Mozart’s Dice Game Plays randomised bars of music based on dice rolls From the 18 th century, possibly by Mozart Procedural means taking random input.

Introduction toProcedural Generation

Darren Grey@dgrey0

www.gamesofgrey.com

Mozart’s Dice Game

Plays randomised bars of music based on dice rollsFrom the 18th century, possibly by MozartProcedural means taking random input (eg dice rolls) and making structured output.http://www.amaranthpublishing.com/MozartDiceGame.htm

Applications of Procedural Generation

• Game design

• Architecture

•Music composition

• Visual arts

• AI design

•Urban planning

•Narrative design

• Data visualisation

• Visual effects in movies

• Simulations

Conway’s Game of Life

Alive cell:• 0 or 1 neighbours: die• 2 or 3 neighbours: stay alive• 4+ neighbours: die

Dead cell:• 0-2 neighbours: stay dead• 3 neighbours: become alive• 4+ neighbours: stay dead

http://pmav.eu/stuff/javascript-game-of-life-v3.1.1/

Cellular Automata

• On of the easiest and most popular ways of generating procedural content.• Start with random cells filled in, then apply a

sweep of rules to all cells, perhaps multiple times, until an interesting map is generated.• Can produce interesting fractal shapes, very

useful in making terrain maps, caves, or other naturalistic systems.• Ultimately all of reality is made by cellular

automata!

Cellular automata!

Perlin Noise Worley Noise

Why use PCG?

• Replayability

• Save costs

• Vast content production

• Can enable new types of gameplay

• Can surprise the creator!

The downsides

•Bad PCG is boring

•Can be tricky

•Can take aaaages to get right

• Lack of control / unable to test fully

Some further examples

Proteus

•Procedurally generates an island to explore each game

•Generates music on the fly based on surroundings, time and actions

Some further examples

Sir, You Are Being Hunted

•Generally islands based on English countryside and towns•Using an array of techniques and tweaks to make

believable, “lived-in” environments

Some further examples

Mushroom-11

• You control a group of cells that behave like cellular automata•Procedural generation is the game

Some further examples

No Man’s Sky

•Procedural worlds, terrain, lifeforms, etc•Uses a vast array of techniques•Able to make a huge, varied game with a small group

of developers in Guildford

Some further examples

Microsoft Songsmith vs Van Halen•Made by Microsoft as a tool to provide a backing track

to your own singing. Produces hilarious results when applied to well known songs.•Proves the point that bad procedural content is boring!•Also, Mozart > Microsoft.