Procedurally Generated Game Worlds - Revision history

Staffan Björk at 21:48, 19 March 2018

2018-03-19T21:48:17Z

Staffan Björk at 16:20, 2 September 2016

2016-09-02T16:20:57Z

Staffan Björk at 07:24, 7 September 2011

2011-09-07T07:24:03Z

Staffan Björk at 18:38, 4 September 2011

2011-09-04T18:38:56Z

Staffan Björk at 18:36, 4 September 2011

2011-09-04T18:36:02Z

Staffan Björk: /* Relations */

2011-09-04T18:20:32Z

‎Relations

Staffan Björk: /* Using the pattern */

2011-09-04T18:18:30Z

‎Using the pattern

Staffan Björk at 18:15, 4 September 2011

2011-09-04T18:15:58Z

Staffan Björk at 18:14, 4 September 2011

2011-09-04T18:14:13Z

Staffan Björk: /* Consequences */

2011-09-04T18:04:09Z

‎Consequences

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 Designing for games to have [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] requires creating algorithms that given some input can create [[Game Worlds]]. These algorithms typically require the specification of several abstract concepts that may or may not be perceivable to players (e.g. the biomes in [[Minecraft]] and the concept of solar systems, planets and moons in the [[Elite series]]) but at some level need to generate concrete elements, typically [[Tiles]]. In games where their [[Game Worlds]] consist of smaller units, for example [[Levels]], the pattern can be created through using [[Procedurally Generated Game Areas]] for each smaller part (which also allows the parts to be developed using the current game state as input, for example to create [[Ever Increasing Difficulty]]).
-[[Randomness]] is nearly always an input to these algorithms, but in some cases (e.g. [[Minecraft]]), players have the option of giving the random seed and thereby are able to recreate [[Game Worlds]] if their initial random seed is known.
+[[Randomness]] is nearly always an input to these algorithms, but in some cases (e.g. [[Minecraft]]), players have the option of giving an [[Explicit Random Seeds|Explicit Random Seed]] and thereby are able to recreate [[Game Worlds]] if their initial random seed is known.
 == Consequences ==
@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 === Can Be Modulated By ===
+[[Explicit Random Seeds]]
 === Possible Closure Effects ===

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 The space-based computer games in the [[Elite series]] created several galaxies that players could explore using procedural generation. Several [[:Category:Tabletop Roleplaying Games|Tabletop Roleplaying Games]], including [[Traveller]] and [[GURPS]] through the ''GURPS Space'' supplement, similarly have rules for generating solar systems and planets but since these algorithms need to be calculated by people these game worlds tend to be smaller.
-[[Minecraft]], [[NetHack]], and [[Slaves to Armok II: Dwarf Fortress]] all create their game worlds or levels through algorithms based upon random seeds. The computer-based [[Civilization (video game) series|Civilization series]] created randomized worlds for players although some scenarios have predefined ones and some versions allow players to input manually the random seed. The [[Just Cause series]] used procedural generation to create the basis for the large gameplay areas provided in these games, and then manually added specific features to provide the background for the main story structure.
+[[Minecraft]], [[NetHack]], [[Slaves to Armok II: Dwarf Fortress]], and [[Unexplored]] all create their game worlds or levels through algorithms based upon random seeds. The computer-based [[Civilization (video game) series|Civilization series]] created randomized worlds for players although some scenarios have predefined ones and some versions allow players to input manually the random seed. The [[Just Cause series]] used procedural generation to create the basis for the large gameplay areas provided in these games, and then manually added specific features to provide the background for the main story structure.
 Some games uses weaker form of [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] in that the procedure is either not that complex or does not provide that much variation. For example, the resource tiles used in [[Settlers of Catan]] are typically randomized. In another example, the [[Left 4 Dead series]] uses a small amount of procedural generation to create variations in game levels, mainly by blocking some routes and opening some other.
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 The reason for using [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] is typically to provide [[Replayability]] or to save production costs of large [[Game Worlds]], but doing so can have the downside that it can be difficult to provide [[Predetermined Story Structures]] with the same qualities as handcrafted combinations of stories and worlds.
-Designing for games to have [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] requires creating algorithms that given some input can create [[Game Worlds]]. These algorithms typically require the specification of several abstract concepts that may or may not be perceivable to players (e.g. the biomes in [[Minecraft]] and the concept of solar systems, planets and moons in the [[Elite series]]) but at some level need to generate concrete elements, typically [[Tiles]].
+Designing for games to have [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] requires creating algorithms that given some input can create [[Game Worlds]]. These algorithms typically require the specification of several abstract concepts that may or may not be perceivable to players (e.g. the biomes in [[Minecraft]] and the concept of solar systems, planets and moons in the [[Elite series]]) but at some level need to generate concrete elements, typically [[Tiles]]. In games where their [[Game Worlds]] consist of smaller units, for example [[Levels]], the pattern can be created through using [[Procedurally Generated Game Areas]] for each smaller part (which also allows the parts to be developed using the current game state as input, for example to create [[Ever Increasing Difficulty]]).
 [[Randomness]] is nearly always an input to these algorithms, but in some cases (e.g. [[Minecraft]]), players have the option of giving the random seed and thereby are able to recreate [[Game Worlds]] if their initial random seed is known.
@@ Line 42: / Line 42: @@
 === Can Be Instantiated By ===
 [[Randomness]],
 [[Tiles]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:24, 7 September 2011
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	~~[[Category:Staffan's current workpage]]~~
	[[Category:Patterns]]		[[Category:Patterns]]
	[[Category:Level Design Patterns]]		[[Category:Level Design Patterns]]

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 The space-based computer games in the [[Elite series]] created several galaxies that players could explore using procedural generation. Several [[:Category:Tabletop Roleplaying Games|Tabletop Roleplaying Games]], including [[Traveller]] and [[GURPS]] through the ''GURPS Space'' supplement, similarly have rules for generating solar systems and planets but since these algorithms need to be calculated by people these game worlds tend to be smaller.
-[[Minecraft]], [[NetHack]], and [[Slaves to Armok II: Dwarf Fortress]] all create their game worlds or levels through algorithms based upon random seeds. The computer-based [[Civilization (video game) series|Civilization series]] created randomized worlds for players although some scenarios have predefined ones and some versions allow players to manually input the random seed. The [[Just Cause series]] used procedural generation to create the basis for the large gameplay areas provided in these games, and then manually added specific features to provide the background for the main story structure.
+[[Minecraft]], [[NetHack]], and [[Slaves to Armok II: Dwarf Fortress]] all create their game worlds or levels through algorithms based upon random seeds. The computer-based [[Civilization (video game) series|Civilization series]] created randomized worlds for players although some scenarios have predefined ones and some versions allow players to input manually the random seed. The [[Just Cause series]] used procedural generation to create the basis for the large gameplay areas provided in these games, and then manually added specific features to provide the background for the main story structure.
-Some games uses weaker form of [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] in that either the procedure is neither not that complex or does not provide that much variation. For example, the resource tiles used in [[Settlers of Catan]] are typically randomized. In another example, the [[Left 4 Dead series]] uses a small amount of procedural generation to create variations in game levels, mainly by blocking some routes and opening some other.
+Some games uses weaker form of [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] in that the procedure is either not that complex or does not provide that much variation. For example, the resource tiles used in [[Settlers of Catan]] are typically randomized. In another example, the [[Left 4 Dead series]] uses a small amount of procedural generation to create variations in game levels, mainly by blocking some routes and opening some other.
 The site GiantBomb has a page<ref name="giantbomb"/> for games that use procedural generation for any purpose, not only creating game worlds.
@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 Designing for games to have [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] requires creating algorithms that given some input can create [[Game Worlds]]. These algorithms typically require the specification of several abstract concepts that may or may not be perceivable to players (e.g. the biomes in [[Minecraft]] and the concept of solar systems, planets and moons in the [[Elite series]]) but at some level need to generate concrete elements, typically [[Tiles]].
-[[Randomness]] is nearly always an input to these algorithms, but in some cases (e.g. [[Minecraft]]) players have the option of giving the random seed and thereby be able to recreate [[Game Worlds]] if their initial random seed is known.
+[[Randomness]] is nearly always an input to these algorithms, but in some cases (e.g. [[Minecraft]]), players have the option of giving the random seed and thereby are able to recreate [[Game Worlds]] if their initial random seed is known.
 == Consequences ==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Category:Staffan's current workpage]]
 [[Category:Patterns]]
-[[Category:Needs work]]
+[[Category:Level Design Patterns]]
 [[Category:Needs revision]]
 [[Category:Needs references]]
 [[Category:Patterns created on the Wiki]]
 ''Game worlds created through algorithms.''
-This pattern is a still a stub.
+Creating game worlds can be challenging, especially if they are to be very large, very detailed, or many different versions of them should exist. The challenge for these worlds is both in being creative and varied but also in having the resources to spend on actually building them. [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] is one way of trying to overcome these problems; by having algorithms that can generate the game worlds and their content the actual process of doing so can be handed over to computer systems. While this may save time and can allow the construction to occur just-in-time before gameplay begins, it puts challenges to game design that wish to have stories or have balanced resources for all players.
 === Examples ===
@@ Line 28: / Line 26: @@
 == Consequences ==
-Since [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] can be larger than manually created [[Game Worlds]], they to a larger extent support a [[Game World Exploration]] that gives players a [[Freedom of Choice]] of what to explore (this is for example the case in [[Minecraft]] and the [[Elite series]]). Further, since worlds in general are assumed to be large, the larger size that [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] support help games maintain [[Thematic Consistency]] even if this really may be an [[Illusion of Open Space]] due to interesting gameplay being rare and mainly existing in some manually created places.
+Since [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] can be larger than manually created [[Game Worlds]], they to a larger extent support a [[Game World Exploration]] that gives players a [[Freedom of Choice]] of what to explore (this is for example the case in [[Minecraft]] and the [[Elite series]]). Further, since worlds in general are assumed to be large, the larger size that [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] support help games maintain [[Thematic Consistency]] even if this really may be an [[Illusion of Open Space]] due to interesting gameplay being rare and mainly existing in some manually created places. Generally, [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] can support [[Varied Gameplay]] either by provide large worlds with different types of gameplay or different worlds with different gameplay.
-Given that [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] in practice always use [[Randomness]], they can provide [[Replayability]] through giving players new [[Game Worlds]] to explore each new game instance.
+Given that [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] in practice always use [[Randomness]], they can provide [[Replayability]] through giving players new [[Game Worlds]] to explore each new game instance. However, the use of [[Randomness]] can cause problems with [[Player Balance]] which may be avoided by having [[Balancing Effects]] encoded into the algorithms (the [[Civilization (video game) series|Civilization series]] has this as an option when generating random worlds) but this does reduce the [[Randomness]] and thereby the [[Varied Gameplay]] possible.
 == Relations ==
@@ Line 38: / Line 36: @@
 [[Illusion of Open Space]],
 [[Replayability]],
-[[Thematic Consistency]]
+[[Thematic Consistency]],
 === Can Modulate ===
@@ Line 54: / Line 53: @@
 === Potentially Conflicting With ===
 [[Predetermined Story Structures]]

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 == Using the pattern ==
 Designing for games to have [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] requires creating algorithms that given some input can create [[Game Worlds]]. These algorithms typically require the specification of several abstract concepts that may or may not be perceivable to players (e.g. the biomes in [[Minecraft]] and the concept of solar systems, planets and moons in the [[Elite series]]) but at some level need to generate concrete elements, typically [[Tiles]].
-[[Randomness]] is nearly always an input to these algorithms, but in some cases (e.g. [[Minecraft]]) players have the option of
+[[Randomness]] is nearly always an input to these algorithms, but in some cases (e.g. [[Minecraft]]) players have the option of giving the random seed and thereby be able to recreate [[Game Worlds]] if their initial random seed is known.
-−
-=== Diegetic Aspects ===
-−
-=== Interface Aspects ===
-−
-=== Narrative Aspects ===
 == Consequences ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:04, 4 September 2011
Line 29:		Line 29:

	== Consequences ==		== Consequences ==
		+	Since [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] can be larger than manually created [[Game Worlds]], they to a larger extent support a [[Game World Exploration]] that gives players a [[Freedom of Choice]] of what to explore (this is for example the case in [[Minecraft]] and the [[Elite series]]). Further, since worlds in general are assumed to be large, the larger size that [[Procedurally Generated Game Worlds]] support help games maintain [[Thematic Consistency]] even if this really may be an [[Illusion of Open Space]] due to interesting gameplay being rare and mainly existing in some manually created places.

	== Relations ==		== Relations ==