Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!dali.cs.montana.edu!milton!schraudo%beowulf@ucsd.edu
From: schraudo%beowulf@ucsd.edu (Nici Schraudolph)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: Navigating in Zork mode
Message-ID: <schraudo.651892264@beowulf>
Date: 29 Aug 90 01:11:04 GMT
References: <1990Aug24.164049.5512@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG>
Sender: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu
Lines: 43
Approved: hitl@hardy.u.washington.edu


xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) writes:

>Thus, rather than solve the problem of making
>a navigation system suitable for all users, we
>make all users cartographers and let them
>teach themselves navigation, with only some
>primitive initial toolkit.

This can work out great if the initial toolkit, primitive or not,
has enough potential power and flexibility (eg. Turing equivalency).
A case in point are the robots that have been popping up on TinyMUDs
(multi-user text-only VRs) - among other functions, they wander
around building maps of their environment, enabling them to give
the users directions to locations, objects and other users.  Some
user just had the idea, programmed the first one, and soon they
became part of the inventory on any TinyMUD.

However, this kind system development only works if there is a large
number of interacting users, so that there are enough contributors
to ensure a steady stream of improvements (as with the Unix world).

>After a while, studying the maps the users
>create, we can learn from them what (varied)
>ways of keeping ones directions straight are
>in use, and incorporate (the best of) them
>into our system's "autopilots" as time and
>user demand allow.

>A very wise cartographic support programmer 
>manager of my acquaintance in Canada used
>this as his sole development criterion.
>Does this have wider applicability?

Well, have you ever seen a campus on which the footpaths were where
you needed them?  Why don't they just build the buildings without
connecting paths, wait a year, and then throw concrete slabs every-
where where the grass is trampled down?  Just wondering.
--
Nicol N. Schraudolph, C-014                      "Big Science, hallelujah.
University of California, San Diego               Big Science, yodellayheehoo."
La Jolla, CA 92093-0114                                     - Laurie Anderson.
                          nici%cs@ucsd.{edu,bitnet,ucsd}