|
Round 4
(ended)
Turn
20041115 (24)
(ended)
2006-11-19
16:28 CST
Not logged in
Home
Players
Public Forum
IceTowers
Mappa 2
Books
Page Changes
Proposals
History
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Current
|
|
|
All Books
Book Index
RFJ-428.2
The loophole is real; I win.
|
Book
|
Book of Judgments
|
|
Type
|
Case
|
|
Keywords
|
|
|
Precedence
|
428
|
|
Create Date
|
2004-11-18 00:40
|
|
Creator
|
Looney
|
|
Statement
|
Any player may donate any negative number of points to the Royal Coffers.
|
|
Arguments
|
For this case, we stipulate that RFJ-427.1 is ruled false, in other words that is that it is in general legal for a player to donate a negative number of points to the Royal Coffers. Obviously, the judge should wait until such a ruling is formally issued before ruling on this case.
Regarding point donations, PHB-318.1 states only the following: "Players may also donate their points to the Royal Coffers at any time." There are two possible interpretations of "their points." One is that all of the points must be donated at once. This, obviously, invalidates every donation that has ever been made except for pittboss' recent one.
Clearly, then, the rule means that players may donate either all their points or any lesser quantity of points. In other words, I could have donated my score at the time, 511 points. I could also have donated 510 points, 10 points, 5 points, 1 point, zero points, or -1000 points, as all of these quantities are less than 511 points.
Pitboss' argument that I must actually possess negative points in order to donate them is meaningless, as points are defined as integers rather than as physical entities, and therefore any operations dealing with them must treat them as integers. The mathematical operation of subtraction makes no distinction between a positive and a negative integer. It is possible to subtract a negative integer from a positive one; the result is a positive integer with a greater absolute value than either of the original integers.
|
|
Judge
|
Sniffnoy
|
|
Decision
|
True
|
|
Reasoning
|
Points do not actually exist; they are just a shorthand way of talking about score. "Donating points" means subtracting some number from your score and adding that same number to some other score.
Now, some might complain that we have not really defined "donate", and that, in fact, the ordinary definition would require that the number of points donated be nonnegative and no greater than your score. However, if pitboss can donate negative points, as Human has ruled that he can, then clearly this is not the case. Even if we include the rule that the number of points donated must be less than one's score, the donation of -1000 points is thus legal. I rule this case true, that players can donate *any* number of negative points to the Royal Coffers, because the rule that the number of points donated must be less than one's score, when applied to negative integers, has results that already do not match the ordinary idea of donation.
Also, if you insist on thinking of points as actual game entities, Looney *does* have those -1000 points to give away - he must, since you can subtract -1000 from the number of points he already has.
|
|
Amicus Curiae Briefs
|
|
( 20041115 (24): Create [RFJ-428.1] by Looney)
( 20041115 (24): Ruling [RFJ-428.2] by Sniffnoy)
|
