> > > > I'm new to this game, and I have a question about the way thatHere's my opinion:
> > the high
> > > > scores are set up. I gather that the best score is considered to
> > be the
> > > > one with the smallest number of moves, as opposed to a total of
> > moves plus
> > > > shots. Could someone please explain to me why it was set up this
> > way? It
> > > > means that very simple elegant solutions are not necessarily the
> > best. I
> > > > don't understand the philosophy behind a system that encourages
> > long messy
> > > > solutions.
> > > > Thanks,
> > > > --Kris
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > The current weird scoring system is a remnant from the early days
> > of
> > > LaserTank , which began as a fusion of the games Sokoban , in which
> > the
> > > objective was help a cellarman push beer barrels into a cellar ,
> > and
> > > CTF(Capture The Flag) , in which the objective was to reach the
> > flag as
> > > quickly as possible. In both of these games , using number of moves
> > as a
> > > measure of performance was entirely logical and fair , for obvious
> > reasons.
> > >
> > > LaserTank introduced the idea that you did not need physical
> > contact with
> > > an object to push it - you could just zap it with a repulsive
> > beam , called
> > > a Laser. This was the first step away from realism. It also
> > introduced other
> > > fun , but unrealistic , concepts such as blocks and mirrors , and
> > later such
> > > abstract ideas such as ice and tunnels. These improved the
> > playability of
> > > the game , but removed it from the realm of realism.
> > Unfortunately , the
> > > measure of performance was not upgraded to the obvious one
> > (simplest ,
> > > smallest solution) but remained as number of moves. This not only
> > encourages
> > > players to find really long solutions which , nevertheless ,
> > minimize the
> > > number of moves , but encourages level writers to create such
> > levels.
> > >
> > > For example , consider Level 555. The official solution takes 57
> > moves + 22
> > > shots + 18 turns = 97 steps. I have found a solution which takes 59
> > moves +
> > > 14 shots + 16 turns = 89 steps. That is, to gain a mere 2 moves ,
> > the
> > > official solution wastes 8 shots and 2 turns.
> > >
> > > Some other examples :
> > >
> > > Level 567 : Official : M=29 , S=36 , T=14 , Steps=79
> > > Level 567 : Mine : M=31 , S=29 , T=14 , Steps=74
> > > i.e. gain 2 moves at a cost of 7 shots.
> > >
> > > Level 6 : both solutions take 425 moves and 168 shots , but the
> > official one
> > > takes 119 turns and mine takes 118 turns. Ask yourself - which
> > method of
> > > scoring is better?
> > >
> > >
> > > Vic
> >
> > What are you talking about? Turns are not part of the score. The
> > level 6 thing has nothing to do with which scoring method is better.
>
>
>
>What are *you* talking about? Each step requires a keypress , and I am
>saying that the less keys you have to press , the shorter , simpler and
>more
>elegant is the solution. Therefore turns *should be* part of the score. For
>level 6 , the official solution takes 712 steps and I found one that takes
>711 steps , but because turns don't count at present , my shorter solution
>gets no credit. Do you think this is right?
>
>Vic
1. The high score should definitely go by shot+move total. In fact, I say
shots are more important if anything, as a shot represents a change to the
playing field, whereas a move... is often just a move. And if you really
think either is more important in terms of highest scores, you could at
least use a weighting system, (eg, goes by move+1/2*shots)
2. Turns should not count. Turns do not affect anything. The only reason
turns exist is so that you don't always have to shoot in the direction you
moved last. A turn is always undoable with another turn, whereas not all
moves are and many shots are not. And, somewhat more trivially, if you had
to hit U when undoing to undo every turn as well as move or shot, that would
be annoying.
---
This message was brought to you by the same 1000 time-traveling monkeys from
whom Shakespeare plagiarized Hamqlet.
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.