Quantifiable Isovist and Graph-Based Measures for Automatic Evaluation of Different Area Types in Virtual Terrain Generation

Abstract

This paper describes a set of proposed measures for characterizing areas within a virtual terrain in terms of their attributes and their relationships with other areas for incorporating game designers' intent in gameplay requirementbased terrain generation. Examples of such gameplay elements include vantage point, strongholds, chokepoints and hidden areas. Our measures are constructed on characteristics of an isovist, that is, the volume of visible space at a local area and the connectivity of areas within the terrain. The calculation of these measures is detailed, in particular we introduce two new ways to accurately and efficiently calculate the 3D isovist volume. Unlike previous research that has mainly focused on aesthetic-based terrain generation, the proposed measures address a gap in gameplay requirement-based terrain generationthe need for a flexible mechanism to automatically parameterise specified areas and their associated relationships, capturing semantic knowledge relating to high level user intent associated with specific gameplay elements within the virtual terrain. We demonstrate applications of using the measures in an evolutionary process to automatically generate terrains that include specific gameplay elements as defined by a game designer. This is significant as this shows that the measures can characterize different gameplay elements and allow gameplay elements consistent with the designers' intents to be generated and positioned in a virtual terrain without the need to specify low-level details at a model or logic level, hence leading to higher productivity and lower cost. INDEX TERMS gameplay elements, terrain generation, level design.

Smart Design for Evacuation Signage Layout for Exhibition Halls in Exhibition Buildings Based on Visibility

“…Adding the change in vertical isovists in a 3D space can better reflect the actual visual range [35]. Three-dimensional spatial visibility analysis has been used in the fields of geography [36], urban space [37,38], architecture [39,40], and landscape architecture [41]. However, related research and existing software (e.g., ArcGIS, Depthspace 3D) are not suitable for solving the visibility range of evacuation signage.…”