How do you feel about RNG in most games

[VanitasFan26]

Now I know most times whenever I mentioned RNG it means "Random Name Generator" basically anything you get or receive in a game is consider that. For me I just don't really like it. It should not be so luck based just to get items in games. Like Animal Crossing New Horizons for example. You're trying to complete your DIY collection but then you end up getting duplicates/repeats of DIYS you already learned and then it suddenly gets annoying.

Like don't get me wrong RNG can sometimes be a good thing whenever you get items differently that you would not expect to get if you were to play the game while starting over, but then most times its like the game is so unpredictable that you have no idea what to expect. In way it can be both interesting and annoying at the same time. How do you guys feel about RNG in general?

 

[Alienfish]

I hate it when it comes to like app/phone games, it's basically an excuse to make it freemium. But yeah it was really bad in AC NH so generally I'm not a fan of it unless it can be implemented better than that.

 

[.: Meri :.]

It depends on the game—in most JRPGs I find farming/grinding to be kind of relaxing. If I'm just going for a rare drop from a monster or something along those lines, I can just chill for a while, and maybe put on some music or a livestream while I'm at it. I'm less a fan of how the RNG in AC games is handled though, because there's usually a real-time element to it that makes it feel stressful to me. I don't always have 45+ minutes to devote to catching a specific fish for a villager by the end of the day, and while I like filling the Museum, it can be frustrating when there's narrow timeframes to catch things and the RNG is feeling stubborn. I also wish repeat DIYs were a lot rarer, and that it would put higher priority on giving you ones you're missing.
I also avoid super RNG-heavy games like gacha games altogether; I know I don't have the right type of personality to be able to play those games healthily, ahahah. ^^;

 

[-Mars-]

-

 

[PacV]

Annoying…

I know is part of a game more if this one goes for you need to hunt for it rather than just get it first try but still, i find it annoying.

 

[Flicky]

It all depends on how the RNG is handled. For most games, a small amount of it is fine. Mobile games tend to be awful.

When it comes to console games, I dislike the games where you rely on obtaining an item from an enemy, but the drop rate and/or enemy is insanely low or rare. I don't want to fight 100 of the exact same enemy just to get one item, nor do I want to spend an hour looking for the same enemy either.

With AC, I'm just grateful we can trade at least. Without trading, I'd have gone insane trying to get all the DIYs!

 

[Belle T]

I mean, that's a bit like asking "how do you feel about games making use of code that translates into on-screen actions in game?" Most every game has a certain degree of RNG involved, even if it's not immediately obvious. The most obvious example is Pokémon, where everything about your Pokémon from how long it takes to actually encounter them to their stats once you do finally catch them, is determined by a mixture of base values and RNG. The zombies in the Left 4 Dead series are spawned in a combination of pre-determined level layouts with RNG. The world layout and resources you find in Minecraft are almost all purely determined by a complex series of RNG. All this to say that its ubiquity as a tool makes it hard to either love or hate it, considering it can be used in a huge variety of completely different applications.

But I'm assuming you're referring primarily to its use in luck-based mechanics, which (unless you're a speedrunner or a dedicated Pokémon EV trainer), I don't think any of the examples I've listed constitute as that. The short answer is, as others have said, it simply depends on how it is used. If it's something that impedes upon progress, or forces you to do things that aren't fun, incentivizes extra payments, or the function of the RNG is too obvious (see, for example, Animal Crossing's High Card, Low Card game), then yes, it's quite horrible. But ideally, unless you're in a portion of a game like a casino that is obviously built almost entirely on luck, RNG should be crafted so that players can engage with and want to explore what they might get next, rather than being forced to come back to the same sections over and over again until they finally get what they want.

 

[Tao]

Really depends on the context and the type of game it is. RNG doesn't just stop at random loot and encounters.

Off the bat, I can't think of a single instance in a mobile and/or free to play game where I thought "yea, this is awesome!". Add onto that full priced games that have RNG based microtransactions on top of that. In these games they're purposely tuned to be frustrating and manipulative. They can just go away forever. The moment RNG is tied to real world monetary value is the moment they'll make the odds as unfair as possible.

Regular games though?

I'll eat up some RNG loot tables in a game. First thing that springs to mind are MMO's. Would I have gone through and done all the dungeons multiple times in World of Warcraft if I got what I wanted the first time every time? Probably not. It's a carrot on a stick that keeps me going back and getting better at the game in the process.

Random encounters fill a similar niche in that I'll want to find a certain enemy and when I finally do, I get that sweet sweet dopamine injection made sweeter by the grind of looking. Or maybe I get what I want first time, another dopamine hit as I feel like a lucky son of a gun.

Stats too. Being in that situation where the enemy is nearly defeated but so are you. You'll be lucky to land even one hit without dying, let alone the 2 or 3 they need...And out of nowhere, critical hit. Bam, feels good.

Generally RNG mechanics in games I find very appealing as long as they add to the experience rather than being the experience . I might defeat a boss regardless of luck, but something cool happening through RNG makes that encounter that bit better and more unique. Meanwhile, crappy mini games in stuff like Animal Crossing where your input barely matters to whether you win or lose, that's some absolutely tedious RNG.

 

[MiniPocketWorld]

I like RNG but it helps when devs help to make RNG fair, like duplicates being less frequent than new stuff. Something ACNH was missing lol. But I do enjoy randomness which is what I think you are referring too.

Pokemon is full of RNG and I like every bit of it. The only thing I don't care for, is the shiny rate. Call me crazy but I think the odds should be better. I think if you look for a shiny for 5 hours, you should be able to find one at some point. That doesn't even include finding one with a good personality or stats. Because shinies are rare, I simply don't worry about them which is kinda sad. It ends up being a feature of the game that is just ignored by people who don't feel like looking for a monster for months cuz they would rather move on in the game or play other games.

 

[QueenCobra]

Pretty annoying in ACNH, especially when I want more art for the museum.

 

[Croconaw]

I’m indifferent about it. If I’m being honest, I haven’t really thought about it. I’m more of a sports gamer, though, and those types of games don’t really involve RNG. I don’t make a huge deal out of it in Animal Crossing, though.

 

[TurnipBell20]

I think RNG is annoying in pretty much any game. The randomness kind of makes some things more interesting. But at some point, when you’re missing just one or two items/collectibles/whatever, it gets really annoying. Getting the same stuff over and over again is frustrating. I think RNG can be pretty cool, though, when the randomness factor is reduced once you’re missing only a small number of items.

 

[ZeldaCrossing64]

It definitely makes games interesting, but it can be annoying if repeated or not done properly. I was playing Tomodachi Life and a bunch of my Miis wanted to play a mini-game with me. I got the football one three times in a row, which is my least favorite one. Like, what the heck? XD
The chances of getting a travel ticket from a Mii or someone having a love-related problem seems stupidly low to me. I guess that just makes those a bit more valuable.

Animal Crossing is a bit different. I don't like the fact that it's so difficult to obtain non-duplicate DIYs, and I'm sure a lot of other players feel the same way. Getting villager photos is also a pain, I'd say I dislike that more than the duplicate DIY thing.

Not a fan at all of how villager hunting works in ACNH, though. For those who don't know, the game chooses a random villager species, so you have a 1/35 chance of getting a specific one. It also depends on the number of villagers in that species. Let's say the game chose dogs. You now have a 1/17 chance of getting a specific dog villager. That's why getting certain cat and rabbit villagers is so difficult (because they're so populous), so technically that makes Raymond and Sasha some of the rarest villagers.
I wish it was just a 1/413 chance of getting a specific villager, but I guess that would make getting certain villagers even more difficult than before.

 

[_Forest_]

Well, when i was looking for some villagers for my island, i found two octopuses (Zucker and Marina), and one bull villager (Stu) ok. First of all, there’s only three octopuses in the game which makes them the most rarest species, and I got two of them. Bulls, although are fairly unpopular IS the third most rarest species in the game. And i found one. Another things i didn’t mention was that i encountered a rhino on a mystery island tour once. Wow. The fourth rarest species in the game. I didn’t invite him because well… i don’t like rhinos that much… And the most weirdest thing is, I’ve never encountered the some of the most common species found in animal crossing, cats, dogs, and ducks on mystery islands. I mean come on, i actually WANT to get a dog villager but I can’t! I keep running into these rare villagers! Thankfully one dog villager moved in randomly, and guess what. It’s the only snooty dog villager in the game, PORTIA. If some of you are asking, how lucky am i? I randomly caught a coelacanth when it was raining first try (also i caught a napoleon fish and all sharks except for the whale shark on day 2).


By the way, these are the villagers currently on my island right now. (I haven’t even upgraded Nook’s Cranny yet)

Mira
Bud
Sandy
Marina
Zucker
Bam
Bianca
Portia
Curlos
Agent S





Guys do you have the same experience or is it just my weird luck

 

[-Mars-]

Well, when i was looking for some villagers for my island, i found two octopuses (Zucker and Marina), and one bull villager (Stu) ok. First of all, there’s only three octopuses in the game which makes them the most rarest species, and I got two of them. Bulls, although are fairly unpopular IS the third most rarest species in the game. And i found one. Another things i didn’t mention was that i encountered a rhino on a mystery island tour once. Wow. The fourth rarest species in the game. I didn’t invite him because well… i don’t like rhinos that much… And the most weirdest thing is, I’ve never encountered the some of the most common species found in animal crossing, cats, dogs, and ducks on mystery islands. I mean come on, i actually WANT to get a dog villager but I can’t! I keep running into these rare villagers! Thankfully one dog villager moved in randomly, and guess what. It’s the only snooty dog villager in the game, PORTIA. If some of you are asking, how lucky am i? I randomly caught a coelacanth when it was raining first try (also i caught a napoleon fish and all sharks except for the whale shark on day 2).


By the way, these are the villagers currently on my island right now. (I haven’t even upgraded Nook’s Cranny yet)

Mira
Bud
Sandy
Marina
Zucker
Bam
Bianca
Portia
Curlos
Agent S





Guys do you have the same experience or is it just my weird luck

Because that is not how the RNG works for mystery island tours in fact that is the exact opposite of how it works
how the game generates which villager will spawn on a mystery island tour is first it will generate and choose which species which is a 1 in 35 chance for each species then it picks a villager from that species pool and you multiple the odds of getting that villager
examples:
There is a 1 in 35 chance the game will decide to spawn in octopus villager and there are only four octopus villagers in the game so 35 x 4 means there is a 1 in 140 chance of getting the specific octopus villager you want which means octopuses are actually the most COMMON species in the game
so for cats there is a 1 in 35 chance the game will decide to spawn a cat villager and there are 23 cats in the game which means 35 x 23
there is a 1 in 805 chance the game will spawn the specific cat villager you are looking for meaning cats are the RAREST species in the game
so there is an equal chance for each species but the size of the species pool will determined the probability of spawning that ONE specific villager you are looking for in that species, more villagers to choose from means less chance of the game choosing the specific villager you want and verse vista
I'm bad at explaining things this video talks about it in-depth

A Google doc containing the mathematical odds of finding the villager you want based on it's species: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P9EmJWNUVBvZo6NvWWQFRcJT3qd0T9Z331M5k55vxFE/edit#gid=0

 

[_Forest_]

Because that is not how the RNG works for mystery island tours in fact that is the exact opposite of how it works
how the game generates which villager will spawn on a mystery island tour is first it will generate and choose which species which is a 1 in 35 chance for each species then it picks a villager from that species pool and you multiple the odds of getting that villager
examples:
There is a 1 in 35 chance the game will decide to spawn in octopus villager and there are only four octopus villagers in the game so 35 x 4 means there is a 1 in 140 chance of getting the specific octopus villager you want which means octopuses are actually the most COMMON species in the game
so for cats there is a 1 in 35 chance the game will decide to spawn a cat villager and there are 23 cats in the game which means 35 x 23
there is a 1 in 805 chance the game will spawn the specific cat villager you are looking for meaning cats are the RAREST species in the game
so there is an equal chance for each species but the size of the species pool will determined the probability of spawning that ONE specific villager you are looking for in that species, more villagers to choose from means less chance of the game choosing the specific villager you want and verse vista
I'm bad at explaining things this video talks about it in-depth

A Google doc containing the mathematical odds of finding the villager you want based on it's species: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P9EmJWNUVBvZo6NvWWQFRcJT3qd0T9Z331M5k55vxFE/edit#gid=0

ohhh ok thanks i was getting concerned haha

 

[Clock]

In every rng based game I play, I always feel that a desire sensor exists and I tend to get bad rng when I try to get what I want sometimes especially in NH

 

[Xara]

i actually don’t really mind it. sure, it’s pretty frustrating when you don’t get the thing you wanted or get yet another duplicate, but i try to see it as another incentive to keep playing and keep at it until i do get what i want. i tend to have pretty bad luck, so it can be demotivating sometimes, but games wouldn’t be as fun or rewarding to play if they just gave me everything i want/need right off the bat imo; RNG keeps things interesting and keeps me playing longer.

my luck in new horizons is pretty ass sometimes, especially where diys are concerned. right now i’m only missing 7 diys, so RNG and odds are not in my favour lol. i also keep getting the same duplicates over and over again. it’s irritating, especially since i’m trying to obtain everything myself or through trades instead of outright buying, but i know the sense of accomplishment will be sweet once i’m finally done.

the only instance where i’m not fond of RNG is in mobile/pay-to-play games, as bad RNG is usually used as a means to get players to spend money.

 

[SinnerTheCat]

Well, rng never really feels like rng for me. I always grind and grind and there's basically no end to it until I take a break, then come back and I get what I want within few tries. Idk how, but that genuinely always happens, which is frustrating - especially with slow games like animal crossing

 

[Fullmetalwwant]

As someone who put over 300+ hours of completing Binding of Isaac, a run could be a great run depending on the items you get and a bad run can happen as well. A lot of RNG can happen in that game, which I don't mind but it can give you a long stretch of losing games until you get that one run that nets you the win