Alright, let me tell you about this little thing I put together, the “genshin anniversary picker”. It wasn’t anything grand, just a small project born out of pure indecision during one of those Genshin Impact anniversary events.
You know how sometimes they give you a choice? Like, pick one free character from a list? Yeah, that hit me hard one year. I kept going back and forth, making lists, reading guides, asking friends. It got kinda stressful, which is the opposite of what you want from a game, right? I just couldn’t make up my mind.
So, I thought, why not just leave it to fate? Make a simple tool, click a button, and let the computer decide. No more overthinking. Seemed like a fun way to handle it, and honestly, a good excuse to tinker with some code, which I enjoy doing now and then.
Getting Started
I didn’t want anything complicated. My goal was just a button and a result display. Super basic stuff.
First, I just opened up a plain text editor. Didn’t even bother with fancy software. I hammered out some basic HTML. Just needed a title, a button element, and a spot, like a div or something, where the chosen character’s name would pop up. Real simple structure.
Then, I thought it looked a bit bland. So, I threw in a little CSS. Nothing crazy. Added some padding here and there, maybe changed the background color to something vaguely Genshin-ish. Picked a nicer font. Just enough so it didn’t look like a plain white page from the 90s.
Making it Work
The main part was the JavaScript. That’s what would actually do the picking.
- I made a list, an array they call it, and typed in the names of all the characters available in that anniversary event. Had to double-check the list from the official announcement to make sure I got them all.
- Then, I wrote a small function. When the button I made earlier gets clicked, this function runs.
- Inside the function, I used that `*()` thing. It spits out a random number, and I used that to pick an index from my character list. Basically, like drawing a name out of a hat, but digital.
- Once it picked a name, I needed to show it. So, the function finds that empty spot I made in the HTML and sticks the chosen character’s name inside it.
I tested it out. Clicked the button like a maniac. Seemed random enough. Xingqiu, then Xiangling, then Chongyun… yeah, it worked.
Later, I thought it’d be cooler if it showed the character’s picture too. So I went searching for small character icons. Found some decent ones, saved them, and updated the script. Now, when it picks a character, it also shows their little face next to the name. Made it feel a bit more complete.
Finished Thing
And that was pretty much it. A super simple webpage that randomly picks a Genshin character from a specific list. Took me maybe an afternoon, fiddling around.
Did I actually use it to make my final decision in the game? I honestly can’t remember if I went with its choice or chickened out and picked my original favorite. But building it was fun. It solved my immediate problem of being stuck, and it felt good to make something, even something small and silly like this picker. Sometimes these little side projects are the most satisfying.
