Procedural Content Generation in Video Gamesnrudzi1/ta/comp521-w2008/COMP521-W2… · Nick Rudzicz...

Nick RudziczCOMP521 – Winter 2008

Procedural Content Generation in

Video Games

A Guefte-Leckture in Several Diftinguish'd ActesA Guefte-Leckture in Several Diftinguish'd ActesNick Rudzicz (loves fonts)


The Man: Nick Rudzicz

Background


The Man: Nick Rudzicz The Legend: It's pronounced ''ROOjich''

Background


The Man: Nick Rudzicz The Legend: It's pronounced ''ROOjich'' ...the hell? Seeking a Master's degree in Computer

Science in the field of video game awesomeness

Background


I am both a giant nerd and a giant geek

Motivation


I am both a giant nerd and a giant geek Nerd: I can read this:

Motivation



Motivation

Geek: The following is the



Motivation

Geek: The following is theBest.



Motivation

Geek: The following is theBest. Game.



Motivation

Geek: The following is theBest. Game. Ever.


Motivation

I get a kick out of world creation, exploration


Motivation

I get a kick out of world creation, exploration (Recall your 4 basic gamer types...)


Content

Q: What is content?


Content

Q: What is content? A: Everything in the game that provides the gamer

w/ sensory input (graphics, music, NPCs, text, etc.)


Content

Q: What is content? A: Everything in the game that provides the gamer

w/ sensory input (graphics, music, NPCs, text, etc.) Content:


Content

Q: Why is content important?


Content

Q: Why is content important? A: Storage space is expanding, graphical capability

is skyrocketing – and both are getting cheaper.


Content

Q: Why is content important? A: Storage space is expanding, graphical capability

is skyrocketing – and both are getting cheaper. Gamers expect more ''stuff'' in their games!


Content

Q: Why is content important? (cont'd) Compare:

1993

2002

2006


Content

Q: What makes content an important business problem?


Content

Q: What makes content an important business problem? A: It sucks up resources like the Mega Maid in

''Spaceballs''Game development budget

ContentEverything else

Game development time

ContentEverything else

* Entirely made-up graphs, but probably not far off


Content

A problem of scale:


Content

A problem of scale: Dorval: 20.87km2

GTA:SA: 36km2

TES:Oblivion: 41.439km2

WoW: 207.2km2


Content

A problem of scale: Dorval: 20.87km2

GTA:SA: 36km2

TES:Oblivion: 41.439km2

WoW: 207.2km2

Island of Montreal: 500km2

Tolkien's world (Arda): ??? How could we possibly build

''realisticallysized'' environments by hand? (And do we want to?)


World-building: What and How

Various levels of environmental content creation:



Various levels of environmental content creation: Landscape Vegetation Cities Buildings Objects




Forms a nice hierarchy




Forms a nice hierarchy Work has been done on individual levels



Levels of content creation: Landscape Vegetation Cities Buildings Objects



Landscapes Perlin Noise (!), Iterated fault lines, GIS, ...



Landscapes Perlin Noise (!), Iterated fault lines, GIS, ... Terragen (+ user input) is very good at this:



[Prusinkiewicz 1993] discusses the formation of rivers using fractals:






[Wells 2005] uses cellular automata to simulate a floral ecosystem



[Wells 2005] uses cellular automata to simulate a floral ecosystem



Even individual plants can be procedurally generated using Lindenmeyer systems (LSystems)



Even individual plants can be procedurally generated using Lindenmeyer systems (LSystems) String rewriting mechanism, much like a contextfree

grammar (or even context sensitive)



Even individual plants can be procedurally generated using Lindenmeyer systems (LSystems) String rewriting mechanism, much like a contextfree

grammar (or even context sensitive)






[Parish & Mueller 2000] developed CityEngine Reuses LSystems for branching road networks!



[Parish & Mueller 2000] developed CityEngine Reuses LSystems for branching road networks! Results are visually phenomenal



CityEngine

+



CityEngine

+



[Glass 2006] uses Voronoi diagrams to generate ''informal settlements''



[Glass 2006] uses Voronoi diagrams to generate ''informal settlements''






[Wonka 2003] uses a ''shape grammar'' (much like an LSystem) to generate building exteriors



[Wonka 2003] uses a ''shape grammar'' (much like an LSystem) to generate building exteriors






Very little (if any) work done at this level



Very little (if any) work done at this level ...which makes this exciting




What would this look like? A formal grammar or rule set?

Object fork {placedIn{ ''counterDrawer'', 0.5; ''toilet'', 0.0 };placedOn{ ''table'', 0.5; ...}...nextTo{ ''plate'', 0.75; ...}

}




What would this look like? A swarm of interior decorator agents?

Sort of like a backwards riot...


Where do I come in?


Where do I come in?

Thesising! Word? No. Fun to say? Very yes!


Where do I come in?


My goal: make a world at the touch of a button


Where do I come in?


My goal: make a world at the touch of a button


Thesis

Given:


Thesis

Given: Nice hierarchy of creation levels (Landscape, vegetation,

cities, etc.)


Thesis


cities, etc.) A lot of work already done on individual levels


Thesis



We want:


Thesis



We want: A data framework for the hierarchy


Thesis



We want: A data framework for the hierarchy A tool for rapid content creation


Thesis

The platform: Mammoth


Thesis

The platform: Mammoth Made at McGill Has content editor, welldefined map files


Thesis

The data framework


Thesis

The data framework Definition of data structures (heightmap, city, building...) Interaction between objects


Thesis

The data framework Definition of data structures (heightmap, city, building...) Interaction between objects Software engineering!


Thesis

The data framework


Thesis

The data framework MODULAR!


Thesis

The data framework MODULAR! Anyone can

write theirown engines


Thesis

The tool


Thesis

The tool Provide an interface to choose modules

(Cellular automata vs. LSystems vs. etc...)


Thesis

The tool Provide an interface to choose modules

(Cellular automata vs. LSystems vs. etc...) Data framework defines how modules behave


Summary

Finally!


Summary

Content: scale and detail are growing exponentially!


Summary

Content: scale and detail are growing exponentially! Work has been done on individual levels


Summary

Content: scale and detail are growing exponentially! Work has been done on individual levels Trend toward automated creation tools


Teh futures!


Teh futures!

Full, commercial tool allowing plugin modules


Teh futures!

Full, commercial tool allowing plugin modules Games allowing user creation?


Teh futures!

Full, commercial tool allowing plugin modules Games allowing user creation? Automated NPC/storyline generation?


Questions?


Questions?

What's a content?

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Procedural Content Generation in Video Gamesnrudzi1/ta/comp521-w2008/COMP521-W2… · Nick Rudzicz...

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