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EcOHRnomics

By: Dalaran

  Part 1: It begins...

  Eco 100 is one of my favorite classes this semester. I like it because I memorized everything I need to know for the class in high school. I go to class each day, and write the main topics in my notes, and then scribble stuff in the margins about my RPG. Anyway one day I was feeling kind of guilty that what I was writing had nothing to do with economics, so I compromised. Prepare for a lesson on economics, opportunity cost, and markets in RPG's.

  Part 2: "You could try, but he wouldn't die."

  This part outlines the basics of "battle" economics, and how to determine the relative strength of various attack types. As a programmer you have probably already figured out that you can make big mistakes if you just start typing numbers for character, item and enemy stats. I'm here to demystify how attack and defense turn in to a damage number. Now, most of you are saying, "Duh! Attack-Defense=Damage!", but have you ever thought about it? (I mean really thought about it? *stares at hands*) The damage types where defense is a factor are of the type: fx-gy=D where f and g are given scalars (for each equation), x is the attack stat, y is the defense stat, and D is the total damage. (If you have a three dimensional graph program use it now. The rest of us will go deeper into the abyss of painful numbers) It's easier to see what this really means to the combat if you reorganize it like this: Divide everything by y to get f(x/y)-g=(D/y). If we set x/y=X (the attack/defense ratio), and D/y=Y (the damage/defense ratio which I will refer to as the "Damage ratio"), we get fX-g=Y. Surprise, surprise, fX-g=Y is a linear equation! (Break out the two dimensional graphing, boys!) If you type this simple equation into any graphing device (substituting the given values for f and g) you get a graph that shows you a lot, if you can interpret it. Estimate (or if you want get the exact number) the ratio of attack over defense. That value is your x coordinate. Now find the y coordinate and multiply by the defense stat. That is the amount of damage the attack will do (before randomizing). If you graph all the lines together you will learn that if the ratio is low "blunt" damage is more effective, and if it is high "sharp" damage is most effective (which is obvious if you look at the original equations, but what is not obvious...), and that the attacks all do very similar amounts of damage when the attack to defense ratio is near two. Specifically, sharp and normal damage are the same at X=(5/3), normal and blunt are the same at X=(2), and sharp and blunt are the same at X=(9/5)=1.8. I hope this information helps you balance out your battles if you stick around you may learn more than you every wanted to know about "shops" in RPG's, and maybe even the holistic economics of an RPG, but by that point I'll be in WAY over my head.