The algorithm of least astonishment

[Loki]

Funny title I know, but bear with me a bit...

I'm a software consultant that specializes in mechanical engineering applications. You know 3D solid modeling, CAE FEA etc. etc. (lotsa abbreviations in this field... Don't even get me going on Bi-directional associative parametric feature based modelers!).

Anyway, in a nutshell, one of the things these programs have to do (behind the scenes transparently to the users) is to effortlessly handle some really wicked geometry problems. Imagine all the Geometry proofs + trig on steroids kind of problems.

One of the challenges the programmers of these apps face is that many geometry problems have more than one degree of freedom. This means that there is more than one correct answer. Choosing the one that is the most logical, (the one a user of the software would expect to see) is a *really* big challenge.

I know because I spent some time with the developers of one of these types of programs whilst doing some consulting. They had coined the phrase "The algorithm of least astonishment" to capture the idea of having a program pick not only one of many possible and equally correct answers, but most importantly the "most" right one. It is *not* an easy task.

OK, I told you that story, so I could tell you this one.

It's fairly early in my grand campaign (about 1120 or so) and I'm playing the Danes (You expected the Spanish with a name like Loki?!?!) I have "partnered" with my Scandinavian neighbors and have a very healthy little Baltic empire going that stretches to the south shore of the baltic around and over to Atlantic. I'm trading the CRAP out of the local resources and have some good governers collecting taxes for me. My military is plump with Huscarls of both types, and those whacky Danish war clerics. I have no military peer among my Catholic neighbors. My Dragon boats also own the baltic and the north sea. None of my Catholic neighbors have much of a navy.

Across the north sea in the british Isles The Scotts have a nice little groove going. My spies have revealed that they have the top couple of provinces of the island and their English neghbors are week and disorganized due to rebels and civil war. The French and the HRE are both excommunicated and are ripe for the picking.

So what does the Scottish AI do?

Remember the The algorithm of least astonishment?

They sail past all those prime and logical targets, and they declare war on me!

Well, we'll see what happens when scads of armored highland nobles meet scads of Huscarls. I have a feeling they'll fight hard since they fleet they sailed over on is now gone.

It was too late last night to start the slug fest, so I'll try it tonight.

But in a way I'm glad its happened. It certainly spiced things up a bit.

Have I said yet that I love this game? Warts and all.