Meh, there's no fun in generating a universe. Much more fun to create it yourself, or based a map on real stars! (much more work involved, but far better than anything a computer could generate)

In this genre of game, random universes are where we started (Elite).

Heh I guess I'm not of that generation
Speaking from my own experience, creating the starmap for the Arpia novels (based on existing starmaps of our nearby star neighbours) was at the same time really challenging and lots of fun. Challenging in that I had to try to represent the distances between stars in terms of "hyperjump routes", trying to put something 3D into 2D. Took a hell of a lot of time to make, but you feel proud after doing it. And afterwards, you rename a few systems, but it means the galaxy has more of a history to it.

@pace, on Jan 16 2007, 08:06 PM, said in Random Universe Generator?:

Heh… I guess I'm not of that generation

Check out Oolite then! Get to know your ancestors.

Edit: Oh, from what I hear, you may need to get your brother to do the manual docking for you.

This post has been edited by pac : 16 January 2007 - 03:26 PM

I must admit I didn't quite understand that part about my brother, dear other Peter

@pace, on Jan 16 2007, 10:11 PM, said in Random Universe Generator?:

I must admit I didn't quite understand that part about my brother, dear other Peter…

Manual docking is famously the most difficult part of playing Elite. More captains have died crashing into the space station having mistimed their docking rotation than have been lost to pirates! I remember when I was very small having to get my dad to dock the ship for me. And since it seems to be a running joke on the forums that your brother is better at EV than you, I thought he might be generous enough to do the same. (Then, when you can afford docking computers, kick him out!)

This post has been edited by pac : 16 January 2007 - 06:43 PM

@pac, on Jan 16 2007, 01:54 PM, said in Random Universe Generator?:

In this genre of game, random universes are where we started (Elite).

Heh, one could argue that we live in a randomly generated universe.

This post has been edited by Mispeled : 16 January 2007 - 09:33 PM

@pac, on Jan 17 2007, 12:41 AM, said in Random Universe Generator?:

Manual docking is famously the most difficult part of playing Elite. More captains have died crashing into the space station having mistimed their docking rotation than have been lost to pirates! I remember when I was very small having to get my dad to dock the ship for me. And since it seems to be a running joke on the forums that your brother is better at EV than you, I thought he might be generous enough to do the same. (Then, when you can afford docking computers, kick him out!)

I see, I see. I might suggest the game to him, but I doubt I'll play it before some time

@mispeled, on Jan 17 2007, 03:32 AM, said in Random Universe Generator?:

Heh, one could argue that we live in a randomly generated universe.

No! There is order in chaos, and therefore it is not random! :huh:

A cosmologist did some interesting work where he determined that, regardless of whether our universe is random or not, any universe much different (i.e. infinitesimally different) from our own would be incapable of evolving humans (not sentient life in general, merely h. sapiens). It's called the anthocentric principle or something like that.

I read an article similar to that which dictates how evolution could not have possibly been how we came to be (because of the time the calculations dictate it would take had it been true (for your information, the timespan is far longer (on the order of a few million times longer, I think it was) than the universe has been around for)).

Long story short, the article utilizes math to determine that the odds against our world being created by some force other than God (like mere chance, say) is extremely high (in case you're confused, it says that it is far greater in probability that God himself created Earth and everything else in this Universe than some other method (again, simply happening is one of them).

@warlord-mike, on Jan 17 2007, 05:44 PM, said in Random Universe Generator?:

I read an article similar to that which dictates how evolution could not have possibly been how we came to be (because of the time the calculations dictate it would take had it been true (for your information, the timespan is far longer (on the order of a few million times longer, I think it was) than the universe has been around for)).

Heh, sounds like the person who wrote that article has never taken any basic chemistry, let alone basic statistics.

I think the argument that this person was making was a probabilistic argument. The problem is that H. Sapiens only happens to be the end point of evolution (or rather, Mamallia Primates Hominidae Homo Sapiens Sapiens), but it is equally possible that we could have been avians, equines, felines, canines, bovines, non-hominid apes, or any other animal group. In fact, some studies suggest that octopuses are just as smart as humans, they just cannot manipulate their environment as well.

On the other hand, the anthropic principle works on a reductum ad absurdum basis to suggest that if a relatively few basic values of the universe were different (initial entropy being the biggie) then humans, and in fact carbon based life in general could not exist. I should point out, however, that some use the anthropic principle to suggest the existence of a divine entity.

@warlord-mike, on Jan 17 2007, 11:44 PM, said in Random Universe Generator?:

I read an article similar to that which dictates how evolution could not have possibly been how we came to be (because of the time the calculations dictate it would take had it been true (for your information, the timespan is far longer (on the order of a few million times longer, I think it was) than the universe has been around for)).

Long story short, the article utilizes math to determine that the odds against our world being created by some force other than God (like mere chance, say) is extremely high (in case you're confused, it says that it is far greater in probability that God himself created Earth and everything else in this Universe than some other method

I'd like to rip that calculation apart.
Please give!

This post has been edited by Modesty Blaise : 20 January 2007 - 10:25 AM