How does a game like Borderlands/Wonderlands have “billions of guns”?
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Their statistics are randomly generated. If you look at the different values each statistic can have you can claim to have billions of different combinations.
Its mix and match combinations with random number generators.
Take the basic weapon type, randomly select the damage, randomly select additional effects (with some rules to prevent certain combinations). If you take all the potential variations, multiply them together, you end up with an extremely large number of unique results.
For example, lets say you have 4 basic gun types, like pistol, shotgun, rifle, heavy. Each one has 4 different basic effects. Each effect can vary by 4 damage points. And each guns main damage can vary by 4 damage points. 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 = 256 possible unique combinations. And that’s a very limited number of options compared to whats in the game.
What others have said is almost correct, but there’s some deviations. Here’s an example for pistols in Borderlands 2 without DLC:
– First, select one of fifty levels for the gun.
– Next, select one of four rarities (ignoring E-tech and Legendary, as those work differently).
– Then, select one of eight bodies (one per weapon maker).
– Then, select one of nine bodies (one per maker, plus an E-tech barrel).
– Then, select one of eight grips (one per maker).
– Then, select one of eight barrels (one per… you know).
– Then, select one of nine scopes (“None” is an option too, iron sights count as a scope).
– Finally, if the weapon is better than white, it *may* have one of seven accessories.
Using all of this, multiplying the possibilities for each category together, we end up with 63.9 million *pistols*. The other weapons all follow the same process, albeit with fewer parts as some makers don’t make some types.
A gun in Borderlands first of all has a brand, which will incorporate certain features and looks. Then within that brand they have many different features, looks, levels of power, etc., to choose from. Overall, there are over 1,200 different parts. When you get a gun, it’s the result of an algorithm mashing all of this together to automatically design a gun for you.
They also have different sounds, which were taken from real guns. The studio asked employees to come out with their guns so they could be recorded, and they got too many takers. Also, not just the shooting of various types of guns was recorded, but the sounds of their actions (pulling a bolt, cocking, racking a shotgun, etc.) and digitally altered to sound appropriate for the game.
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