# New Random Cave Map Generator



## Gozzy

To complement my existing Random Dungeon Map Creator I have now added a Random Cave Map Creator to my site. The number of cave maps you can create are practically limitless, just refresh your browser to generate another! I would appreciate feedback on both of these as they took some time to create. I would also welcome ideas for other generator types although I make no guarantees about creating any more! 

Cheers!
John "Gozzy" Godsland
http://www.gozzys.com/


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## apalmer

Very cool 

I imagine this could be very useful.


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## derbacher

All right, these are just great! The only suggestion I would make/ask is, is there a way to add an input for number of rooms? The dungeons are huge!


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## Psion

Hey, that churns out a nice little dungeon.

I got by with the old generators on irony.com, but they are showing their age.

These are very nice.


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## EricNoah

Very nifty.


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## Angel Tarragon

Quite useful!


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## der_kluge

The dungeons are a little too random for my tastes. I've never seen a random dungeon generator generator a realistic dungeon.

But that cave generator is uber-cool!  Great job!


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## Hussar

Very sweet.  Thanks Gozzy.


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## S'mon

The cave generator is fantastic, I've never seen a decent one before.  Cheers! 
Jamis Buck's dungeon generator has an advantage that you can tweak the settings to get something that looks believable, by reducing the number of corridors, but he doesn't do caverns.


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## Angel Tarragon

Any chance you could make it a downloadable program? I'm going to be getting a laptop real soon and it won't have aceess to the internet when I am away from home.


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## Gozzy

Thanks for all the comments, I'll try and answer some of the specific questions as follows.



			
				Frukathka said:
			
		

> Any chance you could make it a downloadable program? I'm going to be getting a laptop real soon and it won't have aceess to the internet when I am away from home.



 Unfortunately the code is written in PHP with MySQL backend and a PNG library for the graphics. To install it on a laptop you would need to installa Apache and MySQL. I would also have to release the code (I can't convert PHP to a binary) which I'm not keen on doing at present as it is very much a work in progress.



			
				der_kluge said:
			
		

> The dungeons are a little too random for my tastes. I've never seen a random dungeon generator generator a realistic dungeon.



 I'm intigued to know what you mean by realistic? If you let me know what you would expect to see then I'll see fi later revisions of the code can come closer. Any other comments along these lines also welcome.



			
				derbacher said:
			
		

> The only suggestion I would make/ask is, is there a way to add an input for number of rooms? The dungeons are huge!



 I'm considering input parameters for the next release which will probably include a map size parameter. I'm also looking to include more control over some of the aspects of the map that are completely random at the moment. If you've generated a fair few maps you'll have noticed that some don't fill the lower portions of the area and this is due to the random aspects of the code. Any other ideas relating to input parameters welcome.

 Overall, I'm glad to see that people find the stuff I'm doing useful. Let me know ideas for features in the existing generators and ideas for other stuff that you may find useful.


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## iwatt

Great stuff.....thanx


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## Graybeard

I definitely like the cave generator. I plan on using it in an upcomiing session.

Very nice work.


Chuck


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## Raven Crowking

Gozzy said:
			
		

> I'm intigued to know what you mean by realistic? If you let me know what you would expect to see then I'll see fi later revisions of the code can come closer. Any other comments along these lines also welcome.






For me, realistic would mean that the layout of the rooms seems planned, rather than random.  Which is an awful lot to ask of a random generator!      It is also why the cave generator is superior, IMHO.  Far too many cave maps seem planned, rather than the result of natural forces.





			
				Gozzy said:
			
		

> If you've generated a fair few maps you'll have noticed that some don't fill the lower portions of the area and this is due to the random aspects of the code.






Overall, I am _glad_ that this happens.  It means that the shape of the cave (or dungeon) does not automatically fill a preset amount of grid.  I would ask you to please, please not tinker with that aspect, unless you also include an option to _not_ fill the entire grid!

I was going to ask about connections to the outside world.  I.e., number of entrances to a cave or dungeon.  Would it be possible to include a way to set this?

RC


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## Mythmere1

Links don't seem to be working anymore...


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## Gozzy

Raven Crowking said:
			
		

> For me, realistic would mean that the layout of the rooms seems planned, rather than random. Which is an awful lot to ask of a random generator!




See attached. I've worked up a new version of the generator (which isn't finished yet - I'll add it to my site when it is) that works on an entirely different set of rules to the original. I studied a number of dungeon maps to analyse how they are composed and this is the answer to that.

Oh by the way, what you are seeing in this image is the actual output from the code, it hasn't been "enhanced" afterwards. I'm rather pleased with the graphical look and the final version will enable you to choose different backgrounds and probably tile sets. You'll be able to set a bunch of parameters too including maximum room height and width, map size and a randomness parameter.

As ever, comments welcome.


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## Gozzy

*Minor Updates*

I've updated the cave map generator based on some of the feedback. It now includes user choices, an optional entry point and better randomisation. Check it out here.


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## pogre

Gozzy said:
			
		

> I've updated the cave map generator based on some of the feedback. It now includes user choices, an optional entry point and better randomisation. Check it out here.




Excellent update! Nothing constructive to add here - just another fan saying "thanks!"


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## Gozzy

pogre said:
			
		

> Excellent update! Nothing constructive to add here - just another fan saying "thanks!"




Wow, thanks!  

I guess I'll keep on working on the Encounter Map generator then...


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## Raven Crowking

*This is some fine work*

Gozzy, 

This is truly some fine work.  It will surely see use in my game!

If you feel like tinkering some more, you might consider the possibility of multiple cave entrances.

Otherwise, pretty darn perfect.


RC


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## maquise

Are these still available?


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## Mark CMG

Gozzy doesn't seem to have been active here in a few years.  It's be a shame if those generators were lost to the community.  I'll PM him to see if he is still around at all.


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