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Master of Arts in Design

A Procedurally Generated Story

Game: «Silverwood Legends»

How can procedurally generated story elements help computer games to better react to the actions of players?

Interactive storytelling in computer games often only creates the illusion of choice, since true choice would lead to an explosion of complexity. This thesis explores the use of procedurally generated elements to avoid this explosion. Different techniques from the field of Artificial Intelligence are employed for their generation. In addition, help techniques from classic pen-and-paper games are brought into play. Based on a combination of these possibilities, the computer game «Silverwood Legends» has been created. It allows players more freedom in their interactions with the story and lets a different story unfold in each playthrough.

Degree project: Christian Sami
Specialization: MA Game Design, 2021
Mentors: Dr. Mela Kocher, llic. phil. René Bauer
Contact: christian.sami96@gmail.com

Visualization of the complexity of different techniques from the field of Artificial Intelligence. Neural Networks (red) are with just a few nodes already quite complex. Context-free grammars (blue) are built up like a data tree and Markov-chains (green) represent an easy to implement state machine.
Visualization of the complexity of different techniques from the field of Artificial Intelligence. Neural Networks (red) are with just a few nodes already quite complex. Context-free grammars (blue) are built up like a data tree and Markov-chains (green) represent an easy to implement state machine.
Comparison of the different story structures and their possibilities of interaction. A branching story (red) has a lot of interaction points but get therefore quickly complex in its implementation. A foldback story (blue) is with its fixed unskipable events a mix of a branching and a linear story. The new system worked on in the thesis (green) chooses some beginning point for the story and then generates the further course of the story based on the players decisions.
Comparison of the different story structures and their possibilities of interaction. A branching story (red) has a lot of interaction points but get therefore quickly complex in its implementation. A foldback story (blue) is with its fixed unskipable events a mix of a branching and a linear story. The new system worked on in the thesis (green) chooses some beginning point for the story and then generates the further course of the story based on the players decisions.
Introduction into a story in Silverwood Legends with the first clues towards key figures and their whereabouts.
Introduction into a story in Silverwood Legends with the first clues towards key figures and their whereabouts.
Structure of the information that an NPC has at its disposal and that are used to generate conversations. Arrows display what additional pieces of information to a specific piece of information an NPC has access to.
Structure of the information that an NPC has at its disposal and that are used to generate conversations. Arrows display what additional pieces of information to a specific piece of information an NPC has access to.