I need help with choosing a random Player

Help and Feedback Scripting Support
#1

Hi, so I am trying to write a server script that will select a random player. It just comes up with this error: ServerScriptService.MainScript:16: invalid argument #2 to 'random' (interval is empty). I can’t figure it out. Please help. This is my script:

function ChoosePlayer()
	if ChosenMode.Name == "Escape" then
		RandomPlayer = GetPlayers[math.random(1, #GetPlayers)]
		print("Gotten 1 Player: Escape")
	elseif ChosenMode.Name == "Infection" then
		RandomPlayer = GetPlayers[math.random(1, #GetPlayers)]
		print("Gotten 1 Player: Infection, player can tag other players in")
	elseif ChosenMode.Name == "DoubleTrouble" then
		RandomPlayer = GetPlayers[math.random(2, #GetPlayers)]
		print("Gotten 2 Players: DoubleTrouble")
	end
end
#2

how did you define GetPlayers?

#3

I defined it as: local GetPlayers = game.Players:GetPlayers()

#4

#GetPlayers is most likely 0 or nil, and like @D0RYU said, how did you define this?

#5

also not sure if this is intentional or not, but you are not getting two players here

1 Like
#6

Oh yeah, I am trying to get 2 players there.

#7 
RandomPlayer1 = GetPlayers[math.random(1, #GetPlayers)]
RandomPlayer2 = GetPlayers[math.random(1, #GetPlayers)]

when you defined it I am guessing you had no players in the game

#8

How would i make it run only when players are actually in the game, also do I do it in a local script or regular script?

#9

When are you defining GetPlayers? If you call it the moment the server starts, it’ll automatically return back an empty table as Server Scripts run the moment a Server is first created (Or 0)

#10 
function ChoosePlayer()
    local GetPlayers = game.Players:GetPlayers()
    if ChosenMode.Name == "Escape" then
        RandomPlayer = GetPlayers[math.random(1, #GetPlayers)]
        print("Gotten 1 Player: Escape")
    elseif ChosenMode.Name == "Infection" then
        RandomPlayer = GetPlayers[math.random(1, #GetPlayers)]
        print("Gotten 1 Player: Infection, player can tag other players in")
    elseif ChosenMode.Name == "DoubleTrouble" then
        RandomPlayer1 = GetPlayers[math.random(1, #GetPlayers)]
        RandomPlayer2 = GetPlayers[math.random(1, #GetPlayers)]
        print("Gotten 2 Players: DoubleTrouble")
    end
end

just define it inside the function

#11

Oh. Makes sense. Thank you. I will try this

#12

It works! Thank you all for your help!

#13

I also edited it to where the second random player will not be the first random player with this line of code:
repeat RandomPlayer2 = GetPlayers[math.random(1, #GetPlayers)] until RandomPlayer2 ~= RandomPlayer1

#14

Kinda think of it like this:

If I insert a Script either inside the workspace or ServerScriptService:

local Players = game.Players:GetPlayers()
print(#Players)

Sure the server would create, but no Players are actually in the server just yet

That’s because the Server is still trying to load everything that it needs to load (Server Scripts & Functions), you can actually check this by join your game, and refreshing the server list as it shows that there’s currently no players in the server just yet:

image
image807×71 3.06 KB

After everything has been properly loaded, then the Player joins the game & can play it

wait(10) --This is a delay to make sure that the Player is fully in the game
local Players = game.Players:GetPlayers()
print(#Players) -- Outputs back as 1
#15

Got it! Thank you, I will create a script to where it uses an intermission for 30 seconds so all the players are properly loaded in. Then it will choose the gamemode and player(s) with no errors at all… Hopefully lol

1 Like
#16

Thank you all so much. This helped me so much to make my new game!

#17

task.wait() should be used instead of wait() now

#18

Oh ok. I had no idea that that even existed. But ok! Thank you!

#19

yea it is a new library, I really love it

EDIT: fixed link

#20

Wow, thank you so much for discovering this. I will use it from now on!