07-18-2012, 12:00 PM
Hey hey
procedural generation has its place (which is in creating new content in the form of environments to explore/conquer/etc., which in turn boosts replay value, as long as the underlying mechanics are good enough to be worth it; example: roguelikes)
I'm just saying that using procedural generation just because you don't have to hire a level designer is most likely going to be a bad idea, especially if it's shoe-horned in without consideration for the gameplay (of course, this goes with just about any and every potential feature). At best, the money saved should be a side-benefit (though creating an actually good level generator might take some design knowledge anyways).
procedural generation has its place (which is in creating new content in the form of environments to explore/conquer/etc., which in turn boosts replay value, as long as the underlying mechanics are good enough to be worth it; example: roguelikes)
I'm just saying that using procedural generation just because you don't have to hire a level designer is most likely going to be a bad idea, especially if it's shoe-horned in without consideration for the gameplay (of course, this goes with just about any and every potential feature). At best, the money saved should be a side-benefit (though creating an actually good level generator might take some design knowledge anyways).