3 ms·
I once got sucked into making a little language out of Diplomacy (the board games) specific way of writing down moves. It was kind of nuts because it was both s
by IIAOPSW 4y ago
I once got sucked into making a little language out of Diplomacy (the board games) specific way of writing down moves. It was kind of nuts because it was both sort of a coding language (albeit an annoying one unless you're writing a Diplomacy variant) and sort of a natural language (so long as the topic of discussion is negotiating within the context of the game). But really, these two are the same thing, as any tool powerful enough to define game rules is also powerful enough to define agreements between players. Really, a rule is nothing more than an unbreakable agreement with an unseen god character called the GM.
I know, very different from the coding languages everyone here is on about. But the extent to which my mini language was conversational despite very few additional words was really profound. Its smaller than toki pona even! And less than half the vocabulary comes from me!
- jhbadger 4y agoReminds me a bit of the old (over 30 years old) computer game "Trust & Betrayal" in which the player interacts with the computer controlled opponents with a little icon-driven language. It was very impressive for the time and it's odd that (as far as I know) the concept wasn't picked up on by later games. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trust_%26_Betrayal:_The_Legacy_of_Siboot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trust_%26_Betrayal:_The_Legacy...
- IIAOPSW 3y agoI think my little language long ago crossed the threshold of composibility far beyond what simple icons can express. The spark to it is that sending a message to someone is itself an act within the game, and so there should be an order type to represent it. I introduced only two new words to the games formal vocabulary: propose and inform. They both have the same syntax. <country name> propose <country name>: <some set of orders>. Since these orders can contain other orders, but also are a type of order, you may in fact nest them to propose plans which involve proposing other plans. All sorts of emergent complexity bursts through after taking just that minor change. You can now gossip, that is compose inform statements which describe a chain of he said she said events. Without introducing it intentionally, you now have a way to ask questions. "I propose you inform me." Despite excess restraint towards changing the language that comes in the box, my "little" language could was eerily general