I guess I just don't understand math

[DrFaroohk]

Hypothetical: You owe me 100 dollars. Being the good sport that I am, I tell you "I will reduce the amount you owe me by 100 percent."

How much do you now owe me?

I would answer zero. 100 percent of 100 is 100. 100-100=0.

Or lets switch it around. You owe me 100 dollars, but I say "Since I'm such a douchebag, I'm increasing it by 100%." That should equal 200 right? 100% of 100 is 100, 100+100=200. What am I missing here?

[Wingates_Hellsing]

So far as I can tell, nothing. That's exactly how it works out on paper.

However, you can leave it up to math nerds to have some screwy 'quantum hypothetical' whatever.

[Lachrymose]

Uhhh...DrF, who's saying you're wrong and what are they saying?

I don't know what you're missing, but we're definitely missing something.

[HYHYBT]

Perhaps this would make more sense if you made it less hypothetical?

[DrFaroohk]

Well, it happens all the time, but one such instance could be in a videogame - I have an ability that "reduces mana cost of xyz spell by 100%". Which to me says free, but to the game, its only like 25 percent. I supposed if you compounded it after every fraction of a point of something...I dunno, that's beyond me.

[Anthony K. S.]

in a videogame - I have an ability that "reduces mana cost of xyz spell by 100%". Which to me says free, but to the game, its only like 25 percent.

Well, it depends on how the game is designed, but there could be several different factors that might affect the mana cost of a spell, like your character's experience (or lack of it), skill level with a particular type of magic, what kind of opponent you're facing, your character's current location and environment . . . Game designers will come up with all sorts of things to program into a system like that.

It could be that when an ability reduces the mana cost of a spell, it only affects the base cost, and all of those other factors (that might increase the cost of the spell) still apply.

A game might also apply modifiers to other modifiers . . . For example, for characters of below a certain experience level or in a particular environment, the game might be programmed so that, "All bonuses to XYZ-type spells will be reduced by 50%."

So your "100%-reduction" bonus might be reduced to a 50% reduction, and then add in other factors on top of that.

Personally, I've kind of given up trying to figure out the nuances of how game designers think. I try to understand the game mechanics as best I can, and then just go with whatever seems logical and hope it all works out in the end.

[DrFaroohk]

Yeah, especially from a particular video game company, I'll just call them "Hurricane". And the problem with Hurricane is that they use all that screwy math. "Oh lookie at this new skill, makes my melee weapon do %50 more damage! Since my weapon does 100 damage, I'll be doing 150 damage!"

But then you find out your weapon only does 104 damage now. Because they're only counting your base stats. But that's shitty, because it doesn't say that. I put that time into leveling and getting money so I could buy that skill because it said "+50% melee damage", not "+50% melee damage ONLY on your base stats." I got another special ability that says "100% chance to use this special move any time the enemy parries". Well, I see the enemy parrying all the fucking time, and about 1 in 4 maybe I get to do my special move. I'm sure there's a rational explanation for it, like maybe what it really meant was that there's an invisible dice roll I have to win first, and I only win that 25% of the time regardless of anything else, so that's why it doesn't work, but goddammit the game doesn't say that. It just says "+100%".

Screw you Hurricane!

[Lachrymose]

Hurricane, eh?

You must play Planet of Battle-art.