Randomness
From Maze
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(→RND by Startup, Stopwatch, or Seed: first section and illustration) | (→RND Aesthetics: moved image anchors up for visual flow) | ||
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==== RND Aesthetics ==== | ==== RND Aesthetics ==== | ||
| − | As briefly glossed in the introduction, 10 PRINT prints a texture of diagonal lines that unpredictably alternate between left and right. This unpredictability in the emerging design is crucial to producing the impression of a maze. Indeed, if we consider variations of 10 PRINT with regular or no alternation, we can see what a big difference a little randomness makes. | ||
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[[Image:10print-nonrandom-205.png|160px|thumb|10 PRINT CHR$(205); : GOTO 10]] | [[Image:10print-nonrandom-205.png|160px|thumb|10 PRINT CHR$(205); : GOTO 10]] | ||
[[Image:10print-nonrandom-205-206.png|160px|thumb|10 PRINT CHR$(205)CHR$(206); : GOTO 10]] | [[Image:10print-nonrandom-205-206.png|160px|thumb|10 PRINT CHR$(205)CHR$(206); : GOTO 10]] | ||
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| + | As briefly glossed in the introduction, 10 PRINT prints a texture of diagonal lines that unpredictably alternate between left and right. This unpredictability in the emerging design is crucial to producing the impression of a maze. Indeed, if we consider variations of 10 PRINT with regular or no alternation, we can see what a big difference a little randomness makes. | ||
This aesthetic issue extends to both the appearance of the final output and the code. While it was possible to implement one's own pseudo-random number generator in a BASIC problem, doing so would have lengthened and complicated 10 PRINT considerably from the concise and elegant one-liner program that circulated in C64 and PET magazines. | This aesthetic issue extends to both the appearance of the final output and the code. While it was possible to implement one's own pseudo-random number generator in a BASIC problem, doing so would have lengthened and complicated 10 PRINT considerably from the concise and elegant one-liner program that circulated in C64 and PET magazines. | ||
