Procedural Content Generation in Competitive Multiplayer Platform Games

Procedural content generation (PCG) techniques have become increasingly established over the years in the context of video games. In terms of generating level layouts, PCG has proven to be a cost-efficient alternative to handcrafted design processes. However, previous research is mostly concerned with singleplayer experiences only. Since multiplayer games differ strongly in regards to the requirements that have to be met by map layouts, we addressed the following question: Which PCG approaches are suited best to ensure qualities relevant in the area of level creation for competitive multiplayer platform games? We conclude that a combination of constructive and grammar-based methods serves as a viable solution. We developed a PCG prototype which was integrated into a competitive platform game. Results of a user study indicate that a constructive-grammar PCG algorithm can be used to generate map layouts that are perceived to be fun and compelling.