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<blockquote data-quote="Jeremy Ackerman-Yost" data-source="post: 5289116" data-attributes="member: 4720">ProfessorCirno, while I agree with much of what you said, humans actually are really, really bad at multitasking.&nbsp; Conservative estimates from recent data would suggest that you get 30-40% slower on each task if you are doing two things at once, for example, and if both of those tasks require retention of information, it's a disaster in terms of outcomes, as well.&nbsp; We don't actually do two or more things at once.&nbsp; We switch tracks repeatedly, and we lose speed and retention every time we do it.(EDIT: I'm working from memory on such numbers as I presented, but I think those are in the ballpark.&nbsp; If Umbran does search out citations, I'll happily edit again.&nbsp; I forgot the bonus irony points for the fact that people who think they are good multitaskers are actually among the worst.)That said, I don't think the activity in question is a case of multitasking.&nbsp; If you're getting a multitasking effect, you're using different task dynamics than I am.&nbsp; I don't define dealing with the mechanics of my character and dealing with the personality of the character as separate things, because the one is always servicing the other.&nbsp; They're continuous with each other.&nbsp; I'm rolling to hit a pack of minions with a Scorching Burst because my squishy low level wizard character is desperately concerned about that pack of guards bearing down on him and Scorching Burst certainly felt like the thing to do given the situation.&nbsp; The whole thing is rather sordid, and he had no intention if getting caught up in the messy business, he'd really rather keep his blood on the inside, thanks.I can't actually conceive of playing in a way where the mechanics are distinct enough from the character to cause track switching, but I do think it might be an effect for some people.&nbsp; After all, there's a HUGE variance in how long different groups of otherwise similar people take with by-the-book combats in 4e, and something must be causing that large a disparity.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Jeremy Ackerman-Yost, post: 5289116, member: 4720"] ProfessorCirno, while I agree with much of what you said, humans actually are really, really bad at multitasking. Conservative estimates from recent data would suggest that you get 30-40% slower on each task if you are doing two things at once, for example, and if both of those tasks require retention of information, it's a disaster in terms of outcomes, as well. We don't actually do two or more things at once. We switch tracks repeatedly, and we lose speed and retention every time we do it. (EDIT: I'm working from memory on such numbers as I presented, but I think those are in the ballpark. If Umbran does search out citations, I'll happily edit again. I forgot the bonus irony points for the fact that people who think they are good multitaskers are actually among the worst.) That said, I don't think the activity in question is a case of multitasking. If you're getting a multitasking effect, you're using different task dynamics than I am. I don't define dealing with the mechanics of my character and dealing with the personality of the character as separate things, because the one is always servicing the other. They're continuous with each other. I'm rolling to hit a pack of minions with a Scorching Burst because my squishy low level wizard character is desperately concerned about that pack of guards bearing down on him and Scorching Burst certainly felt like the thing to do given the situation. The whole thing is rather sordid, and he had no intention if getting caught up in the messy business, he'd really rather keep his blood on the inside, thanks. I can't actually conceive of playing in a way where the mechanics are distinct enough from the character to cause track switching, but I do think it might be an effect for some people. After all, there's a HUGE variance in how long different groups of otherwise similar people take with by-the-book combats in 4e, and something must be causing that large a disparity. [/QUOTE]

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