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Category Archives: Design

Dungeon Metrics

Rarely will an algorithm produce a perfect procedurally generated map, and even if it does, some degree of post-processing will still be necessary to analyze the layout. When we look at a map produced by a generator, we can determine pretty quickly whether or not the layout is sufficient for our purposes; we can also […]

Also posted in Dev Series: Procedural Maps | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Responses

Mapgen: Cellular Automata

Unlike the 7DRL, which only spanned a 10-level “main dungeon,” Cogmind will cover a much greater area. Naturally a larger world needs a greater diversity of regions to explore. Taking place underground, many of the outlying areas tend to be caves, and for that cellular automata are usually the best choice for generation. I say […]

Also posted in Dev Series: Procedural Maps | Tagged , , , | 6 Responses

Mapgen: Tunneling Algorithm

Cogmind’s main dungeon maps are excavated by “tunnelers” that dig corridors and rooms, much in the way a dungeon architect would build a home for their master’s minions. An empty map is seeded by one or more tunnelers, and they travel around that map opening up all the areas that will become occupiable space, e.g. […]

Also posted in Dev Series: Procedural Maps | Tagged , , , | 8 Responses

Procedural Map Generation

Procedurally generated maps are a core feature of roguelikes. For a genre that is almost synonymous with “randomness” (within reason), randomized maps are the easiest way to broadly manifest that key element since maps affect many aspects of gameplay from exploration strategy and tactical positioning to item and enemy locations. Notice how walkthroughs for strategy […]

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Options, Revisited

Cogmind’s game options were first covered in a post last year, but the selection has since expanded, and because their number has grown closer to what will be their final state, I went ahead and implemented the in-game interface which I’ll be introducing here. My original intent was to add a new top-level options menu accessed […]

Also posted in GUI | Tagged , , | 8 Responses