Effect Chances

[DaggerWolf]

Can anyone tell me why in Gen I, the chances of such effects like flinching etc. were commonly just under the full ten percentage whereas it was rounded in Gen II onwards? e.g Low Kick's flinch chance in Gen I was 29.7% whereas in Gen II onwards it was the full 30%.

Is this to with coding problems, problems in the metagame, bugs or something else entirely?

 

[flaming infernape]

My guess might be that since flinching is probably the weakest of status afflictions, it only making you forfiet that one turn while others do a lot worse, they up'd its chance to also make it a more common status affliction.

Also, since when was low kick a flinching move?

 

[DaggerWolf]

My guess might be that since flinching is probably the weakest of status afflictions, it only making you forfiet that one turn while others do a lot worse, they up'd its chance to also make it a more common status affliction.

Nah, it's with all effects. Another example is that in Gen I, Thundershock had a 9.8% chance to Paralyze whereas in Gen II and above, it was bumped up to a round 10%.

And as for Low Kick?

Always. 30% in the newer games.

 

[flaming infernape]

You're right, up until gen 3. Since then, Low kick's been based on weight.

If you need proof, here's the page.

 

[DaggerWolf]

I know that's where I got the figures from.

The power's changed but I'm pretty sure that the flinch mechanics are still there.

 

[Geodude]

No. Low Kick does not flinch. Further proof.

 

[DaggerWolf]

Hmmm... This is where we decide who's right...

BulbaPedia or Smogon?

Bulba says the weight arrives in Gen III, Smogon Gen II.
Bulba says flinch was there in Gen I & II explicit, Gen III and IV implicit, Smogon says flinch was never there...

EDIT: Back to question.

Why was the probability changed? E.g. Thundershock 9.8% Paralysis Gen I, round 10% in Gen II onwards?

 

[Cheesus Is Lord]

I know from playing Gen I recently that Low Kick can flinch. Don't know why that's off though.

 

[$aturn¥oshi]

I think they just decided to use whole numbers instead of decimals. A 0.2% chance doesn't really make much of a difference.

 

[Krypter]

Because the chances were expressed as fractions of 255 (0-255 a byte) which does not give you whole round percentages on a regular basis?

 

[DaggerWolf]

I can see Krypter's answer making sense...

But did Gen II not use the same mechanics as Gen I?

 

[TTEchidna]

Yep. It's the same reason that Surf could miss for NO REASON 1/256 of the time.

And Gen II used the same base coding, yes, but they likely tuned it up a bit.

 

[DaggerWolf]

All right, thanks for clearing taht one up guys.

 

[TTEchidna]

Believe me, that Surf thing was one of the reasons why I hated Stadium. It'd always just miss, out of the blue, at the worst time, and then I'd lose.

 

[DaggerWolf]

Haha, I loved Stadium, never had that problem from what I can remember =/