What this book covers

Chapter 1, Pseudo Random Numbers, teaches you about the theory of procedural content generation (PCG). We will cover what PCG is and how it is used in video games. You will then learn about a useful component of randomization called Pseudo Random Numbers (PRN). We will cover what PRNs are, how they are used, and how they can help us implement PCG algorithms.

Chapter 2, Roguelike Games, teaches you about a prime example of procedural content generation, Roguelike games. We will cover some history of the origin of PCG and Roguelike games. We will then set up the Unity project foundation of our very own Roguelike game.

Chapter 3, Generating an Endless World, begins the implementation of your 2D Roguelike game. We will be creating a level that generates itself at runtime while the player explores. We will cover PCG algorithm design and useful data substructures. Then, we will put it together to implement the game world.

Chapter 4, Generating Random Dungeons, implements the sublevels of our Roguelike game. We will cover a different approach to level generation as we generate a full level layout at runtime. You will learn about some common approaches to this technique and implement one for yourself.

Chapter 5, Randomized Items, teaches you about randomly generating items. The items you generate will have differing properties so we will use some techniques to communicate this to the player. We will cover item spawning, interaction, and inventory storage.

Chapter 6, Generating Modular Weapons, teaches you about and how to implement a random modular weapon system. You will build upon what you learned in the previous chapter to add more complexity to item generation. These items will comprise a small set of pieces that are assembled at runtime.

Chapter 7, Adaptive Difficulty, crosses over into the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and teaches you about how AI and PCG are similar and related. You will learn about the PCG idea of adaptive difficulty, which is one part AI and one part PCG. You will then implement an adaptive difficulty system for your Roguelike game.

Chapter 8, Generating Music, shows you how PCG can even contribute to the music and sound content of a game. You will learn a little music theory; just enough to design a PCG algorithm for music generation. Then, you will implement a music generator for your Roguelike game that can generate music at runtime.

Chapter 9, Generating a 3D Planet, switches gears from 2D-based PCG to 3D-based PCG. We will have finished our core 2D Roguelike functionality and be working on a new project. This chapter will introduce the fundamentals of 3D object generation. You will then implement a 3D planet generator. Plus, as a bonus, you will implement a first person controller to take a closer look at your generated world.

Chapter 10, Generating the Future, discusses the most common methods of PCG used today and some ways to further your learning in the subject. We will also summarize some of the key points of what you learned throughout the book and how they relate to these PCG methods. We will lastly take a look at some ways that we can improve these PCG methods for the future.