RNG stands for Random Number Generator, and it’s a crucial part of video games. Without RNG, players would always get the same experience every time they play. This means no skill or strategy required.
RNG is a random number generator that generates numbers at random intervals. The result is unpredictable, meaning that each game has its own unique outcome.
There are two types of RNG: deterministic and pseudo-random. Deterministic RNGs are predictable, whereas pseudo-random RNGs are unpredictable. In other words, deterministic RNGs give the player the same experience every time he/she plays, while pseudo-random RNG gives him/her a new experience every time he/she plays.
In this article, we’ll be looking at RNG in gaming including how they work and an example.
So if you’re curious about how RNG works in gaming, read on!
How Does It Work?
The basic principle behind RNG is simple – it’s just a way to generate random numbers. But before we can understand how RNG works, let’s first look at what a normal computer does when generating random numbers.
When your computer generates random numbers, it uses a process called entropy. Entropy basically refers to the amount of uncertainty in any given system. When a computer generates random numbers, there is a certain amount of uncertainty involved.
If you were to ask someone to predict what number will come next, chances are that person could do so with high accuracy.
However, due to the fact that computers use algorithms to generate random numbers, the more complex the algorithm, the less accurate the results.
This also explains why RNG is used in video games. Because it’s impossible to program a perfect algorithm, RNG is used as a substitute.
A good example of RNG in action is using dice. If you roll three dice, then the probability of getting 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 is 1/6 * 1/5 * 1/4 * 1/3 * 1/2 * 1/1 1/216.
But if you roll six dice, the probability of getting 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 is 1/36 * 1/35 * 1/34 * 1/33 * 1/32 * 1/31.
Because there are 36 possible outcomes (i.e., combinations) and only one right answer, the chance of getting the correct answer is very low.
But because there are 216 possible outcomes (i.e., combinations), the chance of getting the wrong answer is much higher.
Now that we know how RNG works, here’s an example of how it’s implemented in video games.
Example Of RNG In Video Games
Let’s say you want to create a game where you have to guess which letter comes next. You can either make the letters appear sequentially, like A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z, or you can randomly choose from all the letters.
Let’s assume that you decide to go with the latter option. How exactly would you implement such a thing?
Well, first off, you need to set up some variables. For instance, you’d probably want to store the current letter that appears, along with the total number of times the user has guessed correctly.
For example, if the user guesses “C”, then the variable for the current letter would equal “C”. The variable for the number of correct guesses would equal 0.
Next, you’d need to start by setting up a function that determines whether the user has guessed correctly or not. This function should return a value between 0 and 1.
For example, if the user guessed “C” and the current letter was actually “D”, then the function would return 0.0. If the user guessed “B” and the current letter turned out to be “E”, then the function would give a value of 0.9.
So now you’ve got a function that returns a value between 0 and 100% depending on whether the user guessed correctly or not.
The next step is to determine how often each letter will show up. To do this, you’ll need to take into account the current letter and the number of guesses made.
The easiest way to do this is to simply add them together. So if the current letter equals “C” and the user has already guessed correctly once, then the new letter will be “C” plus the number of correct guesses.
If the user gets the letter “F” after guessing incorrectly twice, then the new letter would be “F” plus the number of incorrect guesses.
Finally, you’ll need to calculate the odds of each letter showing up based on the frequency of its appearance.
How does the above translate to a video game environment?
Well, instead of a game programmer having to code every aspect of the game’s environment (forests, caves, or roads for example) they can code in an RNG and let fate decide.
So if you’re adventuring in the wilds of a game, and come across a random encounter with an enemy chances are a game developer has coded in an RNG for this section of the map.
In Summary
RNG stands for Random Number Generator. It’s used in many aspects of gaming. From random item and enemy spawning to rendering aspects of the game’s world environment.
It’s also important to note that while RNG is used in many areas of gaming, it’s not always used in the same manner.
My name is Ashley Newby and I want to put integrity back into esports and get the hype surrounding them paramount once more. During my teenage years, I happened to stumble across a Street Fighter tournament online and I was hooked.
From that day, I have kept up with and watched many tournaments including Valorant, Super Smash Bros, and League of Legends. I even got to compete in my first one earlier this year!
