That sounds good. Are you making one, or should I or meburningslime?
Phone typing sucks, lol, any of you
Sorry, you should.
On the rng note though, adding preset numbers would only slightly shift the changes. However, if you did something like this:
1 means square the first variable
2 means negate the fifth variable
3 means add 32 to the variable
then have all RNG assets use a selected, but seemingly random, variable, to choose from, then it would be seeded.
One crazy little thing I’ve been experimenting with is how to build the edge shape of the landmasses (inspired by Don’t Starve). In doing so, I’ve realized a fundamental principle that could be helpful (you guys probably already know this but it was a big moment for me): if you constrain turns to left, right, up, and down, when you add all turns around a given landmass, there will always be an even number, and they will always be in opposite pairs (i.e. one up with one down, one left with one right). It seems obvious, but it means that there is always at least one complete set of left, right, up, down in any map, and that between those 4 fundamental ones there can be any number of opposite pairs. What’s more is that there can be any number of opposite pairs spread throughout the whole edge.
After discovering this, I realized that this is literally just the angle-sum theorem for whatever shape the map is. But I still think this might be an interesting way to generate maps; sure it’s more complex than the elegant distance way, but I think it might achieve some finer variation on the edges.
How would this perform map generation? Well, I created some blocks that spawn each other and based on what type they are, they spawn new turn blocks. So far I’m getting a random mess with lots of overlapping, but I’m testing out ways that perhaps I can get the pairs thing going. Any thoughts?
Interesting thought @thebrickccentric 
Late here and I’m brain dead, but will read through it again tomorrow after a big cup of coffee :lol:
On a site note, I was looking at generating the main map as shown above in my trials. For sure seeded and in clusters. Now I was going to try if I can combine it with the Cellular Map thingy I tried a while ago to mess up the borders/edges a bit to make it look more organic.
https://flowlab.io/game/play/1437955
Just a thought, not sure if it will work.
Anyway, atm I work on my list maker, I really need them.
Got the basics, just trying to sort out a web interface. Haven’t done a lot of HTML for ages, but it will come back.
Will also come in handy for other things like the Dijkstrat path finder etc.
… if it doesn’t blow Flowlab with lag, HAHAHA
I have just discovered this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X-gtr4pEBU
It’s basically a single object that goes around creating a random, but still globular (in the sense we want) picture (in particular, I like the pattern at 2:53). I know the way it works, it’s supposed to have a pre-determined result depending on how you program the colors, but I’m wondering if there is a way to change the directions or colors in the middle of an iteration and thus mix things up each time. Also, I’m wondering if this could be combined with the generator based on the Manhattan or Euclidean principle (these ones: https://flowlab.io/game/play/1452643
https://flowlab.io/game/play/1452649)
or possibly even combined in some way with Conway’s Game Of Life (like the one you already made, TinkerSmith).
What do you guys think?
Definitly interesting. Reminds me of the Drunk Man’s Walk, or whatever it is called.
The difference here is the color coding. Yes, I can see this would generate a pre-determined pattern. It is like a color coded PRNG.
I think … hmmm … what if you change the rules along the way. Add a propability factor that changes in certain defined areas.
That would be like a multilevel coding. Sort of like they do with the Perlin noise octaves … not ‘really’ random, but it looks cool
HAHA
So I made a game of the Langton Ant here:
https://flowlab.io/game/play/1461171
It was a lot more difficult to get working than I thought, but it works!
It goes slowly (I needed to add a .1sec timer in one spot because otherwise it can’t run) but if there was some way to make it not go over a specific square more than a few times, it would populate an area a lot faster. It would be pretty easy to add a random element to this. However a major problem with Langton’s ants is that one small direction change can be the difference between it creating nice, chaotic maps or a structured, straight highway. The directions I have currently programmed create a map that has not yet been proved to make a highway (and someone’s taken it out to 472 billion iterations, but no highway yet), but even changing one single direction in one single iteration can instantly turn the ant into a highway-maker. So I guess this method is kind of volatile, in a sort of backwards sense that it has a risk of not creating chaos, which I find pretty funny.
But I’m thinking maybe if we took the pre-defined map that I’ve programmed and then had the ant just re-run over random parts of it (i.e. at random times pick up the ant in put it in a different random spot on the map) it would have much less of a chance to create a highway, and even if it did, it would only be a short one. Am I thinking about this correctly?
Also, I’ve realized something special about this method. I’ve already written it in a very long comment on Youtube and it makes better sense there, so here’s the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iyDQxaivh0
Basically the color of a square represents how many times the ant has gone over that square, except after the first color it resets. So more accurately, the color represents that the ant has been over that square {[a multiple of whatever number position that color is in the programming]} many times.
SO COOL @thebrickccentric
Glad someone else here is experimenting and sharing the results. Always inspirational and brings up new ideas.
Keep up the good work.
We’re working on it . . .
ok
@thebrickccentric @glithctyrus I made one here. https://flowlab.io/game/play/1432739
Go to the Top Down level.
@meburningslime sorry if this sounds rude but i need a dungeon generator that creates a sqaure of random size with a small hallway in any direction leading to the next room a max of ten rooms can be generated and at the minnamum 3 rooms,hope you understand-glitch 2020
@glithctyrus no problem. This makes sense and it’s relatively easy. What you do it have all of the wall of a room one block, and the hallway that goes a direction then spawns the next room that is the appropriate direction. The hallway leading out of that then spawns the next, etc.
@thebrickccentric and I are fully stuck in our project, yes, random thingy related.
But @meburningslime seems to have the right idea if it is just a linear dungeon. Maybe he can provide an example.
@TinkerSmith I am working on a secret project right now, so not currently lol.
You could have the new rooms have a random number of hallways to make larger, mazelike dungeons though.