Procedural adventure generation: The quest of meeting shifting design goals with flexible algorithms

Abstract

This chapter presents the challenge of developing a procedural algorithm for creating exotic expeditions used in the best practice example Renowned Explorers, an adventure management game. A specific challenge was adapting the algorithm to shifting design requirements. To meet the goal, two methods for algorithm architecture are presented and compared. Firstly, static methods with a wide expressive range are employed, but ultimately fail. In consequence, requirements for a valid procedural design method are identified, resulting in a more flexible approach. The results of this work include not only a description of the algorithms but describe a new paradigm for creating procedural algorithms, which allow meeting shifting design goals.