Exploring Procedural Content Generation for a 2D Space Exploration Game

Abstract

Within video game development, it is common to employ Procedural Content Generation (PCG). PCG is the act of letting a computer instead of a human designer create digital content. An important issue within PCG is how to increase the quality of the content that these generating algorithms produce. This thesis investigates the creation of cohesive 2D game worlds using procedural content generation, aiming to give an impression of what techniques and algorithms are suitable for this domain and how they can be used and modified. This is done through the implementation of a PCG system that generates a galaxy containing a multitude of solar systems populated with planets which the user can explore in a game. Some of the generation techniques explored are: cellular automata for generating cave systems, noise functions for generating heightmaps, L-systems for generating trees, and Markov chains for generating names. The individual systems produce good results overall, and interact moderately well with each other to create a cohesive world. The generated planets are however not particularly visually distinct within a specific planet type. The different generation techniques used are evaluated and reflected upon to give a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.