Rhythm-based level generation for 2D platformers

We present a rhythm-based method for the automatic generation of levels for 2D platformers, where the rhythm is that which the player feels with his hands while playing. Levels are created using a grammar-based method: first generating rhythms, then generating geometry based on those rhythms. Generation is constrained by a set of style parameters tweakable by a human designer. The approach also minimizes the amount of content that must be manually authored, instead relying on geometry components that are included in the level designer’s tileset and a set of jump types. Our results show that this method produces an impressive variety of levels, all of which are fully playable. Categories and Subject Descriptors K.8.0 [Personal Computing]: General – Games. I.2.4 [Artificial Intelligence]: Knowledge Representation Formalism and Methods – Representations (procedural and rule-based). General Terms Design, Human Factors. Keywords Games, levels, procedural generation, 2D platformers.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: FDG
• Authors: Gillian Smith, Mike Treanor, Jim Whitehead, Michael Mateas
• Keywords: Automatic Generation, Computer Graphics, FDG 2009, Grammar-based Method, Level Designer Tileset