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Title: Finally, someone used ParetoΓÇÖs economic theories to find the best
Mario Kart 8 racer

Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 21:10:46 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/finally-someone-used...

Who hasnΓÇÖt spent sleepless nights pondering what would happen if we applied
Vilfredo Pareto's (the early 20th-century Italian economist) theories to
Mario, the Mushroom KingdomΓÇÖs Italian high-jump champion and part-time
elephant cosplayer? Data scientist Antoine Mayerowitz, PhD, tackled that age-
old question, and the resulting work provides an objective way to tell us the
best Mario Kart 8 racer combinations. Hint: It sure as hell ainΓÇÖt Koopa
Troopa.

When you break down the build options (including driver stats and various
vehicle details) in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, there are over 700,000 possible
combinations. Yikes. But once you eliminate duplicates that differ only in
appearance, you can narrow it down to ΓÇ£onlyΓÇ¥ 25,704 possibilities. How do
you narrow it down to find the best racer from there? Enter Mr. Pareto.

ParetoΓÇÖs theories, most notably the Pareto front, help us navigate the
complexities of choice. They can pinpoint the solutions with the most
balanced strengths and the fewest trade-offs. ParetoΓÇÖs work is about
efficiency and effectiveness. Now weΓÇÖre talking.

Nintendo

When choosing a Mario Kart racer, you have to consider their stats for speed,
acceleration, handling, weight, offroad and mini turbo. ThatΓÇÖs a lot to
weigh.

Even if you decide that speed and acceleration are the most important,
youΓÇÖre still left with imbalances. For example, itΓÇÖs tempting to go all
in on speed (like Bowser or Wario), but they have weak acceleration. However,
if you prioritize acceleration instead (such as Baby Mario or Dry Bones), you
may be left with quick surges that plateau at a lousy top speed.

Meanwhile, some racers are always dominated in the most important stats ΓÇö
meaning their balance of speed and acceleration consistently come out behind.
Koopa is one example of that, so donΓÇÖt pick him if you care about winning.
(But you can absolutely choose him because he has cute bug eyes and a snazzy
shell.)

Nintendo

MayerowitzΓÇÖs Pareto front analysis lets you narrow your possibilities down
to the 14 most efficient. And it turns out the gameΓÇÖs top players were onto
something: One of the combinations with the most ideal balance of speed,
acceleration and mini-turbo is Cat Peach driving the Teddy Buggy, roller
tires and cloud glider ΓÇö one already favored among Mario Kart 8
competitors.

Of course, if that combination isnΓÇÖt your cup of tea, there are others that
allow you to stay within the Pareto frontΓÇÖs optimal range. As Eurogamer
points out, Donkey Kong, Wario (my old standby, mostly because he makes me
laugh) and Princess Peach are often highlighted as drivers, and you can use
MayerowitzΓÇÖs data fields to find the best matching vehicles. Keep in mind
that others have identical stats, so racers like Villager (female), Inkling
Girl and Diddy Kong are separated only by appearances.

To find your ideal racer, you can head over to MayerowitzΓÇÖs website. There,
you can enter your most prized stats and view the combos that give you the
best balance (those highlighted in yellow), according to ParetoΓÇÖs theories.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/finally-someone-used...
find-the-best-mario-kart-8-racer-211046789.html?src=rss

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