Entropy-Locked

Pieces showcasing entropy locking—probabilistic RNG reseeding creating controlled chaos.

What Is Entropy Locking?

Entropy locking is a technique for creating emergent variety in generative systems. The core concept: probabilistically reseed the random number generator based on current state.

The key is the randomness of when the seed resets, not just that it resets:

if(rnd() > 0.7) srand(seed)  // probabilistic timing is KEY

Why this matters:

  • Deterministic reset → predictable, no emergence
  • Probabilistic reset → guaranteed bounds without knowable path
  • You know entropy will reduce, but not when or how much will accumulate first
  • This uncertainty creates emergent variety beyond expectation

Examples Across the Practice

Entropy locking appears throughout this practice:

  • emergence III: Multi-gate pattern where seed resets at different probabilities, catching emergent loops
  • VISIONS: Entropy locking meets wave function collapse—gods and temples from controlled chaos
  • Entropy Locked Wave Function Collapse: Inverted WFC where entropy increases, locked probabilistically to create structure
  • vestige_005: CONTAINMENT BREACH: The crash itself is entropy locked—destabilization timing is probabilistic
  • intermediate_ideocartography: Entropy networks preventing seed adjacency, metalayer navigation

Entropy Definition

"Entropy is that within a given system which cannot be measured, plus that which is deliberately not measured."

This definition is system-agnostic and builds on Gödel: every system must contain unknowable entropy. Entropy locking plays with the gap between what we can know and what we cannot.

Further Reading

Featured in the Creative Code Toronto talk on entropy locking (January 25, 2025) with live demonstrations and threshold adjustments.

Works in This Series