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< 9. Pseudorandom number generator

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9.1 Creating a generator
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The simplest way to get random number is to use the default generator. The first time you get this generator, it is initialized by calling TCOD_random_new. Then, on successive calls, this function returns the same generator (singleton pattern).

C++ : static TCODRandom *TCODRandom::getInstance()
C   : TCOD_random_t TCOD_random_get_instance()
Py  : random_get_instance()

You can also create as many generators as you want with a random seed (the number of seconds since Jan 1 1970 at the time the constructor is called). Warning ! If you call this function several times in the same second, it will return the same generator.

C++ : TCODRandom::TCODRandom()
C   : TCOD_random_t TCOD_random_new()
Py  : random_new()

Finally, you can create generators with a specific seed. Those allow you to get a reproducible set of random numbers. You can for example save a dungeon in a file by saving only the seed used for its generation (provided you have a determinist generation algorithm)

C++ : TCODRandom::TCODRandom(uint32 seed);
C   : TCOD_random_t TCOD_random_new_from_seed(uint32 seed);

Parameter	Description
seed	The 32 bits seed used to initialize the generator. Two generators created with the same seed will generate the same set of pseudorandom numbers.

Example :

C++ : // default generator
      TCODRandom * default = TCODRandom::getInstance();
      // another random generator
      TCODRandom *myRandom = new TCODRandom();
      // a random generator with a specific seed
      TCODRandom *myDeterministRandom = new TCODRandom(0xdeadbeef);
C   : /* default generator */
      TCOD_random_t default = TCOD_random_get_instance();
      /* another random generator */
      TCOD_random_t my_random = TCOD_random_new();
      /* a random generator with a specific seed */
      TCOD_random_t my_determinist_random = TCOD_random_new_from_seed(0xdeadbeef);
Py  : # default generator 
      default = libtcod.random_get_instance()
      # another random generator 
      my_random = libtcod.random_new()
      # a random generator with a specific seed 
      my_determinist_random = libtcod.random_new_from_seed(0xdeadbeef)

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