Re: Random number generation?

Gareth wrote:
Agh, I've forgotten the main issues - could someone explain?

Iirc the Atari 8 bit computers were unique (in relative terms compared to other contemporary 8 bit computers) in that the random number generator did not use a standard string of numbers.

What do you mean by "standard string of numbers"?. What is correct is that on the Atari, there is no need to use the classical CPU driven pseudo-random generators (even though some games did, e.g. "Boulder Dash" did) since there is a pseudo-random generator in hardware.

Is this correct? If so what process did the 400/800/XL/XE use to select random numbers?

It had a hardware register that allowed access to the output of the Pokey polycounters. The very same polycounter is also used to generate the "noise" output of pokey, and since the register is reshuffled at hardware clock speed, and the sampling times are more or less random, an additional factor of randomness enters the game.

So long,
Thomas
.

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