The Joys of Video Game Randomization

[@Phirestar]

One thing I appreciate about randomizers for items and such is how it encourages you to experiment with parts of the game you might’ve otherwise not touched. For instance, in most loot-heavy games there’s often some or a lot of weapons or armor that are considered bad or otherwise not worth using, and people tend to just ignore those options in favor of something else. But with an item randomizer, this freedom of choice is stripped away from the player, and now you’re presented with scenarios where that crappy sword or helmet you never bought from the merchant becomes your tool for making progress to the next stage of the game. When paired up with other means of modifying the experience, such as an enemy randomizer to make encounters more challenging, or self-imposed restrictions like the popular “Use What You See” rule, you’re left with figuring out ways to make whatever gear you’ve been able to scrounge up work and be viable. And I think that _really_ adds to the feeling of experiencing the game in a new way: when you have to play the game in a way you wouldn’t choose to normally.

[@bennettm]

Very cool, thank you for sharing a thing you like and how to enjoy it and the community at large.

[@acetrigger1337]

This new evolution of Randomizers is way more appealing than speedruns.

[@krisalis_]

randomizers have been blowing my mind since i first learned about them and archipelago is one of those things that sounds wayyyyy too good to be true. i hope that this video convinces someone to trying these things out because my god they're such good concepts that are often executed just as well. very good video and very good taste in games as always :)

[@Repicheep22]

My friend, cat shenanigans always make for a wonderful end card. I would encourage you to keep your fuzzy friends in the videos; they're adorable.

[@noyoucorn]

My eyes skipped over the (thumbnail of this) video almost instantly, but I'm glad I still picked up on your name beneath the video, because I enjoy your content. => maybe, if you want more people to click on your videos you could work on your thumbnails and titles. (maybe less visual complexity? there is too much the eye has to analyze)

[@superdude10000]

Thanks for the feedback, I changed the thumbnail to be less noisy. If there's anything I have a hard time with on these videos, it's the thumbnails, believe you me.

[@noyoucorn]

@@superdude10000 that was quick :o I believe you. so if you want to hear my thoughts in more detail, I've sent you an email. (with pictures n stuff)

[@LARAUJO_0]

I'm here from the future. What did it look like before?

[@noyoucorn]

@@LARAUJO_0 I don't have the original anymore, sry.

[@nintendoSara]

Great video and thanks for including dk64 randomizer, my favorite randomizer!

[@exoplaneeet9499]

shoutout to the hollow knight randomizer! it single-handedly continued my obsession with the game once i had more-or-less memorized the base game!

[@formatomi]

if i found out in Anor Londo i couldnt progress i would be fine with it because the latter half of Dark Souls 1 is underdeveloped and rushed lol

[@superdude10000]

Lol, so true. Alright, new headcanon: you beat Ornstein and Smough and rule Anor Londo with your giant wife. Definitely the sort of ending Miyazaki was going for, I'm sure.

[@Pantalowski]

​@@superdude10000 more like a husband

[@bummedmachinist7483]

3:10 Reminder that Dark Souls 2 and SOTFS are the only Souls game with new enemy layouts in NG+ as well

[@olaf.forkbeard]

I am now halfway through a Tunic OoT multiworld run with a friend. This is your fault.

[@Sirblobfish9906]

Your content is so fucking good. LIke I'm genuinely baffled by the quality of these videos.

[@wanwan1835]

I was waiting for you to talk about Fear and Hunger 😭

[@Helmotz.]

Neat video, I agree randos are fun

[@12MyNameIs]

Sometimes I like playing game that have a lot of characters and instead of strategising and picking the characters that fit each other the most I just search a random number generator and pick characters through that

[@79AlienFinger79]

For a more curated experience, I can recommend to anyone reading this to look up rom hacks of some of your favourite games - there's some great stuff out there 👍 Also, not a patron, but I'm sticking with you *because* of your weird obsessions and neurodivergencies EDIT: That might have come off wrong, what I meant to say is that we share some special interests, and your view on them is really valuable to me 😅

[@iansmith9762]

Great Video

[@99jdave99]

I’ve played some of the deus ex randomizer. They’re pretty fun indeed :) One of the creators for it (Die4ever, iirc their name off the top of my head) streams speedruns for it often too, and it’s also in active development! Cool features added, lots of QoL stuff too

[@bilskirnir_]

I'm gonna have to let doshdoshington know he needs to do his randomizer between Factorio and some other game. Maybe more pistol based recipes.

[@gmg9010]

I’d like it if a game would have a world that every time you’d leave the game the world itself would change though everything you’ve done within that world would save.

[@lollyblizowo4343]

Hollow knight rando 4 my beloved

[@sebastiansochanski]

👌

[@Ballaam]

Great video! :)

[@Loolilol]

Why hello super! Just wanted to say hi since you dont post often.

[@小小綠小綠綠]

Nooo, you can't talk about RNG games without godfield

[@2dos]

hi mom

[@remontariv1130]

First

[@Skaatje]

Call me an asshole, I do that all the time, but we knew what you were gonna talk about thanks to the title. So there was no need to build it up in an intro that is six minutes long.

[@Voingous]

Scholar haters continuing to have zero good takes regarding Dark Souls I see

[@superdude10000]

I just think the enemy pacing is better in the OG, is all.

[@Voingous]

​@@superdude10000 SotFS expects you to fight the drake no more than Elden Ring expects you to fight the Tree Sentinel at the start of the game. The drake blocks an optional boss in an area that is clearly more difficult than the Forest of Fallen Giants and further out of the way as well. You can fight the drake as soon as possible if you'd like, something that's easily achievable, or you can continue down the main path toward Dragonrider. Alternatively, you can just go through the Forest of Fallen Giants for the easier and more "intended" path. Lastly, Calling Heide's Tower of Flame the "third area in the game" is like calling the New Londo Ruins the fourth area in Dark Souls. Assuming you're referring to the Forest of Fallen Giants as the second or third area, that path continues straight into the Lost Bastille, so I don't know why Heide's would take that spot suddenly. It's just as accessible after the Forest as The Gutter or The Shaded Woods, so even if you did suddenly turn around for no reason and decide to go down a different path instead of just continuing forward, it's entirely preference which one you go down next. This is the only specific instance you brought up over difficulty scaling being out of whack, so I have to assume the ten naked hollows with broken straight swords filtered you.

[@superdude10000]

Well, the tutorial area is first. From there, you can choose between the Forest of the Giants or Heide's. Most people would consider Heide's to be harder that Forest, so. Third area. Given how spider-webby this game is, I understand it's odd to number the zones, but that was my reasoning. And your last sentence isn't really a good way to argue, is it? You assume just because I call the enemy pacing worse, that I'm a piss baby or something? I'm not above being convinced I'm wrong, but this is not the way to do it, mate. Not everyone who disagrees with you is bad at games.

[@LastChanceWasTaken]

This the type of guy to wear full plate armour and roll around in the backyard. Gotta live the lifestyle. Salute to the gamer who took the first time he heard Git Gud, and turned it into a personality trait. Just gotta ignore these guys Superdude. They will forever sit in the comments and force negativity rather than a cordial conversation.

[@Voingous]

@@LastChanceWasTaken What part of "you can definitely kill this enemy early but since it's in an optional area, you can just as easily not and instead go down one of the other presented paths. Acting like the game forces you into a difficult encounter too early is outright not true" screams git gud to you? I feel like the take that "Scholar is worse because you fight a dragon early" is too bad to take seriously and the entire section reeked of "I haven't personally played the games in a decade but a 4 hour long video essay told me Scholar sucks so now I half-heartedly regurgitate opinions from it." I've played both, and recently as well. The differences are barely noticeable in terms of enemy density and the benefits of Scholar are numerous. This is a discussion for contrarians.

[@pain_rain609]

Play both, and just ask if you need help there with the permadragon shield. Whats the time and soul memory?