As: Using The Random Code!

[Reed]

OMFG AS: MAINZ0R!!1
This is the ultimate how to make random things code. I see random movement was done, so I won't cover that. Lets start with random x and random y positions!

Random x and y positions
Start out by making a movieclip *draw something and hit F8* and give it the instance name of "Reed" without quotes. Now make a button *draw something, hit F8 and select button* and put this code in it *to open the AS window, hit F9*
CODE
on(release) {
_root.Reed._x = Math.random()*400;
_root.Reed._y = Math.random()*400;
}

Let me explain this, this is a simple cood meaning, when you release the button, the movie clip "Reed" moves to a random location between 1 and 400. It's a simple code that can be edited to make VERY cool things, like powerups. EXAMPLE

Random Numbers
This is a simple one too, in fact they're all pretty simple. Make a dynamic textbox *make a textbox, hit ctrl + F3 and switch to dynamic* and give it the instance and variable name "bb" without quotes. Now make a button under it and put this code in it:
CODE
on(release) {
_root.bb = (Math.round(Math.random()*10));
}

this means when you release the button, the textbox "bb" will generate a random number between 1 and 10. You can make it generate a random number with higher digits by raising the "*10" part of the code. Math.round makes it so it wont have a decimal.
NOTE: you can change "round" to "ceil" and "floor", round means round to the nearest, ceil means round up, and floor means round down.
EXAMPLE
GotoAndPlay RANDOM!
This will be the last part of the tutorial. What you need to do is make a movieclip, and put stop() in the first frame inside of it. After that, make10 frames, it doesn't matter what they are, I used differen't colors, and make a button (outside the mc) and put this code in it.
CODE
on(release) {
_root.gf.gotoAndStop(Math.round(Math.rando
m()*10));
}

This will make it go to a random frame between 1 and 10, again, you can change that by changing the number at the end, and you can change the way it rounds by switching round to ceil or floor. Thanks for reading my tutorial on random codes, I hope you learned something! Remember, you don't have to just stick with what I gave you, you can do all sorts of things, by editing the code! Good luck!
-Reedo11-

[Reed]

Oh and this is the example for the last one, sorry about that!

[Rustygames]

OMG I cant beleive you wated your time with this. A n00bs heaven for junk code

Hey how about

lineStyle (random (10),random (999999),random (100))
lineTo (random (550),random (400))

[Reed]

At 8/10/05 06:36 PM, Ninja-Chicken wrote: OMG I cant beleive you wated your time with this. A n00bs heaven for junk code

That was the idea, you see, n00bs aren't always n00bs, if they try to learn! It's fun sometimes to help people, you should try it.

[Rustygames]

hmmm you mean with my AS: threads which utilise stuuf thats already been covered (like this one) however mine utilizes MANY AS topics and in a practical way. YOU utilize 1 crappy thing covered within another topic (AS:Math) and yet you say I dont help people?
Whatever be quiet and make an AS thread that actual convers something NEW

[Reed]

At 8/10/05 06:41 PM, Ninja-Chicken wrote: hmmm you mean with my AS: threads which utilise stuuf thats already been covered (like this one) however mine utilizes MANY AS topics and in a practical way. YOU utilize 1 crappy thing covered within another topic (AS:Math) and yet you say I dont help people?
Whatever be quiet and make an AS thread that actual convers something NEW

They barely covered it in AS: Math, and I have seen your AS topics, on how to make a game, what a bad idea, I'm teaching, you're letting people copy and paste. You may be helping people too, but in my opinion, they'd skim your "AS: Game 1" copy and paste the code and viola! They now have a game, that they're going to submit. But I guess trying was a bad idea, so I'll shut up and not help out anymore, and leave this topic alone.

[Denvish]

At 8/10/05 06:41 PM, Ninja-Chicken wrote: Whatever be quiet and make an AS thread that actual convers something NEW

Quit with the attitude. Too much bitching going on in AS threads. People new to Flash may not be ready for AS: Movement - Random or AS: Maths yet. Topics that cover stuff like this are just as important as the more complex stuff.

At 8/10/05 06:33 PM, -Reedo11- wrote: This is the ultimate how to make random things code. I see random movement was done, so I won't cover that. Lets start with random x and random y positions!

Sorry I missed this on my AS: Main update, I'll put it in the Beginners section next time.

[Newbiesoup]

Thanks -Reedo11- I found this really helpfull! Im still very new to flash and every little bit helps! Don't listen to people like Ninja-Chicken. I learnt something from it which is good enough for me :)

[Go0gley]

At 8/10/05 06:33 PM, -Reedo11- wrote: Let me explain this, this is a simple cood meaning, when you release the button, the movie clip "Reed" moves to a random location between 1 and 400.

It's 0 to 400.. unless you use ceil. Same for your 'random numbers' section. And actually... just random() is easier because it saves you from rounding.

on(release) {
_root.gf.gotoAndStop(Math.round(Math.rando

m()*10));

}

This will make it go to a random frame between 1 and 10, again, you can change that by changing the number at the end

Besides that, here's a script that adapts itself, and never returns 0.

on (release) {
_root.gf.gotoAndStop(random(_root.gf._tota
lframes)+1);
}

Oh and you forgot to explain what gf is... :P

[Rantzien]

At 10/6/05 09:40 AM, Go0gley wrote: It's 0 to 400..

Actually 0 <= n < 400

And actually... just random() is easier because it saves you from rounding.

But deprecated for some reason. The AS team recommends to use Math.random() instead, and I obey because I am their slave.

Besides that, here's a script that adapts itself, and never returns 0.

on (release) {
_root.gf.gotoAndStop(random(_root.gf._tota
lframes)+1);
}

or _root.gf.gotoAndStop(Math.ceil(Math.random
()*_root.gf._totalframes));

Oh and you forgot to explain what gf is... :P

Girlfriend? O_o
Just kidding

[Toast]

At 8/10/05 07:17 PM, Denvish wrote: Sorry I missed this on my AS: Main update, I'll put it in the Beginners section next time.

Yeah, you didn't include AS: Combo neither...
I'll just wait and hope :)

[liaaaam]

At 10/6/05 09:46 AM, Rantzien wrote: But deprecated for some reason. The AS team recommends to use Math.random() instead, and I obey because I am their slave.

Theres really no point in using two functions rather than one, por ejemplo, whats easiest out of these two codes?

Math.round((Math.random()*100));

or

random(100);

[Plebbi]

I even learned from this :D.. im not much of a AS although i wrote the code for my own games :P. But learning about this AS Thread is something i really want to know :S.. i just stumbled on this :D its a good tutorial for beginners intermediate and experts and professionals :D

[Blaze]

At 8/10/05 06:33 PM, -Reedo11- wrote: OMFG AS: MAINZ0R!!1
This is the ultimate how to make random things code. I see random movement was done, so I won't cover that. Lets start with random x and random y positions!

What about random colors!

var colors:Array = new Array();
colors.push(0x000000);
colors.push(0xffffff);
colors.push(0xff0000);

onEnterFrame=function(){
moveTo(random(550),random(400));
lineStyle(2,random[colors.length],random(1
00));
lineTo(random(550),random(400));
}

I wonder if that would work, im not sure about the

lineStyle(2,random[colors.length],random(1
00));

Done it before, but i always forget.

Anyways, good tutorial Reed. :)

[W35]

What if I wanted to get a random number between 5 and 10?

[GustTheASGuy]

Nope, capitals go only when you want to seperate words (hideBuiltInItems();) or for classes (BitmapData, ContextMenu).

[Toast]

This tutorial simplified:

random(num) would return 0 to num-1.

edn :P

[W35]

At 5/28/06 03:12 PM, C10H14N2 wrote: var BetweenVifeAndTen:Number = Math.round(Math.random()*5+1)+5;

Thanks hombre.

[Paranoia]

At 5/28/06 03:20 PM, -Toast- wrote: This tutorial simplified:

random(num) would return 0 to num-1.

Hasn't random() been deprecated though :P? If you still wanted to use it you could just make a function:

function rndm (inPt:Number) : Number{
return Math.round(Math.random() * inPt);
}
trace(rndm(5));

[Toast]

Well Flash 8 supports random(), I don't see why we shouldn't use it. Flash 9 possibly won't though.

[Chaz]

I liked this tutorial, useful for getting into this kinda basic method thing.

[Dark-Scythes]

Thanks for making this tutorial, It REALY helped me. Great job on it.

[Rammstein911]

Hm.. what about randomly playing a movie clip? Or random creation of a movie clip that appears in a random position?

Don't mean to be tedious or anything..

-R911

[DarkMana]

You could make a more complicated funtion that generates a random number between two:

function rndm(a:Number, b:Number) {
if (a > b) {
trace("a must be smaller than or equal to b");
} else {
c = b-a;
d = Math.round(Math.random()*c+a);
return d;
}
}

Where 'a' and 'b' are the number between which a random number (d) will be generated.

[DarkMana]

At 8/22/06 03:52 PM, Dark-Mana wrote: funtion

zomg typo! :O

[dELtaluca]

At 8/22/06 03:52 PM, Dark-Mana wrote: trace("a must be smaller than or equal to b");

Mwaaha, you could ofcourse just do

function rand(a:Number,b:Number):Number
{
if(a<b) return Math.round(Math.random()*(b-a))+a;
else return Math.round(Math.random()*(a-b))+b;
}

or if you want to use random(), which i would recomend pre AS3 since its been removed then

function rand(a:Number, b:Number):Number
{
if(a<b) return random(b-a)+a;
else return random(a-b)+b;
}

[DarkMana]

At 8/22/06 03:59 PM, -dELta- wrote:

At 8/22/06 03:52 PM, Dark-Mana wrote: trace("a must be smaller than or equal to b");

Mwaaha, you could ofcourse just do

function rand(a:Number,b:Number):Number
{
if(a<b) return Math.round(Math.random()*(b-a))+a;
else return Math.round(Math.random()*(a-b))+b;
}

But that makes it idiot-proof. Do we really want every idiot playing with random number functions?

lol

[dELtaluca]

wait, you dont even need to do that when using Math.random()

when using Math.random() you could just use

function rand(a:Number, b:Number):Number
{
return Math.round(Math.random()*(b-a)) + a;
}

in the case that a>b, it simply means that the random part, will be negative, and cause it to be between a and b anyways

[Andy-Smithy]

At 8/10/05 06:36 PM, Ninja-chicken wrote: OMG I cant beleive you wated your time with this. A n00bs heaven for junk code

No matter what Ninja_Chícken says, i foud it helpful! :D
Oh, and Ninja_chicken, how else are people like me meant to learn if there is no example...

[dELtaluca]

At 8/22/06 04:18 PM, Andy_Smithy wrote: how else are people like me meant to learn if there is no example...

Uuuuuhh.... use flashes documentation? you know, it does have an example of almost every single thing in the language?