Game Mechanics item randomization

RODO

Member
Hello everyone, I come here to ask about a system I use and I would like to know your opinion about it. Well the subject is about: item randomization, and how it can positively affect the player's gameplay. I've been thinking a lot about this for some time now, about whether the use of Game Maker's irandom or random could be used any other way, and not simply it scrolling a random number and depending on the result an item appears. I think it's a bit too simple system when we think of games that use randomization system to drop random items and thus creating different experiences to play it, what to do now with this new item, like Enter the Gungeon as an example.
In your opinion, do you think that a simple randomization system, using random from Game Make itself, is already a good and interesting system or could it be better? or even create a new system for it? I would like to hear your opinions on this as I want to find a new idea and improve the idea on this subject and how I can make something that is really fun.
 

Yal

šŸ§ *penguin noises*
GMC Elder
More ways of randomness is usually better (extremes get more extreme, duplicates get rarer, and the sum of multiple independent rolls is closer to a gaussian average so variation is less)

For instance in Binding of Isaac you can get cards, hearts, coins etc as drops from treasure chests, and each of those come in several flavors (tarot cards, playing cards, magic the gathering cards etc all have different effects and random chances, some coins are more valuable than others), in Borderlands even guns from the same manufacturer and type (the two main things defining how it works) will have different stats, in Nioh / Diablo items have different special effects etc

I'm not a big fan of having the item's visuals be randomized (like in Slasher's Keep or Diablo), the icon should tell you what the item is and how to use it (it becomes a nightmare to sort your inventory if you need to read the data for EVERY item, instantly telling "this is a fast, weak weapon" or "this is a long-range sniper" at a glance helps a lot), but other than that you can just stack as many random elements as possible (random stat distribution, random gems/infusions, random passive effects etc) and it won't make things worse (just be careful not to make them too cluttered - good UX design helps a lot here)
 
Top