Chef Archive

Thread: Rating Food Eaca Dioheps theory of Relative Efficiency **WARNING MATH INSIDE**

Eaca
Thu Feb 26, 2004 11:46 pm
#1



Some of you may recall me posting some interesting experiments I did with some VB over the last few days dealing with determining just how long it takes the stomach to digest food. Some of you may be wondering why a non-chef type person would sit around suffering sheer bordom day after day in the cantina watching food digest when she could be off doing something much more entertaining.


The answer is I was getting the raw data I needed to finalize my system for determining a rating system to assign foods to determin max buff effectiveness,and most importantly, buff sustanability.


The biggest problem I have had since patch was I had so much pre-patch food that I wanted to get rid of it. Food that once allowed for almost indefinite usage now had severe down times where I had to wait for the stomach to finish digesting before being able to re-apply a buff to myself. Also with the new long lasting foods, the generall concensus was to just take as many of the new items as you could to max out the buff, and go have fun while it lasted. My research has shown that this is generally NOT the most wise course of action. New long duration buffs have a buildup cycle where you start off with just one, wait for it to digest a bit, then take another and go about your business. This method greatly increases your buffed state longevity. It also allows for emergency food usage to further enhance your stats should the need arise.


Anyway, the base of my system for rating is the SPF rating of foods and the stomach. SPF stands for seconds per filling, and is calculated by dividing the time to digest or time the buff lasts by the capacity or filling. The Stomach SPF, or what I refer to as Ideal SPF is currently 27spf as determined by my previous experiment.


Stomach SPF = 45min * 60sec/min / 100% = 27spf


Food SPF is calculated similarly, however using the stats on the buff itself, for examply my VB that I was using for my experiment:


VB SPF = 42min * 60sec/min / 50% = 50.4spf


Also the Canap I mentioned:


Canap SPF = 12min * 60sec/min / 40% = 18spf


Note thatthe VB SPFis higher than the Ideal SPF, meaning that it is infact better than ideal.


Initially I was going to use a Filling Per Minute (FPM) system to rate foods, however the numbers that system gave were somewhat misleading.


Stomach FPM = 100% / 45min = 2.22fpm


VB FPM = 50% / 42min = 1.19fpm


So to be better than Ideal you had to have a smaller number, and I realized that for some people the concept of smaller = better is hard to understand, so I went with the SPF system


This is just the system base though, and while of limited use, the numbers are still somewhat confusing.


In order to simplify it further I devised the Relative Efficiency system. This works by comparing Food SPF to Ideal SPF to come up with a unified number that contains much more meaning and is easier to understand. You take the ratio of food to ideal:


Relative Efficiency = Food SPF / Stomach SPF = 50.4spf / 27spf = 1.87


What this number means. Well a food with a RE of 1 would mean that it lasts as long as it takes the stomach to digest it. Note that this is not indicitive of Filling %, as something with a filling of 2% could still have a RE of 1. The whole number in the RE indicates how many items you can consume without ever having to worry about getting full. Again this is independant of Filling %, as you could maintain 3 charges in effect for a food with 80% filling but an RE of 3. Achieving this requires staggering charge consumption however.


Consumption of foods with an RE < 1 will mean you will eventually become full and unable to continue buffing. Still independant of Filling % as a food with a filling of 10% but an RE of 0.5, you could take 10 charges all at once, but after they run out you will be waiting a while before you can take another one. Alternately you can take one at a time, taking the next one after the first buff wears out and maintain the buff for a while, but you will eventually get full and then be waiting again.


I think the RE can be used to determine how long after you make yourself full till you can use the buff again, but I'm not 100% sure of how to do that. When I figure it out, I'll let you know.


I'd like to work out a system that combines RE and buff strength for an even better catagorization for food, maybe call it Absolute Efficiency, but I doubt anybody other than me and maybe a few of my friends will use my system, but we'll see


Crap, knew I forgot something important.


WHY STOMACH DIGESTION TIME IS SO IMPORTANT!!!


With the stomach decay time at 45 minutes the SPF for the stomach is 27. If the stomach decayed at the speficied time of 30 minutes, the Ideal SPF would drop to 18. This in turn affects RE of every single food item. The VB I mentioned before with a current RE of 1.87 would suddenly become 2.8, and the canap I mentioned earlier with an SPF of 18, its current RE is 0.67 which means while eating it you will eventually become full. If stomach decay time were fixed, the canaps RE becomes 1!!! This means you can constantly have one of these in your stomach at all times and never get full. Also if the VB had one or two more exp points put in duration instead of strength or charges, its RE could easily exceed 3, meaning you could always be under the influence of 3 of those VBs without your stomach ever filling. So if the stomach decay time was as advertised, you could concievably be under the influence of 1 BE Canap and 3 BE VB's at all times, and with the VB's being a 400 point buff and the Canap being a 700 point buff, you could walk around with an extra 1200 mind and 1900 secondaries at all times. As it is now, you can only be guaranteed an 800 point buff due to eventual filling of the stomach.


I made up a nifty buff calculator that helps graphically show what I'm talking about and asked sciguyCO to host it for me. I'll let you know when its up so you can play with it. Its super.

Message Edited by Eaca on 02-27-2004 01:06 AM

Gracchus
Fri Feb 27, 2004 4:01 am
#2

mommy?
Faymar
Fri Feb 27, 2004 8:50 am
#3

Cool. I've been looking at creating combinations that allow for constant buffs (i.e. your rating of 1) but this is much more organised. I'm really looking forward to seeing your calculater.
Tasolth
Fri Feb 27, 2004 10:01 am
#4

whoa...... I'm imperssed.. can you do my math homework lol... /jk on a side note. dont die on us hehe.. doing an incredible job. actually seeing some good numbers from my attempts to have the buff duration of 45 mins or longer on all my brandy and products that can reach that duration.



"Nothing is Fullproof to a suficiently talented fool "-- AKA some people at SOE

Tasoth - (EX)Teras Kasi Master , Master Doctor -Chilastra.
Eaca
Fri Feb 27, 2004 10:52 am
#5

I was thinking for Absolute Efficiency take RE and round down to the nearest whole number and multiply by buff strength. So the VB in my example would have an Absolute Efficiency of 407, while VB with a 400 buff and 45 minute duration with a 50% filling would be an AE of 800. This way though all foods with a RE < 1 would have an AE of 0, which isn't necessarily accurate... So divisions less than 1 may be called for, either units of 1/4 or 1/3. I'll play around with it more see if I come up with anything usefull
Gracchus
Fri Feb 27, 2004 12:37 pm
#6

mommy?
Numen
Fri Feb 27, 2004 12:38 pm
#7

Nice post. I've actually thought about trying to combine a bunch of foods and come up with good combos for fighters. The fillings/durations would be adjusted so that they can all be used for a certain about of time.


The complexity of such a system was giving me a headache though. I never thought about doing it for just 1 food like you have done though good job.



Amandil Morier - Tempest - Master Chef
Gracchus
Fri Feb 27, 2004 12:38 pm
#8

:-( waa waa
LeviathanAK
Fri Feb 27, 2004 3:57 pm
#9

Holy crap that was awesome! As an up and coming chef I got a hell of a lot out of that. Thanks!
Meplorium
Fri Feb 27, 2004 5:15 pm
#10

You made this more complicated than it needs to be. Do a simple chart like this:


10% - 4.5m


20% - 9m


30% - 13.5m


50% - 22.5m


If a foods duration is shorter than fill on the chart, then you can not substain a buff. I don't think this is important to most people though, as they simply look at the buff. People are generally stupid and figuring out that time is often more important than crud buff escapes them. I did some math a while back and found that one can supstain a higher buff with longer duration brandy that has a lower effect. Not only that but do to the lag time on the short duration brandy, there are periods of very low buff. However what generally sales best is the high buff, short times. Again people are stupid and can only figure out the first number, buff, but not the second number, time. Though there are a few people that can figure this out and still go for the higher buff to use it when it is appropiate, ie when they only need a strong buff for a short time.





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Eaca
Fri Feb 27, 2004 6:54 pm
#11






Meplorium wrote:

You made this more complicated than it needs to be. Do a simple chart like this:


10% - 4.5m


20% - 9m


30% - 13.5m


50% - 22.5m


If a foods duration is shorter than fill on the chart, then you can not substain a buff. I don't think this is important to most people though, as they simply look at the buff. People are generally stupid and figuring out that time is often more important than crud buff escapes them. I did some math a while back and found that one can supstain a higher buff with longer duration brandy that has a lower effect. Not only that but do to the lag time on the short duration brandy, there are periods of very low buff. However what generally sales best is the high buff, short times. Again people are stupid and can only figure out the first number, buff, but not the second number, time. Though there are a few people that can figure this out and still go for the higher buff to use it when it is appropiate, ie when they only need a strong buff for a short time.







This is true if you only want to know things with an RE of 1. However with my system it instantly tells you how many of an item you can continuously consume without ever getting full. An item with a RE of 1.x you can maintain 1 of them, RE of 2.x can maintain 2, an RE of 10.x you can eat 10 of them constantly. Do you want to make a chart for every one of these? Yes, my system is harder to come up with than yours, and is harder for the item creator to calculate, however its easier for the end user to understand, if it were ever to gain acceptance in labling.


Customer: WellChef Ais selling FoodX with a buff of 500 and an RE of 1.7 whileChef Bis selling FoodX with a buff of 400 but an RE of 2.1. Chef B's food is a better buy since I can always have 2 in my stomach for a total of 800.







Numenwrote:


Nice post. I've actually thought about trying to combine a bunch of foods and come up with good combos for fighters. The fillings/durations would be adjusted so that they can all be used for a certain about of time.



The complexity of such a system was giving me a headache though. I never thought about doing it for just 1 food like you have done though good job.






Actually the RE value is for more than one food or drink. I only used the VB and Canap as examples, it can however be applied to all foods with a set duration. Not only that but after reading your post I discovered another use for the RE rating. You can use that rating from multiple food/drink items, and find out what thier combined total RE would be. I am calling this Combined Relative Efficiency (CRE)


For this discussion the following variables will be used:


RE1 - RE for buff 1


QC1 - Quantity consumed for buff 1


RE2 - RE for buff 2


QC2 - Quantity consumed for buff 2


RE3 - RE for buff 3


QC3 - Quantity consumed for buff 3


So with that in mind:


CRE = (RE1 * QC1 + RE2 * QC2 + RE3 * QC3) / (QC1 + QC2 + QC3) ^ 2


that "^ 2" at the end there means squared. This equation can be expanded or reduced depending the number of buffs being attempted, and will even work for single buffs. To reduce just drop one of the RE * QC sets from the top, and remove the associated QC from the bottom, to add just put in another RE * QC set on top and its associated QC on the bottom.


I really don't want to go into the math of this one, but it does work a CRE >= 1 means you can take all of the desired buffs in the desired quantities indefinitely. if CRE is < 1 then you will eventually get full. This equation is also only for food + food buffs or drink + drink buffs, as there is no CRE for drink + food buffs since they go in different stomachs.


I am still working on the difference of CRE from 1 as to determining potential "down time" Although with the discovery of CRE I believe this will be a bit easier.


CRE will work with any number of buffs, and any quantity of said buffs. Again with a CRE >=1 you WILL be able to be under the influence of all desired buffs at the same time indefinitely, however there may be a build up time required (i.e. you may not be able to take them all at once, but if you stagger the doses, you will eventually be under the influence of all of them at the same time, and will be able to maintain it). If CRE is < 1 there is no guarantee that you can be under the influence of all desired buffs at the same time for any duration.


As an example of CRE, a VB with a RE of 2 and an Accagam with an RE of 2 would have a CRE of 1 and therefor you would be able to take both constantly. A VB with a RE of 1.5 and a Accagam with an RE of 2.5 would also have a CRE of 1 so you would still be able to maintain constant buffing, though the times you would have to take each one would be vastly different, and VB would be consumed at a much faster rate.








Gracchuswrote:


mommy?


mommy?


and...


:-( waa waa







Something you would like me to explain again?


Eaca
Fri Feb 27, 2004 6:57 pm
#12

Also my Buff Calculator can help visually see what I'm talking about if you come up with some fake numbers to use for filling and duration, then you can graphically see how to properly load and stagger buffs.


Instructions on how to use it are Here


Gracchus
Fri Feb 27, 2004 7:05 pm
#13

omg no thank you very much
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