Games of the future will be developed by algorithms

Using programmatic generation, games will become larger and more varied while reducing the costs of entry for developers. However, programmatic generation isn't new to gaming. In the 80s, classic titles such as Elite used algorithms to create its simple blocky environments, such as planets or asteroids. Modern titles already use it to create the kind of mass details required by games: weapons, plant life or the faces of orcs.

Now, inspired largely by the success of Minecraft - which uses programmatic generation to create its block-filled worlds - a new wave of developers is adopting the technique in bigger and more inventive ways. The most high-profile of these: No Man's Sky, created by Guildford-based developer Hello Games, which uses algorithms not to create a world, but an entire universe. No Man's Sky claims to contain the potential to generate an astonishing 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 planets for players to explore.

Procedural generation has been embraced by the space genre, but it's not the only category jumping on board. Indie developers have used the tool as a means to create huge, enveloping worlds at a fraction of the cost of AAA titles. Games such as Terraria and Salt create new worlds and stories for players to explore on each play; Stranded Deep creates an ocean of desert islands, which the player must survive by adapting; in Rimworld, an "AI storyteller" creates events and mini-narratives for the player; Moon Hunters uses the technique to create "legends" about the player's exploits; and in SkySaga: Infinite Isles, a role-playing game by UK-based Radiant Worlds, entire adventures are generated by algorithm.

Algorithms as designers has the potential to turn the whole notion of developing on its head. "Our art director is used to just creating beautiful art, then exporting into a game," says Murray. "I have to analyse why flowers grow at the base of trees in a meadow, and come up with a formula that would cause this to happen."

"Another disadvantage is that you can't directly tailor the player's experience - a great deal of the skill in game design comes down to tuning the player's emotional journey," says Fisher. "It may sound counter-intuitive, but a lot of effort has gone into figuring out exactly how much you have to group and filter content to stop it feeling too random."

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