Generate random player strengths in a pyramid structure (PHP)

Question

For an online game (MMORPG) I want to create characters (players) with random strength values. The stronger the characters are, the less should exist of this sort.

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Answer 1

workmad3 has the start of it down, I think, but there's a catch - you need to track your bucket sizes and whether or not they're full. A random number generator won't guarantee that. You'll need to assign your bucket values (strenghs) and sizes (number of people), and let your random generator tell you which bucket to drop the player into - if that one is full, 'overflow' to the next lower.

As to assigning the bucket sizes for a given strength value, that's the tricky bit (and I think what you're really working at). The characteristics of your desired distribution are critical. If you want a linear drop (which the pyramid shape hints at), a line of the form

strength = max_strength - m(number_characters)

would work. Varying the value of m would change the speed at which the line drops off, and will basically limit your max number of total characters. If you're looking for a more sophisticated way for the strength values to drop off, you could use a parabolic or hyperbolic curve - these are a bit more complex, but give you very different characteristics.