CRYSTALGATE'S PROFILE

Regardless of the motivations behind the review, it doesn't change what the "but this is bullcrap" post was a response to. It quoted Rose_Guardian's post, not Kya90's disclaimer.

author=kentona
okay, I found this formula in my notes txt file, with no explanation or source:

(5+slv)*sqrt(a.str/b.vit*(a.atk*x*skill_power)*a.lv/16) - b.def


thoughts? anyone know what this is from?

I have no idea what this is from, but the a and b makes it look like a VX Ace formula, so I'm not sure if it's from a commercial game in the first place.

Anyway, a few analysis. slv is likely skill-level. If this is true, then the skill increases in power with 1/5 for every skill level up if the formula reads skill level 1 as 0 and with 1/6 if it reads skill level 1 as 1.

On the offense side, the game has both str and atk and on the defensive side, it has vit and def. Presumable str and vit is character governed and atk and def is equipment governed and the game did want to keep them separated. str and atk are multiplied with each other, but since both are put into a square root, it works out so that if you have double str and double atk, you deal double damage prior to defense subtraction instead of quadruple.

If slv really is skill level, then a.lv is probably attacker's level. I have no idea what x is, but assuming it usually stays constant, there are within the square root three variables that raises the damage as the characters progress trough the game and one which decreases the damage. This works out as the square root function increasing linearly (except maybe from the very first few levels where the a.lv part may force it to increase much faster early on). Another plausible case is that str and vit stays static, but it would still work out as the square root function increasing linearly.

However, the "5+slv" part makes it look like the damage goes up exponentially. Then the target's def is subtracted from that exponential damage. Typically, if you have attack and defense in your game, you don't design it so that defense has to quadruple or something like that every time attack doubles, but if my guesses are correct, it kind of has to in order to remain relevant.

There are some other seemingly mind boggling details in the formula. Putting the skill_power (which is presumable replaced by a number in the actual formula) inside the square root instead of outside it just causes extra work. Assume you want a single target skill to be one and half a time as strong as a multi target one, you have to make skill power 1,5 * 1,5 = 2,25 times as high instead of just 1,5 times as high. Not that hard, but it still means extra work, especially if you want a number you cannot square in the head.

The middle parenthesis inside the square root has no purpose since there's only * and /. I can only guess that it's there because someone altered a formula where the parenthesis had a purpose in a way so that it no longer has a purpose, but didn't think to remove it. This makes it increasingly hard to find the source.

Anyway, to summarize a bit; It's a skill who's damage doubles after you level it up five or six times. It's from a game which separate equipment governed attack and defense from character governed strength and vitality. The attacker's level also by itself raises damage dealt as it goes up. It's all guesses though.

author=Feldschlacht IV
Question! How do I utilize some of these formulas for my game (ACE)?

Like, if I wanted to use ATK / (DEF / ATK + 1) , where would I put it, and how would I adjust it for skills?

ATK / (DEF / ATK + 1) is written as a.atk / (b.def / a.atk + 1). As for the rest of the skills, it depends on what you want them to do. Do you want a skill that deals x% of a standard attack, one that deals +50 damage, but the +50 damage is also reduced by defense or a skill that penetrates 50% of enemy defense? If you can't figure out how make a skill work in a certain way, I can walk you trough it.

If you use a formula of the form ATK * (X / (Y + DEF)) where X and Y is static, you're best of keeping enemy defense constant (enemy warriors and mages don't have to have the same defense, but a late game enemy warrior should have the same defense as an early game warrior) and increasing player defense slowly, if at all. You can also go the route of increasing enemy attack exponentially, but then you can't have confusion in your game.

Child of Light
Trails in the Sky
Trails in the Sky SC

That's a longer than normal list. Usually I don't buy a new game until I'm out of games I feel like playing right now.