Large numbers in RPGs and MMOs.

[Deleted]

Why are you comparing the small numbers to something expensive and the big numbers to something worthless? That doesn't make sense at all.

[bbr]

I don't really get it though. How do big numbers make you feel more powerful. It's kinda like having a tiny diamond ring vs a truckload of manure. Sure there's a lot more of manure and they might even have an equal cost (Im no expert on manure) but you can't really carry the latter around to impress people.. same as the large numbers become hard to read. If you've fighting a boss, and the numbers are rolling there, a 5 digit number is kinda hard to make apart from a 6 digit number let alone if they reach 100s or 1000s of millions.

diablo 1, didnt even have numbers i think.
simply finding a bow that had a much higher base damage was great, suddenly monsters died in 1-2 hits instead of 4-5,. that FELT powerful.
you didn't need numbers for that.

[Ferocity]

I don't really get it though. How do big numbers make you feel more powerful.

Let's say some boss gives you trouble, but you manage to beat him. In order to feel more powerful against him, let's say you need to be able to kill him twice faster and survive twice longer. It would require bigger numbers for DPS and Armor. If boss has 10k Health, "+1 dps" won't make a difference. If boss can kill you with 3 hits, and you have, in example, 100 HP, "+1 HP" won't save you, neither will "+1 Armor".

Let's say you don't want to feel more powerful. But next boss must be more challenging. In stat-oriented game, there will be no challenge if boss will have only "+1 HP" or "+1 Damage". For next boss to be challenging, he must have at least 5% increase in his combat capabilities in comparison to previous boss. In other words: next boss will have to have bigger numbers to be more powerful in stat/gear-oriented game.

[Deleted]

Why are you comparing the small numbers to something expensive and the big numbers to something worthless? That doesn't make sense at all.

Because if you hit something for 546346345 and take away only 3% of it's health, it feels worthless same as with cheap money. If a burger costs 70000, the currency feels really worthless.

At the same time if you hit something for 3 damage and it takes away 3% of it's health, 1 damage still seems like a lot.

[Dilbon]

I don't like big numbers either. Critting for 100 damage feels much better than critting for 10000 damage. With small numbers every increase no matter how small is significant.

[Gritalian]

I understand the idea behind having big numbers, and would suddenly feel weird having say 16k health again as a tank, high numbers give the feel like your character is progressing over the course of the game+expansions.

I just wish after all these years of protecting the world that I wasn't bothered to be asked to help save baby bears who climbed too high up a tree... specially from a druid who can turn into a bird and fly up and grab them far easier than it takes me to loft all my plate armor and shield up a cheap wooden ladder.

[Afrospinach]

It's all relative if you feel more powerful. I don't get how people think hitting for big numbers = power, I mean I getting crits and backstabs in BG for close to 100 and it was exciting because normal hits were small to begin with. That disgaea pic gets linked in these threads a lot and I find that interesting. 44 million a hit, I am *really* impressed, honest. It just screams quality and power from that fact alone. I just find rather large numbers to be a poor aesthetic like playing a cheesy arcade game or some such.

Let's say some boss gives you trouble, but you manage to beat him. In order to feel more powerful against him, let's say you need to be able to kill him twice faster and survive twice longer. It would require bigger numbers for DPS and Armor. If boss has 10k Health, "+1 dps" won't make a difference. If boss can kill you with 3 hits, and you have, in example, 100 HP, "+1 HP" won't save you, neither will "+1 Armor".

Let's say you don't want to feel more powerful. But next boss must be more challenging. In stat-oriented game, there will be no challenge if boss will have only "+1 HP" or "+1 Damage". For next boss to be challenging, he must have at least 5% increase in his combat capabilities in comparison to previous boss. In other words: next boss will have to have bigger numbers to be more powerful in stat/gear-oriented game.

I think you missed the point, take your example and multiply it by a googol. More powerful? some people seem to think so. But you are getting you ass handed to you in the exact same fashion as before.

[Blackdecker]

four-digits damage for me is perfect.