Tanya X. Short is the director of Kitfox Games, the indie game studio behind Moon Hunters and Shattered Planet. Previously, she worked as a designer at Funcom Games on The Secret World and Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. In her spare time, she acts as the co-director of Pixelles, a non-profit helping more women make games. Tarn Adams is best known as the developer of Dwarf Fortress since 2002 with his older brother Zach. He learned programming in his childhood, and designed computer games as a hobby until he quit his first year of a mathematics post doctorate at Texas A&M to focus on game development in 2006.

• PrefaceSection I Procedural GenerationChapter 1 ◾ When and Why to Use Procedural Generation Darren GreyChapter 2 ◾ Managing Output: Boredom versus Chaos Kenny BackusChapter 3 ◾ Aesthetics in Procedural Generation Liam WeltonChapter 4 ◾ Designing for Modularity Jason Grinblat Chapter 5 ◾ Ethical Procedural Generation Dr. Michael CookSection II Procedural ContentChapter 6 ◾ Level Design I: Case Study Chris ChungChapter 7 ◾ Level Design II: Handcrafted Integration Jim ShepardChapter 8 ◾ Level Design III: Architecture and Destruction Evan HahnChapter 9 ◾ Cyclic Generation Dr. Joris DormansChapter 10 ◾ Worlds Dr. Mark R. JohnsonChapter 11 ◾ Puzzles Danny DayChapter 12 ◾ Procedural Logic Ben KaneChapter 13 ◾ Artificial Intelligence Mark R. JohnsonChapter 14 ◾ Procedural Enemy Waves Wyatt ChengChapter 15 ◾ Generative Artwork Loren SchmidtChapter 16 ◾ Generative Art Toys Kate ComptonChapter 17 ◾ Audio and Composition Bronson ZgebSection III Procedural NarrativeChapter 18 ◾ Story and Plot Generation Ben KybartasChapter 19 ◾ Emergent Narratives and Story Volumes Jason GrinblatChapter 20 ◾ Poetry Generation Harry TuffsChapter 21 ◾ Characters and Personalities Emily ShortSection IV The Procedural FutureChapter 22 ◾ Understanding the Generated Gillian SmithChapter 23 ◾ Content Tools Case Study Kepa AuwaeChapter 24 ◾ Automated Game Tuning Aaron IsaksenChapter 25 ◾ Generating Rules Dr. Michael CookChapter 26 ◾ Algorithms and Approaches Brian BucklewChapter 27 ◾ Meaning Dr. Mark R. JohnsonINDEX

Short, director of KitFox Games, and Adams, the independent co-creator of the popular game Dwarf Fortress, have edited a substantial collection of essays providing concepts and practical application of procedurally generated content and algorithms for game design purposes. Procedural generational the method of creating data via algorithm rather than by hand—is a principle developers can harness to allow the game to generate its own content (settings, objects, and stories) using a series of rules. This method can result in considerable savings over the more traditional game design. Unlike Procedural Content Generation in Games (Shaker, Togelius, Nelson, 2016), the material here is authored by independent developers (with one exception from Blizzard Entertainment), so the information is more accessible and actionable. The book should enable game developers evaluating procedural generation for their games to make an informed decision whether or not to use it. Those with a background in computer science or who are already using procedural generation may learn something new from the contributors’ experiences and methodologies. --A. Chen, Cogswell CollegeSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.