There's nothing like solving a math problem.

[Dux is not you]

Especially when said problem has prevented you from running your favorite forum game for years.

[Kargath]

What's the problem?

[LOOT]

Solving this math problem reminds me of a puzzle!

[Dux is not you]

What's the problem?

You see, Many Marios was meant to be a game of growth, discovery and expansion. Unfortunately, the game mechanics meant a player's wealth would grow exponentially, which creates imbalance within the game, as any choices besides the economically optimal ones would in time lead you to enormous disadvantages. It also meant no combat was possible, as it was impossible to make it economically relevant without making it broken.

I had been pondering this situation for the last few years, and was aware that maintenance costs had to be added to prevent the players' wealths to grow without bound. Eventually, my math studies allowed me to formulate this situation with a couple of equations:

N(X) = X + P*X - M(X)

Where N(X) is the "new wealth" function, a function that dictates how wealth grows; X is the player's current wealth; P is a growth factor (I toyed with making P a function of X, but found that too difficult to manage, not to mention terribly unfun) and M(X) is a maintenance function that tells how much maintenance a player has to pay according to the current wealth.

The whole problem was finding the correct definition for M(X) that would make player's wealths grow slower (though limitlessly) the more wealth they had. After weeks of fighting with functions I found a satisfactory solution; indeed, a customizable set of solutions.

And now I'm ready to make Many Marios again.

[Sim Kid]

Especially if you're Dyscalculaic.