Creating content with code.
WHAT IT PROVIDES
Content volume beyond what can be authored Variation between playthroughs Reduced storage
WHAT IT COSTS
Difficulty guaranteeing quality Output that feels arbitrary Debugging that is harder
WHY OUTPUT FEELS ARBITRARY
Generated content lacks intent, which players detect.
WHAT MITIGATES IT
Generating from authored pieces rather than from nothing Constraints encoding design intent Validation rejecting poor results
WHAT AUTHORED PIECES MEANS
Hand-made rooms, encounters or segments, assembled by the generator.
WHY THAT WORKS BETTER
Each piece is designed, and the arrangement provides variety.
WHAT SEEDS PROVIDE
Reproducibility: the same seed generates the same result.
WHY THAT MATTERS
Bugs can be reproduced, and results shared.
WHAT TO ALWAYS IMPLEMENT
Seeded generation, with the seed recorded.
WHAT TO VALIDATE
That every generated result is completable That required elements are present That difficulty is within bounds
WHAT TO PROVIDE YOURSELF
Tooling to generate and inspect many results quickly.
WHAT TO AVOID
Generation as a substitute for design.
