Filler

Okay, so I pretty much forgot about this until I got an email about the logarithms article. And I realize there’s not a lot to say that hasn’t been said already… or, at least, not a lot for me to say, as a mediocre-at-best game designer :P

So anyway, I’ll just recycle the same stuff I’ve already said.

Diminishing returns are essential to just about any complex game. They can give a more realistic feel to a game, such as modeling human learning or supply and demand economics. They can bring a level of balance into a game with almost no effort. And if nothing else, they add a level of mystery to the game.

In some situations, it’s better to choose the wrong diminishing returns formula than to not have one in your game at all. Look at bloodsport colosseum’s fame system, for instance - it just goes up forever, and is almost entirely meaningless once it breaks about 1000. I think any of the formulae I’ve discussed here would have been a dramatic improvement over that system.

Enjoy!

Diminishing returns articles on Nerdbucket:

• Diminishing Returns
• Logarithms
• Roots and Negative Exponents
• Exponential Decay and Convergent Series
• Summary

Finally, another exciting episode of NAME… THAT… DIMINISHING RETURNS FORMULA!!! Today we look at exponential decay and the convergent series, both of which are in my mind the only limit-based formula that should be considered for 99% of situations. Continue Reading »

Okay, first off, this was supposed to be up a good while ago, but a combination of real life and work got in the way far more effectively than I had planned. Anyway, today’s diminishing returns formula is roots. Continue Reading »

For the first topic in programming a diminishing returns formula, I present: logarithms! Continue Reading »

Diminishing what?!?

Okay, first of all, what is this concept of “diminishing returns”? Put simply, “diminishing returns” is the concept of getting less out of some system the more times you put in a constant amount. In the real world, diminishing returns are all over the place. Take, for instance, your body’s tolerance to alcohol…. Continue Reading »

As I’ve mentioned maybe once or twice before, I like myAutToExe a good deal. It’s great for tinkering around with AutoIt programs that have been “secured” by compiling to tokens. In some situations, being able to decompile these scripts is an absolute necessity Continue Reading »

Took the Postal quiz and answered everything as truthfully as possible given the multiple-choice nature. 38% likely to go postal. Continue Reading »

Score one for the good guys

I’d like to thank everybody on the forums who helped out in the investigation, and I hope this can be a lesson to greedy bot authors everywhere.

HUGE UPDATE: Read my updated article and wotc’s official statement. Great work, wotc, for your willingness to investigate this matter, and thanks to everybody who helped prove this scam. Continue Reading »

After posting my super-deluxe-awesome-sexy actionscript hover tooltip code, I felt dirty. I mean, me, giving away the source code to something that I could surely have sold for at least $1.50 a shot! It was really disgusting to see such charity from the likes of myself. Continue Reading »