Off-Topic General Discussion - Page 4609

Math is the least important part of theorycrafting, and people who don't realize that get into dumb arguments because they equate correct math with correct conclusions.

Sound theorycrafting does not exist outside of sound scenarios and sound analysis. If your facts are wrong or unrealistic then your resulting numbers and any analysis there of will be garbage. Even with good numbers your analysis needs to be thorough and thoughtful to be meaningful, and bad analysis will easily ruin what was otherwise promising theorycraft. You obviously need correct math for correct theorycrafting, but it's the set up and analysis that makes theorycrafting useful.

90% of arguments between theorycrafters end up going like this:

Theorycrafter A: My math shows that X is better than Y.
Theorycrafter B: My math shows that Y is better than X.
Argument commences between A and B regarding why each other's math was wrong.

These sorts of arguments end up dancing around the truth of the conflict; those involved have different scenarios, assumptions, and analyses which lead them to different conclusions. Unfortunately each person is convinced they are right because math told them so and as a result the gap between them is never bridged.

That's the tragedy of theorycraft because it, like all science, is best when done collaboratively. Nobody is perfect, nobody will draft perfect scenarios, nobody will catch every variable, nobody will get it right the first time. The point of showing off your math and your analysis isn't to flex your computational muscles or establish your authority, it's to get other people to review it and tell you what you missed and where you might have gone wrong. The best theorycrafters are those who work with other theorycrafters to find the right answer, whatever it may be.

So remember that the next time you try theorycrafting. You are only as good as your ability to work with, not argue with, others.


As an addendum youtube theorycraft videos are horrible; they are the epitome of everything wrong with theorycraft. You can rarely actually see all the assumptions/equations/math/analysis, you have to flip through rambling and various time stamps to get what little there is, and it's impossible to collaborate meaningfully through that medium alone.