procedural-generation

Okay, there are a lot of comparisons between Perlin and Simplex noise to be found on the web. But I really couldn't find one where there was a simple processing time comparison between both for three dimensions, which is what I am mostly interested in. I've read that popular PDF (and even understood most of it - yay!) but I cannot answer the simple question: Which one is faster for 3D, assuming an optimal implementation? This stackoverflow question answer suggests that Simplex is a pretty clear winner for my case. Of course, there are other resources claiming the exact opposite. However, the

Greetings each and all! I'm currently looking into procedural generation of a road network and stumbled upon the L-system algorithm. From what I understand from various scientific papers on the subject, and further papers on the papers on the subject, the algorithm is changed to use "global goals and local constraints", in which the taken path is modified to fit input values such as terrain and population density. Now that part I understand, or atleast the overall concept, but how am I supposed to modify the algorithm? Right now I have a string which is modified over timesteps according to a

I'm trying to generate a spiral galaxy in the form of xy (2D) coordinates -- but math is not my strong suit. I've gleaned the following from an excellent source on spirals: The radius r(t) and the angle t are proportional for the simpliest spiral, the spiral of Archimedes. Therefore the equation is: (3) Polar equation: r(t) = at [a is constant]. From this follows (2) Parameter form: x(t) = at cos(t), y(t) = at sin(t), (1) Central equation: x²+y² = a²[arc tan (y/x)]². This question sort of touched upon galaxy generation, but the responses were scattered and still overly complex for what I need

I'd like to implement a procedural generation of a terrain. After a thorough research I came up with a conclusion that it should be implemented with one of the gradient (coherent) noise generation algorithms, for instance Perlin Noise algorithm. However, I don't want the generation to be completely random. I'd like to apply some constraints (like where should be a mountain range, or where should be a lowland etc.). Question: For example I have a curve which represents some landscape element. The curve is an array of points. How can I improve the Perlin Noise algorithm, so that along this curve

I'm developing a 2D tile engine and at this moment I'm working on map generation algorithms. I tried the basic ones usually involved in simple heightmap generation like hill generation perlin noise diamond square but I always get the same problem: this kind of algorithms seems suitable when dealing with tile maps that also have a height component but this is not my case. I basically have sprites like grass, sea, desert and so on but they shouldn't be placed inside the map according to a generated height but something like everything starts from ocean islands are placed in the middle of the map

Procedural generation has been brought into the spotlight recently (by Spore, MMOs, etc), and it seems like an interesting/powerful programming technique. My questions are these: Do you know of any mid-sized projects that utilize procedural generation techniques? What language/class of languages is best for procedural generation? Can you use procedural generation for "serious" code? (i.e., not a game) You should probably start with a little theory and simple examples such as the midpoint displacement algorithm . You should also learn a little about Perlin Noise if you are interested in

How are infinite/huge procedural generated worlds achieved with minimal lag in actionscript 2? In a game like Terraria or Minecraft for example. What would the best way to go about handling huge world like this be? Obviously looping through every block and moving them that way won't work. I've tried placing blocks into 50x50 'chunks' and then moving each of the chunks, but the result isn't anywhere near as smooth as it should be. Is there any way to completely disable sections of the map if the player isn't near them? Would it be possible to simply store them in memory and load them when