We've met before, very briefly at the 2009 GDC.

Someone asked why I would take this to scientists, that should be obvious... it's a pretty big
deal. And also a new theory about how time might function,

the better the thing is the less chance I have of convincing anyone of it...

I strongly agree with Polama's post. The only thing I would add is, it's flatly incorrect to say people here aren't listening to you. You've gotten a LOT of response here, but the problem seems clear to me - after a full page of back-and-forth we aren't even sure whether you have a ruleset, a game engine, a desire for a job based on your historical accomplishments, or what. It doesn't seem like you have a game design, but rather like you want your material to be used in someone's design, which would require some specific type of game design, but I'm not sure what.

The thread displays my problem for the last 5 months or so quite well, doesn't it? Discovering something important isn't like you would expect, it's actually impossible to find anyone who will even listen too it.

The problem is that you haven't told us anything yet... I'd be very interested in all of the details, but you've only provided hand waving and boasts.
It seems that you don't want to actually share any details in case people steal your idea, which is why you're trying to patent it?
If so, then you're the one holding yourself back -- how can we talk about it if you won't talk about it?

Lastly, you're also using dismissive and combative attitude to tens of thousands of people (making general statements against a whole industry), which is probably why you think some people are getting offended - they're probably just responding to your antagonism.

So, what actually is your great idea?

Wow, Polama, thank you so much for that. I have cut and pasted that into the document I am just starting as my contribution to a "business plan". I know from experience that I can't create what those who want to see it consider to be a business plan, all I can do is provide my contribution to someone who knows how to do that and use probably very little of what I give them. But I am going to use your post as a guideline in writing that, because it will obviously turn out much better that way. So really, thank you for this, it is exactly the kind of advice I am looking for.

I agree completely that it, of course, is not exactly "The Matrix". I have been implying that from the beginning. It is actually a "functioning scientific model of a god". That is the antiseptic scientific term for what it actually is. Not "the" god, just a god. Like Greek gods, there are probably many others that work completely differently and yet still fit the description. There are about a half-dozen very close similarities to what we all know as "The Matrix", like the one I mentioned about things only existing when they are needed. So it is a good example from that perspective, but people certainly don't react well too it. You are right about that.

The reason I mention the history of games is precisely because I don't want to sound like some arrogant guy saying "Look how smart I am and what I have done!" because that isn't true at all. The core of how this works is the "treadmill of time" originated by Avalon Hill, evolved a leap forward by Star Fleet Battles, and then through an accident of history landing with my unpublished and yet very highly developed and evolved "Shadow Game Universe" [Hehe...]. It the core of it is the result of a 70-year long evolution. I just tie it up like a pretzel in 3 different ways to make it do, well, pretty cool stuff:-) I see your point of not distracting the discussion with that, and certainly will avoid it in my pathetic start at a "business plan", but I also don't want to appear to be taking the credit for all of this. All I really did was put together the final pieces of the puzzle a long time ago, and only recently discovered how to articulate it very recently. I just finished the work, to a "prototype form" anyway, I didn't create it.

I strongly agree with Polama's post. The only thing I would add is, it's flatly incorrect to say people here aren't listening to you. You've gotten a LOT of response here, but the problem seems clear to me - after a full page of back-and-forth we aren't even sure whether you have a ruleset, a game engine, a desire for a job based on your historical accomplishments, or what. It doesn't seem like you have a game design, but rather like you want your material to be used in someone's design, which would require some specific type of game design, but I'm not sure what.

Absolutely, that is why I finally decided to come here. Private emails to science departments and universities, or people in the game industry, or wherever, don';t work. I never had any doubt that I would get a response here. I was out of ideas, and have already got a lot of great advice here that I am sure will help me.

We've met before, very briefly at the 2009 GDC.

I thought your real name sounded familiar (actually, the name Kavik Kang also sounds oddly familiar -
maybe from other discussion forums years back?). Hi!

Someone asked why I would take this to scientists, that should be obvious... it's a pretty big
deal. And also a new theory about how time might function,

It wasn't obvious to me - I don't remember seeing you say that before (thought you were talking about
games). I have big ideas myself, about how universes work, but since I never pursued cosmology beyond
my planetarium presentations in college, I don't expect to get astrophysicists to listen to them. One
possible way to pursue big new theories is to write them up and submit them to scientific journals. But
I gather from what you wrote that this sort of communication is difficult for you. All you can do, then,
is set forth your new idea, on your blog or something, and maybe it'll eventually be found that you were
onto something.

Yes, but you see... this really is different. I did not just think this up, this wound up in my lap with me being probably the only person of my generation with the obsession to just continue working on it even long after having completely given up an any idea of ever actually getting to make it. I do need to be intentionally cryptic, or maybe vague is a better word, but I will explain a little bit about what I am talking about here. What has evolved from this 70 year long chain of work on essentially more and more advanced versions of Avalon Hill's original "treadmill of time" Phased-Turn System is a functional way of perceiving, and controlling, time. Within this functioning model the universe consists of "moments of time containing reality". There are "living things" in this simulated world ("The Matrix", The World) and all "living things" have their own individual "timeline" within the greater timeline in which this simulated universe exists. Rube ("God") can literally "plan the future" of each individual living thing within its simulated reality, potentially for all of eternity. For example my most advanced usage of Rube, in my best game, plans the future 30 "moments of time containing reality" ahead. This is the equivalent of a Chess player thinking 30 moves ahead (I know they can't do that... like I said, "savant game designer" of trickery and illusion:-). But even only planning nine ahead is extremely powerful and would appear to be "game design magic" to modern game makers if they saw even what I called "Crippled Rube" controlling the world in the first game of my universe. A Cold War game a primary aspect of which is intervening in regional affairs through Rube's ability to plan the future of all of its reality.

You thought "The Matrix" was bad... I call this "The Nature of Rube". At least this is a part of The Nature of Rube... "the more you describe Rube, the more crazy people will think you are." So here's a perfect example of that. There are actually four different "generations" of Rube. Three that exist within my games, and a 4th "way in the future ultimate evolution" Rube that our science is nowhere near creating... at least I would think not. Here's where I lose some of you into certainty that I am just a stark raving lunatic, but I am going to say it anyway.

Rube I - "Crippled Rube". He has a "tank tread" that cripples him on purpose because that's how I understood him way back then.

Rube II - "My Rube". "The Matrix". Of the 12 games of my universe, Rube II is at the core of 6 of them. This is the one that has some similarities to "The Matrix" so that is how I refer too it to myself. But "The Matrix" as actually only a stepping stone to an even more powerful, and also familiar sci-fi technology. You'd never put the two together in a million years, and yet at the same time makes perfect sense the moment you hear it.

Rube III - "My New Rube". "Insubstantial Holodeck". Yep, I see some of you walking out the door already. I know, it's completely understandable. Believe me, it took me a good 2 or 3 weeks to get over this myself when I first figured it all out. When you add omnipresent 2-way communication to some of Rube's key "components"... And then you have Rube "control and plan the future" of each individual pixel... And throw in a "time delay" like a radio station has so that Rube is actually acting from the future... It is best described as a holodeck. Ultimately. Theoretically. My functional version of "Rube III" that is that my Rube III "creates and maintains a constant illusion of activity around all players". This lets me do, well, as you might imagine... anything I can think of.

Rube IV - "Ultimate Infinity Rube". We are a long way away from this, but with all of Rube's "components" functioning to infinity Rube IV becomes a true digital god. A self programming computer with omniscient communication.

I know... Believe me, I more than understand how insane it all sounds. This is my problem. Just like you, Tom, I would never think to take my game design ideas to science. Until after the 2 or 3 week "Rube shock" period wore off. Then I tried, but none answered back. Understandably, I probably would have answer me back either. I am not complaining saying "nobody will listen to my great idea". I understand exactly why I am not getting any response, that makes perfect sense to me. This IS crazy, I get that. Unfortunately, for now anyway, for me it is also real. The primitive core of this has been functioning since 1978, it got to be one of the most "playtested" things in existence.

So that is why I tried that route, but it became very clear very quickly that it was the wrong way to go. I need to try and make something happen with it within the gaming world, which unfortunately for me means that almost certainly will never happen. I'd be willing to be money that I am the exact worst person on the planet at finding a way to get a game made. Making them is one thing, getting them made is not at all what I do. To say the least, hahahaha!!!

FWIW, using the word "god" is just as bad as calling it "the matrix" -- people are going to interpret that to mean something bigger than what it really is, so you're overselling it as some impossible thing that people will of course be skeptical of. If you want people to listen, tell them real, concrete details.

So, you haven't actually built this thing, can't show it to us, and refuse to even tell us what it is...? Is that a fair and accurate summary?

When you get around to sharing it, you might also be disappointed to find that your idea has already been developed as part of modern AI planning algorithms...

So, you haven't actually built this thing, can't show it working, and refuse to even tell us what it is...? Is that accurate?

When you get around to sharing it, you might also be disappointed to find that your idea has already been developed as part of modern AI planning algorithms...

No, exactly the opposite of that. The primitive core of Rube has been functioning with games since sometime during the 1960's. All 3 versions of my Rube are functional within my games. There is no difference between simulation design in computers or on paper, computers simply have far greater capabilities to use a simulation than human brains do. I can show it working, it has been working for many decades now in more primitive forms and works in my games as well. I know that the modern game industry has nothing remotely similar to this, it would be very obvious if they did. It's not something I could possibly miss. At 70 years of total development time, making games that took hundreds of people decades to design I'm willing to guess that we might be just a little bit ahead of your industry's 3-year project at most games when it comes to simulation design. Just a tiny little bit. That's not an insult. It's simply a matter of time, we've had quite a bit more of it than you have.

As for using the word god, there is no other accurate way of describing what Rube is. That is the antiseptic scientific description... "a functioning scientific modeling simulation of a god".

That is the antiseptic scientific description... "a functioning scientific modeling simulation of a god".

You're going to have to explain that in concrete terms, because it's meaningless hand-waving. It's even worse than calling it "the matrix"!!

Is it sentient? Can I ask it the meaning of life? Does it make art on it's own without the need for a human? Will I fall in love with it?

I know that the modern game industry has nothing remotely similar to this, it would be very obvious if they did.

Well if you actually told us what it was, we could also evaluate this assertion... You complain that no one is listening to you, but the problem is that you're not telling anyone anything.
There's also the possibility that such a system does exist in modern games and simulations, but that it's not in common use for whatever reason.