User:Salpynx/Going to Zagreb to buy a pony

Going to Zagreb to buy a pony is a humorous esolang inspired by the idea of programming as an unfolding story or journey, and it creatively incorporates elements of the agent/actor model to allow multiple entities to interact through asynchronous, narrative-driven "message passing." Here’s an overview of its key aspects and how it employs the actor model in a narrative style:

Overview of the Language

The language is designed around a journey-like narrative: the programmer writes instructions as if they are guiding characters (or "agents") on a quest to Zagreb to buy a pony. Each character in this narrative has its own "goal" (Zagreb and the pony) and operates independently, with certain actions that affect others or influence the storyline.

Key Concepts and Agent/Actor Model Usage

Agents as Story Characters

Each "character" in the story represents an agent with a distinct role, state, and goal. For instance:

• One character might be the main traveler going to Zagreb.
• Another character could be a friend or merchant with information or resources for the journey.
• Characters can have their own states (like "money," "distance to Zagreb," "mood") and behaviors ("walk," "trade," "ask for directions").

Message Passing as Narrative Actions

Characters in "Going to Zagreb to buy a pony" interact with each other through messages, which manifest as narrative actions: For example, "asking directions" from one character to another is akin to a message request in the actor model. The recipient might "reply" with "take the road east" (an output that updates the state or behavior of the main character). "Trading" or "giving money" are also types of message-passing interactions, where one agent requests or exchanges a resource with another, affecting their states and influencing the narrative outcome.

Concurrency and Independence

Each agent operates independently in the background, similar to an actor system. This isolation means that one character's actions (like taking a detour) won’t directly interfere with another's actions unless they intentionally communicate. This is similar to how actors handle state independently and only affect one another through message exchanges.

Narrative Control Flow as a Journey

The journey to Zagreb represents the control flow of the program. The programmer specifies various "places" or "events" along the path, and each agent's decisions or interactions may alter the route or progression toward the goal. If the main character arrives at a crossroads, for instance, they may "ask a local" (another agent) for directions, triggering a response that changes the character's path or state. This concept of "asking for directions" or "stopping at a tavern" resembles non-linear message handling, where responses can dynamically adjust an agent’s behavior, delaying or redirecting them based on the narrative.

Goal-Oriented Programming with Stateful Agents

Each agent’s state is persistent and goal-oriented. The main character's goal is to reach Zagreb and buy a pony, but they may need to accumulate resources or interact with other agents to achieve this. Each agent's interactions and state transitions contribute to achieving this end goal in a manner that feels like storytelling rather than explicit procedural steps. For instance, the main character might "run out of money" halfway, prompting them to ask another agent for a loan or find a merchant to trade goods, progressing toward the ultimate goal.

Computing Through Storytelling

The computational power of this language lies in how it weaves story-driven programming constructs with an agent-based approach:

• Conditionals and Loops are handled narratively (e.g., "searching for directions" might be a loop until the character is closer to Zagreb).
• State Transitions depend on interactions between agents (e.g., trading or asking for help).
• Concurrency is simulated by the autonomous journey of each character, whose actions may be interwoven or only loosely synchronized.

Overall, Going to Zagreb to buy a pony utilizes the agent/actor model to turn each character into a concurrent, goal-driven entity, allowing for computation through an interactive and evolving story. The esolang creatively applies the actor model, transforming message-passing interactions into story-based events that both progress the narrative and determine the computational outcomes.

Syntax

The AI's suggestions need considerable work to be consistent and remotely workable... Human intervention is required. TBA.