From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (qmail 25727 invoked by alias); 1 Oct 2004 18:17:17 -0000 Mailing-List: contact xconq7-help@sources.redhat.com; run by ezmlm Precedence: bulk List-Subscribe: List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: , Sender: xconq7-owner@sources.redhat.com Received: (qmail 25702 invoked from network); 1 Oct 2004 18:17:16 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO ob2.cmich.edu) (141.209.20.21) by sourceware.org with SMTP; 1 Oct 2004 18:17:16 -0000 Received: from egate1.central.cmich.local ([141.209.15.85]) by ob2.cmich.edu (8.12.10/8.12.10) with ESMTP id i91I9M4J032537; Fri, 1 Oct 2004 14:10:33 -0400 Received: from leon.phy.cmich.edu ([141.209.165.20]) by egate1.central.cmich.local with Microsoft SMTPSVC(5.0.2195.6713); Fri, 1 Oct 2004 14:17:06 -0400 Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by leon.phy.cmich.edu (Postfix) with ESMTP id 4BF377001E; Fri, 1 Oct 2004 14:17:05 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 01 Oct 2004 18:19:00 -0000 From: Eric McDonald To: Lincoln Peters Cc: Xconq list Subject: Re: Map-related deja-vu In-Reply-To: <1096609511.4050.17763.camel@localhost> Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-OriginalArrivalTime: 01 Oct 2004 18:17:06.0137 (UTC) FILETIME=[DB90E490:01C4A7E2] X-CanItPRO-Stream: default X-Spam-Score: -0.9 () X-Bayes-Prob: 0.0001 X-Scanned-By: CanIt (www . canit . ca) X-SW-Source: 2004/txt/msg01310.txt.bz2 On Thu, 30 Sep 2004, Lincoln Peters wrote: > I don't know much about the logic (?) behind generating random numbers. There is much logic (determinism) behind computer generation of "random" numbers. Most generators should more properly be called pseudorandom number gnerators (PRNG's). To get some "true" randomness, you have to look for sources that cannot be [easily] modelled. One example is backscatter of laser light off of a swirling fluid; use the coordinates of the backscattered rays and, voila, you have something that might pass the definition of "random". > But I did find it rather surprising when the map looked exactly like the > map I had played on just a few days ago. As Matthew was saying, the statistical probability of such an occurance is higher than one might suspect, __at least with the current seeding mechanism. > I doubt that an algorithm suitable to cryptographic work would be > necessary for any game, Not in the game itself. I was thinking more towards if Xconq ever went to a secure client-server model. > 3. I just got lucky. Yep. It must have been your "birthday." Eric