Pedro Carmo: Research Notebook

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This discussion will be used as a thread to store useful links to research papers and resources, notes on the projects progress, general implementation ideas, summaries of advisor meetings, and whatever else might contribute to the completion of the project.

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Useful approach on calculating jump difficulty in a platformer game by using distance between platforms (using a Manhattan distance calculation), maximum distance jumped by player, and viable landing points.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228647229_The_evolution_of_fun_Automatic_level_design_through_challenge_modeling

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Links to sprites from Super Mario Bros (NES) for use in level generation

https://www.spriters-resource.com/nes/supermariobros/
https://www.mariouniverse.com/sprites-nes-smb/

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Comprehensive example of WFC being used in tile-set generation:

https://oskarstalberg.com/game/wave/wave.html

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3D generation of infinite cities/castles game using WFC:

https://marian42.itch.io/wfc

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October 6th Comp meeting

TODOs:

• Add GODOT install and tool install info to README
• Prototype has to contain test cases (lookup how to test cases in GODOT)
• MAKE REGULAR COMITS TO REPO
• PRESENTATION IS 10 MIN TOTAL (INCLUDING QUESTIONS)
• Think of project thesis: "This project will create..."

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Mario bros project video references:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeEs4dhDp6E&list=PL4vjw0qHwNZKRgg6GxTkcu2zdeVMbZra0&index=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzu6PchSxoY

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Unit testing framework for Godot:
https://github.com/bitwes/Gut

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GDscript possible linter to be include in the repo:

https://github.com/Scony/godot-gdscript-toolkit

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Look at this one also:
https://www.gdquest.com/tutorial/godot/gdscript/gdscript-formatter/

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Possible Icons for slides:
https://www.flaticon.com/

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Notes for making the video:

• 2 MIN video
• explain while the video plays, try not to pause it
• silent video

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Correction: Video can be anywhere BETWEEN 1 and 2 minutes

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2D Platform generation based on "rhythm"
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/1536513.1536548

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In the test branch:

For solving the problem of which tiles are more likely to appear/ be used.

Approach to try:

• Create a stack previous to the generation of the grid or the collapse of cells that holds all possible cells in different amounts, the amounts should reflect how many cells of each type you would want in the final result.

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11/27 meeting:

• Study the possibility of .yml files instead of .json for storing tile ID in the WFC algorithm
• Brainstorm an evaluation strategy

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YML files are not supported in GODOT and current user built package seems bad so either use JSON or just built in dictionaries

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Method of approach section sections/How I developed the artifact:

• Initial Exploration of Wave Function Collapse in GODOT with Add-on
• Using Anxiety Curves as Input for Wave Function Collapse Algorithm
• Prototyping in Python Using Pygame
• Propagation and Collapse
• Finalized GODOT Implementation

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• PRIORITY ❗

Current artifact issue where propagation doesn't propagate correctly:
The algorithm only propagates to tiles on the left of the last collapsed tile and will overpropagate the probability of choosing certain tiles

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FIXED THE BUGs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 💯 💯 💯 🔥 🔥 😭 😄 🚀 👯

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• Look up Caves of Qud game and possibly add as example of game that uses a llot of WFC

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It uses WFC in different parts of world (and story) generation

• Add to bib and intro

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• Also maybe add Bug with a Gun: https://selfsame.itch.io/bug-with-a-gun

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• Townscaper?
  • https://store.steampowered.com/app/1291340/Townscaper/

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• Add Maxim Gumin, the Russian mathematician behind WFC to WFC section of text and also Paul Merrell whose work Max built off of

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• In WFC section, explain what type of WFC model is being used (Markov or overlapping)

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Might technically be TWFC (Tile Wave Function Collapse)

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The GODOT package utilizes the overlapping model or Markov since it has no metadata

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In class activity:

• Make issue in 580 students repo:
  • https://github.com/CMPSC-580-Allegheny-College-Spring-2024/exemplarproject-AlmostFaultTolerant/issues/3

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TODO:

• Update Artifact README.md file with python artifact

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TODO:

• Get all Tiles into a single image (make a spritesheet)

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Meeting Notes:

diagram makers:

Figma
Excalidraw
octa (404)

Use LATEX (($$----$$) for equations.

• In method section breakdown my choice for which WFC I chose

  • Tie it with why this method is good for platformer generation challenges

• Evaluation:

Bot played the level through completion
Died from a fall or a enemy

For ch4
Describe bot character automation
Run as many times as possible

Consider seeded levels for the sake of using it for the sake of shipping the code with terst cases and experiment reproducability (check-sum)

Ideal test case woulfd be a playable application that you can import games in

Also evaluate if algorithm does generate difficulty in the correct spots through a level and get data out of it.

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TODO:

• Add Tomoyuki Shimizu and Tomonori Hashiyama to A.C. portion of related work. (From The 2010 Mario AI Championship:
  Level Generation Track, on page 7-8

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TODO:

• add to citations of SMB sprite sheet

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Automated testing in godot (used in a platform example):

• repo
  https://github.com/bitwes/Gut
• video
  https://www.reddit.com/r/godot/comments/jd2z0u/we_recently_started_writing_automated_tests_for/

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✅ Added issue to 580 repo:

AstuteSource/SEERS#21

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Refs for Mario movement (in 1985's SMB):

• A Complete Guide to SMB's Physics Engine

  • https://web.archive.org/web/20150910230444/http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk21/jdaster64/smb_playerphysics.png

• Reddit SMB in Mario Maker testing

  • https://www.reddit.com/r/MarioMaker/comments/3xgvq7/mario_machine_rd_jump_height_mechanics/

• Chris Mariott's Implementation

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFPn9r9mKe0

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Observation on SMB rhythm group design:

The section at the beginning of the level (the spawn platform with the castle) varies in size (7 tiles in 2-3 and 16 tiles in 1-3 for example).
This size seems to be reflected in the levels rhythm groups. In 2-3, there is a somewhat noticeable way to break the level in 7 tile wide groups while in 1-3 the same can be done with 16 tile wide groups.

Whether this means anything or not remains a doubt (probably outside the scope of this research and whatnot) but it is still interesting.
This is a bit harder to notice in "continuous" levels like 3-2 that do not have platforms so it is harder to identify the spawn platform width.

🤔 🤔 🤔

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SMB with Level Selector: https://supermarioplay.com/

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Speed run stuff:

• https://vimeo.com/84148499
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1AHCaokqhg
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udQ_XUJt34M
• Warpless: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCRKUuhGC1A
  • Warpless leaderboard: https://www.speedrun.com/smb1?h=Warpless-NTSC&x=wdmz042q-2lg5mxo8.81pr498q
• Guides:
  • https://www.speedrun.com/smb1/guides
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUj_fPFpgvs