Automatic Graphics And Game Content Generation Through Evolutionary Computation

Simulation and game content includes the levels, models, textures, items, and other objects encountered and possessed by players during the game. In most modern video games and simulation software, the set of content shipped with the product is static and unchanging, or at best, randomized within a narrow set of parameters. However, ideally, if game content could be constantly and automatically renewed, players would remain engaged longer in the evolving stream of content. This dissertation introduces three novel technologies that together realize this ambition. (1) The first, NEAT Particles, is an evolutionary method to enable users to quickly and easily create complex particle effects through a simple interactive evolutionary computation (IEC) interface. That way, particle effects become an evolvable class of content, which is exploited in the remainder of the dissertation. In particular, (2) a new algorithm called content-generating NeuroEvolution of Augmenting Topologies (cgNEAT) is introduced that automatically generates graphical and game content while the game is played, based on the past preferences of the players. Through cgNEAT, the game platform on its own can generate novel content that is designed to satisfy its players. Finally, (3) the Galactic Arms Race (GAR) multiplayer online video game is constructed to demonstrate these techniques working on a real online gaming platform. In GAR, which was made available to the public and playable online, players pilot space ships and fight enemies to acquire unique particle system weapons that are automatically evolved by the cgNEAT algorithm. The resulting study shows that cgNEAT indeed enables players to discover a wide variety of appealing content that is not only novel, but also based on and extended from previous content that they preferred in the past. The implication is that with cgNEAT it is now possible to create applications that generate their own content to satisfy users, potentially significantly reducing the cost of content creation and considerably increasing entertainment value with a constant stream of evolving content

A spatially-structured PCG method for content diversity in a Physics-based simulation game

This paper presents a spatially-structured evolutionary algorithm (EA) to procedurally generate game maps of di ferent levels of di ficulty to be solved, in Gravityvolve!, a physics-based simulation videogame that we have implemented and which is inspired by the n- body problem, a classical problem in the fi eld of physics and mathematics. The proposal consists of a steady-state EA whose population is partitioned into three groups according to the di ficulty of the generated content (hard, medium or easy) which can be easily adapted to handle the automatic creation of content of diverse nature in other games. In addition, we present three fitness functions, based on multiple criteria (i.e:, intersections, gravitational acceleration and simulations), that were used experimentally to conduct the search process for creating a database of maps with di ferent di ficulty in Gravityvolve!.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Procedural Content Generation: Goals, Challenges and Actionable Steps

This chapter discusses the challenges and opportunities of procedural content generation (PCG) in games. It starts with defining three grand goals of PCG, namely multi-level multicontent PCG, PCG-based game design and generating complete games. The way these goals are defined, they are not feasible with current technology. Therefore we identify nine challenges for PCG research. Work towards meeting these challenges is likely to take us closer to realising the three grand goals. In order to help researchers get started, we also identify five actionable steps, which PCG researchers could get started working on immediately

Procedural Content Generation for Real-Time Strategy Games

Videogames are one of the most important and profitable sectors in the industry of entertainment. Nowadays, the creation of a videogame is often a large-scale endeavor and bears many similarities with, e.g., movie production. On the central tasks in the development of a videogame is content generation, namely the definition of maps, terrains, non-player characters (NPCs) and other graphical, musical and AI-related components of the game. Such generation is costly due to its complexity, the great amount of work required and the need of specialized manpower. Hence the relevance of optimizing the process and alleviating costs. In this sense, procedural content generation (PCG) comes in handy as a means of reducing costs by using algorithmic techniques to automatically generate some game contents. PCG also provides advantages in terms of player experience since the contents generated are typically not fixed but can vary in different playing sessions, and can even adapt to the player herself. For this purpose, the underlying algorithmic technique used for PCG must be also flexible and adaptable. This is the case of computational intelligence in general and evolutionary algorithms in particular. In this work we shall provide an overview of the use of evolutionary intelligence for PCG, with special emphasis on its use within the context of real-time strategy games. We shall show how these techniques can address both playability and aesthetics, as well as improving the game AI

AudioInSpace : exploring the creative fusion of generative audio, visuals and gameplay

Computer games are unique creativity domains in that they elegantly fuse several facets of creative work including visuals, narra- tive, music, architecture and design. While the exploration of possibil- ities across facets of creativity o ers a more realistic approach to the game design process, most existing autonomous (or semi-autonomous) game content generators focus on the mere generation of single domains (creativity facets) in games. Motivated by the sparse literature on mul- tifaceted game content generation, this paper introduces a multifaceted procedural content generation (PCG) approach that is based on the in- teractive evolution of multiple arti cial neural networks that orchestrate the generation of visuals, audio and gameplay. The approach is evaluated on a spaceship shooter game. The generated artifacts|a fusion of audio- visual and gameplay elements | showcase the capacity of multifaceted PCG and its evident potential for computational game creativity.This re-search is supported, in part, by the FP7 ICT project C2Learn (project no: 318480) and by the FP7 Marie Curie CIG project AutoGameDesign (project no: 630665).peer-reviewe

Neuroevolutionary constrained optimization for content creation

This paper presents a constraint-based procedural content generation (PCG) framework used for the creation of novel and high-performing content. Specifically, we examine the efficiency of the framework for the creation of spaceship design (hull shape and spaceship attributes such as weapon and thruster types and topologies) independently of game physics and steering strategies. According to the proposed framework, the designer picks a set of requirements for the spaceship that a constrained optimizer attempts to satisfy. The constraint satisfaction approach followed is based on neuroevolution; Compositional Pattern-Producing Networks (CPPNs) which represent the spaceship’s design are trained via a constraintbased evolutionary algorithm. Results obtained in a number of evolutionary runs using a set of constraints and objectives show that the generated spaceships perform well in movement, combat and survival tasks and are also visually appealing.peer-reviewe

Interactive genetic engineering of evolved video game content

Procedural content generation techniques can increase replayability and lower the burden on developers by satisfying players\u27 demand for new content. However, procedural content also creates an opportunity for new kinds of player-driven content customization by giving players access to the parameterized content space. This paper presents such a technique that enables players to manually customize evolved content represented by artificial neural networks. In particular, particle system weapons evolved by the multiplayer space shooter called Galactic Arms Race (GAR) can be further genetically engineered by the players themselves in a new extension to the game called the Weapons Lab. Results are presented that demonstrate procedural weapons evolved by the game that are further customized by players in the Weapons Lab. The implication is that procedurallygenerated content of many types can also be customized by players, adding a further dimension to its potential appeal. Copyright 2010 ACM

Real-time adaptive track generation in racing games

Real-time Adaptive Track Generation in Racing Game

Game AI revisited

More than a decade after the early research efforts on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in computer games and the establishment of a new AI domain the term “game AI” needs to be redefined. Traditionally, the tasks associated with game AI revolved around non player character (NPC) behavior at different levels of control, varying from navigation and pathfinding to decision making. Commercial-standard games developed over the last 15 years and current game productions, however, suggest that the traditional challenges of game AI have been well addressed via the use of sophisticated AI approaches, not necessarily following or inspired by advances in academic practices. The marginal penetration of traditional academic game AI methods in industrial productions has been mainly due to the lack of constructive communication between academia and industry in the early days of academic game AI, and the inability of academic game AI to propose methods that would significantly advance existing development processes or provide scalable solutions to real world problems. Recently, however, there has been a shift of research focus as the current plethora of AI uses in games is breaking the non-player character AI tradition. A number of those alternative AI uses have already shown a significant potential for the design of better games. This paper presents four key game AI research areas that are currently reshaping the research roadmap in the game AI field and evidently put the game AI term under a new perspective. These game AI flagship research areas include the computational modeling of player experience, the procedural generation of content, the mining of player data on massive-scale and the alternative AI research foci for enhancing NPC capabilities.peer-reviewe