Is a level with a random start decided by skill or by the lucky draw?

When every attempt begins from a different random board, some starts are simply easier. This entry shows how to tell luck-driven levels from skill-driven ones by comparing how different the starts really are with how different chance alone would make them.

Why this works

If skill decides, every random start should win about equally often, apart from ordinary chance. Asking whether the spread between starts is larger than chance alone would produce separates a lucky draw from a fair test, and avoids staring at the single best and worst start.

When not to use it

It means little when starts are few, when each start gets only a handful of plays, or when the level is meant to be a gamble. Then compare how players with different skill fare on the same start, or let testers replay one start many times.

In the full entry

• What to build, step by step
• Starting values and the reason for each
• 3 common mistakes and the fix
• 25 lines of example code with 4 checks that pass
• How your AI shows you that it works

Say this to your AI

Use the Spielerando entry "Is a level with a random start decided by skill or by the lucky draw?" (read_entry puzzle-luck-or-skill-seed-spread) in my game. Build it step by step, and show me how you checked that it works.

Or skip this and connect the MCP: your AI then finds all of this by itself.Connect the MCP