Some Remarks on the Smart Nodes Energy System
Ok, we all know nodes, we know our file explorer. There is nothing special about it. - Yes, you're right, but in terms of programming tree structures (or linked lists, as they are called) are pretty complicated. But I should not worry. It's done after all.
You have the SmartNodes Editor, which is similar to what you know (with a few inconveniencies – and a lack of documentation).
For example, how easy it is to control the keys with the keyboard.
Just use the right arrow – and the tree will expand.
Use the left one – the tree will compress.
But let's come to our subject, the question, why there are so strange input fields like energy, debit and reload cycle.
First: take a look at a metaphor. Think of each node as a living cell, or better, think of it as a neuron which is charged and dechaged constantly. This is what I would consider to be energy – and happens when the machine explores a level of various nodes.
It looks for the one which has the biggest resistance. This is the one to make the intruder halt. There's a collision – the living cell, the node, does what we want it to do, but doing it it loses energy. It is decharged.
The specific amout of energy loss is, what you input into the field debit. The moment an action takes place, this sum is debited (so it works like a normal bank account).
Remains the last term: cycle reload. In contrast to our bank accounts, the sad rules of economy, I prefer the idea of a self-nourishing, self-healing monad. So our node is able to gain energy – up to the maximum which is set by the resistance value. Each time the program encounters the node, it's energy will gets recharged a little bit. And the term cycle reload signifies the number of times it nees to get recharged again.
But what is the sense of that?
Imagine the following situation. You're in a game, running two and fro, and the man at the corner always greets you with the same old words. Wouldn't it be nicer if he just noticed, that you passed a dozen times – and that he would change his attitude.
The first time he might say Good morning, Sir, next time, Nice to see you – and the third time, in a chummy way: Oh, there you are again. What does this have to do with energy system?
Simple: it allows you to program that. The formal Good morning might have a hight debit value and the biggest resistance (we are always formal if we don't know the other) , say
Good morning, Sir
We would a high number of reload cycles, say ten.
The Nice to see you could have a resistance of 200 – and a smaller debit, let's say 100. Reload cycles 5.
The first time we pass the greeting procedure we would encounter the formal answer (which is decharhged afterwards). And what happens? Now the informal Nice to see you with a resitance value of 200 (in comparison to the remaining 50) is Number One.
In consequence this system allows you to dynamize the reaction of the system. It's up to you and your finetuning.
For a while I had the idea to call the program Breathing Trees, which is quite a good description of this pulsating and ever moving machinery – but I fear nobody would have understood. But I should do it anyway.
So, have fun and give me some feedback.