diff --git a/align.c b/align.c
index 4825c03..65b64f5 100644
--- a/align.c
+++ b/align.c
@@ -237,10 +237,11 @@ static void mm_update_cigar_eqx(mm_reg1_t *r, const uint8_t *qseq, const uint8_t
 	r->p = p;
 }
 
-static void mm_update_extra(mm_reg1_t *r, const uint8_t *qseq, const uint8_t *tseq, const int8_t *mat, int8_t q, int8_t e, int is_eqx)
+static void mm_update_extra(mm_reg1_t *r, const uint8_t *qseq, const uint8_t *tseq, const int8_t *mat, int8_t q, int8_t e, int is_eqx, int log_gap)
 {
 	uint32_t k, l;
-	int32_t s = 0, max = 0, qshift, tshift, toff = 0, qoff = 0;
+	int32_t qshift, tshift, toff = 0, qoff = 0;
+	double s = 0.0, max = 0.0;
 	mm_extra_t *p = r->p;
 	if (p == 0) return;
 	mm_fix_cigar(r, qseq, tseq, &qshift, &tshift);
@@ -265,7 +266,8 @@ static void mm_update_extra(mm_reg1_t *r, const uint8_t *qseq, const uint8_t *ts
 			for (l = 0; l < len; ++l)
 				if (qseq[qoff + l] > 3) ++n_ambi;
 			r->blen += len - n_ambi, p->n_ambi += n_ambi;
-			s -= q + e * len;
+			if (log_gap) s -= q + (double)e * mg_log2(1.0 + len);
+			else s -= q + e * len;
 			if (s < 0) s = 0;
 			qoff += len;
 		} else if (op == MM_CIGAR_DEL) {
@@ -273,14 +275,15 @@ static void mm_update_extra(mm_reg1_t *r, const uint8_t *qseq, const uint8_t *ts
 			for (l = 0; l < len; ++l)
 				if (tseq[toff + l] > 3) ++n_ambi;
 			r->blen += len - n_ambi, p->n_ambi += n_ambi;
-			s -= q + e * len;
+			if (log_gap) s -= q + (double)e * mg_log2(1.0 + len);
+			else s -= q + e * len;
 			if (s < 0) s = 0;
 			toff += len;
 		} else if (op == MM_CIGAR_N_SKIP) {
 			toff += len;
 		}
 	}
-	p->dp_max = max;
+	p->dp_max = (int32_t)(max + .499);
 	assert(qoff == r->qe - r->qs && toff == r->re - r->rs);
 	if (is_eqx) mm_update_cigar_eqx(r, qseq, tseq); // NB: it has to be called here as changes to qseq and tseq are not returned
 }
@@ -813,7 +816,7 @@ static void mm_align1(void *km, const mm_mapopt_t *opt, const mm_idx_t *mi, int
 			mm_idx_getseq(mi, rid, rs1, re1, tseq);
 			qseq = &qseq0[r->rev][qs1];
 		}
-		mm_update_extra(r, qseq, tseq, mat, opt->q, opt->e, opt->flag & MM_F_EQX);
+		mm_update_extra(r, qseq, tseq, mat, opt->q, opt->e, opt->flag & MM_F_EQX, !(opt->flag&MM_F_NO_LOG_GAP));
 		if (rev && r->p->trans_strand)
 			r->p->trans_strand ^= 3; // flip to the read strand
 	}
@@ -872,7 +875,7 @@ static int mm_align1_inv(void *km, const mm_mapopt_t *opt, const mm_idx_t *mi, i
 	}
 	r_inv->rs = r1->re + t_off;
 	r_inv->re = r_inv->rs + ez->max_t + 1;
-	mm_update_extra(r_inv, &qseq[q_off], &tseq[t_off], mat, opt->q, opt->e, opt->flag & MM_F_EQX);
+	mm_update_extra(r_inv, &qseq[q_off], &tseq[t_off], mat, opt->q, opt->e, opt->flag & MM_F_EQX, !(opt->flag&MM_F_NO_LOG_GAP));
 	ret = 1;
 end_align1_inv:
 	kfree(km, tseq);
diff --git a/lchain.c b/lchain.c
index 220e3e9..a1615ac 100644
--- a/lchain.c
+++ b/lchain.c
@@ -6,16 +6,6 @@
 #include "kalloc.h"
 #include "krmq.h"
 
-static inline float mg_log2(float x) // NB: this doesn't work when x<2
-{
-	union { float f; uint32_t i; } z = { x };
-	float log_2 = ((z.i >> 23) & 255) - 128;
-	z.i &= ~(255 << 23);
-	z.i += 127 << 23;
-	log_2 += (-0.34484843f * z.f + 2.02466578f) * z.f - 0.67487759f;
-	return log_2;
-}
-
 uint64_t *mg_chain_backtrack(void *km, int64_t n, const int32_t *f, const int64_t *p, int32_t *v, int32_t *t, int32_t min_cnt, int32_t min_sc, int32_t *n_u_, int32_t *n_v_)
 {
 	mm128_t *z;
diff --git a/main.c b/main.c
index 063c945..53656f7 100644
--- a/main.c
+++ b/main.c
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 #include "mmpriv.h"
 #include "ketopt.h"
 
-#define MM_VERSION "2.21-r1074-qs-dirty"
+#define MM_VERSION "2.21-dev-r1076-dirty"
 
 #ifdef __linux__
 #include <sys/resource.h>
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ static ko_longopt_t long_options[] = {
 	{ "mask-len",       ko_required_argument, 346 },
 	{ "rmq",            ko_optional_argument, 347 },
 	{ "qstrand",        ko_no_argument,       348 },
+	{ "log-gap",        ko_required_argument, 349 },
 	{ "help",           ko_no_argument,       'h' },
 	{ "max-intron-len", ko_required_argument, 'G' },
 	{ "version",        ko_no_argument,       'V' },
@@ -101,7 +102,7 @@ static inline int64_t mm_parse_num(const char *str)
 	return mm_parse_num2(str, 0);
 }
 
-static inline void yes_or_no(mm_mapopt_t *opt, int flag, int long_idx, const char *arg, int yes_to_set)
+static inline void yes_or_no(mm_mapopt_t *opt, int64_t flag, int long_idx, const char *arg, int yes_to_set)
 {
 	if (yes_to_set) {
 		if (strcmp(arg, "yes") == 0 || strcmp(arg, "y") == 0) opt->flag |= flag;
@@ -252,6 +253,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 			yes_or_no(&opt, MM_F_NO_DUAL, o.longidx, o.arg, 0);
 		} else if (c == 347) { // --rmq
 			yes_or_no(&opt, MM_F_RMQ, o.longidx, o.arg, 1);
+		} else if (c == 349) { // --log-gap
+			yes_or_no(&opt, MM_F_NO_LOG_GAP, o.longidx, o.arg, 0);
 		} else if (c == 'S') {
 			opt.flag |= MM_F_OUT_CS | MM_F_CIGAR | MM_F_OUT_CS_LONG;
 			if (mm_verbose >= 2)
diff --git a/minimap.h b/minimap.h
index f75e7de..f2cdfb4 100644
--- a/minimap.h
+++ b/minimap.h
@@ -36,9 +36,10 @@
 #define MM_F_NO_END_FLT    0x10000000
 #define MM_F_HARD_MLEVEL   0x20000000
 #define MM_F_SAM_HIT_ONLY  0x40000000
-#define MM_F_RMQ           0x80000000LL
+#define MM_F_RMQ           (0x80000000LL)
 #define MM_F_QSTRAND       (0x100000000LL)
 #define MM_F_NO_INV        (0x200000000LL)
+#define MM_F_NO_LOG_GAP    (0x400000000LL)
 
 #define MM_I_HPC          0x1
 #define MM_I_NO_SEQ       0x2
diff --git a/mmpriv.h b/mmpriv.h
index cb9618b..6d0ed04 100644
--- a/mmpriv.h
+++ b/mmpriv.h
@@ -110,6 +110,16 @@ void mm_err_puts(const char *str);
 void mm_err_fwrite(const void *p, size_t size, size_t nitems, FILE *fp);
 void mm_err_fread(void *p, size_t size, size_t nitems, FILE *fp);
 
+static inline float mg_log2(float x) // NB: this doesn't work when x<2
+{
+	union { float f; uint32_t i; } z = { x };
+	float log_2 = ((z.i >> 23) & 255) - 128;
+	z.i &= ~(255 << 23);
+	z.i += 127 << 23;
+	log_2 += (-0.34484843f * z.f + 2.02466578f) * z.f - 0.67487759f;
+	return log_2;
+}
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif