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nasredin · 10-07-2008, 08:50 AM

> Knowledgeable about the code perhaps but that might be it.

Well, I see what you mean. Technically, a programmer may have little understanding of the features that they pile together. However, the results are much better when the programmer understands the semantics and the relations of the objects that they operate.

Further on, I see a potential conflict here - the programmer will likely become bored by the tight rein and either leave the position or plot against the authorities. If the revolt succeeds, that becomes what you describe - a "shallow, poorly-designed world" created by an incompetent coder.

Perhaps, I got used too much to the elitist atmosphere of our MUD - there, a person must prove their understanding of various aspects of the game to become a high imm yet alone a coder. There are quite a few programmers among the players of Arctic and some of them are the imms, yet only a selected few were trusted to become coders.

> A person can make a decision without knowing how to implement it.

It depends. A skilled analyst may formulate the design requirements without paying too much attention to the implementation details, but the reality often kicks in. Certain designs may be rather difficult (or outright impossible) to implement, while their close variations may be much, much easier. There must be an architect, responsible for balancing the requirements with the implementation.

Once again, we arrive to the traditional IT role set:
Analyst - Architect - Implementor

In a small team (like the volunteer staff of a MUD), some of these roles - or even all - may be the same person. But in any case, all 3 roles must be present among the imps; otherwise any decisions will miss important points and lead to a disaster.

The history of ArcticMUD remembers a brilliant and well-thought-out analytical essay that covers a lot of what we discuss here (please note the date of the publication):

Take care,
Nasredin

-----
- "Burn in the eternal reboot of Hell, heretic!"

- "Do you believe in MUD after life?"
- "ArcticMUD is my religion. There is life after death!"

10-07-2008, 08:50 AM	#10
nasredin Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Name: Boris Location: Moscow Home MUD: ArcticMUD (mud.arctic.org 2700) Posts: 38	Re: Immortal Commands > Knowledgeable about the code perhaps but that might be it. Well, I see what you mean. Technically, a programmer may have little understanding of the features that they pile together. However, the results are much better when the programmer understands the semantics and the relations of the objects that they operate. Further on, I see a potential conflict here - the programmer will likely become bored by the tight rein and either leave the position or plot against the authorities. If the revolt succeeds, that becomes what you describe - a "shallow, poorly-designed world" created by an incompetent coder. Perhaps, I got used too much to the elitist atmosphere of our MUD - there, a person must prove their understanding of various aspects of the game to become a high imm yet alone a coder. There are quite a few programmers among the players of Arctic and some of them are the imms, yet only a selected few were trusted to become coders. > A person can make a decision without knowing how to implement it. It depends. A skilled analyst may formulate the design requirements without paying too much attention to the implementation details, but the reality often kicks in. Certain designs may be rather difficult (or outright impossible) to implement, while their close variations may be much, much easier. There must be an architect, responsible for balancing the requirements with the implementation. Once again, we arrive to the traditional IT role set: Analyst - Architect - Implementor In a small team (like the volunteer staff of a MUD), some of these roles - or even all - may be the same person. But in any case, all 3 roles must be present among the imps; otherwise any decisions will miss important points and lead to a disaster. The history of ArcticMUD remembers a brilliant and well-thought-out analytical essay that covers a lot of what we discuss here (please note the date of the publication): Take care, Nasredin ----- - "Burn in the eternal reboot of Hell, heretic!" - "Do you believe in MUD after life?" - "ArcticMUD is my religion. There is life after death!"