Runtimeversies

Runtimeversies refer to the dynamic variant outputs that a system can produce during execution. They are emergent properties of software and media that rely on runtime factors—such as user input, sensor data, randomization, seeds for procedural generation, or learned models—rather than fixed, prewritten outcomes. The concept emphasizes variation within a single program run and across runs, as opposed to static versions created at development time.

Mechanisms include nondeterministic processes, randomized seeds, adaptive logic, procedural content generation, and machine-learned models that respond to context. In practice, runtimeversies appear in video games with procedurally generated levels, interactive fiction whose plot adapts to choices and chance, generative music systems, and simulations where environment or agent behavior varies between executions. In software testing, runtimeversies can refer to variant behaviors discovered by fuzzing or randomized testing.

Challenges include reproducibility and debugging, as variations can make bugs harder to reproduce. Tools and practices such as logging seeds, recording execution traces, and deterministic modes aim to manage and study runtimeversies. The term remains informal and is used primarily in discussions of generative and adaptive systems rather than as a formal discipline.

Related concepts include procedural generation, nondeterminism, stochastic processes, live coding, and generative AI. The study of runtimeversies intersects with software engineering, human-computer interaction, and narrative design, reflecting a broader trend toward experiences that are not wholly fixed at design time.