Re: Dimini****ng Returns in Game Engineering

"Nathan Mates" <nathan@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:A7idne3Hm4-uU8jVnZ2dnUVZ_qLinZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> In article <862dnVC3MJN6BcjVnZ2dnUVZ_oLinZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
> AngleWyrm <anglewyrm_nospamthanks@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

>>is the same thing as
>>This * That * Another * YetAnother

> Once again, you seem to be convinced that you're making a
> point. Yet, I fail to share your enthusiasm that you've communicated
> anything.

Ok, the above simplification shows that it is ultimately just 
multiplication. The question as I understand it is: So what?

Let's say a character gets stuff/skill up to 90% of max in all four 
componants. The outcome is 0.9^4 = 0.6561, or about 66% of the max
'average 
damage'.

Only when the player gets the very best stuff will they get into the top 
THIRD of damage output. In other words, Common/Uncommon/Rare is already 
built into the system.

Does it matter? Yes: Start a new character in the game Hellgate:London,
and 
go kill the quest monster Moloch. This takes about an hour of gaming, and 
takes the PC to around level 8. From that point on, observe how often you 
actually swap monster drops into current inventory. The reward frequency
is 
less than one piece per several gaming hours, even though the player goes 
through literally hundreds of monster drops. It is a case of "this feature

is broken as intended"