Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
We could do the calculations for the percentage only when we need them, or
we could do them ahead of time by normalizing the idea of “burden� at all times.
There is a significant advantage to normalizing. The decision to play hopscotch
does not need to take into account the weight the player is carrying or the maxi-
mum capacity. All we need to check is if the normalized weight (burden) is less than
the threshold figure of 0.60. In fact, we can then construct
all
rules for
all
decisions
that have to do with burden based on this single normalized value. We may decide
that jumping rope requires a burden of less than 0.40, basketball requires less than
a 0.20 burden, and that even walking requires that the character is less that 90%
loaded (Figure 13.5).
FIGURE 13.5
By dividing the actual weight carried by the maximum weight a character
can carry, we can determine a normalized “burden� value that ranges from 0 to 1.
We can then set thresholds for various activities all on the same scale.
We don't have to know the actual weight that permits or
prohibits each activity—only the normalized burden.
We can even use burden in other ways. We could state that fatigue over time
is a function of relative burden rather than weight. We could represent this by the
formula
