Discussion of changes to aging of stats

[Yam]

There are too few really old, mundane characters out there as it stands now, so I would hope there's some counter-balance put in place to keep them from becoming useless.

I doubt the changes will make them useless. They may not be as spry as a thirty year old (and, really, why would they be?), but it's not like skills are diminishing.

The 50+ year olds I have played have had absolutely atrocious stats. It was really rather impossible to do much of anything coded with them that didn't involve magick or crafting. Combat and sneakiness are simply based too much on stats for a character with poor/poor/exceptional/below average to be useful.

[Malken]

The 50+ year olds I have played have had absolutely atrocious stats. It was really rather impossible to do much of anything coded with them that didn't involve magick or crafting. Combat and sneakiness are simply based too much on stats for a character with poor/poor/exceptional/below average to be useful.

This is true, and happened to someone I know not so long ago.

And by atrocious stats, they are truly absolutely atrocious stats for the role he/she picked. Both the original and reroll were pretty bad.

[Yam]

I know that Zalanthas does not have the best medical care, but I wouldn't imagine 50 year olds to be quite so feeble.

[Delstro]

That is pretty old, comparing to RL.

Average Life Expectancy as seen on
SOURCE: Population Reference Bureau. 2001 World Population Data Sheet. Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau, 2001. 
Place Total Male Female
World  67  65  69 
Developed countries  75  72  79 
Less developed countries  64  63  66 
Africa  54  52  55 
Asia  67  65  68 
Asia (excluding China)  64  63  66 
Latin America (and Caribbean)  71  68  74 
Europe  74  70  78 
North America (U.S. and Canada)  77  74  80 

[Yam]

Indeed, but most 50 year olds I know can still kick a great deal of ass. Hell, most of the 70 year olds I know still fall down giant trees in their yard if need be.

[Malken]

That is pretty old, comparing to RL.

Average Life Expectancy as seen on
SOURCE: Population Reference Bureau. 2001 World Population Data Sheet. Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau, 2001. 
Place Total Male Female
World  67  65  69 
Developed countries  75  72  79 
Less developed countries  64  63  66 
Africa  54  52  55 
Asia  67  65  68 
Asia (excluding China)  64  63  66 
Latin America (and Caribbean)  71  68  74 
Europe  74  70  78 
North America (U.S. and Canada)  77  74  80 

Who really cares about numbers like this in a fantasy world, though? That's like saying that the rate of diseases increase with age and in third-world countries, so Armageddon should reflect that as well.

I'd be for totally removing any age penalties/bonuses. I see too many warriors aged 27 lately and too many young 'sneaky' types, unlike flurry, I actually think that more and more are playing the bonus first
and the role after.

[Fathi]

Hell, most of the 70 year olds I know still fall down giant trees in their yard if need be.

Is falling down trees a barometer of good health, then, Yam? The more you know.

[Delstro]

I'm just showing the general age. I don't think the median age in Arm should be as high as it says it is.

Life expectancy at birth by world region, 1950–2000  
Area  Years  
  1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
World  46  52  58  61  64  66  
Developed Countries  67  70  71  73  74  74  
Less Developed Countries  41  48  55  59  62  64  
Africa  38  42  46  49  53  54  
Asia  41  48  56  60  65  66  
Latin America (and Caribbean)  51  57  61  65  69  70  
Europe  66  70  71  72  73  73  
North America (U.S. and Canada)  69  70  72  75  76  77  
SOURCE: Yaukey, David, and Douglas L. Anderton. Demography: The Study of Human Population. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland, 2001.  

[Yam]

Zalanthan humans aren't regular humans. They are super humans.

And Zalanthas does not have the same types of disease that Earth has.

It isn't truly appropriate to use Earth statistics like those, since we aren't dealing with Earth or terrans. These are Zalanthans. Their median age is what is listed in the documentation.

[Yam]

A 57 year old recent had these stats.


'Your strength is poor, your agility is poor,
  your wisdom is very good, and your endurance is poor.'


Fifty-seven is not a particularly feeble age. This is about the 4th time this has happened. Middle to late aged character don't seem very viable.

[Qzzrbl]

Fifty-seven is not a particularly feeble age.

On Earth, perhaps.

The average lifespan for a human on Zalanthas is 68 years, and take note that this is "lifespan" and not "life expectancy".

This means people are dying of old age at around 68 years old.

Late thirties, earlier forties in age, that would be more around Zalanthan middle-aged.

[Delstro]

I really don't think people that have worked manual labor all their life would live to their 50s in Zalanthas. I really don't.

Googled some random shit to support my theory and I found this gem..


That's really all I found, but considering at the top of that most Zalanthans are in Poverty. I believe that if you did live that long IC, it was because your character was not into manual labor and hence can't be very strong.

IF your character was in manual labor, they definately should have been strong and had more endurance then that. I've been hit by an old man that worked construction for 40 odd years, it fucking hurt.

[Yam]

Yeah. I figured poor, poor, xx, poor would be a legless, armless midget with muscular dystrophy considering the lack of ability those stats grant.

[Qzzrbl]

Yeah. I figured poor, poor, xx, poor would be a legless, armless midget with muscular dystrophy considering the lack of ability those stats grant.

True enough.

[Salt Merchant]

What's this? Peanut butter and milk are correlated with lower life expectancies??

[Zoltan]

Early forties for a Zalanthan human is considered middle-age.

That being said, I'm sure most Zalanthans that lived that long would've aged poorly, unless they were particularly tough bastards.

[Yam]

According to stat and assess, 57 is also considered middle-age for a human.

[Synthesis]

Prediction:  increase in number of dwarves and elves.

[Malken]

Prediction:  increase in number of dwarves and elves.

Hahah, are you saying you actually haven't noticed that there's been a -huge- increase in both lately?

[Qzzrbl]

According to stat and assess, 57 is also considered middle-age for a human.

Hm.... Should probably submit something about this with the bug/idea command....

[Clearsighted]

There are too few really old, mundane characters out there as it stands now, so I would hope there's some counter-balance put in place to keep them from becoming useless.

I doubt the changes will make them useless. They may not be as spry as a thirty year old (and, really, why would they be?), but it's not like skills are diminishing.

The 50+ year olds I have played have had absolutely atrocious stats. It was really rather impossible to do much of anything coded with them that didn't involve magick or crafting. Combat and sneakiness are simply based too much on stats for a character with poor/poor/exceptional/below average to be useful.

What's wrong with being exceptional?

[Yam]

Exceptional wisdom doesn't matter much for a warrior when their blows bounce off the bare flesh of other humans.

[Clearsighted]

Exceptional wisdom doesn't matter much for a warrior when their blows bounce off the bare flesh of other humans.

I remember some guy playing a Byn geezer with stats I think, not much better combined with amazing wisdom that was able to whup a respectable degree of ass owing to how high he was able to get his skills. Though yeah. When Mr. Mul comes around, even good men are turned horribly inside out.

[Malken]

Exceptional wisdom doesn't matter much for a warrior when their blows bounce off the bare flesh of other humans.

I remember some guy playing a Byn geezer with stats I think, not much better combined with amazing wisdom that was able to whup a respectable degree of ass owing to how high he was able to get his skills. Though yeah. When Mr. Mul comes around, even good men are turned horribly inside out.

How did you know his stats?

[Clearsighted]

Exceptional wisdom doesn't matter much for a warrior when their blows bounce off the bare flesh of other humans.

I remember some guy playing a Byn geezer with stats I think, not much better combined with amazing wisdom that was able to whup a respectable degree of ass owing to how high he was able to get his skills. Though yeah. When Mr. Mul comes around, even good men are turned horribly inside out.

How did you know his stats?

He posted about it long after the fact of his death. This was years and years ago and it came up in another of these eternal discussions about stats.

The point being was that once you get to a certain stage skill wise, especially with warrior caps, stats can become quite secondary.