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Questions tagged [rng]

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12 votes
1 answer
1k views

Did any Famicom game use microphone for random seed?

So I know most common way to generate pseudo-random numbers on Famicom or NES is linear feedback shift-register. However... It came to my mind - Famicom controller has a microphone. Did any game ever ...
shinobody's user avatar
  • 221
11 votes
3 answers
2k views

How good is this random number algorithm?

What follows are the random number generation routines from an ALGOL-60 computational math library, stored on a BESM-6 disk in a text form. The character encoding was with parity, imitating a punched ...
Leo B.'s user avatar
  • 19.7k
4 votes
2 answers
387 views

What random number generator was used in the VAX game Empire?

Around the year 1990, I played the game Empire on a VAX/VMS system. It was a turn-based, text-based-map wargame that later inspired Civilization and Xconq. What was particularly memorable about this ...
DrSheldon's user avatar
  • 16.5k
9 votes
1 answer
1k views

How can you set the NES RNG to a known state?

The Classic Tetris World Championship uses original NES consoles that are modded to provide the same RNG for both players: Players WILL have the same RNG I am wondering how this was done. So, my ...
Jaap Joris Vens's user avatar
103 votes
18 answers
25k views

How was early randomness generated?

Many programs make use of randomness, from BASIC guess-the-number games to encryption key generators. This randomness could have been generated in many, many different ways: hardware, software, ...
wizzwizz4's user avatar
  • 18.7k