BR Calculator

[CFalcon]

So, basically I've made one as a kind of personal experiment, as in you put in number and type of units for attackers and defenders and it churns out a report.

Before I go any further, I'm going to make it clear that I won't be releasing this for general use, partly because I haven't tidied it up enough yet, but mainly for the very good reasons given in this thread: http://www.bushtarion.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1082 (quick summary: it wouldn't be good for the game).

So why make this thread?
1. Although not for general use, I think it would be fine for someone to use it for testing theories on changes to/introduction of new units, so I'm letting it be known that such a thing exists.

2. Because I'm looking for help. Although it does all the technical bits of sorting initiatives, armour stripping, selecting targets etc. the actual numbers I'm using for unit health/armour/damage are clearly way off and are giving results that experience says are wrong. The task of going through the stats of each unit is a pretty mammoth one, so if anyone is interested in such things / has a lot of time they don't know what to do with, I'd appreciate help. It's currently all in python, which you don't really need to know to work the calc, though a vague understanding of how scripts work would be pretty essential.
I'd also like to hear from anyone who knows how to turn a pretty ugly python script into a nice looking application.

 

[f0xx]

I got a BR calculator as well. It's called brains

 

[Twigley]

I got a BR calculator as well. It's called brains

/thread.

 

[CFalcon]

Yeah, I mostly did this to see if I could. Could be handy to predict the really big BRs that are sometimes too difficult to predict with experience though.

 

[Illumination]

Yeah, I mostly did this to see if I could.

I love this reasoning! (being the teacher that I am)

No, I don't think it should be released, but it was really nice to hear a member of the younger generation say "I just wanted to see if I could" when not referring to standing on one's head while funneling beer

 

[harriergirl]

Yeah, I mostly did this to see if I could.

I love this reasoning! (being the teacher that I am)

No, I don't think it should be released, but it was really nice to hear a member of the younger generation say "I just wanted to see if I could" when not referring to standing on one's head while funneling beer

amen !

 

[No-Dachi]

Making the actual battle calculator should be a fairly doable job. Making it word with all known stats, that is. The problem is that the amount of testing it'll take to make it 100% is imense. First of all we don't know if we're looking at numbers in the 1-100 range or 1-10000 range. Then it's the combination of health/armor making it an even more tedious job. With investment in private worlds and focused work you could however pull it through. But then comes the randomness factor. How will you predict that? You could set it to be 2%, but how will you know wether you've hit spot on on your numbers, or your numbers infact is .5% off? (random numbers)

The aim here is just for fun and testing purposes, so go for it. But I think you'll find that while you can make it work for smaller, easier battles, it'll fail when you try to test large scale battles with 50+ units involved.

 

[Azzer]

There's 2 random factors at play. The "general randomness" for every single hit every unit makes. Then a small "Super factor" chance, that allows a unit to pull off "extremes" - extreme positives, or extreme negatives, to variable degrees, that also help to throw off any full number tracking.

At best a BR Calculator will be able to generate some "average expected results"

But even that could and would spoil a lot of fun, so I'd strongly discourage CF from involving anyone else in any experiments, lest they end up getting involved in/being given any end products as "thanks" for their help.

 

[DarkSider]

I made a couple rounds ago a pure biker vs prots simulator and it was very accurate
For personal use it could be benefical but as Azzer pointed out the random factor can be pretty big, i forgot exactly maybe +-15% for every unit and in a big BR if the enemy rpg's hit extra 15% then a chain reaction starts with you having less PA to fire (and all other lethals) which makes them to have even more agents (and all other lethals) and you fire with even less assassins (and all other lethals) etc. So you might be able to get good average values but it's unlikely to be that helpful in big BR's since you don't really know what everybody sent.
What would be more helpful would be in small BR's like 1:1 where experience can already give you a pretty good idea of what's going to happen anyway. It's like that harvester predictor that puts so much effort in implementing the exponential seed formula to tell you that you need exactly 183241 harvesters when you gonna buy up to 200k or 250k anyway.
But from a scripter point of view i can see the fun part trying to make such a tool and it should feel rewarding to have it complete and fully functional

 

[Enrico]

Yeah, I mostly did this to see if I could.

I love this reasoning! (being the teacher that I am)

No, I don't think it should be released, but it was really nice to hear a member of the younger generation say "I just wanted to see if I could" when not referring to standing on one's head while funneling beer

On a side note, the young scallywags should leave the beer funneling to those build in the 70's...

 

[Illumination]

Now wouldn't it be fun if we could just go with where conversation was taking us? If so, Id laugh and start reminiscing about the old party days...but since we cant go off topic, Ill just say...

Good Luck Capt!!! Wayyyy back in the Tsunami days I knew you had it in you

 

[penguin]

CF's 'To see if I can do it' - best reason I've heard of.

I can see how it would benefit you in the end.. having the feeling of accomplishing something I never heard of before you mentioned it.. Last I knew of your bot [I miss that thing.. dearly], you were doing something like this. If you need a tester, I will help you test it with nothing but a simple ''thank you'' or maybe telling me how you do the ''now hit !read'' for your bot.. something like that, but as for actually wanting that particular script, no thank you.. I would much rather learn that by myself instead of a bot letting me know what will happen roughly.

Kudos to you for doing such a time consuming script!

 

[CFalcon]

Thanks penguin (and <3 Tiff)

I actually finished this a few months ago, long before I started working on my bot. It works pretty well too, usually within +/- 5% accurate. Various people helped me on various parts of it, so thanks to them, but I'm the only one with a full working version, and as I said above I intend to keep it that way.

Gimme a shout if you want help with anything, I'm always willing, although there are far better scripters than me around here.

 

[Dimitar]

I got a BR calculator as well. It's called brains

Basically he said it all, this game hardly needs more automation. Players should depend on their knowledge and experience and not on a bot who can instantly tell them exactly how their BRs will go.

Good job on making it so accurate and on giving such a great effort, you've done a lot, but please do not let many people use it, popularizing such a tool will ruin the game

 

[Iamsmart]

It's already fairly popularized, if we're talking about what's 'right' and 'good for the game' its hardly fair CF should get to choose who gets to use it and who doesn't. (although i really wish he wouldn't have made it at all, or if he did at the very least kept it to himself only, because I agree it sucks balls for the game)

 

[Cheese]

I've used CF's BR and I'll be honest it's an awesome bot. But I do not feel it should be released to the general public, even though CF could easily sell it to individuals for £50 with ease, it's that good!

 

[Iamsmart]

I enjoy learning my route

 

[Cheese]

I enjoy learning my route

I've already learnt all my routes so don't get that enjoyment

 

[Dimitar]

if you've already learnt them all you wouldn't need a BR calculator

 

[WackyJacky]

How do you get on the use list? Seems like CF's not the only one with it haha.