
                        AGING OF MELEE CHARACTERS
                             by Alex Dwelis

Following are results of testing the impact of aging Melee characters using
version 3.05 with the supplemental MAINT.EXE program.

I. Test Protocol - A total of eleven characters with a starting age 
differential of approximately 9 years were progressively aged by altering the
system date, running maintenance, and observing the impact on selected
characters.  Four of the eleven characters had, in previous testing, maxed
all of their trainable attributes, save two (DamageBonus via Ki Training and
Willpower); the remaining characters were essentially untrained with attri-
butes unaltered from those obtained during character generation.

     At the termination of the test, the oldest character who had maximized
trainable attributes was aged to 50 years and 7 months.  The oldest character
was aged to 56 years and 4 months.  This character test base has been archived
should additional testing be required.

     The observation portion of these tests focused on determining the age at 
which the following events occured:

          1.  Notification that an attribute was decreasing.  
          2.  Training prohibited due to aging.
          3.  Attributes were decreased.
          4.  Other observable impacts.

II.  Test Results -  Test results will be presented in three sections:  
General Observations, Functional Summary, and Chronology of Events.  Note
that the following syntax will be observed in identifying character ages
<year.month>.

     1.  General Observations:

         a.  Ages at which events occurred were consistent across the test
character base.
         b.  It appears that a 'trap' was functioning to prohibit any 
attribute to decrease less than the value of 2.
         c.  Reduction in character ratings due to the loss of attributes
was observed; however, no effort was made to validate the new rating value by
manually calculating the rating based on therevised attribute values.
         d.  Bonuses normally earned by improving selected attributes 
(i.e. ArmorClassBonus and ToHitBonus) were NOT decreased as a result of 
attribute decreases.
         e.  All attribute decreases were for one point.
         f.  Except for one attribute (Wounds), the reason cited for training
being prohibited made reference to the aging process of the character.
         g.  The observed losses in Constitution were observed to effect
the amount of available Training time for selected characters.  For example,
one character whose Constitution and Will were both equal to ten, saw a
one hour decrease in allocated Training time when the first Constitution
decrease occured.  On the other hand, a character whose Constitution and 
Will were at 18 and 18, saw no decreases in Training time through several
Constitution decreases.
         h.  Training in Weapon Skills and the defensive skills was never
prohibited by aging.  Also, no decreases in these skills were observed.

     2.  Functional Summary:

         a.  STRENGTH.  Notification message at 40.1 and training prohibited 
at 40.1 years.  Decreases observed at 40.1, then yearly from 43.1 to 47.1, 
and semi-annually from 47.6 to 50.6 years.  
         b.  AWARENESS.  Notification message at 49.4 but training had been
already prohibited at 45.1 years.  This is the first of three attributes in
which the notification message repeated itself in sync with a decrease in
the value of the attribute.  Decreases and messages noted annually at 49.4 
and 50.4 years.  From test data, I assume that the annual decrease continued 
through 56.4 years.
         c.  AGILITY.  Notification message at 35.3 but training not prohi-
bited until 35.1 years.  Decreases observed at 35.3, 38.3, and 40.3.  Annual
decreases started at 41.3 and continued to 46.3 years.  A loss was observed
at 46.8 years (but I think that this is an error in my data record.).  A
cycle of semi-annual losses was observed to start at 47.3 and continued
through the end of the observation period and 50.3 years.
         d.  DEXTERITY.  Training was halted at 38.1 years. This is the 
second of three two attributes in which the notification message repeated 
itself in sync with a decrease in the attribute.  Both the notification 
message and the attribute loss occured annually beginning at 39.4 and were
observed through the end of the test.
         e.  ENDURANCE/FATIGUE.  The notification message occured at 33.2
years.  The first loss noted at 33.2, followed by one at 36.2 and 38.2 years.  
Losses ran annually from 40.2 through 43.2 years.  Beginning at 43.7, the
losses occured semi-annually through 47.7 years.  However, the cycle of 
losses altered beginning with the sequence 47.11, 48.2, and 48.7 years.
They then repeated themselves at this sequence.  Training in the attribute
was never prohibited.
         f.  PHYSICAL DAMAGE/WOUNDS.  Training was prohibited at 30.1 years.  
For characters who had already reached a maximum value for this attribute,
the reason cited for training being prohibited did not reflect the aging
process but continued to cite the maximum value as the reason.  Other charac-
ters were advised that they were too old to train in this attribute. No 
losses in this attribute were observed and, correspondingly, no notification 
messages were observed.
         g.  DAMAGE BONUS (KI TRAINING).  No aging effects were observed.  
         h.  INITIATIVE (NULL BOXING TRAINING).  Training banned at the age
of 35.1 years.  No losses in this attribute were observed.
         i.  INTELLIGENCE (NEURAL WEAVING). No aging effects were observed.
         j.  WILL (WILLPOWER). No aging effects were observed.
         k.  CONSTITUTION.  This is the last of the three attributes in
which the notification messages continued in sync with a decrease in the
value of the attribute.  The message and decrease were observed first at
46.5, the began an apparent annual cycle starting at 49.5 and continued to
be observed through 52.5 years.  Currently there is no means available to
train in this attribute.
 
     2.  Chronology of Events:

     30.1  Can't improve Wounds/Physical Damage
     33.2  Notified of Endurance loss and saw decrease in Endurance
     35.1  Can't train in Agility and in Null Boxing (Initiative)
     35.3  Notified of Agility decrease as observed loss in Agility
     36.2  Endurance decrease
     38.1  Can't train in Dexterity
     38.2  Endurance decrease
     38.3  Agility decrease
     39.4  Notified of and observed Dexterity loss
     40.1  Notified of and observed Strength loss.  Also can't train in
           Strength
     40.2  Endurance decrease
     40.3  Agility decrease
     40.4  Notified of and observed Dexterity loss
     41.2  Endurance decrease
     41.3  Agility decrease
     41.4  Notified of and observed Dexterity loss
     42.2  Endurance decrease
     42.3  Agility decrease
     42.4  Notified of and observed Dexterity loss
     43.1  Strength decrease
     43.2  Endurance decrease
     43.3  Agility decrease
     43.4  Notified of and observed Dexterity loss
     43.7  Endurance decrease
     44.1  Strength decrease
     44.2  Endurance decrease
     44.3  Agility decrese
     44.4  Notified of and observed Dexterity loss
     44.7  Endurance decrease
     45.1  Strength decrease
     45.1  Can't train in Awareness
     45.2  Endurance decrease
     45.3  Agility decrease
     45.4  Notified of and observed Dexterity loss
     45.7  Endurance decrease
     46.1  Strength decrease
     46.2  Endurance decrease
     46.3  Agility decrease
     46.4  Notified of and observed Dexterity loss
     46.5  Notified of and observed Constitution loss
     46.7  Endurance decrease
     46.8  Agility decrease (based on other data, this might be 46.9)
     47.1  Strength decrease
     47.2  Endurance decrease
     47.3  Agility decrease
     47.4  Notified of and observed Dexterity loss
     47.6  Strength decrese
     47.7  Endurance decrease
     47.9  Agility decrease
     47.11 Endurance decrease
     48.1  Strength decrease
     48.2  Endurance decrease
     48.3  Agility decrease
     48.4  Notified of and observed Dexterity loss
     48.5  Notified of and observed Constitution loss
     48.6  Strength decrease
     48.7  Endurance decrease
     48.9  Agility decrease
     48.11 Endurance decrease
     49.1  Strength decrease
     49.2  Endurance decrease
     49.3  Agility decrease
     49.4  Notified of and observed Dexterity loss
     49.4  Notified of and observed Awareness loss
     49.5  Notified of and observed Constitution loss
     49.6  Strength decrease
     49.7  Endurance decrease
     49.9  Agility decrease
     49.11 Endurance decrease
     50.1  Strength decrease
     50.2  Endurance decrease
     50.3  Agility decrease
     50.4  Notified of and observed Dexterity loss
     50.4  Awareness decrease
     50.5  Notified of and observed Constitution loss
     50.6  Strength decrease
     50.7  Endurance decrease

III.  Conclusion, Comments, and Recommendations: The test shows that the
algorithms for aging characters appear to be working without any major prob-
lems that require immediate attention.
      There are some attributes that are unscathed, that is, no losses
are ever encountered.  When the game progresses to the point where only
'fine tuning' is required, it might be appropriate to revise the aging
algorithm to include Wounds, Initiative, Will, DamageBonus, and even, 
Intelligence.


