The Great Disconnect

[Kwil]

I'm not sure why you've separated dumb continuation from smart continuation, since unless you've got an AI as capable as a human, all you're doing is adjusting the "dumbness" level.

Probably more accurate to simply put it as continuation.

Of course, if a game is designed with the variable connection problem in mind, continuation may not even be noticable (case in point, the game Go-Krida (http://www.gokrida.com/) in which actions take place over hours rather than seconds, or Skotos' own lamented (by me) GE: Succession). A disconnect there is no big deal.

Another alternative along these lines is player created scripts. Give the player the ability to create an "I'm not here" type of script to play when they can't. Again, it's another variation on the continuation theme, but one that, if it penalizes a player for an accidental disconnect, can still be seen as fair, as the player had a chance to mitigate the damage.

[Riel]

A very informative and helpful article. It does help to look at all the alternatives. Personally, I like the simple "penalize those who disconnect", though AI (or script) continuation is a good way to provide less of a penalty for authentic disconnects (without interrupting the game).

[FogLeg]

Nice article :)

Reward Those Who Remain

If the game allows, it would be nice to give small awards during the battle, so even if you lose in the end, you still get something out of staying there.

Smart Continuation

I have played the game, where AI was very good. That, as you might have guessed, created situation where lots of players used the AI on purpose by logging out and letting the AI to fight for them.

[ShannonA]

Originally posted by FogLeg

I have played the game, where AI was very good. That, as you might have guessed, created situation where lots of players used the AI on purpose by logging out and letting the AI to fight for them.

Now that's funny.

Shannon

[ShannonA]

Originally posted by Kwil
I'm not sure why you've separated dumb continuation from smart continuation, since unless you've got an AI as capable as a human, all you're doing is adjusting the "dumbness" level.


I was probably being overly clever. When I talked about "dumb continuation", I really meant that the program just left you there to take out whatever is dished up. No real reactions, just presence.

Shannon