Author Topic: Why all the random numbers?  (Read 3553 times)

rubikscube

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Re: Why all the random numbers?
« Reply #15 on: March 11, 2010, 10:43:48 pm »
Lol, we often don't even realize what the numbers will be; there are wide-scale modifiers like *5 health to most things later on in the stat calculations.
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Offline Cydonia

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Re: Why all the random numbers?
« Reply #16 on: March 19, 2010, 08:37:51 am »
I propose the Zenith starship gains exactly 42 hit points, just to screw with people :)

Its health would then be: 7,312,542

Yes, do that! I also think that people are too much attracted to round numbers and symmetry, and I also agree that they're less realistic. Just look at your bank account!!! are there even numbers? I don't think so... but it would look really strange if there were!  :D

I think you cannot ever agree on this topic. It's like this interface-or-gameplay-element-or-whatever thingy.

I'd recommend to make the numbers odd because in most games they aren't, and everyone here would agree that AI War isn't just some common game title. We are very special and therefore need our strange odd numbers.  :P
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Offline Lancefighter

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Re: Why all the random numbers?
« Reply #17 on: March 20, 2010, 02:26:44 am »
as a matter of fact...

Make every single number in the game PRIME.

Yep. You heard me.
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Offline Cydonia

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Re: Why all the random numbers?
« Reply #18 on: March 22, 2010, 01:35:41 pm »
even better!
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Offline Baleur

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Re: Why all the random numbers?
« Reply #19 on: March 22, 2010, 11:34:21 pm »
What's the attraction of big round numbers?  I like things that are a tad uneven, they seem more real and more thought-through (and often they are, here and elsewhere).  Big round numbers make me nervous. ;)

Well the thing is, what IS "real"? What is 1 hitpoint? Is it a 1x1 meter armor plating? Is it a bolt? Is it a 10x10 cm of iron?
You might as well round it down to 6 million, and simply "imagine" that each individual 1 hitpoint is now slightly buffed in "reality". Maby now it equals to 2x2 meter armor plating.

lol. But you get my point. Having numbers as health is unreal as it is, so might as well have an even number so its quick and easy to see when its at full health, or how damaged it is.
For instance, "LULZ your army just did 5 damage to my battleship!". <-- this cant happen with random health numbers at a quick glance. Have fun squinting in the heat of combat to notice things like that with a ship that has 1258251208/1258251203 health.

Offline Lancefighter

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Re: Why all the random numbers?
« Reply #20 on: March 23, 2010, 12:28:19 am »
What is 1 hitpoint? Is it a 1x1 meter armor plating? Is it a bolt? Is it a 10x10 cm of iron?
You might as well round it down to 6 million, and simply "imagine" that each individual 1 hitpoint is now slightly buffed in "reality". Maby now it equals to 2x2 meter armor plating.

Why does it have to be a 1cm2 of armor plating? Why not .34543cm2 of armor plating? :D

Also, I take each hit point to be exactly one nanite worth of armor, capable of defending against any attack from any direction. The final hp is representative of the 'core' of the ship, sans all armor, as if it was the very weakest part, with no shielding whatsoever, and any sneeze in the wrong direction would break it.

Engineer repair beams build nanites and send them on their merry way to buff the armor of any ships nearby, but each ship can only maintain so many nanites due to cpu issues. Space planes have virtuallly none because they are busy being fast and cloaky and shooty. Factories use these additional nanites, and they are added to the factories own control system/nanite production to create more ships.

 I add to this that each attack is actually particles of antimatter as well - Each particle is enough to react with a single nanite, stripping 1 hp from the target. Shields relate to the cohesion of antimatter, with higher shields meaning they are more likely to destabilize the attack, stopping it harmlessly through some projected field (lets go with a magnetic one, although gravimetric would work as well)
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Offline RCIX

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Re: Why all the random numbers?
« Reply #21 on: March 23, 2010, 02:13:52 am »
I hold that engineers use a high-tech device Called a Molecular Streamer Beam which rapid-fires molecules in a precise order into the exact configuration neccessary. As you can imagine, just one of these devices is quite slow, so an individual engineer uses approximately 100 * engineering rate.

Spacedocks use special particle fields plus special energy beams fired at each other so that they are "in phase" enough just in one spot, which creates a catalyst burst of energy that reacts with the field to produce a molecule of the specified type. These work much faster so only one is needed per spacedock. A metal/crystal slurry is fed to the particle field generator as well as crystals being used to refract and control the beams and need to be regularly replaced.

Say it with me now: Big Round Numbers! Big Round Numbers! Big Round Numbers! :)
« Last Edit: March 23, 2010, 02:16:44 am by RCIX »
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Offline Garthor

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Re: Why all the random numbers?
« Reply #22 on: March 23, 2010, 02:22:10 am »
Space Magic

Offline Spikey00

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Re: Why all the random numbers?
« Reply #23 on: March 23, 2010, 10:54:38 pm »
That's true on the one hand, but it's like in SC:FA. The Galactic Colossus had 99,999 health. Grr, gets on the nerves of nitpickers geeks like us!

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Quote
I propose the Zenith starship gains exactly 42 hit points, just to screw with people

You're a funguy, a complete nicehole.

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EDIT:  Say, it would be pretty neat in having a random deviance with unit HP--though that would cost CPU [I'm assuming].
« Last Edit: March 23, 2010, 10:56:10 pm by Spikey00 »
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Offline Baleur

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Re: Why all the random numbers?
« Reply #24 on: March 24, 2010, 05:00:34 am »
I dont see why it would cost cpu if its something that is decided as the map starts (like just a random value, blam, that golem in that system will now have 292hp).
Unless its changing in realtime, but then again, so do every ship when they get damaged :P