Code center > Suggestions

Internet Mode Restrictions

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EricL:
When you join internet mode, you necessarily give up some control of your sim inorder to become part of the larger mega-sim.  Yes, of course we want the environments of each connected sim to be able to differ soemwhat, to be unique and configurable, but what we don't want is to allow the ability to so dramatically change the rules from sim to sim that its not a level playing field.  We want certain assumptions such as "size matters" or "ties work" to hold everywhere.

I favor putting the following restrictions in place when connected in internet mode:

All bots are virus susceptable (already the case as of 2.43u)
The Fix Bot Radii option is ignored.  Bot radii always vary acording to body, mass, etc.
The Disable Ties option is ignored.  Ties always work.


Down the road, we will be the abiltiy to have additional internet modes with specific restrictions.  If people want an intenet mode where ties are disabled or its pond mode only or every sim has uses planet eaters or uses fixed bot radii only, etc. then we will (someday) have an authoring mechanism for enforcing this.  But for now, with the one and only IM.... well, I kinda think we want some restrictions that allow for maximum phenotypic varation.  

On a related topic, I also favor the following but for different reasons discussed here.

Veggy repopulation is disabled.  Veggy reproduction would be the exclusive veggy propogation method.


Comments welcome of course.

Peter:

--- Quote ---The Fix Bot Radii option is ignored.  Bot radii always vary acording to body, mass, etc.
The Disable Ties option is ignored.  Ties always work.
--- End quote ---
Well I am doubting, as I don't use them but I am just against any restricting measures.


--- Quote ---Veggy repopulation is disabled.  Veggy reproduction would be the exclusive veggy propogation method.
--- End quote ---
Ho, who veggy repop disabled where are all the veggies coming from them, what if they got extinct.

Numsgil:
I dunno, I kind of like the idea that sims can be drastically and unfairly different.  I would suggest this: users have unlimited control to tweak whatever they want in their sim, but bots teleporting out from a sim have to obey the rules of the sim they teleport in to.

Like say a player disables viruses in their sim.  If a bot teleports in, any viruses it has won't shoot.  But if it teleports to another sim that has viruses enabled, its virus is allowed to shoot.  Likewise if a bot that mutates teleports in to a sim with the mutation multiplier set to 0, it won't mutate.  But if it teleports out to a sim with mutations enabled, it can start mutating again.

EricL:
I like variation of environments too, but it's a question of degree.  On the one hand, I totally agree we want environmental niches, so I would not want to preclude pond mode or physics differences or having or not having shapes for example.  If a bot is lackign the DNA to be shape aware and trys to endlessly feed on them, or doesn't manage it's bouyancy and sinks or whatever, if it isn't adapted to the environment it suddenly finds itself in, it deserves what it gets.

But these environmental elements are external to the bot.  They don't fundementally disable DNA functionality like disallowing viruses or ties does nor do they change artifacts of the bot itself like fixing radii does.   Thats kind of where I draw the line I guess.  I mean, a bot should be able to count on the body size relationship being the same in all the sims and it's body management DNA working the same way in all sims don't you think?.   Some things have to be consistant.  Otherwise, it's just Alice in Wonderland.  Why bother connecting sims at all?

Numsgil:
Something like fixed radius doesn't break all bots.  Something simple like animal minimalis doesn't really care about bot radii.  If there were a setting that really changed the simulation so much that bots in one just couldn't survive in another, then that might be something we want to limit.  But I can't think of such a setting.

I think that you do want to remove some choices from bots.  A bot that's virus immune is bad, because it gains an advantage.  However, someone might want to run a safe ground where viruses are disabled.  I just think for things like that, local environment settings should override individual bot settings.  If you manage that paradigm, you can allow pretty much anything to go.

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