Procedural Generation in Godot

Learn the tricks of simple procedural generation and how various genres, such as racing simulators, platformers, and roguelikes, can all benefit from these techniques.

In this book, you'll learn how to combine hand-crafted content with algorithms to create immersive and beautiful environments. You'll learn how to create a seeding system, so that you can replay great levels with your friends. We'll cover how to create good tilesets, how to use the tilemap editor effectively, and how to inject just the right amount of logic into an otherwise automated machine that is your own personal procedural content generation engine.

We will use 2D examples to demonstrate the concepts covered throughout the book. By the time you complete this book, you’ll have a good handle on how to add procedural generation to your games.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

* Learn to set up the perfect content generation system
* Master the tools for randomization and repeatability
* Understand how much content to craft versus how much to generate

WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR

Basic familiarity with the Godot engine and GDScript is essential. While all concepts are explained in the book, it can be overwhelming learning these techniques at the same time as learning the engine.

Christopher Pitt is a developer living in South Africa. He has published a bunch of indie games, many of which use procedural content generation, on mobile, and desktop environments. Most of his games have been built in JavaScript or the Godot engine. He also likes to bake sweet things and build wood things.

Chapter 1: Hand crafted vs. Procedural

Sub -Topics

• A study of hand-crafted content

• Case study of Limbo

• A study of procedural content

• Case study of Oxygen Not Included

• How much of each is good?

• Case study of Diablo 2

• Brief overview of different approaches we'll take in the rest of the book

Chapter 2: Generating with Nodes

Sub - Topics

• Set up new project

• Create node hierarchy (with limited inheritance)

• Use randomization to place nodes in an area

• Vary node behavior to create realism

Chapter 3: Generating with Tiles

Sub - Topics:

• Create Tilemaps and Tilesets

• Change tiles via code• Creating and using Autotile via the editor

• Using Autotile via code

Chapter 4: Recreating Sokoban

Sub - Topics:

• Create a new project (rapid)

• Create a player character

• Add movement to the player character

• Create a push able crate

• Create a storage location

• Create different levels with code

• Add level transitions

Chapter 5: Designing Levels in Pixel Art

Sub - Topics: • Brief introduction to Aseprite

• Importing map assets into Godot

• Reading image data

• Defining map cell types

• Drawing cells into a game

Chapter 6: Creating a Seeding System

Sub - Topics:

• Using seeded PRNG randomization

• Loading word lists into a game

• Displaying, storing, and using seeds in generation

Chapter 7: Recreating Bouncy Cars

Sub - Topics:

• Create a new project (rapid)• Create a seed screen

• Create a few maps in pixel art, read them into the game

• Manipulate quadrant maps to form a loop

• Put players into the loop

• Trace the "correct" path, display helper direction arrow

Chapter 8: Navigating in Generated LevelsSub - Topics:

• Intro to navigation polygons in tile maps

• Combining collision shapes with navigation meshes

• Exploring alternatives to mesh manipulation

• Randomizing specific obstacles to optionally include navigation or collision

Chapter 9: Randomized Collective Nodes within a Generated Map

Sub - Topics:

• Identifying collections of cells

• Representing these as larger structures in a generated space

• Adding variability to these structures

Chapter 10: Recreating Invasion

Sub - Topics:• Create a new project (rapid)

• Prototype a global generator, rooms, levels, tiles, and doodads

• Generate rooms

• Handle room transitions

• Collect compound doodads

• Create houses with variability

• Spawn survivors, add acquisition and rescue• Spawn soldiers, add capture and harass

• Create exit point

Chapter 11: Paths and Path Followers

Sub - Topics:

• Create path by hand

• Create node to follow

• Make node follow path

• Create path via pixel art

• Connect multiple separate paths together (train switch)

Chapter 12: Interaction Systems

Sub - Topics:

• Create player and intractable nodes

• Create area-based (proximity) nodes that can be reused

• Implement event-based interaction

• Brief intro for dialogic add-on, as a means of extending the interaction system

Chapter 13: Recreating This War of Mine

Sub - Topics:

• Create new project (rapid)

• Prototype rooms, make pixel art map

• Create paths

• Create playable characters with path followers

• Create intractable nodes in rooms

• Add dialogic add-on for interaction between playable characters