Just wanted to give a quick update as we continue to move forward! I just got in a new screenshot from our level designer as he is working through things. This is a first look at the new world build. Still a lot we are working on but it is great to see things getting back to normal. Keep in mind this is all with our world generation and is not the static world we had before!
In addition we have a couple new models in. First off some gear for setting up your base:
Then to leave things off the new shotgun.
What does your level designer do when you have a generated level? Just curious :)
We have created an object layer that contains a group of boards which we can make quickly by piecing the board tiles together in any formation we wish. We are referring to this layer as the "Area" which is a general grouping for such things as Buildings, Parks and any other object grouping in the game. The goal here is to be able to build out a large number of board tiles as a base and then quickly piece them together into dozens of variations of each area. Using trigger objects in boards we can also randomly generate events and scavenging points that synergizes with the area it belongs to. By making these triggers have a chance to spawn as opposed to always being present we can have an event or scavenging point appear visually in the same building several times, for example a refrigerator, but react differently depending on how the trigger is set. Sometimes you may be able to scavenge food from it, others you may not find anything. If its trigger is set you may find something completely unexpected.
We have been building out the first iteration of our level generator and the scripts required to start creating the above mentioned areas. The first iteration of our world generation uses large chunks of space to stream content. The chunk you start in will be preloaded but as you progress in any direction the appropriate local chunks will begin to construct themselves without additional loading required. Each chunk will start as a main road which acts as a seed. By branching out into sub streets in semi-random directions we can create roads/paths that are different each time you play. Pieces of the chunk not affected by the road system will be assigned areas based on how much open space is available and what type of biome the zone is.
This real boon for this system of chunks and roads/areas is that it allows us to create areas that have a level designers touch but always keeps you guessing as to what will happen in each area and how it will be laid out.
That sure sounds interesting! Thank you for taking your time to answer! Good luck with the project!