Necro as this seems a more relevent place to ask than to start a new thread/divert a less connected one. And it's definitely an idle question about idle games in general! (Prompted by someone else's commnt elsewhere, though.)
Almost every time I encounter large numbers[1], it seems to follow the same general default[2] rule of displaying (probably built into the Unity engine, or whatever other appdev libraries get used, hence why the commonality) is for values above 1000[3] to be <one to three digits><up to two[4] decimals><magnitude>. The first bit 1-999, the second bit not padding with trailing zeroes (or even the decimal) if it doesn't need to and the magnitude being k/M/B, etc, in short-scale[5].
And it's the higher magnitudes I'm wondering about. Because though I'll happily view the numbers without 'e'-notation, I've noticed a slight change of style on the way up one point then a convergence of sorts.
Thousands - 1.23k (or 1.23K). Full number being 1,230 (or 1.230, continental notation), give or take rounding error (probably 1225..1234?). Just pad the decimals up to three, remove the decimal.
Millions - 2.34M. Full number is 2,340,000 (ish). Pad up and de-point the decimals, add
one lot of three zeroes.
Billions - 3.45B. Or 3,450,000,000. Pad up, de-point, add
two 000s
Trillions - 4.56T (or "Tr",
very occasionally). i.e. 4,560,000,000,000. ...
three extra 000s.
Quadrillions - 5.67Qu (occasionally "Qa")
or just "Q". Where the disambiguation varies.
Four 000s => 5,670,000,000,000,000
Quintillions 6.78Qi (vs Qu/Qa, above) or 6.78q (vs Q). You can work the rest out.
Sextillions 7.89Sx or "S", I may even have seen suffix to match "Hexillion", instead.
Septillions 8.90Se(/Sp?), or "s". Perhaps "S" to follow "H", but that could match the other non-standard that is "Heptillion" also, so probably not popular.
Octillions 9.10Oc, or 9.10O. (The second one can be tricky with many fonts! Only by context and understanding (and having seen what ranges you've been working with up to this point) do you know that it's actually very unlikely to cost/be worth "nine point one zero zero" units of whatever-it-is that it's a stat for.
Nonillions 10.11No or 10.11N. "10,110,<nine x 000>"
Decillions 11.12De or 11.12D.
Undecillions.
Never seen "12.13Ud", or anything like it. Convention seems to be 12.13aa,
duocellion as 13.14ab,
tredecillion[6] as 14.15ac, etc, etc.
The question I really have, is whether after 20.21aj (
novemdecillion), the next ones (
vigintillion and
unvigintillion) will be 21.22ak and 22.23al (continuing the offset-hexavigesimal system), 21.22b(¿z?) and 22.23ba (letters indicating "2 and
something meaning 'zero'" then "2 and 1") or 21.22ak and 22.23ba ("1 and '10'" before then describing "2 and 1"), for "21,220,<twenty triple-zeroes>" and "22,230,<twentyone triple-zeroes>".
I don't suppose anyone knows?
Just to satisfy my curiosity.
((Or has anyone even seen "101,102,<one hundred 000s>" or beyond in 'normal' big number ranges? Does it go to "aaa" at the <eleventy-first>illion point? Before? Only straight after "zz"illions?))
[1] Without counting the
deliberately large-number 'idlers' whose whole goal is to accumulate Knuth Notation values, or whatever.
[2] Often a setting can be switched to show "e" values, instead, e.g. 24.68B (24,680,000,000) as 2.47e10, presumably.
[3] Or Equal/Greater, I suppose, but I've also seen it progress "... 999, 1000, 1k ... 1.01k ..."
[4] I've seen 3dp used, occasionally, but it saves no space at all when rendering in thousands, so why probably the convention is usually just up to two digits of decimal when flipping format from the sub-k range.
[5] Possibly localisation gives official long-scale country's the long scales? With some method of notating "milliard"/"thousand million", "billiard"/"thousands billion"? But thanks to a decision half a century back, GB is officially short-scale. Doesn't mean I have to like it. (And there's different Indian and Chinese non-(000)-based large number notations, surely catered for!)
[6] The largest numbering I can currently see in any of my current idlers.
I'm requiring 3ac <credits/points/whatever> to get the final ball-type in a brick-and-ball idler. Currently I've got tens of "ab"s, deliberately skipping other possible upgrades, just by accumulating up to two hours worth of "background" earnings whenever I open the app up. edit: Correction. I'm on 127ab of <whatever>s, needing 80ac <whatever>s, and my most recent two-hours of background earning earnt me just above 6ab of that. But it won't take another 1000+ days of regular checking in, every two hour, luckily! /endedit I just want to see what it says next.
(I might actually find my answer to this post's main question, after not so long. "Background earnings" are at least non-linear, over accumulated time, in the right direction. I could happily save my ability to Prestige[7] the current situation for even longer, let it tot up naturally.
[7] I really don't embrace Prestiging. I follow my own path on whichever of these time-wasters attract my attentions.