Timothy Roden and Ian Parberry, "From Artistry to Automation: A Structured Methodology for Procedural Content Creation", Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Entertainment Computing, pp. 151-156, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, September 1-3, 2004. [pdf, BiBTeX]

Abstract

Procedural techniques will soon automate many aspects of content creation for computer games. We describe an efficient, deterministic, methodology for procedurally generating 3D game content of arbitrary size and complexity. The technique progressively amplifies simple dynamically generated data structures into complex geometry. We use a procedural pipeline with a minimum set of controls at each stage to facilitate authoring. We show two examples from our research. Our terrain generator can synthesize massive 3D terrains in real-time while our level generator can be used to create indoor environments offline or in real-time.

Timothy Roden and Ian Parberry, "Procedural Level Generation", Game Programming Gems 5, pp. 579-588, Charles River Media, 2005. [BibTeX]

Abstract

Traditionally, a typical 3D game development project proceeds concurrently on two fronts. Programmers design, code and test a game engine at the same time that artists create content for the game. There are compelling reasons to suggest that this paradigm may no longer be desirable or even feasible for some projects. Technical advances in hardware have enabled the use of art assets that are much more detailed than ever before. Increased storage and available RAM translates into larger game worlds. Some games require an enormous amount of content such as online multiplayer games and games that aim to provide a high level of replay. Still another factor is the increased availability of licensed engines and other high quality middleware which can cut engine development time significantly. What this means is high definition art assets, which take artists longer to create, will likely be needed sooner rather than later in the development cycle. One obvious solution to this problem is to create art assets procedurally. This gem presents the ideas and techniques behind a procedural level generator. We illustrate its use to create a simple 3D dungeon.

Timothy Roden and Ian Parberry, Efficient Real-Time Procedural Sky Rendering Using 3D Hardware", Proceedings of the 2005 ACM SIGCHI International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology, Valencia, Spain, pp. 434-437, June 15-17, 2005. [pdf, BibTeX]

Abstract

Real-time virtual reality applications, including games, increasingly use outdoor environments. A common task in an earth-type environment is to render a sky that is realistic both in terms of imagery and physics. Programmable graphics hardware offers the opportunity to procedurally generate and render a highly realistic sky at a minimal cost. We propose an integrated set of efficient algorithms that run in graphics hardware for interactive sky rendering that is fully parameterized for real-time control. Features of our method include multi-layered dynamic clouds and stars that individually flicker at varying intensity and rate

Jonathon Doran and Ian Parberry, "Controlled Procedural Terrain Generation Using Software Agents", IEEE Transactions on Computational Intelligence and AI in Games, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 111-119, June 2010. [pdf, BibTeX, more information]

Abstract

Procedural terrain generation is used to create landforms for applications such as computer games and flight simulators. While most of the existing work has concentrated on algorithms that generate terrain without input from the user, we explore a more controllable system that uses intelligent agents to generate terrain elevation heightmaps according to designer-defined constraints. This allows the designer to create procedural terrain that has specific properties.

Joshua Taylor and Ian Parberry, "Randomness + Structure = Clutter: A Procedural Object Placement Generator Using Petri Nets", Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Entertainment Computing, pp. 424-427, Vancouver, Canada, October 2011. [more information, pdf, BibTeX]

Abstract

Clutter is the random yet structured placement of objects in a room. We describe a procedural clutter generator that achieves believable, varied, and controllable object placement using a hierarchical colored Petri net capable of expressing any computable set of object placement constraints.

Jonathon Doran and Ian Parberry, "Emergent Economies for Role Playing Games", Technical Report LARC-2010-03, Laboratory for Recreational Computing, Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering, University of North Texas, June 2010. [pdf, BibTeX]

Abstract

Computer role playing games, particularly those with persistent worlds, often allow players to buy and sell goods and services with computer controlled non-player characters (NPCs). The prices for these goods and services are often determined a priori, and remain fixed for the game's duration. As a result, prices do not respond to changes in supply and demand, nor does supply and demand respond to changes in prices. We present an economic model suitable for use with role playing games that will automatically determine prices for multiple goods, supply and demand for each character, and an allocation of agents to roles that is sustainable given the state of the game.

Jonathon Doran and Ian Parberry, "A Prototype Quest Generator Based on a Structural Analysis of Quests from Four MMORPGs", Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Procedural Content Generation in Games, pp. 1-8, Bordeaux, France, 2011. [pdf, BibTeX, more information]

Abstract

An analysis of 3000 quests from four popular RPGs (Eve Online, World of Warcraft, Everquest, and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes) reveals that RPG quests appear to share a common structure. We propose a classification of RPG quests based on this structure, and describe a prototype quest generator based on that classification. Our aim is to procedurally generate quests that are complex, multi-leveled, and plausible to players of RPGs. We analyze a nontrivial quest from Everquest and one from our prototype quest generator for comparison.

Joshua Taylor and Ian Parberry, "Procedural Generation of Sokoban Levels", Proceedings of the 6th International North American Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation (GAMEON-NA), pp. 5-12, EUROSIS, 2011. [pdf, BibTeX, more information]

Abstract

We describe an algorithm for the procedural generation of levels for the popular Japanese puzzle game Sokoban. The algorithm takes a few parameters and builds a random instance of the puzzle that is guaranteed to be solvable. Although our algorithm and its implementation runs in exponential time, we present experimental evidence that it is sufficiently fast for offline use on a current generation PC when used to generate levels of size and complexity similar to those human-designed levels currently available online.