thread: 2014-07-15 : Procedure, Components, Object, Strategy, Style
On 2014-07-15, AsIf wrote:
Ok, I'm looking at this model in programming terms...
-Procedures are functions and object methods.
-Components are the operating system, specialized subsystems, and the input hardware, as well as all object classes (Items, Characters, Locations and Events).
-An objective (clearer word) is an end point or terminal condition.
-A strategy is an optimized process flow or algorithm.
-Style is the UX design and the user manual.
Firstly, the line between Procedures and Components is not really a line. This gets a little self-reflexive because Object Classes are actually comprised of Procedures (called object methods), while Subsystems are comprised of Functions. If we say the book is a Component, which makes sense, then it too is comprised of Procedures, including meta-procedures ("how to play this game" etc). Maybe the metaphor breaks down at this point. Or maybe the two are subsumed into a broader category called "Mechanics".
Anyway. What's missing? Data.
Data are all scores, stats, measurements, tags, and all naturally- or heuristically- quantifiable descriptors and modifiers which serve as arguments (to functions) and values (for the properties of virtual objects). In an RPG, all verbal PC data (and perhaps a lot of the world data) is created by "users" after the game is published and read, but most games do include at least some pre-instantiated objects with their own data values (if only to serve as examples).
Data are the "blood" of Virtual Components and the "food" of Mechanics.
