In the Create New World (or Project) UI, Advanced settings, the hint for Simulation Distance reads "The game loads and applies changes within a range of N × N chunks from the player, where N is 16 × the setting of the distance control. This is wrong because the control setting is measured in chunks already, so it doesn't need to be multiplied, and also because "N × N" defines a square area, but the shape of the simulation area is closer to a circle.
Steps to reproduce:
1. In the Worlds list, select Create New.
2. In the Create... screen, select Create New World (or Project).
3. On the left side, click Advanced.
4. On the right side, scroll to Simulation Distance (at the bottom) and read the hint below it.
Expected result:
The hint describes the size of the area where the simulation runs.
Observed result:
The hint describes an area of a very different size and shape.
Discussion:
This hint text is a change from the previous release, where it read "The game loads and applies changes within a N × N block radius". MCPE-153784 reported this as an error because "N × N block[s]" describes an area, but a radius is a linear measurement, so they're incompatible. Apparently, an attempt was made to fix this by eliminating the reference to "radius", but in the process the problem was made worse because N is measured in blocks. Thus, substituting "chunks" for "blocks" significantly overstates the size of the area. This fix also left the implication that the affected area is square, when in fact it's roughly circular.
A more accurate (though still not precise) way to state the setting's effect would be "The game loads and applies changes within roughly N blocks of the player", where N is measured in blocks as before.
Linked issues
duplicates 1
Comments 4
In 1.20 the reference to "chunks" has been changed to "blocks", but the wording is still wrong in all the ways I noted in my previous comment.
Observed
"The game loads and applies changes within a range of N × N blocks from the player"
Expected
"The game loads and applies changes within a horizontal range N blocks from the player"
@unknown: In your earlier comment, second bullet point, you said that "range" is a one-dimensional (i.e. scalar) quantity, so the phrase "a range of N × N chunks" is nonsensical. That's not actually true, because the word "range" has an equally common areal meaning: In my dictionary, it's given as "the space or extent included, covered, or used : SCOPE". You've surely heard that meaning used when describing the range of elephants in Africa, for example. So the revised hint isn't nonsensical, nor do I find it noticeably awkward in light of this definition. It is, however, still imprecise because the range is not actually a square.
But it's a not circle, either, so "within a horizontal range of N blocks" isn't exactly right. That's why my description suggests "within roughly N blocks of the player". The actual shape of the ticking area has no name in geometry (afaik), and describing it accurately would take too much verbiage, so I think denoting it as an approximately circular area is the best compromise.
Nevertheless, Mojang may be satisfied with their imprecise rectangular description, and it's not for us to question their choice. But all this semantic quibbling doesn't amount to a hill of beans anyway, because the current formulation is incontrovertibly WRONG! Mathematically so, because the ticked area for a simulation distance of 4 chunks isn't 64 × 64, it's 128 × 128!
If Mojang wants to retain the N × N formulation in the hint, they need to double the numbers. On the other hand, they could go with your suggestion. But I still think my original suggestion of "The game loads and applies changes within roughly N blocks of the player" is the best compromise between precision and terseness.
Thank you for your report!
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The substitution of "range" for "radius" while keeping the "N x N" is no improvement.
"Range" removes the circular (= same in all directions) implication of "radius", making the statement less precise.
A range is still a one-dimensional quantity, while "N x N" is two-dimensional, so the new wording is just as nonsensical.
"within a range of [X] from [Y]" is awkward, unusual phrasing in English. It's more natural and concise to say "within [X] of [Y]."
Here is one way to fix the statement as a whole (where N is actually chunks, of course, and not blocks):