio <maxxon@swob.dna.fi> wrote:
>On Tue, 29 Sep 1998, Tim Jones wrote:
>> This could be seen as minimaxing, your (the player) motives
>> for doing it of course may not be that.
>
>By now I am *well* aware that some see any attempt to logically dissect
>and analyze the Holy Writ(tm) rule system as the ultimate evil and
>sacrilige and that my stated goal of unmasking and closing loopholes is
>just a flimsy cover for my evil desire to actually use said loopholes
in a
>game.
>
>Understanding is a sin. True believers have only blind faith.
>
>Welcome to the club, Tim.
    I, too, agree with Mikko here. It's best to clear up loopholes in
the
game. To reward good, real-life, tactics with good game results.

>> I don't agree with this statement. Heuristic (A rule of thumb,
>> simplification or educated guess that reduces or limits the search
>> for solutions in domains that are difficult and poorly understood.
>
>Heuristics, in gamesman terms, equate to playtesting.
    Yes. After playing several games, my friends and I can
guess/estimate
the result of several DSII chit draws. Particular with APSW fire versus
infantry.

>Let's review the GRW example:
>Fact: There is a rule that quite obviously fails to achieve the desired
>effect (the designer even named some troops "snipers" and gave them
>Shootin' D8).
>It can only be concluded that the designer did not check the validity
of
>his rules mathematically, nor playtested them enough to find this
>rather obvious failing.
    That's exactly right!

>I am ready to amend my statement: I don't think anyone who can't do
this
>much probability math, doesn't have someone to do it for him AND
doesn't
>bother with equivalent amount of playtesting, has no business designing
>fundamentally mathematical processes, i.e. games.
    That's right!

>Besides, being *initially* heuristically designed doesn't mean it
couldn't
>or shouldn't be checked out with exact calculations. It seems to work
the
>way you wanted -- now make sure.
    You can also check it out heuristically with play testing.

Andrew Martin
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