SELDON'S GAME
by Mike Singleton
from Computer & Video Games, Feb.(#40)/Apr.(#42)/Jun.(#44) 1985


PART 1 -----

Computer & Video Games, February 1985, page 16

Asimov fans will no doubt have already guessed that Seldon's Game takes
its theme from that author's Foundation trilogy, a series of books that
plots the downfall of the Galactic Empire and the subsequent dark age of
interstellar anarchy. The figure of Hari Seldon was crucial to the
trilogy - the inventor of psychohistory, a sort of super-duper
sociology which enabled him to mathematically predict the future course
of galactic history and thus make plans to subtly influence it in the
hope of shortening the ensuing dark age.

Seldon's Game is therefore rather an unusual one. You are not playing
against an opponent - instead you find yourself matched against the
forces of history.

The listing I've provided for the Spectrum is just the core of Seldon's
Game. It enables a phase-by-phase reconstruction of the changes of
power and influence in the galaxy. Each star system has five variables
associated with it - power, strength, growth, centralization and ruler.

The object of the game is to make one star the ruler of all the other
stars in the galaxy. Which star rules which is determined by the
calculation of the influence one star has over another. The formula is
a little complex, but understanding it is vital if you are going to
change history! The influence of star A over star B equals the power of
star A divided by the distance factor. The distance factor is the
square of the distance between the two stars plus the Galactic
Interaction Constant, q. All this really means is that a star's
influence diminishes rapidly as distance increases. The galactic
interaction constant is there to provide a smoothing effect - a small
interaction constant will mean that distance has a dramatic effect and
changes in ruler will be more localized. A large interaction constant
means that distance is not as crucial and more wide-sweeping changes of
power are possible.

The game, as it stands, has one vital element missing - star type. A
star's type determines how its growth rate and centralization factor
change phase by phase and it is by changing a star's type that you will
be able to influence the near-inevitable course of galactic history. In
subsequent 5th Columns, star types that you can add to your Seldon's
Game will be listed. To start with, I recommend a galaxy of 25 stars
with an interaction constant of 10. One word of warning before you
experiment - doubling the number of stars will cause the processing
time to quadruple!

Suggestions as to how Seldon's Game should develop will be very
welcome. The game is designed to grow and I hope that a lot of that
growth will be stimulated by 5th Column readers. Enjoy your
psychohistory!


PART 2 -----

Computer & Video Games, April 1985, page 114

Seldon's Game this month reaches the point where all you would-be
psycho-historians can begin to study the course of galactic history in
full detail. The Spectrum listing printed here is to be added to the
listing provided in the last 5th Column, so you should take care to
get the line numbers exactly right or nasty things may happen!

The new routines allow you to check the vital statistics of individual
stars as the game progresses and also enable teh calculations which
influence a stars growth rate and centralisation factor. The game has
now limited to 26 stars (one for each letter of the alphabet) to make
star identification simpler. Now however, you must enter a random seed
number at the beginning of the game. This should be between 1 and
65535. Use the same number again and you will get the same galactic
set-up.

During processing, the border colour becomes red - when it turns black
again, you can check on individual stars before initiating the next
phase. Press 'l' to label each star by letter on the galactic map.
Press 'l' again to redraw a label-free map. Press any of the letter
keys to access details of an indivdual star. Press '0' to initiate the
next phase of the game. These key presses are valid in galactic map
mode or indivdual star mode.

A star's read-out gives you its name, its growth, centralisation,
strength, and power, its ruling star and the code letters of the stars
it rules. Also listed are its sociotype and its epoch.

However, if the star rules other stars, its power maybe swelled due to
the centralisation factor. Centralisation indicates what proportion of
a subordinate's star strength the ruling star takes to add to its own
strength and use as power. A star with centralisation of 0.90 will
grab 90% of the strength of the star it rules all of which will go to
swell its power.

Finally, we come to the "sociotype" and "epoch". For this month I've
given all the stars the same sociotype - Zero Normal. More types will
follow soon! A star's sociotype never changes during the course of a
game but what "epoch" it is governed by does change. A Zero Normal
star, for instance, can be in one of two epochs, Imperial or Communal.
The key point about an epoch is that it directly inf;uences the way a
star's growth rate and centralisation factor changes over time.

In the next 5th Column, we shall see how changes in epoch occur in
accord with sociotype. This month, for simplicity, the epochs are
constant. Your brief is to explore the intricacies of galactic power
and to observe how a star's epoch is crucial to its rise or fall. You
might also pause to consider an interesting question: which of the two
epochs has the best chance of seizing ulitmate power, Imperial or
Communal?

I'm sure the Kremlin would like to know but failing that, you can
always send me the answer - don't forget to say why!


PART 3 -----

Computer & Video Games, June 1985, page 111

Those of you with weary fingers will be glad to know there is no more
listing to be typed in this month. Instead I'm going to explain the
mechanics of the game in more detail.

First, let's look at the four numerical variables associated with each
star - growth, centralisation, strength and power. A star's strength
is a measure of its intrinsic economic/military status and changes
with each turn in accord with the star's growth rate. It does not,
however, directly influence the star's political status.

Power is the variable that determines which star rules which. The
influence one star exerts over another is calculated from that star's
power and the distance involved. If a star exerts more influence than
any other star over the target (this includes the target's own
influence) then it becomes the ruler of the target star. Because of
the distance factor, some stars may be rulers of nearby stars  but be
ruled themselves by a vastly more powerful but more distant neighbour.

The power of a star depends on its strength plus a proportion of the
strength of stars it rules minus a proportion of its own strength
(strength that it lends to its own ruler). This proportion is the
centralisation factor.

Now, sociotype and epoch. Sociotype is the only thing that remains
constant about a star. Basically, its sociotype determines how and
when a star's epoch will change. For instance, a Zero Normal star can
only have two epochs, Imperial and Communal. The Zero Normal sociotype
subroutine will determine at what thresholds of strength,
centralisation, power and growth the switch from one political system
to another will be made.

Epochs simply determine how a star's growth and centralisation change
with time. From last column's listing you will notice that an Imperial
star's centralisation diminishes as its power increases whilst a
Communal star's centralisation every phase. [?]

Now comes the big question - what does the player actually do? Every
phase he has the option (as Seldon planned for his psychohistorians)
of intervening in galactic history and changing the epoch of just one
star system. His aim is to shorten the time it takes for a single star
to dominate all the others, thus re-establishing the Galactic Empire.
As a yardstick for his degree of success, he can first let the game
(or history, if you like) run without his intervention. He can also
compete with his fellow psycho-historians (if he's got any friends) to
see if they could do any better with same galactic scenario.

This month I'm going to ask for suggestions. We'll rename the Zero
Normal type stars after the person who sends in the best routine for
determining when Zero Normal star switches from Imperial epoch to
Communal and vice-versa. There will be similar fame for the person who
designs the best new sociotype of star, complete with a fresh set of
epochs and associated routines (although you can include the ones
given already if you wish). Good thinking, till next time!

END --------