Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Other scenarios may have more abstract considerations. Regardless of the form
they take, however, if we can convert them to a utility value, we can measure and
compare them. Through those comparisons, we can determine which course of
action is the most preferable. On a simpler level, they may seem contradictory. When
we put the considerations into the entire framework of the scenario, however, we
can determine that an apparent moral tragedy is actually the lesser of two evils.
In the end, the benefit of utility theory depends on not just ascribing utility to an
object or an action, but framing it in a manner that we can compare to the utilities
of all other objects or actions. We may find that this process is clear and simple, or
we may find that we must apply a liberal dose of situational subjectivity.
Once we have determined those utilities (regardless of whether they are static
or dynamic), we can proceed with the delicate and often equally subjective task of
applying them in some meaningful manner. Using hedonic calculus as a model, we
can determine a way of combining the factors through MAUT practices so that
each receives a proper weight in the final decision.
However, as we have shown, caveats abound. Human perception and under-
standing does not lend itself well to firm measurement, categorization, and inter-
pretation. Messy things such as the emotional content of words such as
save
,
live
,
die
, and
kill
can place a smoky, distorted filter over comparisons that should yield
equality. Worse still, things that should be obvious
inequalities
in one direction can
tip in the
opposite
direction by simply putting them into a larger context.
Despite all the vagaries, relative utility is the foundational building block from
which all of decision theory is constructed. It is an extraordinarily powerful and
flexible building block as well. For much of the remainder of this topic we will
focus on what you can build with this magic toy.
