Jinyong team power

[Ken Cheng]

Yep, TVB divergence.

In the novel, it was stated that the 7-men Zhenwu formation would yield the power of 64 Wudang Heroes.

Well, sure, but would it still be able to do that with one man missing?

That "one man missing" wasn't academic; it made a difference.

[PJ]

Well, sure, but would it still be able to do that with one man missing?

That "one man missing" wasn't academic; it made a difference.

The formation doubles its power with each additional member. The total power works as follows:

members: 2 people, total power = 2 people
members: 3 people, total power = 4 people
members: 4 people, total power = 8 people
members: 5 people, total power = 16 people
members: 6 people, total power = 32 people
members: 7 people, total power = 64 people
members: 8 people, total power = 128 people
members: 9 people, total power = 256 people
members: 10 people, total power = 512 people
members: 11 people, total power = 1024 people
members: 12 people, total power = 2048 people
members: 13 people, total power = 4096 people
members: 14 people, total power = 8192 people
members: 15 people, total power = 16384 people
members: 16 people, total power = 32768 people
members: 17 people, total power = 65536 people
members: 18 people, total power = 131072 people
members: 19 people, total power = 262144 people
members: 20 people, total power = 524288 people
members: 21 people, total power = 1048576 people
members: 22 people, total power = 2097152 people
members: 23 people, total power = 4194304 people
members: 24 people, total power = 8388608 people
members: 25 people, total power = 16777216 people
members: 26 people, total power = 33554432 people
members: 27 people, total power = 67108864 people
members: 28 people, total power = 134217728 people
members: 29 people, total power = 268435456 people
members: 30 people, total power = 536870912 people
members: 31 people, total power = 1073741824 people
members: 32 people, total power = 2147483648 people
members: 33 people, total power = 4294967296 people
members: 34 people, total power = 8589934592 people
members: 35 people, total power = 17179869184 people
members: 36 people, total power = 34359738368 people
members: 37 people, total power = 68719476736 people
members: 38 people, total power = 137438953472 people
members: 39 people, total power = 274877906944 people
members: 40 people, total power = 549755813888 people
members: 41 people, total power = 1099511627776 people
members: 42 people, total power = 2199023255552 people
members: 43 people, total power = 4398046511104 people
members: 44 people, total power = 8796093022208 people
members: 45 people, total power = 17592186044416 people
members: 46 people, total power = 35184372088832 people
members: 47 people, total power = 70368744177664 people
members: 48 people, total power = 140737488355328 people
members: 49 people, total power = 281474976710656 people
members: 50 people, total power = 562949953421312 people

With one member missing, they would just end up having the combined forces of 32 people, instead of 64.

[Ren Wo Xing]

PJ, the formation maxes out at 7 people, because the formation was composed of precisely seven different styles of fighting which were each marvelous, but when combined had profound synergistic potential.

Other than that, though, Ken, PJ is totally correct. The power of the Zhen Wu formation is exponential.

[Ken Cheng]

There has to be a law of diminishing returns that applies after a certain number is reached, or things really start getting ridiculous when you have tens of people (without nuclear weapons) suddenly overcoming millions, even billions of people.

This is almost as bad as the "surprising position."

Oh, how I *hate* wuxia when it gets ridiculous like this!

[Ren Wo Xing]

There is. Read my above post; it maxes out at 7 people by the very nature of the style. PJ was just crunching numbers for dramatic effect.

[PJ]

PJ, the formation maxes out at 7 people, because the formation was composed of precisely seven different styles of fighting which were each marvelous, but when combined had profound synergistic potential.

Other than that, though, Ken, PJ is totally correct. The power of the Zhen Wu formation is exponential.

Right. There were only 7 martial arts available by design. So the numbers beyond 7 members were just referencing the exponential effect.

In my original post, I proposed a solution to maximize the destruction of this art:

If Wulin wanted to maximize its power, they should do this:

-Have Zhang Sanfeng work 15 hours per day for 20 years.

-Zhang Sanfeng would eventually come up with 50 distinctive but complementary martial arts - doesn't seem too far-fetched to me.

-These martial arts can be used in a large-scale 50-people Zhengwu formation.

-Have the top 50 martial artists learn these martial arts

-They fight in a formation.

The beauty of this formation is that each additional person doubles the formation's power.

If you think the 50-people formation sounds modest, make sure you don't have heart condition when you behold the following figure:

At merely 50 people, the formation already = 562949953421312 people's power. That's already WAAAAY more than the total population of our planet!

And, since all of the formation members are top wulin dogs, each person would = about 1000 soldiers at least. So the total power is really 562,949,953,421,312,000 soldiers.

[ChronoReverse]

In any case, the so-called exponential effect is actually backwards.


Z3F was contemplating a skill-set that would theoretically have one person multiplying his power 64 times. Which was obviously impossible but he did manage to split it into 7 parts.

[Ken Cheng]

Maybe near the end of HSDS, when Cheung Mo Gei had to take on the three Dao generation monks, he should have gone in with his three Mo Dong Sect uncles (Sung Yeun Kiu, Yu Lin Chou, and Yan Lei Ting) instead of with Yeung Siu and Yan Teen Sing.

[ChronoReverse]

He should've just crushed them alone frankly.

[Ken Cheng]

He should've just crushed them alone frankly.

He probably couldn't, which is why he needed the extra help.

[ChronoReverse]

Except he practically did that when ZZR was off being useless in the last round.

Forget fancy tricks, Pure Power (TM) showed what ZWJ was really made of when he forgets he's supposed to be a pansy.

[aniking_8]

Maybe near the end of HSDS, when Cheung Mo Gei had to take on the three Dao generation monks, he should have gone in with his three Mo Dong Sect uncles (Sung Yeun Kiu, Yu Lin Chou, and Yan Lei Ting) instead of with Yeung Siu and Yan Teen Sing.

Which cause him to lose his grandfather b/c he die later on but do he know he'll die so he join in fight anyway b/c ZWJ wanted Fan U.

[AnhHung]

Except he practically did that when ZZR was off being useless in the last round.

Forget fancy tricks, Pure Power (TM) showed what ZWJ was really made of when he forgets he's supposed to be a pansy.

Agree. ZWJ at the end of the novel was a much better fighter. I beleave that he got Great internal power and technique early on in the novel, but didnt get to Great fighter untill the end. Must remember that he didnt have anyone one to teach him fighting techniques and strategy.