Did anyone else wonder why Square decided to use 255 as the maximum stat level. Why not 100, 250, 99 or 200? Well basically, its to do with hexidecimal. You might know that it goes 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F. Well, to find out why for yourself, go to your Windows/Mac calculator and typing in 255. Then switch to Hex. and make sure that its on Scientific. You'll see! ;)

not being funny but i already know that:P - i used that queer hex thing with colouring on web pages when i could be bothered to make them :P ^-^

0 to 255. So 256 different combinations.

Y'know, 2 to the power of 8 is 256, and as the first console Final Fantasy was made on was an 8 Bit Machine, and most computers think in binary (either 0 or 1), that could be the reason too...

Just saying. :)

curses to you (not literally :P ^u^) that sounds like a very reasonable theory... *does some maths...*... yeah sounds good

They are both very likely theory's.

Originally posted by Sephiroth's Brother
Did anyone else wonder why Square decided to use 255 as the maximum stat level. Why not 100, 250, 99 or 200? Well basically, its to do with hexidecimal. You might know that it goes 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F. Well, to find out why for yourself, go to your Windows/Mac calculator and typing in 255. Then switch to Hex. and make sure that its on Scientific. You'll see! ;)

hehe. i just tried that and that's kinda interesting. does it work on graphing calculators?

Another very, highly likely one, is that there were originally 150 pokemon, and 105 people in a 200' radius of them. Clearly, they put two and two together and got 255.

Wow! I just did it too! That's weird/cool! I wonder if they knew that or if it's just a coincidence?

Actually, it's a well known fact that everything uses hex values in games. Your HP, your MP, your stats especially.

Limiting your stats to 99 just doesn't feel like "enough" to Square so they just upped it to the next "limit" which would be 255, or FF for 2 bit hex decimals.

This is also how Gameshark works too, it takes the Address (the first 8 numbers of the code) and it modiflies the value (which is in hex, 4 numbers).

To avoid making too many address for just one stat (thus would clog up a lot of things and end up coding a little more), 255 is your limit for one address. There ya go, now you all can become videogame programmers.

Originally posted by MogKnight

-snip-


You're wrong, dude. You're wrong. I did research to prove my point.

I'll throw a Snipper at you. >:O

And I'd made such a plausable theory up as well. :'(

Wasn't 255 the Max HP you could obtain in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, as well?

wouldnt it have worked then if 255 was the most of any item u cud hold aswell etc....

and 255 is 1 less then 2 to power 8

Originally posted by Smokey
Wasn't 255 the Max HP you could obtain in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, as well?

I believe so.

Also, the max hp for the sequel, Paper Mario, was 55. Since it was a sequel, it was number 2, and it was released in Japan in 00'. Tack the 00 on the end of the 2 and you get 200, add that to 55 and you get...255.

Amazing.

Wow, I didn't think so many people would think of so many links with the number. Also, here's something else to try. You now that other strange number, 65535? Well, its the number of experience and HP Quale has in FFIX. It's also the maximum number of escapes you can have in FFVII. Well try viewing the hexidecimal value of that.


Wow! I just did it too! That's weird/cool! I wonder if they knew that or if it's just a coincidence?

And eikofan69, no, Square knew that it was that in hexidecimal. Also, you'd think they'd use the decimal number 4087 in Final Fantasy VII (why? Cos its hex. value is FF7!) or 4088 for FF8, or 4089 for FFIX....... :rolleyes:

Its too coincidential to be a coincidence...

It's also the maximum number of escapes you can have in FFVII. Well try viewing the hexidecimal value of that.


2 ^ 16 isnt it?

anyways. i didnt know there was a max escape limit. How did you find out? What happens if you try and go over that limit?

Um yeah i read somewhere that it is just a programmers joke.

Limiting your stats to 99 just doesn't feel like "enough" to Square so they just upped it to the next "limit" which would be 255, or FF for 2 bit hex decimals.


Are there such things as 3 bit hexdecimals etc? and are they ever used?

Hexadecimel is used in countless things programming-wise. The colour codes for HTML, for instance, are written in a six digit hex code: #000000 being black, #FFFFFF being white and with all sorts of shades between it.

16^6 is a lot of numbers... 16,777,216 to be exact... But I digress, and I doubt Final Fantasy will ever need characters THAT strong.

i thought web colours were done with 3 sets of 2 bit hex codes - 1 set for each primary colour...

no they are 6 digit hexidecimal values. Between #000000 and #FFFFFF. I use this a lot because I am a web designer.

don't bring back an old thread just to correct a mistake. :'(