Dev Diary #1: Numbers, Chance, and Time

In short: The same starting state and the same complete sequence of game commands should produce the same world on every computer. MKA Engine applies shared rules to numbers and chance; on the content date of Diary #1, 10 October 2026, its game calendar counted 365 days per year. Diary #30, with the content date 2 November 2026, describes the Gregorian option added later.

Why do numbers, chance, and time need shared rules?#

A strategy game calculates population, resources, borders, and events at the same time. A tiny difference in one calculation can shape new decisions each day, gradually separating two computers' worlds. Numbers, chance, and time therefore need shared rules.

A common rule for arithmetic, chance, and the calendar#

Numbers: calculations on the same small steps#

A fixed-point number represents a fractional value by counting units of a chosen size. This is a little like keeping money in cents, but not every value is an exact multiple of the chosen step. When a value falls between available steps, the nearest one is chosen, so the represented value is an approximation. MKA Engine defines that rounding rule explicitly, so the same operation follows the same rule on different machines.

This does not mean every decimal value is represented perfectly. What matters is that the move to the nearest available step follows a defined rule on every computer.

Chance: each outcome belongs to its game situation#

Imagine drawing from one shared deck: an unrelated draw inserted earlier could shift every later result. MKA Engine instead ties each draw to the game situation that requested it. An unrelated event running earlier or somewhere else therefore does not change that draw's result.

Time: a calendar owned by the game#

The diary's original content, dated 10 October 2026, described an engine calendar with a 365-day year and twelve months, with no leap day. It was a game calendar independent of the computer's real-world clock. Depending on the game's time step, a day could be split into shorter intervals or a step could span several calendar days.

Later option (content date: 2 November 2026): MKA Engine now offers each game a choice between the 365-day calendar and the Gregorian calendar. This followed the state described in the 10 October content; Developer Diary #30: Gregorian Leap Years in Game Time explains the later choice.

What does consistent behavior make possible?#

With the same starting state and the same complete sequence of game commands, calculations, chance and the calendar follow the same rules on every computer. That consistency is the foundation for continuing a saved game, replaying the same game, and keeping multiplayer worlds aligned. This article does not present a speed comparison.

Why tie arithmetic, chance, and time together?#

Game rules need to produce the same result on different computers. Connecting arithmetic, chance, and time to one consistent model carries that expectation through each game step. Developer Diary #2 explains how multiplayer relies on that foundation.

The limits of fixed-step arithmetic and the calendar#

With fixed-step arithmetic, not every fraction can be represented exactly; values are rounded to the chosen step. The calendar limit belongs to the scope of Diary #1's 10 October 2026 content; Diary #30 describes the later Gregorian option.

Keeping multiplayer worlds aligned#

The next diary looks at how we keep one game world aligned across multiple computers.

Sources and links#

• For multiplayer consistency, see Developer Diary #2.
• For an engine overview, visit MKA Engine; all diaries are listed on the Developer Diaries page.