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Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 3:56 am
by Gjallarhorn
Baak wrote:The Seeker wrote:Very possible. 255 is the max value you can store in 1 byte (in binary). Which means there could be loads of data structures sprinkled throughout the Myth code which is based on a 1 byte value for this information, and to change it could require altering a lot of data structures, then checking a lot of code to verify it won't break if the data structure size has been expanded.
AFAIK there is a *lot* of this in the Myth code. From my experience dissecting tags and glancing at things I believe this is the most likely reason for a limit of some kind (and well described by The Seeker). 255 is a "magic" number - the maximum integer value stored in one byte. If it were simpler, it most likely would have been done already (i.e. raised to 32767, etc.).
With older code there is a vast potential to whack things in other areas when you start changing structure sizes, not to mention dealing with big/little -endian values and all that fun stuff. Then you have to test it, etc., etc.
You have to decide: is this work - and more importantly the potential of messing up other stuff (i.e. side-effects) - plus testing - worth it for the feature requested?
Just my two cents as a programmer.
Gameplay value > Graphical value
It would sure by worth it, if a character hits the limits of 255, they are not advancing anymore, so it seems. I have no understanding of programming at all (for if that wasn't already clear
) and before I started this thread I thought that it was just editing number 255 and replace it with a million or 0 for infinite or something like that. But if it's going to take much longer than just that, I understand that you guys find it a waste of time.
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:01 am
by vinylrake
Gjallarhorn wrote:Gameplay value > Graphical value
It would sure by worth it, if a character hits the limits of 255, they are not advancing anymore, so it seems. I have no understanding of programming at all (for if that wasn't already clear
) and before I started this thread I thought that it was just editing number 255 and replace it with a million or 0 for infinite or something like that. But if it's going to take much longer than just that, I understand that you guys find it a waste of time.
Of course at some point it seems a bit insane. Making an increase in skills dependant on having over 255 kills seems a little over the top, and if there were an automatic ingameengine continual improvement in skills that just kept increasing as kills went over 255 that is way over the top. Doesn't even sound like Myth anymore.
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:27 am
by Khadrelt
I don't think we're necessarily saying units should be able to VET past 255, just that the game keeps track of the number of kills past it. Once your unit gets past 255 kills, it's impossible to say how many kills he really has.
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:55 am
by vinylrake
Khadrelt wrote:I don't think we're necessarily saying units should be able to VET past 255, just that the game keeps track of the number of kills past it. Once your unit gets past 255 kills, it's impossible to say how many kills he really has.
Ah that makes more sense. Excuse my n00b ignorance.
Guess those bungie developers couldn't imagine a level where a single unit killed more than 255 enemies.
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 12:03 pm
by Myrd
The limit was 127 until patch 1.5 when I increased it. (The original value could support -128 to 127, in one byte still, which was useless since negative kills were not supported anyway).
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 12:10 pm
by Khadrelt
Were there actually plans for negative kills??? How would that work?
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 2:06 pm
by vinylrake
Khadrelt wrote:Were there actually plans for negative kills??? How would that work?
Probably someone just made the counter the wrong datatype. e.g. 1 byte signed instead of unsigned.
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:17 pm
by Raflegan
Khadrelt wrote:Were there actually plans for negative kills??? How would that work?
Friendly kills reducing the kill rate maybe?
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 5:07 am
by Shaister
Khadrelt wrote:Were there actually plans for negative kills??? How would that work?
Revives would be pretty sweet.