Random Number Generator!

Random Number Generator Strikes Again!

I`m playing my WWII Scenerio and currently am finishing off my Iberian Peninsula Campaign. I had commenced offshore bombardment from five Battleships of the venerable Kriegsmarine. The British earlier had sent a naval mission of ten destroyers to the horn of Africa to attack my colonies and cities there, but were turned back after losing four destroyers to my bombers based in Mogadishu. The returning six destroyers appeared out of the fog off the coast of Portugal, so I proceeded to attack them with my five battleships. The first battleship sunk a destroyer and moved north. The remaining four battleships were all defeated in regular V. regular combat. Un-faching-believable! Random Number Generator or what?! That wasn`t very random if you ask me.

EDIT: I would like to add that there wasn`t a scratch on the enemy destroyers either.

Actually, that's a good definition of random. If you didn't get streaks of bad luck and things were very predictable it wouldn't be very random.

People have done statistical analysis of the RNG on Civ3 and it works correctly (unfortunately search isn't available or I'd get you the links). It seems to be a basic linear congruential RNG. Mersenne twister would be better, but it's good enough.

Well if it wasnt random, then there is an external force at work that i dont know about cause water terrain has no defense bonus, stacked units dont...

I know what you are saying. I should not be afraid to go to battle with a battleship with 1 hp and an elite enemy galley. My battleship lost.

Originally posted by John-LP
Well if it wasnt random, then there is an external force at work that i dont know about cause water terrain has no defense bonus, stacked units dont...

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Water gives the same +10% bonus as grassland. Regular destroyer v. Regular battleship has about a 1-in-5 chance of winning so winning 4 of 5 combats doesn't really stretch probability too far.
True randomness will always include streaks of seemingly non-random results - in this case, the battleships won't win 4 out of any 5 combats. They will, over the long run, win about 80% of all such combats.

Originally posted by civrules
I know what you are saying. I should not be afraid to go to battle with a battleship with 1 hp and an elite enemy galley. My battleship lost.

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Never go to battle with 1 HP, doesn't matter what units you have. I've learned that lesson.