Quote:
Flags aren't variables. Flags go from 0 to 255; variables go from -32768 to 32767. Sometimes it's better to use a variable for precisely this reason.
Thuryl -- You have an odd definition of a variable as most computer scientists would disagree. Reals, logicals, strings, double precisions, integers are all types of variables -- a fairly general term. What you mean is that 16-bit integers go from -32768 to 32767. Integer is a type of variable, but it is not to only type, just a convenient one for the application of RPGs. I believe the type of variable in C is called a short, either way an 8-bit integer.
Flags are indeed variables of an 8-bit integer type. It's just that flags are a special kind of variable (well, an element in an array actually) that has been predefined for us by Jeff. Keep in mind, we can define "short" variables that behave just like flags do. We can also define "int" variables that give us more bits. Unfortunately, we cannot define reals that would allow floating point operations.
So the answer is, variables go from *it depends on the type*.