Generating a good random map is a very hard job!
First attempt: Bitmaps
First I started with bit maps (a map is build from an array of bit, like a black/white image).
I used a bunch of technics to get something interesting (both in term of gameplay but also graphically):
- Random Walk
- Perlin Cave (based on perlin noize)
- Cellular Automata
These are the reference I used to get started (blogs unity3d) Procedural patterns you can use with tilemaps part 1 part 2
With some tweaks and the right amount of smoothing I think it gave some good result.
But when you have to move your character on these maps it’s quite challenging, and I was wondering how I can have something better on that side and keep some of the interesting shapes?
Second attempt: Combinatory
I experimented with something I call a “combinatory” map.
It’s a name I made up, I did not see any reference online talking about this approach.
The idea behind it is to take some basic shapes, like rectangles, triangles, and circles in different sizes and positions, and merge them into a single block.
If you apply some smoothing, you get something really convincing (IMHO). And this time it’s easy to navigate. Too easy probably.
Final attempt
When working on an important part of a game, it’s always good to ask for external feedbacks. So it’s what I did when I started to work with Jean-Baptiste the designer.
We came to the conclusion that the solution will be to mix the combinatory approach and some pre-made elements like platforms or other static objects.
This is what it looks like
Conclusion
Building a good random map generator is very hard, on this blog post I’ve shown you only the good results, but you can be sure that one out of two tries leads to some weird and probably unplayable map.
I’m going to work harder on this topic, but it will not be included in the playable. On this demo, you will find a handcrafted static map, tested for playability and fun!