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A Small bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.01 (00:26)
by DoctorAperture
After spending a day or so looking and thoroughly reading most of the webcomics found in our community I noticed a general idea; all drones suddenly have sentience, with no explanation of how they attained it and they are idiots... Every drone out there is either an antagonist, or obscenely stupid (sometimes both). After noticing this I was annoyed; what happened to the drones' we know and love in the game, the mindless blurbs of coding designed to do one and only one thing: KILL NINJAS.

So I spent some time trying to write a comic which showed the drones' side, and how they could attain sentience, and I am satisfied that i did a fairly decent job of it.

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Well since I just got two...
Seals of approval
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Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.01 (03:01)
by Lenny
Hahaha. I love those laws - Asimov would be amused. :D

Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.04 (14:26)
by everythingfromatoz
Drones cannot eat the tasty gold on it's path, unless the ninja wasn't sharing, follow second code, then eat the gold.
=]
###***EDITED IS BELOW***###
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Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.05 (14:40)
by DoctorAperture
@Weiss: Or turning in his grave :p
@ Atoz: Robots can't have "yummy" gold because they can't interact with it in the game (flash and all that :/)
@All: nothing really


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Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.05 (15:00)
by everythingfromatoz
I know, it's a joke!
=]

Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.07 (14:51)
by DoctorAperture
@Atoz: heh, well that was kind of implied by your post
@All: well, I made a new one

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Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.08 (05:37)
by Lenny
Hahaha. This is definitely turning into an i, Robot thing, and I like it. :D

Also, hahaha, yes. That would be something else Asimov could do.

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Now playing: Patti LaBelle, Yolanda Adams & Fantasia Barrino - I Wish
via FoxyTunes

Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.08 (23:53)
by everythingfromatoz
=]

'I was bored,so...'
Love dat quote!

Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.09 (18:34)
by DoctorAperture
@weis: well, recently I just finished all of Asimovs books, so yes he was a heavy influence
@Atoz: it's even funnier if u imagine him saying it im monotone
@all: well these 2 comics are very short dialog wise so...

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And
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Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.10 (01:37)
by Yoshimo
Loving every bit. Kepp them coming, and I will keep laughing at them and you for being funny! :]

Editing, 1 2 3.

Seeker drones have different priorities, whereas 2 is over one, instead of vice versa. He might just be in diguise?

Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.10 (06:48)
by Turiski
Eternal_Boredom has said to me that he doesn't want to do out-of-comic explanations. So, I'm going to do one for him. It might be short but I think it's one of the few things that would be better explained than left as an exercise to the reader. We haven't talked about this issue specifically, so I'm going to be basing all of it on the implied content in the uploaded comics:

The first law is written in a very loose way, which is why the drone was able to rewrite it relatively simply (relative is a huge stress here). Like the miniscule differences between human-readable language and legalese, the text of the first law as outlined in the first comic is slightly off mark. Replace "path" with "algorithm" and you'll have a rough idea about what's going on "behind the scenes." Now, there is no need to do icky restructuring of laws for specific groups, which would be inefficient.

Here's where I'm stretching into personal theory: seeker drones probably have a heightened sense of the first law than any of the other drones do, because for all the other ones, the "path" and the "algorithm" define the exact same thing. Now, talking about a gauss turret, if the laws apply to them also, the "algorithm" becomes of the upmost importance, because it is only because of an exact algorithm that the second law can be justified. This further supports the idea proposed above, which is why I write that instead of, say, "they bend reality so that their mechanisms feel they are on the same course."

Rockets seem really tricky for the first/second pair but they're not, because there must be some kind of communication between the base and the physical rocket (or else how would the base know the rocket was destroyed, send another). They're actually tricky for the two/three pair. There could be a risk/reward analysis inside the rocket every frame, but it seems more likely that the algorithm is actually not only stored but actually processed at the base. The very odd thing about that is that the third law would be irrelevant, because they have an (afaik) infinite supply of rockets, therefore the destruction of any individual rocket does not affect the entire system. In fact, the individual rockets need not be classified as robots at all, but merely tools that the base uses to carry out the second law.

/thinking-too-hard-about-a-comic moment

Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.11 (04:16)
by DoctorAperture
@Bionic: DUNN DUNNN DUNNNNNNN
@Turiski: well seeker drones would have the same coding as a zap(Turn right every time you hit a wall, ect, ect...) but it would have an added section to go towards ninjas, after it makes contact with a wall again it resumes its origonal coding until it sees the ninja again
@All: Just got back from sedona, made a comic on me laptop while there

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Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.12 (14:48)
by DoctorAperture
@ALL: Well, I'm at school...

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Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.14 (14:54)
by DoctorAperture
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Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.15 (06:07)
by Lenny
Sorry for not replying - I was off on Melbourne. Doing well, though, in response to that PM.

All of the comics that I missed were extremely witty. I am particularly enjoying the .sol thing, but that comment about first dates was hilarious.

Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.15 (18:40)
by everythingfromatoz
.sol=soul.
=]
Love that space galaxy level reference.
I can hear UFO music in my head.
=]

Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.16 (02:48)
by Yoshimo
Love every 'small bit of code'. Man, I can't wait till this has more strips!

Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.16 (13:37)
by everythingfromatoz
Yea something with the fact that laser drones can go through eachother!

Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.16 (14:50)
by DoctorAperture
@Weiss: well thanks. nice to hear from an established comic maker that im good
@Atoz: well, i dont get the reference, must have been subliminal
@Bionic: here is your new one:p
@All: well every comic needs an antagonist

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Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.16 (14:56)
by everythingfromatoz
Mitosis!

Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.20 (14:57)
by DoctorAperture
@atoz: *cough*
@all: sorry for the day late update, but I didnt have school, I mean, what do you think i do with my spare time?

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Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.21 (01:35)
by Lenny
Hmm. I think I like the way this is going, but a mind-reading drone could be a huge problem to all of the Ninjas.

Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.22 (14:57)
by DoctorAperture
@all: ahhh -1 minutes till class!!!


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Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.23 (14:51)
by DoctorAperture
@nspired: so you think i can win a dronie :p
@all: no school on monday, sick on weds, thats why i updated a bit... odd

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Re: A Small Bit of Code

Posted: 2009.01.23 (17:26)
by blackbelmoral
what about seeker drones?
THE LAW BREAKERS......
(did i spoil something)?