Editing 1223: Dwarf Fortress
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | This comic is a reaction to the recent reveal of a U.S. electronic telecom surveillance program called {{w|PRISM (surveillance program)|PRISM}}, run by the | + | {{incomplete}} |
+ | This comic is a reaction to the recent reveal of a U.S. electronic telecom surveillance program called {{w|PRISM (surveillance program)|PRISM}}, run by the NSA. (You can read a [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data Guardian article] about it.) PRISM, leaked by a former NSA official, incited some controversy since it provides government access to private data (e-mails, videos, chats, file transfers, etc.). <!-- please expand/correct this ~Alpha --> | ||
− | ''{{w|Dwarf Fortress}}'' is a freeware strategy game in which the player builds a civilization by giving orders to | + | ''{{w|Dwarf Fortress}}'' is a freeware strategy game in which the player builds a civilization by giving orders to — as opposed to directly controlling — a group of dwarves. It is famous for having a very detailed simulation of its world and for allowing deep micro-management (as well as an incredibly steep learning curve). Cueball compares the omniscience of a ''Dwarf Fortress'' player to government surveillance. |
− | "Big Brother" means "a tyrannical government body that constantly monitors all its citizens." The term comes from the classic dystopian novel ''{{w|Nineteen Eighty-Four}}'' by George Orwell | + | "Big Brother" means "a tyrannical government body that constantly monitors all its citizens." The term comes from the classic dystopian novel ''{{w|Nineteen Eighty-Four}}'' by George Orwell. |
− | + | Informally, a system exhibits ''Turing-completeness'' when it is theoretically capable of executing any algorithm. One of the simplest Turing-complete systems is the {{w|Turing machine}}, a device that manipulates symbols on a strip of tape according to a table of rules — it {{w|Church-Turing thesis|can be proven}} to have the same capabilities as any ordinary programming language. Other very simple systems include {{w|Rule 110}}, {{w|lambda calculus}}, {{w|Conway's game of life}}, and {{w|Brainfuck}}. (The reason we don't work with these is because they're a real pain in the ass. Would you rather build a network of spaceships that collide with each other to simulate the successor function, or just write <tt>i := i + 1</tt>?) | |
− | + | A common CS nerd challenge is to prove the Turing-completeness of a system that wasn't intended to be that way — games in particular. The usual way to do this is to construct a Turing machine simulator within the system. It has been done for Dwarf Fortress [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-8269], (infinite) Minesweeper [http://web.mat.bham.ac.uk/R.W.Kaye/minesw/infmsw.pdf], Magic the Gathering [http://www.toothycat.net/~hologram/Turing/HowItWorks.html], Little Big Planet [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13GOFa1C4e4], Minecraft [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X21HQphy6I] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sNge0Ywz-M], (hacked) Pokémon Yellow [http://aurellem.org/vba-clojure/html/total-control.html] and 3D chess [http://cp4space.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/3d-chess-is-turing-complete/] (but see the note below). These kinds of proofs often involve formulating ridiculously complex creations just to simulate a little machine writing symbols on a tape! | |
− | + | <small>(Technically, a computer is not really Turing-complete. A Turing-complete system has to have unlimited space, and that's not possible for a memory-limited computer or any software running inside it. But even if we don't have access to Turing-completeness, we can build a theoretical machine and show how it can be extended indefinitely. In a few of the games, we prove Turing-completeness in infinite variants.)</small> | |
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− | </small> | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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:Cueball: Then you're effectively Dwarf Fortress players watching your dwarves play Dwarf Fortress. | :Cueball: Then you're effectively Dwarf Fortress players watching your dwarves play Dwarf Fortress. | ||
:Big Brother: ... Oh God. | :Big Brother: ... Oh God. | ||
− | + | :Big Brother realises he's trapped in the most tedious possible Hell. | |
− | :Big Brother | ||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
− | [[Category: | + | |
+ | [[Category:Computers]] | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
[[Category:Video games]] | [[Category:Video games]] | ||
[[Category:Politics]] | [[Category:Politics]] | ||
[[Category:Comics with color]] | [[Category:Comics with color]] | ||
− | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Pokémon]] |
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