Is it just me, or is there something wrong with the RNG rolls of the GBA roms?

[Junkhead]

I've been playing FE7 & 8 lately. And it's probably not just an issue I noticed lately, but something is going on here. I tried using different roms versions with VBA, and the issue still was there. Then I changed to NO$GBA. And nope, still there.

The problem is that I keep getting the exact same results from the RNG no matter how many times I reset or try to RNG abuse. Just what could be the problem? And it is it happening to me alone?

[Deliriyum]

That's always been the case. The RNG is predetermined in every game. This means that, in FE7, Lyn won't die in the tutorial unless you do something stupid, and she will always get the same level up. If you start in HHM, Hector can manipulate a crit. In FE8, You can manipulate a crit with Eirika.

If you save a state, fight somebody, load the state, then fight again, you will get the same result every time. You can change the result by wasting RNs. I do this by having one of your characters do something that requires the RNG, like the arena, or fight another enemy, then you have a new RN and you can try that fight again and you might get a different result.

[Junkhead]

That...explains much. I used to play innefficiently and rely on save state-abusing alot, which is why I haven't noticed this before. But I just remember getting different result by resetting. I don't know if this issue is only present earlygame though...=/

[Deliriyum]

That...explains much. I used to play innefficiently and rely on save state-abusing alot, which is why I haven't noticed this before. But I just remember getting different result by resetting. I don't know if this issue is only present earlygame though...=/

Well, it is only more predictable earlygame. I'm not sure what resetting does to it though, I would think the rng string would pick up where it left off for the same results.

[Charpig]

I think if you restart a chapter, the game moves to a different place in the RNG string. I've had Lyn get different level ups in the prologue. But if you have your file suspended in the middle of a battle and resume it, the same result will occur every time (i.e. if one of your units dies). The developers did this on purpose to prevent people from simply turning off the game if a unit died and resuming in the hopes of making an enemy miss. They also wanted you to regret any foolish decision that would have led to a unit's demise. I have never played with savestates or emulators, but it seems from what you say that savestates don't affect the RNG strings. With the method of wasting RNs you can only tell if an RN is above 50 or lower than 50, there is no way to determine the exact value of it if you are not hacking. But the game only moves to the next RN in the string if you confirm a command (like Wait, Attack, and so on). If you simply waste RNs without confirming a command, then when you shut off your game and resume, the game will go back to its original position in the RN string.

However, in Radiant Dawn, when you reset your game from a battle save, different RNs are generated. This is why it is possible to RNG abuse in that game. Some people have suspected that the Wii's internal clock plays a role in what RNs are generated, and for Shadow Dragon, it was proven that the DS's internal clock plays a role in what RNs are generated. This has led to "clock abuse."

There are some excellent FAQs that explain how the RNG for FE7 and FE8 (particularly FE8) work. I would look up GameFAQs, they explain how to waste RNs. Or you can find AR/Codebreaker codes to manipulate the RNG, this can be done even if you're playing on a traditional cartridge.