Book Image

Procedural Content Generation for Unity Game Development

By : Ryan Watkins
Book Image

Procedural Content Generation for Unity Game Development

By: Ryan Watkins

Overview of this book

Procedural Content Generation is a process by which game content is developed using computer algorithms, rather than through the manual efforts of game developers. This book teaches readers how to develop algorithms for procedural generation that they can use in their own games. These concepts are put into practice using C# and Unity is used as the game development engine. This book provides the fundamentals of learning and continued learning using PCG. You'll discover the theory of PCG and the mighty Pseudo Random Number Generator. Random numbers such as die rolls and card drafting provide the chance factor that makes games fun and supplies spontaneity. This book also takes you through the full development of a 2D game. Starting with level generation, you'll learn how PCG can make the game environment for you. You'll move into item generation and learn the different techniques to procedurally create game items. Thereafter, you'll be guided through the more abstract PCG areas such as scaling difficulty to the player and even generating music! The book helps you set up systems within your games where algorithms create computationally generated levels, art assets, quests, stories, characters, and weapons; these can substantially reduce the burden of manually creating every aspect of the game. Finally, you'll get to try out your new PCG skills on 3D terrain generation.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
Procedural Content Generation for Unity Game Development
Credits
Disclaimer
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Pseudo random numbers


Random numbers have been used in games for a very long time, from traditional card games to dice rolling in table-top games. Random numbers add a chance factor to games that make them exciting and forever unpredictable. The unpredictability of a game is exciting because it always offers a unique experience. You can introduce this randomness factor into your games with a little computer science in the form of a PRN generator.

PRNs and PRN generators are a highly researched subject in computer science, as they are central to cryptography and cyber security. If you ever look into cryptography, you'll find it heavily steeped in complicated mathematics. Luckily, Unity has a very easy method to generate random numbers. Certainly, the complexity of secure number generation isn't required for video games. Nonetheless, it is important to understand some of the theories behind what seems like magic.