My continued studies and experiments in open-world simulations and procedural content generation. Part of the experiments involve combining automated content generation with user-based input, finding various happy media between the two approaches.

One “sketch” was a proof-of-concept for a game jam wherein I implemented streaming terrain data, loading (and unloading) dozens of square kilometers in realtime; another technique added to my “toolbox” of open world techniques.

One little sketch took data from the class role-playing-game Ultima IV, and extrapolated the tiles to “to scale” terrain reflecting grasslands, forests, swamps, etc. Another encoded height data into an explorable level that combined terrain and blocks, as well as allowing agent navigation like A*. Combining the two techniques has proven both an art and science, with production scope depending quite a bit on actual user expectation.