Preface

This book is an introduction to Procedural Content Generation (PCG) and how it can be applied in the popular game engine, Unity3D. PCG is a powerful programming practice that is trending in modern video games. Though PCG is not a new practice, it has become even more powerful as technology has advanced and it looks to be a prominent component of future video games.

Throughout the course of this book, we will be learning the basis of procedural content generation, including theory and practice. You will start by learning what PCG is and what its uses are. You will then move into learning about pseudo random numbers and how they work with PCG to create unique gameplay.

After your introduction to PCG, you will dive in and build the core functionality of a 2D Roguelike game. This game will be heavily based on PCG practices so that you can experience what it takes to design and implement PCG algorithms. You will experience level generation, item generation, adaptive difficulty, music generation, and more. Lastly, we will move into 3D object generation by generating a 3D planet.

The aim of this book is to teach you about the theory of PCG while providing some simplified practical examples. By the end of the book, you should have a fundamental understanding of PCG and how it can be applied using Unity3D. This will all facilitate your further learning, research, and practice of PCG methods in video game development.