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Procedural Content Generation in Video Games

This document defines procedural content generation (PCG) as using techniques from AI, mathematics and other disciplines to automatically create game content. It then discusses several types of PCG that can be used in video games, including runtime level generation, design of level content, dynamic world generation, instancing of in-game entities, user-mediated content, dynamic systems, and procedural puzzles and plot generation. Examples are provided for each type to illustrate how PCG can be implemented in games.

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Eugene Mangaoang
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177 views

Procedural Content Generation in Video Games

This document defines procedural content generation (PCG) as using techniques from AI, mathematics and other disciplines to automatically create game content. It then discusses several types of PCG that can be used in video games, including runtime level generation, design of level content, dynamic world generation, instancing of in-game entities, user-mediated content, dynamic systems, and procedural puzzles and plot generation. Examples are provided for each type to illustrate how PCG can be implemented in games.

Uploaded by

Eugene Mangaoang
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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PROCEDURAL CONTENT GENERATION Eugene Val Mangaoang

Graduate Seminar

IN VIDEO GAMES First semester, SY 2015-2016


September 14, 2015
OUTLINE
Define: Procedural Content Generation (PCG)
Types of PCG, with respect to video games:
 Runtime level generation
 Design of level content
 Dynamic world generation
 Instancing of in-game entities
 User mediated content
 Dynamic systems
 Procedural puzzles and plot-generation

Conclusion
PROCEDURAL CONTENT GENERATION (PCG)
The process of using techniques based on AI, mathematics and other disciplines to
automatically create game content.
This results in an unpredictable range of possible game play spaces
It should ensure that a large number of possible types of content can be generated
from a few parameters.
PCG CAN EXIST IN GAMES IN A NUMBER OF WAYS:
Runtime random level generation
Design of level content
Dynamic world generation
Instancing of in-game entities
User mediated content
Dynamic systems
Procedural puzzles and plot-generation
RUNTIME RANDOM LEVEL GENERATION
Generation of game levels while the game is being played, using PCG techniques.
 Random placing of rooms and corridors when a player first enters the game level.

Provides an infinite game space, constrained by the rules of the algorithm used.
It requires that the game store the entire level, which means there must be well
defined boundaries between each level.
RUNTIME RANDOM LEVEL GENERATION
Things considered:
 Types of level connections (e.g. stairs, elevators)
 Connectivity within a level (e.g. roads, water)
 Persistent and non-persistent levels
 Connectivity between levels (e.g. sequential vs tree)
 Spatial layout of multiple levels (e.g. grid, multiple layers)

Some algorithms used:


 The drunkard walk
 Perlin noise
 Height maps
RESULTS OF DRUNKARD WALK ALGORITHM

Image source: http://mactech.com Image source: http://www.gridsagegames.com


RESULTS OF PERLIN NOISE ALGORITHM

Image source: http://forum.unity3d.com Image source: http://www.riemers.net


DESIGN OF LEVEL CONTENT
PCG can supplement human design skills to rapidly populate the environment with
randomly generated content, that can be altered by hand to fit the intended design.
Trees
 How frequently can a tree be duplicated before players noticed?

Some algorithms used:


 L-systems
GENERATED TREES USING AN L-SYSTEM ALGORITHM

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DYNAMIC WORLD GENERATION
Generation of game levels using PCG techniques on-the-fly.
Seamlessly connected runtime generated random levels can form building blocks of
dynamic world generation.
Some algorithms used:
 Pseudorandom number generator
INFINITY: THE QUEST FOR EARTH

Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org


INSTANCING OF IN-GAME ENTITIES
Dynamically vary the parameters of in-game entities to create a large possible
number of entities with a statistically insignificant chance of repetition.
 Visible geometry of a person or in-game properties of a weapon or piece of equipment.

Some algorithms used:


 Pseudorandom number generator
GOBLINS IN LORD OF THE RINGS

Image source: http://www.neogaf.com


GUNS IN BORDERLANDS (2)

Image source: http://ru.borderlands.wikia.com Image source: http://www.engadget.com


USER MEDIATED CONTENT (UMC)
Lowers the barrier to entry for disciplines which require a high level of skill and/or
technical understanding, by allowing the user to pick from a set of content generated
with PCG techniques.
CREATURE CREATION IN SPORE

Image source: http://venturebeat.com Image source: http://i.ytimg.com


DYNAMIC SYSTEMS
Weather, and group and crowd behavior, can be modelled using PCG techniques.
 AI and PCG will usually overlap in this area.
WEATHER AND DAY/NIGHT CYCLE IN CRYSIS

Image source: http://images.eurogamer.net Image source: http://www.gamespot.com


AI CHARACTERS IN FACADE

Image source: http://facade.en.softonic.com/


PROCEDURAL PUZZLES
AND PLOT-GENERATION
PCG can be used to extend game plots with little
dependency graphs.
COMPLEX PLOT BRANCHING CAN BE
ACHIEVED USING PCG
OPPORTUNITIES OF PCG
High diversity of the resulting assets
Faster than any human designer could ever be
Significantly reduces production costs
Allows for a mixed-initiative approach to level design
Content automatically implemented in the game engine
Can save vital system resources
Players can influence the parameters of the game world
Possibility of automatically analyzing player behavior
REFERENCES
Dicken, Luke. 2011. Procedural content generation.
Doull, Andrew. 2008. The death of the level designer: procedural content generation
in games. http://roguelikedeveloper.blogspot.com/2008/01/death-of-level-
designer-procedural.html
Hendrikx, Mark, et. al. 2011. Procedural content generation for games: a survey.
Prühs, Nick & Vaz Alves, Denis. 2014. Game programming – procedural content
generation.
Togelius, Julian, et. al. 2010. Search-based procedural content generation.

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