Catching up to max tattoo level... (in General)

Just an observation for everyone. On April 3rd of this year, my tat level was 52.09% of my max level. After nearly 3 months of buying my BA every day and, on average, playing about 17 hrs a day, my tat level is 56.24% of my max level.

What's the lesson learned here? If you fall behind your max tat level, you will never catch up. I would request that maybe Jon re-consider the rate at which you catch up, but the next change month isn't for another 3 months down the road.

Personally I'd be impressed with any gains at all in that department Tez...

"catching up" is not the point of the max tattoo level.

Sure it is. If you're not near or at the max you're not utilizing your character to its full potential. Much like if you're not using your full weapon allowance.

Stop fighting it Tezmac. Jump into the NCB infinite loop vortex of doom. DO IT!

That's not the reason why the max tattoo level is introduced.
"max potential" is a balance issue and should relate to the rest of your team. For a ToA for example the optimal size also depends on how large your tank is compared to the other minions. A too large tattoo, even if below max tattoo, can be a bad thing, if it can't justify the PR increase.

Sefton has already proved very thoroughly that anything below your max is leaving PR on the table. It's PR well spent.

that was a ToE, and even then a max tat isn't always wanted/needed.

It's only well spent if it allows for a similar increase in opponent's Score you can beat. If that increase in PR does not result in the ability to beat bigger opponents, then it's a waste.

The idea behind this game is to be able to beat your opponents using the least amount of resources...

That is correct Bart. But it so happens to be up here at the top, as I'm sure you know, that you fight the same people day in and day out. NCBs grow up and go right on by you. I can't help but think that if I was at my max tat level (my AS much larger, I could deflect more DM) that I would be be beating on people currently higher up than me. I'd could beat up on the NCBs longer until they fly by me. I'd also have a score in the top 10 consistently instead of being in and out occasionally, which means you dont take as much of a hit for fighting down.

I was looking for the post where Sefton talks about the max tat level, but I couldnt find it. NSFY, I have refused to start a NCB, but its looking like my constant BA buying and 17hr sessions arent paying off and I may need to at some point.

http://www.carnageblender.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=001d97

Where's the part where he *proves* you need a Max Tattoo in that story?

It seems to me (someone that still hasn't gotten around to buying a tattoo) that its a matter of the goals you are seeking. If you wish to kick butt right now (a short-term goal) a max tattoo or bigger would be better for achieving your goal.. but so would having a networth of 3billion. If your goal is to gain MPR as fast as possible (a more long term goal), you have to do as bartjan just stated and weigh the boost in PR against the boost in the quality of your opponents.

Max tattoo: 1,000,000
A Tattoo of Endurance lvl 856,020

I haven't noticed any catching up. Granted I don't have the exact numbers but if I'm not mistaken the gap between my max tattoo and actual tattoo level is increasing.

your max tattoo is derived from how much xp you have earned

the more xp you earn, the more your max tattoo goes up

there is no such thing as "catching up"

I would guess your tattoo will float (slowly) towards your MPR. I read through the 'Oversized tattoos' change log from July '05 to come to this conclusion. Max tattoo is almost certainly calculated based somehow on a percentage of MPR. Therefore I would guess that a tattoo worn over long period of time would be close to that same ratio of MPR to max tattoo.

Tezmac your MPR is slightly higher than your tattoo so using the above, hastily formed theory, the tattoo would actually gain a small % on the max tattoo as it would grow toward your MPR.

Now everyone please grab weapons of choice to blow holes in my logic.

What he ^ said :p

http://carnageblender.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=001d97


The post where Sefton first brought up tattoos larger than max tattoo.

Missed Nightstrike getting there first.

If you take two chars - tanks for this instance - of the exactly the same size. Equip them with ToAs. On tank one a ToA larger than the max tattoo and on the second smaller then the tank operating to max tattoo level is going to be stronger and faster than the second tank. Fairly obvious but also illustrative of why I like to keep a tattoo higher than max tattoo if I can.

"there is no such thing as 'catching up'"

Well there obviously is if my current tattoo level is becoming a larger percentage of my max right? Or are you just saying that once my tattoo becomes "of appropriate size" that there is no catch up, and that it will stay at the same percentage of max indefinitely?

Babbler, my MPR is about 30k over my current tattoo level. Are you saying that once my tatoo level equals my MPR that I will no longer "catch up?"

Well, you are looking at percentages. Jon is likely looking at absolutes. If you started with a lvl 20 tattoo and had a max tattoo of 100,000 you are at about 0.002% of your max. When your max is about 200,000 and your tattoo is about 100,000 you'll be at 50%. You haven't gained on your Max Level, but your percent is larger.

Well we know max tattoo is based upon xp earned (MPR).

For example my MPR is 1,191,070
My max tattoo level is 2,010,000

Roughly 168.6% of my MPR (error margin due to untrained exp?)


A tattoo grows based on exp earned and past threads have noted people who started with a level 20 Jig upon joining (July '05 changelog examples) had tattoos nearly identical in level to their MPR.

Hypothetically if I add 800k MPR to ~2mil my tattoo would similarly grow 800k. However, max tattoo would grow by 1.686 times that.

That would indicate that a tattoo would grow at about the same percentage ratio to max tattoo level as MPR/max tattoo ratio.

A tattoo above or below would migrate toward that ratio but never reach it exactly.

Bottom line is that I want to insta up as far as possible and my tattoo will eventually fit. (any takers? :P)

I think what Jon is trying to say, is at the size of your tattoo (or rather its growth) is a fixed percentage of the amount of XP you earn, and your max tattoo level is another fixed percentage of the XP you learn, the relation between them will never change.

The only diference will come with using a tattoo over your max level, as it doesn't grow at all until your max surpasses it.

Ah, ok I see then. The absolute numerical difference between the two numbers will never change (say 1 and 10, 10%). However as the game progresses, the percentage will rise, but the difference will remain the same (say 91 and 100 now, 91%)?

It's more like;

Your tattoos growth is x/2 and your max tattoo is 2x, with x = XP earned (Numbers made up to be simple).

The max level is made in such a way that if your current tattoo is lower than it, it will never reach it.

Both increase at a fixed rate, It just the max level has a larger rate than the tattoo. :)

If that's the case. then no one should ever be able to maintain their tat at their max level then?

Tezmac - I believe that's right, you cannot keep your tat maximised (trade-ups are the only way to do that). I bought a RoS that was well above my max tat, and it took me 3 weeks to catch up to it, now the max tat has overtaken it, and the gap is widening.

Yup. You can never keep a tattoo at you max level (unless it's above your max of course!)

Max Tattoo: 1,002,000
A Tattoo of Endurance lvl 858,020

Both have increased by exactly 2,000 since my last post ...

Max Tattoo: 1,011,000
A Tattoo of Endurance lvl 864,020

Max Tattoo increased by 9,000
Tattoo increased by 6,000

The gap widens...