I’ve been messing around with level generation. The big plan at the moment is to get various generators up and running – for things like dungeons, caves, towns, forests and so on – meaning that we can have a whole bunch of different-feeling levels. One of the core features of CQ2 is going to be a sense of place, a feeling that you’re carving a way through different areas on a journey and that there are new things to discover up ahead if you persevere.
First up was messing with a cave generator of Ido’s that was already in the codebase. I played around with the settings a bit and then, thinking of NetHack, tried pulling the view distance all the way in so it feels a bit darker and more threatening:
It certainly feels a bit different! (Ignore the tileset :D)
One thing I’ve realised is that, even with procedural generation like this, the different areas of any given level type tend to feel a bit bland due to being all pretty much the same. We’re going to need a range of level features, like special rooms and so on, so there are things to find when you explore. I’m not sure what to do on that front yet. I’ll work on it – I don’t just want to stick in shops and treasure rooms, though they might be part of the solution.
For now, I’m going back to raw level generation. These villages and forests aren’t going to make themselves!