Tips for procedurally generated game content
Stuff we've learned @RareSloth games while working on our newest game.
Don’t get too granular
If everything was procedurally generated it would just be unintelligible and the game wouldn't be any fun. You want to maintain control over what the players are going to experience… But you want to keep the game fresh and alive.
A simple mutation like different colored entities or slight cosmetic variations aren't going to influence your gameplay very much. This is a good thing. It adds seasoning but doesn’t have as much potential to ruin the dish.
Control your variables! Too many variables will create chaos and confusion for yourself and the player. Player input can be used to influence how content is generated but behavior is unpredictable.
Avoid “glitches” in the matrix
Depending on the nature and feel of your game you might be able to get away with more. In Minecraft there are floating trees and players said “WTF”. It could be argued as still passable though and doesn’t significantly detract from the experience.
Humans are very good at noticing patterns, as a result we’re also very good at distinguishing differences. Its ingrained in our nature to utilize our senses to make rapid assessments of our environment.
Mistakes are noticed by players and they begin to lose immersion in the world. Players begin to lose confidence in your game and how the world is held together. The player shouldn't ever be thinking about those kinds of details, they should be immersed in the experience instead. You don’t want players to lose confidence in the integrity of the system.
Understand your fidelity
The rough style of Minecraft and Dwarf Fortress allows the devs to get away with much more unpredictability.
The higher fidelity your game is, the harder it will be to get away with mistakes. Tweet this
Compare with the highly crafted game Monument Valley. The buildings are nonsensical from a pragmatic standpoint — but everything fits harmoniously. They maintain their integrity because it is clear that they are meant to be in the form they are. It would be extremely difficult if not impossible to maintain integrity if those levels were procedurally built.
Chunking is good
Create patterns that are recognizable and controlled which can be re-used and applied in different situations. Doing this helps you envision the outcome in your head “I think a defensive horde would work great here.” A red horde is always defensive. The horde should have memorable enough attributes so that you can confidently assess where and when to place the horde.
We created “events” that act as the foundation of the level design. We then tune the occurrences of each event and iterate. There might even be some rare events in the game that have a 1 or 2 percent chance of occurring in the game. These rare events add excitement when they are encountered as it presents a new challenge and gives a great reward.
Do lots of testing
Start with procedurally generated and add fine-touches through iteration and testing. An update in the game will have other effects downstream which will cause a lot of re-testing. The more unpredictable content you have the more testing you will have to do. Involve real players and have fun failing and tweaking.
Thoughts, questions, strategies? I would love to hear from you. E-mail me: brian@raresloth.com
Thanks!
