Editing 2852: Parameterball

{{comic
| number    = 2852
| date      = November 8, 2023
| title     = Parameterball
| image     = parameterball_2x.png
| imagesize = 518x371px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = The ball's density also varies, but players don't learn the value until after choosing their raquets. The infamous 'bowling ball table tennis' region of the parameter space often leads to equipment damage.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BALL THE SIZE OF 3.14 BEACH BALLS, HEAVIER THAN A CUBIC METER OF CONCRETE, FLYING OVER A NET SHORTER THAN AN ANT, ON A FIELD THE SIZE OF NEW JERSEY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

A racquet (very commonly spelled "racket", but misspelled as "raquet" in the comic) game is a 2 player point game, with a net, ball, 2 racquets, and a court. The objective of the game is, usually, to hit the ball in a way that it bounces on your opponent's side in a way that it hits the floor (usually twice) before they can hit it onto your side. The two most notable examples of this kind of game are {{w|Tennis}} and {{w|Table Tennis}} (also known as Ping-Pong).

In this comic, a game called "Parameterball" is proposed, where net size, ball size, and court size are randomized every quarter. There are 4 different instances of Megan and Cueball playing this game, each in one corner, so we can assume all four of these were used within the same season of Parameterball. The different examples provide insight into the absurd games that may be played in Parameterball, depending on how mismatched the racquet, court, and ball size are.

The exact limits of Parameterball are unknown. It could be that the parameters are not truly random, and are limited to be semi-reasonable for human players to perform, or they could be entirely unlimited, allowing courts thousands of miles across and balls with densities approaching that of neutron stars.

The title text mentions that the ball's density is also randomized, and that an infamous incident where the net size, ball size, and court size were similar to that of a Ping-pong match, but with a ball as dense as a {{w|Bowling ball|bowling ball}}, not only led to equipment damage, but does so regularly. Despite this, the participants ''do not'' learn the density until ''after'' the racquet is chosen, meaning that they have no way of determining whether the racquet they chose is durable enough until it's already too late. (Choosing an excessively robust item could be detrimental to trying to play with a light ball, conversely, as it proves detrimental to reacting against volleys by a more aptly-equipped opponent.)

Randall may have been inspired by {{w|Pickleball}}, a type of racquet sport rising sharply in popularity in the US at the time this comic came out. Pickleball is a middle-ground of tennis and table tennis, with an intermediate-sized court, racquet, and net. Randall may have noticed the distinct parameters of pickleball’s elements compared to its cousin sports and was inspired to imagine a scenario in which such parameters might be randomized.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Megan and Cueball are playing a game that looks similar to tennis. There are courts, but on each multiple parts of the game are different. On each, Cueball is on the right and Megan is on the left.]
:[Top left: The court is small, each half slightly wider and deeper than a person is tall, and the ball is extremely large, about twice the height as the players' heads. The ball has just bounced on Cueball's side very slowly, and he is about to hit it.]
:[Top right: The court, ball, and net closely match a regular tennis game, albeit perhaps a slightly more ground area than a doubles' court. Cueball has just hit the ball, and it is currently flying towards Megan's side.]
:[Bottom left: The ball, and net are basically the same as in table tennis, but the 'court' is a much smaller tabletop. The ball has just bounced back up on Megan's side, and she is poised to hit it back.]
:[Bottom right: The court is slightly larger than the top left, while the net and ball are massive, with the ball at least double the radius and the net significantly over twice the height of the players. Cueball is apparently fighting to push the huge ball high enough to get over the net, indicated by movement lines in which he is barely managing to keep the ball on the racquet itself, not to mention he has only gotten the ball halfway up the net.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Parameterball is a raquet game divided into four quarters, with ball size, court size, and net height randomized each quarter.

{{comic discussion}}