perlin

Good point! Here's two OpenGL animations across multiple 1-dimensional vertices:

Perlin- https://i.imgur.com/ROww6bw.gif Random- https://i.imgur.com/EurTdaZ.gif

In 1982 (several years before DOOM), Ken Perlin invented an algorithm meant to produce random numbers that more closely resembled a human's interpretation of "random" numbers (versus those generated by computers). Humans, it seemed, tended to choose a lot of different numbers, whereas random numbers from a CPU actually produced lots of repeating sequences. His work in the field was vital to developing the first 3D shaded graphics in a Hollywood film (Tron), for which he won an Academy Award for Technical Achievement.

Perlin Noise is still used to this day for generating clouds, natural-looking terrains, and other textures that are pleasing to the human brain.

Python implementation: https://github.com/caseman/noise/blob/master/perlin.py

Excellent talk by its creator: http://www.noisemachine.com/talk1/