The Koan of the Four Maps

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L2: Junior Member
Aug 26, 2008
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I don't know if you've ever read Programming Koans, but I quite liked them, and I wanted to try my hand at writing one of my own for mapping.

The master said to the student, "Come, let us make our maps together." And so, they both picked up their hammers and mapped.

The student saw the master work on his first map. How quickly did the master work, using the carve tool to create tunnels in an instant! How speedily did he light up the rooms, their brilliance illuminating every corner evenly!
The student was inspired, and worked alongside the master, carving with gusto, filling every room with points of light. He mapped all through the night, and by sunrise had finished his first map.

The next morning, the master said "Let us invite our friends to try our ideas". And so their friends played their maps, and judged them, and both were called fun but flawed. The student was disappointed, but the master smiled and said "We shall try again tomorrow."

The following day, they picked up their hammers and mapped. The master went slower this time, slicing his tunnels to specification, placing lamps in each room and health where needed.
Following the example of his master's second map, the student made his own after two days of planning and meditation.

After greeting the student's second creation with silence, he said "Let us invite our coworkers to try our layouts." And so their fellow masters and students played their maps, and judged them. The master got even more praise, being told this map was fun and balanced. However, the student's second map was called uninteresting and bland. "Do not worry, we shall try again tomorrow", said the master.

The following day, they picked up their hammers and mapped. The master worked on another map, creating tunnels out of displacements with care, building windows to illuminate some rooms, and lamps to light others, filling corners with barrels and cobwebs. The map was truly beautiful, and the student resolved to do the same.
After a week of careful placement, selection of models, and the best lighting the student could muster, he showed his third map to the master. The master said "Let us invite the public to test our final creations."

And so the public played both maps, and numerous responses came in. The master received adoration for his beautiful, fun, and creative map, and it spread throughout the servers. However, the student performed even worse than he had before, being told his map was confusing, boring, and unbalanced.

The student was distressed, and went to the master. "Why did none of my maps do well? Each of your three creations were better than the last, while mine floundered..."

The master replied, confused, "I made but one map".

The student was then enlightened.