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DOOM Level Generation Using Generative Adversarial Networks (arxiv.org)
31 points by Impossible on May 14, 2018 | hide | past | pdf | 4 comments on HN

In plain words: A network learns from pictures of real DOOM levels showing floor space, heights, walls, and item spots, then draws brand-new levels in the same style. One version also got extra layout clues, and both captured the structure of human-made levels.

Abstract · DOOM Level Generation using Generative Adversarial Networks

We applied Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to learn a model of DOOM levels from human-designed content. Initially, we analysed the levels and extracted several topological features. Then, for each level, we extracted a set of images identifying the occupied area, the height map, the walls, and the position of game objects. We trained two GANs: one using plain level images, one using both the images and some of the features extracted during the preliminary analysis. We used the two networks to generate new levels and compared the results to assess whether the network trained using also the topological features could generate levels more similar to human-designed ones. Our results show that GANs can capture intrinsic structure of DOOM levels and appears to be a promising approach to level generation in first person shooter games.

Edoardo Giacomello, Pier Luca Lanzi, Daniele Loiacono
arXiv:1804.09154 · cs.LG, cs.HC, stat.ML · submitted Apr 24, 2018
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Not really answered in the paper... were those levels fun to play? The "Levels Evaluation" seemed a little lackluster too.

Back in early 2000 I ran a Quake server that generated levels that were decent. It would build a new one ever 15 minutes so when playing you would always find yourself in a new map regularly. I spent time tweaking it for fun and diversity which were the interesting bit. I didn't want to play the same level type over and over with guns just slightly shifted, but to play a wide range of experiences some of which were very surprising.

More to the point: where can we download the WADs?
ai making doom levels... I would never have believed this if someone told me about it back in 1995 when a friend and I were making our own levels to play over our modems.

It'd be fun to do an open source project to make a never ending generated level and add multiplayer. that'd be pretty amazing. maybe add some hand crafted variation engines that people could upload to compose game servers from too.