Picture Source: Hello Games
If there is one game on other Platforms
that I'm genuinely hyped for than it's No Mans Sky. The game from
British developer Hello Games, known for their Joe Danger titles, is
going to let players explore a gigantic Universe. Over 18 quintillion
possible planets, or to put it simply, more than you could explore in
a lifetime. How this is possible you ask? Well Procedural Generation
makes it possible. So lets talk about this technique and (maybe) how
Nintendo could use it in its games.
And one more thing. I'll take a look at
the use of Procedural Generation in creating gaming content. Things
like Levels, Environment, Characters, etc. and not it's use in
creating game logics, mechanics and so on.
Procedural Generation means that
content can be generated through an algorithm by the computer rather
than manually. It requires none (or barely any) human input. This
gives the game designer many new possibilities, which he wouldn't
have without this tool. It has been used by different games
throughout the history. The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall took place in
a procedural generated world, roughly the size of the British isles.
While Soldier of Fortune used the technology to create diverse and
randomized enemies. Procedural Generation is a tool, which can be
used to augment the creativity of human designers and allows for
things, that wouldn't otherwise be possible.
There are two ways of integrating
Procedural Generation into your game. The first is during the actual
development of the game. This, for example, makes bigger game worlds
possible, without increasing development time.
The other use is while actually playing
the game. Randomizing levels, dungeons or encounters with every new
start, helps keeping things fresh. This way of incorporating
Procedural Generation into your game was used a lot in the 80s.
In the early days Procedural Generation
was used to overcome storage problems. There wasn't enough space for
huge worlds, but with Procedural Generation Designer managed to
overcome this. By storing only the seed data on the disks the could
fit in huge worlds, which were generated procedurally by the User
PCs.
Seed data refers to the basic set of
information which the algorithm in your game then uses to
procedurally generate it's content. Most of you probably got in touch
with this through Minecraft, where you can enter a seed for your
world, from which it is then created.
Minecraft isn't the only game in recent
time, which uses Procedural Generation. There are many games that use
it in one way or the other. From big budget titles, such as Diablo 3,
to smaller indie games, like Spelunky. But instead of storage
problems, like in the early days, today there are other reasons for
the use of this technique.
It can speed up content creation by a
huge margin, enabling new possibilities and chances for designers to
work on creative ideas.
On the other hand it can keep games
fresh, by randomizing several aspects of them.
Of course it also has drawbacks. With a
bad algorithm you may create impossible or unsolvable levels. Think
of dungeon without exit or entrance. And it can easily create chaotic
levels without any sense.
One of the biggest flaws of Procedural
Generation is story telling. If you take a look at the most
successful titles, which use the technique, none of them is story
driven. Others may say that titles like No Mans Sky and Minecraft
offer the player the chance to experience his own story, and I would
definitely agree, but a story driven game in the classical sense is
still out of reach for Procedural Generation, because randomness is
the last thing you want in one of these.
So now lets take a look of how this
technique could be used in Nintendo Games.
2D Marios seem like a good place to
start. With Procedural Generation Nintendo could create a nearly
infinite amount of levels for these games. It is definite a thing
they should think about. The question that remains however, is if
this levels then can compete. Mario levels often are more than just
an assortment of pits and enemies. They are, from a game designers
standpoints, masterpieces. Just take a look at Shigeru Miyamoto
explaining the first level of the original Super Mario Bros.
Or just take a look at the levels of
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Just watch a speed run of one
of them. It truly shows the perfect level design, which went into
those levels.
Creating such things through Procedural
Generation would be really hard, and that is why I think it hasn't
been used much in this genre.
Zelda has already used the technique in
Four Swords, and maybe they could use it again in Tri Force Heroes.
But what about the main line Zelda games? Well it could be used to
create the overworld or even the dungeons. While I'm not a fan of
dungeons created through Procedural Generation, as they often lack
the deepth that can be achieved through human designers, a
procedurally generated overworld could be interesting.
It already has been used to an extent in Mario Kart. Excite Bike Stadium is procedurally generated for each race, and I think that is an angle that could definitely be explored more. F-Zero would be a great candidate for procedurally generated courses and it would definitely fit with the futuristic angle of the series. A good mix between courses which are randomized every time and classic ones could be great.
But all in all I don't think Nintendo
games would be a good fit for Procedural Generation. Their approach
to designing doesn't mash well with this technique. Still it poses a
huge potential for the future, and I'm looking forward to new ways of
using this technology in game design.
And as always
thanks for reading
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