Re: [s-d] Re: [s-b] [auto] Triller submits p332

[Daniel Lepage <dpl33@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Jan 9, 2006, at 12:46 PM, Mark Walsh wrote:

> On: 1/9/06 6:03:45 AM Antonio sent:
> > Subject: [s-d] Re: [s-b] [auto] Triller submits p332
> >
> >
> > > If not already numbered, the Specified List will
> > > be numbered sequentially from 1 to X, where X
> > > is the number of Objects in the List.
> >
> > Since you're not saying explicitly that the sequential ordering  
> > has to
> > happen before the dices are rolled, and furthermore no basic  
> > guideline
> > is given as to how this initial numbering should be ordered
> > (sequentially yes, but what sequence ?) this basically says that  
> > you can
> > arrange the objects such as to end where you want them to AFTER  
> > rolling
> > the dice. (supposing they're not already numbered of course)
> > --
> What sequence?
> The sequence is from 1 to X.

But in what order do you assign those numbers to the objects? This  
prop doesn't specify the initial ordering method, and doesn't even  
clearly indicate that the initial order should be decided before the  
random numbers are rolled. So while "Shuffling" a pack of cards, I  
could roll the dice to see how things are swapped, and then construct  
the initial state such that the state I want will result from the  
swaps I rolled.

I don't really like the dice roller because I think it takes too many  
messages to do anything. Part of this stems from my time as Minister  
of the Arena, when a given action frequently required four or five  
die rolls that all depended on the earlier rolls (if a roll of 3d5 is  
less than eight, then the shot hits and does 4d9 damage, but  
otherwise it hits a random neighboring cube with equal probability  
between all neighbors and does 4ds damage to each player in that  
cube, where s is that player's strength, etc.). This either required  
a large number of messages, or a set of really weird rolls (we roll  
18d147; if the first one is less than 87 then the shot hits, in which  
case the second and third die rolls are both divided by 17 and summed  
to get the damage dealt, otherwise the second mod 3 determines which  
other square is hit and the third and fourth determine damage when  
divided by 18 if the shot hits Peter or by 12 if it hits Wonko, and...)

If I as a Minister were called upon to shuffle something, I would  
much rather use a simple tool (like one of Python's randomizing  
functions) than have to roll a bunch of dice and perform all the  
swaps. This isn't so bad for Super Powers, but I can remember being  
Minister of Cards, where I occasionally had to shuffle a hundred  
objects at once; this method would be completely infeasible.

What I'd really like is a dice roller that edits the text of a  
message and passes it on. I'd like to be able to email the dice  
server and say "Wonko gains {3d6}A" and have it post to s-b saying  
"Wonko gains 15A". I'd also like it to handle shuffling and choices:
"{Wonko, Peter, Triller, bd, Antonio, comex} gets a {Beer, Bomb,  
Grain, Salad, Pizza, Yoyo, Fettucini} Gnome" -> "Wonko gets a Beer  
Gnome. Peter gets a Grain Gnome. Triller gets a Yoyo Gnome. etc..."
"{x=1d2}
Wonko {x==1 gains} {x==2 loses} 12 HP." -> "Wonko loses 12 HP"

Perhaps best of all would be one that executes strings of some  
programming language within a restricted environment. Python, for  
example, would be ideal for me since most random rolls would only  
take a few lines of code, maybe only one or two, and the language is  
easy to read and to teach new Ministers.

But with the tools we have right now, I'd rather just trust the  
various ministers to roll dice properly.

--
Wonko

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and  
I'm not sure about the former.
      -Albert Einstein

_______________________________________________
spoon-discuss mailing list
spoon-discuss@xxxxxxxxx
http://lists.ellipsis.cx/mailman/listinfo/spoon-discuss