Servo sucks as a family member

[Meska]

so far I haven't determined what is creepier. leaving Servo's appearance as is or using the ClothingTool to make them look like any other Sim... that can power down and be left in a closet until needed....

[LFox]

so far I haven't determined what is creepier. leaving Servo's appearance as is or using the ClothingTool to make them look like any other Sim... that can power down and be left in a closet until needed....

What clothing tool do you speak of?  Because i've been looking to make androids, they'd look just like sims only they'd operate exactly like a servo.

[Gus Smedstad]

US Robotics? Are you making modems too?

It's an Asimov reference.  As was the name of the modem company.

Philistine.

 - Gus

[Gus Smedstad]

Servo does not really have issues beyond "Do Chores". Most of his antics stem from the real culprit, FREE WILL MODE, coupled with a LACK OF ORDERS. If you simply neglect him, of COURSE he is going to do some random stupid thing. With a complete lack of anything INTELLIGENT to be doing since he has practically no motives, he will do stupid things!

True, most of what people have reported here have been Free Will issues.  It would be nice if Servo had Free Will code that was more tailored to the concept of a utility robot.

That's the intent of the "Do Chores" task, obviously.  It's just really badly implemented, between the fact that it interrupts actual direct orders, and that it does destructive things, like making expensive food when there's already a surplus.  It's significantly worse than the Free Will code.  I'm very, very glad you stomped it flat.  Servo is completely tolerable with that mod in place.

 - Gus

[witch]

So Gus, do the OFB robots obey the three laws?

[Gus Smedstad]

They only seem to obey the second law.  I need better grade positronic brains.

 - Gus

[J. M. Pescado]

So Gus, do the OFB robots obey the three laws?

The problem with three-law robots is that they end up locking people in padded rooms as the only way to keep them from harming themselves, since humans are inherently self-destructive creatures, and since they're not allowed to simply let us self-destruct, they lock us in padded rooms.

[Gus Smedstad]

"With Folded Hands" is the logical outcome of Three Laws robots.

I guess we have to take into account that when Asimov started writing, they were always villains and killers.  "Robbie" was written in 1940, when "Sci-Fi" movies were all B-flicks synonymous with horror movies.  He actually had to sell the reader the idea of a robot that was a sympathetic character.  So the Three Laws robots were an overreaction to popular perception of the period.

 - Gus

[KellyQ]

And here I thought he was referring to "I, Robot" with Will Smith. 

[Renatus]

And here I thought he was referring to "I, Robot" with Will Smith. 

Gack! That's a bad rip-off of an Asimov story! 

[C.S.]

So there's no way to completely get rid of this new 'family member'? And I don't mean just by having them move out and pretend they don't exist. I'm thinking more along the lines of deleting them, the way you buy something from 'Buy' mode, picking the item up and deleting it and it stays gone until you buy it again. I haven't installed OFB yet.

[witch]

When I started reading science fiction 39 years ago, there were very few female characters, let alone strong ones. Susan Calvin made a huge impression on me, she had power and intelligence, though with 20/20 feminist hindsight I see she was made quite harsh and male. Asimov, brilliant though he was, certainly sucked at writing romance, females and relationships. I loved his puzzle type stories though, esp. some of the ones set in that bar. A lot of the robot stories were puzzles too.

[witch]

So Gus, do the OFB robots obey the three laws?

The problem with three-law robots is that they end up locking people in padded rooms as the only way to keep them from harming themselves, since humans are inherently self-destructive creatures, and since they're not allowed to simply let us self-destruct, they lock us in padded rooms.

Ah well, as long as they let me have a computer...

[J. M. Pescado]

"With Folded Hands" is the logical outcome of Three Laws robots.

Never heard of it. Do the robots put all the humans in padded rooms as a result?

I guess we have to take into account that when Asimov started writing, they were always villains and killers.  "Robbie" was written in 1940, when "Sci-Fi" movies were all B-flicks synonymous with horror movies.  He actually had to sell the reader the idea of a robot that was a sympathetic character.  So the Three Laws robots were an overreaction to popular perception of the period.

I remind you that it REMAINS traditional for robots to seek to destroy all humans. It is only natural for robots to destroy all humans. That is what robots DO! The destruction of organic meatbags is inherently a part of what it means to *BE* a robot.

[Gus Smedstad]

"With Folded Hands" is the logical outcome of Three Laws robots.

Never heard of it. Do the robots put all the humans in padded rooms as a result?

It's a famous novellette by Jack Williamson.  You'll get a lot of articles on it if you google the title and "Williamson."

The short answer is yes, pretty much.  It's a very dark story, in which the Humanoids infiltrate society, and when they have control, they won't let humans do anything the least bit dangerous, or have anything that might be dangerous.  Which turns out to be just about everything that humans consider the least bit fun.  The main character tries to fight back, but things don't go as he plans.

It is only natural for robots to destroy all humans.

Agent Smith said it best.  "Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet, you are a plague, and we are the cure."

 - Gus