"Edward L. Ferman - Best From F&SF, 23rd Edition" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ferman Edward L)

computer-generated art, a project that a couple of my people have been working on for the last six
months.
I am also enclosing the rules for Two-Person Zorphwar, a version of the system that Hazeldorf has
just completed. Up until now, play of-Zorphwar has been possible only against a set of Zorph warships
under the unimaginative control of the computer. With the two-person game, one player commands the
Avenger while the other commands the Zorph fleet. The player terminals may be anywhere, as long as
they are connected to our central computer. Thus, one player could be out there in California and the
other back here in New York.

Megalo Network Message: July 13, 1977
Source: P. T. Warrington
Destination: W. S. Halson
Subject: Doom of Warship Avenger
Earthling Swine! I, Parker, Emperor and Commander and Chief of the Hordes of Zorph, do here
give warning. Tomorrow afternoon at 14:00 hours I shall commence the obliteration of all decadent
hu-manoid pigs in my galaxy. Be at your console at the appointed hour! You are forewarned but
foredoomed.

Megalo Network Message: July 15, 1977
Source: W. S. Halson Destination: P. T. Warrington Subject: Zorphwar Exposure Park Baby, I think
we have a problem. That was a great game of Zorphwar we had yesterday, and I most commend yon on
how well you handled the forces of Zorph. It was a challenge all the way, and if I had not been on my
toes, your final desperate tactic of launching an twelve thousand of your doomsday torpedoes would
have destroyed me. However, when you made your attack, I was safely docked at a base star and thus
protected by its powerful energy screens. Your attack succeeded only in wiping out the remnants of your
own forces.
Unfortunately, launching twelve thousand torpedoes simultaneously put a serious overload on our
computer system. Zorphwar runs at A-l priority on our machine, which means that any other use of the
machine is halted while Zorphwar computations are completed. As you may have noticed, it took
approximately forty minutes for the machine to compute the paths through the galaxy of those torpedoes,
to determine their impact points, and to calculate the radius of destruction of each burst. Normally such
overloads are handled by adjusting the work load in the Computer Center. However, at three thirty
yesterday, the Center was in the midst of printing the paychecks for the entire Computer Products
Division. The little delay our game occasioned upset the very tight schedule for that operation. As a
result, all checks from R through Z were not printed on time and failed to make the courier flight to the
West Coast That is the reason your paycheck was not delivered to you today. Regrettably, it is also the
reason that Division President Tailing and Corporation Comptroller Westland were not paid this week.
While you are more familiar than I am with the personalities at Headquarters, I тАвaspect that both of these
gentlemen like to receive their paychecks. I trust that, if any investigations come out of this little incident,
you will do your best to emphasize the fact that the Zorphwar program has already been modified to
permit the launching of no more than tea doomsday torpedoes in one attack. Thus, this particular
problem on never occur again.

Megalo Network Message: July 18, 1977
Source: P. T. Warrington
Destination: W. S. Halson
Subject: Zorphwar Development Schedule
KU, Old Man: You were right as to the reaction of our President and Comptroller. The old stuff
really hit the fan with about a dozen ad hoc task forces instantly created to investigate everything from
general inefficiency down to the detailed operation of the Computer Center. Someone immediately spilled