Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
So once you've decided where you need randomization and how often you need
it, only then do you decide on how complex that generation needs to be. Is it
simply picking a random number or do you need a more accurate random number
predication by using one of the aforementioned complex techniques such as Per-
lin noise or fractal sampling?
This is arguably a much trickier question as how random do you need to be, in a
lot of cases only testing will tell; does your current random technique let you
down and the pattern always seems obvious? Does it hamper your gameplay?
For the purposes of this topic, I will keep the use simple; this section is mainly to high-
light all the complexities of using random systems in games. This might sound like a nice
idea to begin with, but beware, here be dragons, even if it's just as simple as a single ran-
dom number picked in a range in each frame.
Note
Another important consideration is that random generation is not free. Depending on the
system you use it could also generate garbage and hamper the performance of your game
that may not seem obvious at first glance.
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