7 examples of using procedural generation in games that all developers need to know about
The procedurally-generated content of the “right” games - Diablo, Rogue, Spelunky, Daggerfall, Elite, Spore and even Football Manager analogues - never ceases to amaze. It allows you to take a different look at the design and emphasizes the elegance of the main indicators of the system. With it, you save time and can earn. Thanks to him, Skyrim and Minecraft attract a huge number of players who do not change their choice even a few years after the release of these products. Procedural generation is a solid foundation on which the concept of the much anticipated Hello Games “ No Man's Sky ” is built.
At the same time, it is worth noting that the principles of procedural generation are not always used and perceived correctly, and therefore not everyone can immediately develop algorithms for individual game elements. Given this feature, we consulted with experienced developers and decided to tell you about the products that have found a very original use of this technique.
In each of the games mentioned below, procedural generation has an incredible effect, and therefore, perhaps, a prepared review will inspire you to create better products based on the generated algorithms.
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Procedurally-generated content gives the characters and systems the necessary details and depth, and also pleasantly diversifies the environment and design of the game - it is in these areas that this technique finds its maximum use. With the help of procedural generation, the characters of the strategy of Crusader Kings II, whose actions take place in the Middle Ages, become unique, albeit computer-controlled, personalities. We are talking about various features that actually boil down to simple numbers (like +1 to intrigue and -10 to greed), defining the character's behavior. But since events are largely due to the relationship and behavior of the characters, their characters turn into fascinating elements of complex systems, which are loved by many adherents of this medieval story.
In her e-mail, Kitfox Games creative director Tanya Short notes that the growing popularity of the game and the ongoing discussions on the forum indicate the players ’willingness to let all these numbers and character reactions through themselves (which are usually very simple, but in a complex may seem complicated) . “Since Crusader Kings II falls into the category of hardcore games with a high threshold of entry, the game can be compared to The Sims to a certain extent,” explains Tanya. “Players love to invent stories that explain the inner experiences of heroes, their policies, etc., especially when you have such an interesting context as the realities of medieval Europe. That is why every now and then on the Crusader Kings II forum there are heated discussions “off topic”.
TOTAL: Players complement the images of procedurally-generated characters and the system of their relationships with their own experiences, if the characters behave as required by certain character traits. In the case when the figures laid in the basis of the line of conduct are publicly available, the process of interaction turns out to be even more active.
Shadow of Mordor, an action RPG based on the works of Tolkien, also goes beyond the usual understanding of levels and maps of procedurally generated content. The game lays the concept of establishing a personal user relationship with the orcs. In short, each orc is unique - they are created using the Nemesis System algorithm: everything from name and appearance to the way of speaking and relations with other orcs is taken into account. The game allows you to create more and more new combinations of characteristics, using them on the principle of Lego designers.
Moreover, if an orc kills a player’s character, he gets a new rank in Sauron’s army. Moreover, the events are stored in memory in case of another collision. And if an orc is killed or injured, it comes back again - practicing other skills and trying to demonstrate its superiority. This time, he has a procedurally-generated scar (for example, a plate above the eye, if he was gouged out, or a bag over his head, if the orc was decapitated).
This is how competition and hostility arise, which allows the player to use the social connections of the orcs for all sorts of personal goals (for example, to turn someone against the commander); you have certain feelings towards the bad guys, which is strange, because killing enemies is the main task of most video games. According to BioShock director Ken Levine, Shadow of Mordor is “the first open-type game of interaction”. This is an important step on the way to creating traditional game plots that adapt to the player’s decisions, and not just exist in parallel, like, say, when choosing a new book about adventures.
TOTAL: Procedurally-generated characteristics of enemies and scars reminiscent of past battles, convince players that they are struggling with specific unique opponents, and not the same script characters available to other users.
Perhaps only Rogue and Diablo are superior to Spelunky Derek Yu (Derek Yu) in the degree of integration of the principles of procedural generation. The genius of this project lies in the fact that it skillfully details the mechanics and systems underlying the game, rather than turning to different levels of memorization (the latter technique does not work at all, since each level is generated just a few seconds before the session begins). Julian Togelius, an associate professor at New York University (a researcher of the aforementioned tendencies), believes that such a fundamental shift in emphasis - from level modification to changing game rules - demonstrates the most effective way to use procedural generation. "It is incredibly important that the player does not even anticipate what tasks he will have to solve in the future, which is why the generation of levels (a rather simple but extremely effective mechanism) is so important," he says.
Indeed, an ordinary Spelunky player runs through thousands or even tens of thousands of levels. But only a few win - for this, in the standard version, you need to survive in sixteen levels plus defeat the main commander in a personal fight (and there are even secret levels with different outcomes of battles).
It is important to note that the levels are organized according to a specific plan; As if random arrangement of enemies, shopkeepers, objects, walls of caves and other elements is subject to very specific principles.
After the first release of Spelunky in 2008, many imitations appeared, but none of them managed to embody the same ideal combination of the author's ideas, randomization and elegance.
TOTAL: Generating levels right during the game using a simple formula, Spelunky forces the player to delve into the rules and analyze the emerging systems, rather than just studying the geometry of the next video product.
To get lost in the huge list of goals and tasks assigned to the player in Dwarf Fortress, is simple. No wonder you need a few months to finally understand everything. Initially, a detailed gnome pedigree dating back thousands of years is generated. One of my colleagues every day told something new about the developing dynasties and impregnable fortresses appearing on the slopes of the mountains. These were stories of love, loss, betrayal, disaster, adventure, hunger trials, terrible fires, murders, funny incidents like how a group of guys got lost, and much, much more.
According to Tanya Short, most of all this epic simulator of the world of gnomes, created by Tarn and Zach Adams, is striking in its simplicity of dozens of interconnected algorithmic systems. “The majority perceives Dwarf Fortress as the result of the creative work of a genius engineer, and the product is more like a flaky pastry than an internal combustion engine,” she explains. “Each element has its own rules, although it obeys the laws characteristic of other components. Only here the connection between the parts of the whole is barely perceptible, and the above-mentioned difficulty of understanding is a direct consequence of various types of interaction - almost as in our Universe. Not everything is noticeable, but Evolution is on. ”
TOTAL: Dwarf Fortress differs from other products of its class not by the complexity of the concept, but by the way the individual simple elements of the game overlap each other, which contributes to the procedural generation of the player's experience - thanks to this, each session opens up a new, unique, multidimensional and completely unpredictable world for him. gnomes.
In the modern world, indie “bagel” is a more than widespread phenomenon, but only a few of the games of this genre combine procedural generation with the theme of the product as well as the creators of RymdResa did. Like Elite and the long-awaited No Man's Sky in this game, an immense Universe is procedurally generated, in which there are so many planets and all sorts of space debris that they could hardly ever be visited. The purpose of this approach is the same: the player must feel lonely.
He travels in a hostile, gloomy nonexistence, occasionally encountering various objects passing by, spaceships, celestial bodies or experiencing catastrophes that leave little hope of salvation. The beauty of RymdResa is that in itself the poetics of the cosmonaut’s life on board the player’s ship, the general atmosphere and style — danger, loneliness, peace, the vastness of the expanses — comes from the generated algorithms that form the whole world. In this case, these aesthetic elements - as a rule, are overlooked during the manual development of level design - are enhanced by a sense of alienation and grandiose procedural generation algorithms, which in each new session offer to explore a unique universe.
TOTAL: With the help of the mysterious tendencies of procedural generation, it is possible to set the desired tone and emphasize the corresponding thematic characteristics, which affect the mood of the player, cause a feeling of alienation or danger, depending on the level design.
If you play Civilization, using only static maps created by hand, you will not be long enough. Too boring. The main idea of this series of computer games perfectly describes the statement of Sid Meier, according to which a good design of various situational options ceases to impress as soon as it becomes clear where to look for certain objects (characters). Togelius believes that “in the game it is very important to deal with new cards every time, because you are learning the proposed conditions for the first half of the session, not understanding the structure of the world and not knowing what civilizations you will encounter.”
The main thing is to understand why in a game like Civilization or Age of Empires, if we are talking about real-time strategy, procedural generation is needed, while many other products with similar interaction systems work only with manually created maps. Procedurally-generated cards spur the spirit of the researcher, but they are very difficult to adapt to different strategies and styles of play. Togelius was a member of the development team that in 2013 tested procedurally-generated Blizzard RTS StarCraft multi-series cards designed for several players. “The community members almost ridiculed us: the prepared maps were not 100% symmetrical ,” he recalls.
TOTAL: Procedural generation allows you to create new maps in each session, which means that the player investigates and experiments, although it will be more convenient for several players without such a function, unless discovery is the main goal of the game.
Some of the most far-sighted and innovative initiatives in the creation of procedurally-generated content are the result of research, not of non-commercial game development. In a recent Georgia Tech project, an automatic level generator for Super Mario Bros was introduced, based on an algorithm described in one of YouTube videos. Another Georgia Tech project allows you to generate simple interactive storylines.
AI, known to the general public as ANGELINA, specializes in procedural generation of entire games — including not only individual elements, but also mechanics — using speech commands (as subject headings). Technology Designer Michael Cook also runs the Procedural Generation Jam, whose specialists, among other things, created a game in 2014 that offered to uncover a mysterious murder.
TOTAL: Academic and experimental scenes of indie games deserve your attention, because they often offer original generated solutions to complex contextual tasks. Currently, they are particularly useful in developing systems that are responsible for adapting designs for different styles of play.
Studying the above and other games that use procedural generation, it is important to understand that this is an effective tool for solving problems. You can use this mechanism to create multiple levels in an unrestricted environment or to add the desired elements to an adversary's design — they will not look and act the same way. It is rather difficult to process such information manually, and it will take a lot of time. Although writing and testing algorithms is also required for a couple of minutes, especially if their interaction with other systems is expected.
And do not forget that diversity is not always synonymous with high quality games.
In addition, procedural generation is a tool that allows you to work not only with content. In most of these games - in particular, RymdResa - the mechanism is used for aesthetic purposes, to cause a feeling of alienation, uncertainty, or to give the design a certain shade.
Procedurally generated content can perform various functions - adapting animation systems, as is the case with Spore; preparation of models of underground properties, as in Diablo or Rogue; creating numerous levels, developing cities, unfamiliar landscapes, endless combinations of gameplay, more suitable systems, successful musical accompaniment and more.
And finally, the use of procedural generation always boils down to the answer to one simple question: What elements of the game does a clear algorithm or set of algorithms do better than you?
From the translator:
A little unobtrusive advertising in the basement. In honor of the fact that the total capacity of the Dutch data center network in which we provide services has reached 5 Tbit / s (58 points of presence, including 36 points of exchange, in more than 20 countries and 4213 peer-to-peer inclusions), we offer dedicated servers for rent at unbelievably low prices.
At the same time, it is worth noting that the principles of procedural generation are not always used and perceived correctly, and therefore not everyone can immediately develop algorithms for individual game elements. Given this feature, we consulted with experienced developers and decided to tell you about the products that have found a very original use of this technique.
In each of the games mentioned below, procedural generation has an incredible effect, and therefore, perhaps, a prepared review will inspire you to create better products based on the generated algorithms.
')
1.Crusader Kings II: Complicated family ties become dynamic due to the generated characters
Procedurally-generated content gives the characters and systems the necessary details and depth, and also pleasantly diversifies the environment and design of the game - it is in these areas that this technique finds its maximum use. With the help of procedural generation, the characters of the strategy of Crusader Kings II, whose actions take place in the Middle Ages, become unique, albeit computer-controlled, personalities. We are talking about various features that actually boil down to simple numbers (like +1 to intrigue and -10 to greed), defining the character's behavior. But since events are largely due to the relationship and behavior of the characters, their characters turn into fascinating elements of complex systems, which are loved by many adherents of this medieval story.
In her e-mail, Kitfox Games creative director Tanya Short notes that the growing popularity of the game and the ongoing discussions on the forum indicate the players ’willingness to let all these numbers and character reactions through themselves (which are usually very simple, but in a complex may seem complicated) . “Since Crusader Kings II falls into the category of hardcore games with a high threshold of entry, the game can be compared to The Sims to a certain extent,” explains Tanya. “Players love to invent stories that explain the inner experiences of heroes, their policies, etc., especially when you have such an interesting context as the realities of medieval Europe. That is why every now and then on the Crusader Kings II forum there are heated discussions “off topic”.
TOTAL: Players complement the images of procedurally-generated characters and the system of their relationships with their own experiences, if the characters behave as required by certain character traits. In the case when the figures laid in the basis of the line of conduct are publicly available, the process of interaction turns out to be even more active.
2. More colorful enemies in Shadow of Mordor
Shadow of Mordor, an action RPG based on the works of Tolkien, also goes beyond the usual understanding of levels and maps of procedurally generated content. The game lays the concept of establishing a personal user relationship with the orcs. In short, each orc is unique - they are created using the Nemesis System algorithm: everything from name and appearance to the way of speaking and relations with other orcs is taken into account. The game allows you to create more and more new combinations of characteristics, using them on the principle of Lego designers.
Moreover, if an orc kills a player’s character, he gets a new rank in Sauron’s army. Moreover, the events are stored in memory in case of another collision. And if an orc is killed or injured, it comes back again - practicing other skills and trying to demonstrate its superiority. This time, he has a procedurally-generated scar (for example, a plate above the eye, if he was gouged out, or a bag over his head, if the orc was decapitated).
This is how competition and hostility arise, which allows the player to use the social connections of the orcs for all sorts of personal goals (for example, to turn someone against the commander); you have certain feelings towards the bad guys, which is strange, because killing enemies is the main task of most video games. According to BioShock director Ken Levine, Shadow of Mordor is “the first open-type game of interaction”. This is an important step on the way to creating traditional game plots that adapt to the player’s decisions, and not just exist in parallel, like, say, when choosing a new book about adventures.
TOTAL: Procedurally-generated characteristics of enemies and scars reminiscent of past battles, convince players that they are struggling with specific unique opponents, and not the same script characters available to other users.
3. Unpredictable levels and amazing mechanics in Spelunky
Perhaps only Rogue and Diablo are superior to Spelunky Derek Yu (Derek Yu) in the degree of integration of the principles of procedural generation. The genius of this project lies in the fact that it skillfully details the mechanics and systems underlying the game, rather than turning to different levels of memorization (the latter technique does not work at all, since each level is generated just a few seconds before the session begins). Julian Togelius, an associate professor at New York University (a researcher of the aforementioned tendencies), believes that such a fundamental shift in emphasis - from level modification to changing game rules - demonstrates the most effective way to use procedural generation. "It is incredibly important that the player does not even anticipate what tasks he will have to solve in the future, which is why the generation of levels (a rather simple but extremely effective mechanism) is so important," he says.
Indeed, an ordinary Spelunky player runs through thousands or even tens of thousands of levels. But only a few win - for this, in the standard version, you need to survive in sixteen levels plus defeat the main commander in a personal fight (and there are even secret levels with different outcomes of battles).
It is important to note that the levels are organized according to a specific plan; As if random arrangement of enemies, shopkeepers, objects, walls of caves and other elements is subject to very specific principles.
After the first release of Spelunky in 2008, many imitations appeared, but none of them managed to embody the same ideal combination of the author's ideas, randomization and elegance.
TOTAL: Generating levels right during the game using a simple formula, Spelunky forces the player to delve into the rules and analyze the emerging systems, rather than just studying the geometry of the next video product.
4. Related Dwarf Fortress Algorithmic Systems
To get lost in the huge list of goals and tasks assigned to the player in Dwarf Fortress, is simple. No wonder you need a few months to finally understand everything. Initially, a detailed gnome pedigree dating back thousands of years is generated. One of my colleagues every day told something new about the developing dynasties and impregnable fortresses appearing on the slopes of the mountains. These were stories of love, loss, betrayal, disaster, adventure, hunger trials, terrible fires, murders, funny incidents like how a group of guys got lost, and much, much more.
According to Tanya Short, most of all this epic simulator of the world of gnomes, created by Tarn and Zach Adams, is striking in its simplicity of dozens of interconnected algorithmic systems. “The majority perceives Dwarf Fortress as the result of the creative work of a genius engineer, and the product is more like a flaky pastry than an internal combustion engine,” she explains. “Each element has its own rules, although it obeys the laws characteristic of other components. Only here the connection between the parts of the whole is barely perceptible, and the above-mentioned difficulty of understanding is a direct consequence of various types of interaction - almost as in our Universe. Not everything is noticeable, but Evolution is on. ”
TOTAL: Dwarf Fortress differs from other products of its class not by the complexity of the concept, but by the way the individual simple elements of the game overlap each other, which contributes to the procedural generation of the player's experience - thanks to this, each session opens up a new, unique, multidimensional and completely unpredictable world for him. gnomes.
5. RymdResa: Impressive grandeur, lurking in a hostile alien universe
In the modern world, indie “bagel” is a more than widespread phenomenon, but only a few of the games of this genre combine procedural generation with the theme of the product as well as the creators of RymdResa did. Like Elite and the long-awaited No Man's Sky in this game, an immense Universe is procedurally generated, in which there are so many planets and all sorts of space debris that they could hardly ever be visited. The purpose of this approach is the same: the player must feel lonely.
He travels in a hostile, gloomy nonexistence, occasionally encountering various objects passing by, spaceships, celestial bodies or experiencing catastrophes that leave little hope of salvation. The beauty of RymdResa is that in itself the poetics of the cosmonaut’s life on board the player’s ship, the general atmosphere and style — danger, loneliness, peace, the vastness of the expanses — comes from the generated algorithms that form the whole world. In this case, these aesthetic elements - as a rule, are overlooked during the manual development of level design - are enhanced by a sense of alienation and grandiose procedural generation algorithms, which in each new session offer to explore a unique universe.
TOTAL: With the help of the mysterious tendencies of procedural generation, it is possible to set the desired tone and emphasize the corresponding thematic characteristics, which affect the mood of the player, cause a feeling of alienation or danger, depending on the level design.
6. New items make you explore the worlds of Civilization more thoroughly.
If you play Civilization, using only static maps created by hand, you will not be long enough. Too boring. The main idea of this series of computer games perfectly describes the statement of Sid Meier, according to which a good design of various situational options ceases to impress as soon as it becomes clear where to look for certain objects (characters). Togelius believes that “in the game it is very important to deal with new cards every time, because you are learning the proposed conditions for the first half of the session, not understanding the structure of the world and not knowing what civilizations you will encounter.”
The main thing is to understand why in a game like Civilization or Age of Empires, if we are talking about real-time strategy, procedural generation is needed, while many other products with similar interaction systems work only with manually created maps. Procedurally-generated cards spur the spirit of the researcher, but they are very difficult to adapt to different strategies and styles of play. Togelius was a member of the development team that in 2013 tested procedurally-generated Blizzard RTS StarCraft multi-series cards designed for several players. “The community members almost ridiculed us: the prepared maps were not 100% symmetrical ,” he recalls.
TOTAL: Procedural generation allows you to create new maps in each session, which means that the player investigates and experiments, although it will be more convenient for several players without such a function, unless discovery is the main goal of the game.
7. Experimental procedurally-generated games offer creative, effective solutions to complex problems.
Some of the most far-sighted and innovative initiatives in the creation of procedurally-generated content are the result of research, not of non-commercial game development. In a recent Georgia Tech project, an automatic level generator for Super Mario Bros was introduced, based on an algorithm described in one of YouTube videos. Another Georgia Tech project allows you to generate simple interactive storylines.
AI, known to the general public as ANGELINA, specializes in procedural generation of entire games — including not only individual elements, but also mechanics — using speech commands (as subject headings). Technology Designer Michael Cook also runs the Procedural Generation Jam, whose specialists, among other things, created a game in 2014 that offered to uncover a mysterious murder.
TOTAL: Academic and experimental scenes of indie games deserve your attention, because they often offer original generated solutions to complex contextual tasks. Currently, they are particularly useful in developing systems that are responsible for adapting designs for different styles of play.
Not just content pipeline
Studying the above and other games that use procedural generation, it is important to understand that this is an effective tool for solving problems. You can use this mechanism to create multiple levels in an unrestricted environment or to add the desired elements to an adversary's design — they will not look and act the same way. It is rather difficult to process such information manually, and it will take a lot of time. Although writing and testing algorithms is also required for a couple of minutes, especially if their interaction with other systems is expected.
And do not forget that diversity is not always synonymous with high quality games.
In addition, procedural generation is a tool that allows you to work not only with content. In most of these games - in particular, RymdResa - the mechanism is used for aesthetic purposes, to cause a feeling of alienation, uncertainty, or to give the design a certain shade.
Procedurally generated content can perform various functions - adapting animation systems, as is the case with Spore; preparation of models of underground properties, as in Diablo or Rogue; creating numerous levels, developing cities, unfamiliar landscapes, endless combinations of gameplay, more suitable systems, successful musical accompaniment and more.
And finally, the use of procedural generation always boils down to the answer to one simple question: What elements of the game does a clear algorithm or set of algorithms do better than you?
From the translator:
A little unobtrusive advertising in the basement. In honor of the fact that the total capacity of the Dutch data center network in which we provide services has reached 5 Tbit / s (58 points of presence, including 36 points of exchange, in more than 20 countries and 4213 peer-to-peer inclusions), we offer dedicated servers for rent at unbelievably low prices.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/275195/
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