You are welcome. Here is how I would trade Mer's version 3a. See the attached mer-#1 chart below.
MinBoxSizeInPips = 10; // min tradable box size; when box is smaller than that, you should at least reduce your usual lot-size if you decide to trade it;
MaxBoxSizeInPips = 10; // max tradable box size; don't trade when box is larger than that value
LimitBoxToMaxSize = true; // when true, a box larger than MaxBoxSizeInPips will be limited to MaxBoxSizeInPips, and centered on the EMA(box_time_range) value.
StickBoxToLatestExtreme = true; // (applies when "LimitBoxToMaxSize" is true) when true, the box will "stick" to the box high or low, whichever comes last; else it will be centered on the EMA(box_time_range) value;
TP1Factor = 20.000;
TP2Factor; // set to half-way between TP1Factor and TP3Factor;
TP3Factor = 60.000;
TP4Factor; // set to half-way between TP3Factor and TP5Factor;
TP5Factor = 100.000;// TP4 and TP5 targets are OPTIONAL: set TP5Factor=0 to allow only up to TP3 target;
SLFactor = 1.000;
LevelsResizeFactor = 1.0;
These settings adjust version 3a to trade close to 3b. The box becomes more manageable and still provides a some confirmation of direction. If you want more conformation the you can increase the MinBoxSizeInPips = 20 and the MaxBoxSizeInPips = 20 or some other higher number.
See the attached mer-#2 chart below.
Remember the stop loss setting (SL) is based on the box settings so if your box is 10 pips then the SL is 10 pips.
This should clear up some things on the settings.
You will notice on chart #2 the box on the left of the chart is a winner coming out of the box while the box on the right becomes a loser with an immediate sell short out of the box. This is an example of the bad trades I was trying to fix before the blow up on this thread. I think mer would have approved of this attempt at fixing this problem. It's just too bad people can't just read the thread before posting untruths. Fixing this problem doesn't require opening a new thread it requires discussion and ideas. This bad trade out of the box occurs way too often. Hence the "BIG FAT ZERO" post.
Trying to get people to understand sometimes takes a baseball bat across the head. Simply pointing out this problem was not getting the message across. The Martingale system is an attempt to cover up these bad trades and ignore the underlying problem. This will sometimes only exasperate the problem but the problem will never go away. Damn me and my methods if you wish but you will end up the loser. Your vote so far is to leave these losing trades alone. Are you ready to reconsider? I alone do not have all the answers to making a great system and that is why we posted openly to show and discuss out in the open. Discussing only behind the scenes is limiting the input of all the traders here. We have traders with experience like SwingMan visiting this thread. Why shut down the ideas from the masses by discussing in the dark? Mer, Squalou and others have got us to where we are now but we are quite a way from greatness. Being relentless in improving this system is the only way it will get better. Attacking the very people that have already doubled the profit of this system will only stop any further improvement. The choice is yours.
Trade well and prosper,
Johnny