clampBaseSkill

ClampBaseSkill is a term used in game design and programming to describe the process of constraining a computed skill value to lie within a defined range. It applies a clamp operation to a base skill value, ensuring final results stay within allowed bounds.

In practice, a base skill may be computed from raw attributes, equipment, situational bonuses, and penalties. The clamp then yields the final skill value by restricting the result to a minimum and maximum bound. The common mathematical form is final = min(max(base, minBound), maxBound). Bounds are often inclusive and may default to 0 and 100, but other ranges are common depending on the system.

Common design considerations include when to apply the clamp in the calculation pipeline, whether to clamp after all modifiers or after a subset of effects, and how bounds interact with difficulty, progression, or UI display. A hard clamp prevents any value outside the range, while some designs may prefer soft caps that gradually reduce gains beyond a threshold; clampBaseSkill typically refers to a hard cap.

Examples:

- Base skill 75 with bounds 0–100 yields 75.

- Base skill 115 with bounds 0–100 yields 100.

- Base skill -5 with bounds 0–100 yields 0.

Relation to other concepts: clampBaseSkill is related to the general clamp function and to skill progression systems, where bounds help maintain balance, keep displays readable, and prevent extreme values from breaking gameplay.

See also: clamp function, soft cap, base stat, skill progression.