The Weekly Raid: Is Procedural Generation Overhyped?
Great marketing loves buzzwords: the terms that by themselves draws your mouse one page closer to clicking "pre-order." I'm starting to believe that "procedural generation" is the latest word to join the buzzword dictionary.
While algorithmically created universes are neat as a concept, even mirroring our own spontaneous world, they're missing something. There's a special quality in knowing that an invisible hand wanted you to experience the scenery, or level, or stage in your immediate surroundings.
Sometimes I want the developers to hold my hand, to craft environments infused with purpose, to fuel a narrative or emotion.
At the same time, some games do use procedural generation well, à la Rust. It's implementation ensures that every server is its own creation so no single person can use pre-knowledge of the environment to their advantage.
Procedural generation has its place but it can't carry a game alone. It's a way to bolster other aspects of a game, when appropriate. But if your algorithm is the only selling point then what your left with is a tech demo.
What do you think? Is procedural generation overhyped? Let us know in the comments below!
Related:
From Mega Man II to Ape Escape, I've been playing games for as long as I can remember. I've spent months killing porings in Ragnarok Online and more recently lived a second life in Eve Online. I usually play as gUMBY, gUMBLEoni, or gUMBLes in-game.
