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Old 06-27-2018, 11:32 AM   #1
Bruno
 
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Default GURPS DF / DFRPG Random Dungeon Generator

Random Dungeon Generator
(This post is a stub)

You can have a look at it online care of Celti

https://dungeon.celti.name/

and care of Eric B. Smith

http://gurpsland.no-ip.org/#Dungeon
http://gurpsland.no-ip.org/Dungeon

You can also download it to use offline on your home computer - the only software it requires is a web browser that can run javascript (currently, not really functional on mobile devices that I know of).

Kyle Norton manages our blog at Dungeons on Automatic, which also covers reports from testing random dungeons, monster tokens specifically for DF for online play (or making "pog" style minis for tabletop play with a colour printer), and suchlike.
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Old 06-27-2018, 11:33 AM   #2
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Default Re: GURPS DF / DFRPG Random Dungeon Generator

WHAT THIS IS AND HOW TO USE IT:

A HTML/CSS/JavaScript based random dungeon generator for the Dungeon Fantasy RPG, and for GURPS (particularly the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy product line).

This is intended as an entirely stand-alone and cross-platform application. It does not require web hosting and it does not require installation of a scripting environment or other special software. You can visit it at one of the web presences at https://dungeon.celti.name/ or http://gurpsland.no-ip.org/Dungeon, or you can run it at home! All you need is to download, unzip, and then open "index.html" in a relatively modern web-browser (I just can't support IE6, sorry).

WHAT IT IS FOR:

The primary intent is twofold:
  • to accelerate game preparation, so the GM can minimize paperwork and maximize fun
  • to remind GMs about the many factors of dungeon design that are core parts of game balance in DFRPG and GURPS.

The most obvious two issues when GMs design their own "dungeons" are forgetting about mana and sanctity levels (making spellcasters particularly powerful), and not providing a varied enough palette of challenges (resulting in one profession becoming "the best" or another profession becoming "the worst"). Individual GMs have their own blind spots - unintentionally doing something the same all the time. The dungeons generated may not make sense, but they definitely have variety - and even a silly random dungeon can remind you about dungeon details you usually forget.

The extreme use-case for this app is "push button, receive dungeon, start playing by reading out what's on the paper". It is currently possible to operate this way, but the experience will have bizarre elements introduced by the random systems and be a bit lifeless. Consider taking 30 minutes to review the output and replacing unsuitable encounters and descriptions. Or come up with a story to explain the insanity!
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Last edited by Bruno; 06-27-2018 at 11:41 AM.
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Old 06-27-2018, 11:34 AM   #3
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Default Re: GURPS DF / DFRPG Random Dungeon Generator

WHAT IT DOES:

This app produces a dungeon map image with customizable resolution (suitable for printing or for online play on a virtual tabletop) and a formatted room-by-room key.

Implemented Features:
  • Control over dungeon size, shape, room sizes, room frequency (lots of rooms packed into a small space vs rooms scattered around), hallway squigglyness, number of dead-ends, staircases, general dungeon security level, monster difficulty.
  • Hallways include height.
  • Room dimensions, including height.
  • Monster encounters keyed to party CER ("Combat Effectiveness Rating" - a starting party of four is usually in the 100-150 range).
  • Wandering monster table, populated primarily from monsters found in the dungeon.
  • Treasures keyed to encounter difficulty and overall dungeon CER (with option to produce completely random treasure using the DF8 treasure generator service, online)
  • Concealed treasures.
  • Doors with GURPS/DFRPG statistics for forcing open, picking, and breaking down. And shoving open, if they're particularly heavy.
  • Secret or concealed doors
  • Portcullises and how hard they are to lift.
  • Traps (currently handled by references to published traps).
  • Notes on general environmental conditions (Mana level, Sanctity, lighting).
  • Odd dungeon features (misty or dangerous atmospheres, weird and magical pools and fountains - and mundane ones).
  • Random dungeon junk in rooms to provide some colour and potentially interesting environments to interact with.
  • Randomize travel time to the dungeon or select manually. Further dungeons have better loot, but burn more resources to get there and back again.
  • Travel to the dungeon is in a stated Survival specialty (chosen randomly)

TODO:
  • Traps in hallways and otherwise in specific hexes rather than nebulously in a room.
  • Create random rumours about the dungeon to find in town.
  • Create some quest hooks - provide McGuffins to recover, kidnapped NPCs, name particularly notorious monsters, generate bounties
  • Generate some "exceptional" monsters with lenses or special abilities.
  • Have the program create completely new traps keyed to party CER, and provide statistics to the GM
  • Pit traps, and pits as an alternative to stairs to the next level. I love pit traps.
  • More dungeon environmental conditions:
    • What are the walls made of and how easy are they to climb?
    • What are the floors made of, and do they impose any interesting effects on movement and combat?
    • These have implications for PCs trying creative solutions, and are key factors for determining Natures Power for druids (not currently evaluated).
  • Determine Natures Power level.
  • Traps in specific room hexes and in hallways.
  • "Setpiece" rooms and encounters - hand-crafted by a human to be guarenteed to make sense.
  • More variable hallway widths, option to force a minimum of 2 yards or 3 yards.
  • More coherent hallway digging algorithm (as an option; insane is also fun)
  • option to create "flow" in the dungeon level, adjusting difficulty according to proximity to entrance/exit.
  • match up stairs up/down to a "generate next floor" option
  • option to regenerate a room, encounter, treasure, or trap if you don't like it
  • Themed monster groups (with the option for totally insane monster groups too)
  • Dungeons (or subsections of large dungeons) entirely populated on a selectable theme
  • Cool hash-fill dungeon design
  • put water on the map
  • position dungeon junk on the map? (may never happen)
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Last edited by Bruno; 06-27-2018 at 12:37 PM.
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Old 06-27-2018, 11:35 AM   #4
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Default Re: GURPS DF / DFRPG Random Dungeon Generator

CREDIT:
This project is significantly based on version 1.0.3 of the random dungeon generator created by drow (drow@bin.sh). We owe drow a significant debt of gratitude. Thank you for making this work possible by sharing your code. Drow specifically provided the bulk of the actual map making code, which we are elaborating on.

Modifications and elaborations by Emily Smirle and Kyle Norton. Programming and data by Emily Smirle, Project Management and data by Kyle Norton. Code contributors include nasfarley88 and eggdropsoap. Pull requests are welcome!

This project is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC 3.0

GURPS is a trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and its rules and art are copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by Steve Jackson Games.

This game aid is the original creation of Emily Smirle and Kyle Norton and is released for free distribution, and not for resale, under the permissions granted in the Steve Jackson Games Online Policy.
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Old 06-27-2018, 03:38 PM   #5
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Default Re: GURPS DF / DFRPG Random Dungeon Generator

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruno View Post
TODO:
if I had the power to add things to your To Do list it would be these:

1 - Add a clear Entrance. As in a defined entrance point.

2 - Have a map version that lables the 'a' and 'b' stuff on the map.

EI:
East Door a: Oak door (1/2"): DR 2; HP 29; it is locked, a +2 bonus to pick the lock.

East Door b: Oak door (1/2"): DR 2; HP 29; it is locked, no penalty to pick the lock.

These doors are identical on the map, one presumes 'a' is the northernmost door... but...

3 - That room had three doors on the eastern wall, two go into a neighboring room and one to a corridor. The neighboring room only lists one door on it's western wall and that one does not match either of the previous two... so can we get the rooms to list all their doors? Or at least be labeled?



I gather the issue in #3 is probably down to the digger algorithm adding a door when it digs into a new room and the room has already propagated it's description... so... this might not be doable[list all doors], but would the "add labels to the map" be possible?

Last edited by evileeyore; 06-27-2018 at 03:42 PM.
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Old 06-27-2018, 04:01 PM   #6
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Default Re: GURPS DF / DFRPG Random Dungeon Generator

This is awesome! Thank you for sharing.
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Old 06-27-2018, 05:07 PM   #7
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Default Re: GURPS DF / DFRPG Random Dungeon Generator

Quote:
Originally Posted by evileeyore View Post
if I had the power to add things to your To Do list it would be these:
You do! You can always request things and presuming they're semi-reasonable I will probably add them on the pile. No guarentee they'll get done in any particular order or speed, but that's the same with my own ToDo items.

Quote:
Originally Posted by evileeyore View Post
1 - Add a clear Entrance. As in a defined entrance point.
The stairs up and down are the entrances, depending on which direction you're coming from.

Quote:
Originally Posted by evileeyore View Post
2 - Have a map version that lables the 'a' and 'b' stuff on the map.
In the cards, it's actually related to the work on traps, as well as the work I'm doing with the tunneling algorithm

Quote:
Originally Posted by evileeyore View Post
3 - That room had three doors on the eastern wall, two go into a neighboring room and one to a corridor. The neighboring room only lists one door on it's western wall and that one does not match either of the previous two... so can we get the rooms to list all their doors? Or at least be labeled?
Yes, that's a problem with two rooms sharing a wall and rudely punching doors in it without informing the other room description. Whats even worse is when they decide to dig a door at the same spot, leaving you with one room listing 3 doors, the other listing 1 door, all with unique descriptions... but there's only 3 doors.

If you use the less tightly packed dungeons they don't share walls as much and it does reduce that kind of nonsense, but that's not a solution (I like the busy dungeons).

As part of the general cleanup in preparation of the tunnel digging changes, I'm going to remove responsibility from door creation out of the hands of the rooms, as the rooms are quite self centered and don't care about anyone else. It's going into the overall tunneling code, as that has a view of the entire map and while it can be very silly, at least it knows not to step on its own toes.


EDIT: And yes, I tend to personify my code. It makes it easier to yell at in frustration.
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Old 06-27-2018, 06:26 PM   #8
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Default Re: GURPS DF / DFRPG Random Dungeon Generator

Very cool. thanks for sharing.
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Old 06-27-2018, 07:24 PM   #9
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Default Re: GURPS DF / DFRPG Random Dungeon Generator

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruno View Post

EDIT: And yes, I tend to personify my code. It makes it easier to yell at in frustration.
LOL
Ill be adding this thread to my resource list
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Old 06-27-2018, 10:24 PM   #10
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Default Re: GURPS DF / DFRPG Random Dungeon Generator

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruno View Post
The stairs up and down are the entrances, depending on which direction you're coming from.
If you set "Stairs?" to "No"... there are no stairs... if you set it to "Yes" you have no control over how many stairs there are... (granted one can just truncate those hallways, but)...

Quote:
Yes, that's a problem with two rooms sharing a wall and rudely punching doors in it without informing the other room description. Whats even worse is when they decide to dig a door at the same spot, leaving you with one room listing 3 doors, the other listing 1 door, all with unique descriptions... but there's only 3 doors.
Ah, so it's the room propagation algorithm in charge of laying in doors.

Quote:
EDIT: And yes, I tend to personify my code. It makes it easier to yell at in frustration.
Just remember that code has feelings too.
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