Re: DM - Help with AD

From: aj863@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Garth Werner)

Date: Wed, 19 Jan 1994 22:21:46 +0000

In a previous article, johnjohn@cco.caltech.edu (John Carlos White) says:

>Here's the information:
>Fave rythem: 10-5 Dodge
>Weapon: LS
>What's Happened: Going 10-10-7; 10-5-6 she got scummed.  Going 10-10-6,
>she got jumped and destroyed.
>
>Skills: Master Attack, Init +3, Decise +5, Defense, AdEx Riposte.
>
>Currently maxed in decise.  Of course, she's also learned two skills
>in each of the last two fights, but I'd like her to win too...

Of course a guy with these ratings and 3 STR/CON/SIZ will still
lose.  We need to see more on him, but any two losses can occur.  I think
my last TC lost the next two fights in the arena.  I saw a warrior go 0-2,
TV's in novices, went to 0-4,4 before finally winning, and is now at 3-8
or somehitng similar.  DM Characters, like baseball players, can still go
on hot and cold streaks as the laws of probabilities and random matchups
come into play.  You also don't know what your opponents are like so
perhaps they deserve to destroy you.

>
>The thing that amazes me is that she's only learned 13 attack skills.
>That compared to 19 init, 20 decise, 16 defense, and 14 riposte makes
>me wonder.  Am I going to be waiting around for her to max out in attack
>befor traiing?  At what point will she slow in skill learning?  90?
>100 skills?

I heard a very good theory from a long-time low-volume player.
Basically, skill learning function never slows down.  Yes, I repeat, it
never slows down.  The bonuses you got early on may not hit the extreme
highs (Ratios used vice absolutes), but the 4 skills per fight are still
occuring.  Rather there is a perceived slow down for the following
reasons.  (I'll use an example)

Chipped Tooth, my SL in 52 fought Cult Member his first fight, and
picked up 6 skills, an expert, and a win.  Assuming he is lucky to make it
to ADM, one day down the road it would seem reasonable that his skill
totals would look like:

Att: 20 (Maxed)
	Dec: 19
	Init: 20
	Par: 12
	Def: 14
	Rip: 20

Now by some fluke of random number generation, the computer comes
up with teh determination that Chipped Tooth should once again learn 6
skills.  It does this as the first step.  It does not give you a skill and
then calculate if you deserve another, rather it calculates how many
skills total you will get, then goes about calculating exactly which
skills each one of these 6 it will be.  In this procedure of determining
what they will be, the fact that he can't learn any more Init skills is
completely ignored.  So the computer may determine that the six skills are
going to be Att, init, Parry, Init, Decise, init.  The program would then
go through and try to add each of these on, but it would find that there
isn't anymore room forattack or init skills, so they are simply dropped,
and Chipped Tooth would learn a Parry and a Decise skill, maxing out on
decise.

Basically, the slow down appears as each warrior maxes out in
additional skill areas.  A basic conclusion I have from this is that
Warriors whose favorite skill learn is a traditional one for that style
will be slow to max out, but if it is an obtuse skill area, he will max
out quicker (IE Lunger with Parry).

Comments, opinions, rebuttals and the like are all invited.  If
you were supposed to be at the Blue Cactus on New Year's and forgot to
show up, your opinion will be placed on a lower priority list.

--
Garth

aj863@freenet.carleton.ca	or  crip@micor.ocunix.on.ca

References

DM - Help with AD
johnjohn@cco.caltech.edu (John Carlos White)
Wed, 19 Jan 1994 19:53:24 +0000

Referenced By

DM - Help with AD
johnjohn@cco.caltech.edu (John Carlos White)
Wed, 19 Jan 1994 19:53:24 +0000