- Joined
- Feb 20, 2015
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- 88
Act 2 is in active development
Divine Roguelike — Generated Open World
Players will enter a generated open world. Unlike Act 1, it gives freedom of action independently of each other: you can split up or explore together.
We already have a custom world generator that builds large playable spaces with settlements, points of interest, and a road network that ties locations into one coherent structure.
How the generator works (POI-centric world)
The generator does not start from random noise and then “guess” where towns should go.
It works the other way around: content first, terrain second.
- Input rules
Map size + a list of POI types (camps, settlements, objectives, start camp, etc.).
Each POI defines:- how many instances to place
- collision geometry (circles / rectangles, including compound shapes)
- placement priority
- road attachment points
- biome influence zones
- named spawn points (market, monsters, loot, hero starts…)
- Priority placement
High-priority sites (cities, main objective, start) are placed first.
Lower-priority camps fill the remaining space without overlapping. - Biome painting
Biomes are blended from POI influence (and optional global climate points).
A forest camp can radiate forest; a graveyard can radiate deadlands; north/south climate can still be forced globally. - Road network
Roads are pathfind-built between road anchors.
They flow around obstacles and other locations, respect passability costs, and can use settlements as transport hubs — so routes stay readable and playable, not spaghetti through every camp.
Result: every run gets a unique layout of settlements, camps, biomes, and roads — but still a structured adventure map, not chaos.
Why this generator matters
- Speed — a 100×100 sector generates in under one second, while still placing all requested POIs, linking them with obstacle-aware roads, and mixing biomes.
- Design control — designers declare what must exist (start, cities, objective, camp density). The generator invents where and how they fit together.
- Replayability — different seeds = different geography, route choices, and exploration order.
- Multiplayer-friendly structure — roads and hubs create shared landmarks, while open space still allows parties to split.
- Gameplay hooks built-in — named positions and POI labels feed spawning, quests, prisons, and objectives directly.
- Unique runs without losing readability — biomes blend, but the world stays navigable because roads obey real constraints.
- Dedicated Viewer tool — a custom viewer was built specifically for this generator, so generation templates can be tuned visually and quickly, without guessing in the dark.
Custom Viewer for generation templates
For this generator we developed a dedicated Viewer: a visual tool for convenient setup and iteration of generation templates (rules).
Instead of editing blind parameters and waiting for a full in-map test, designers can:
- regenerate the world instantly with a new seed
- inspect POI placement, geometry, road anchors, and biome blend
- adjust template rules and see the result right away
- export / validate layouts before bringing them into Warcraft III
This keeps Act 2 world design fast, controllable, and iterable — the same template language that drives the in-game generator.
Viewer demo is in the top video pair (right).
Act 2 gameplay loop
- Players start in a camp and begin exploring — together or separately.
- If your units fall, they are sent to a prison inside the nearest enemy POI.
- Clear that POI’s creeps → its prison releases everyone held there.
- Each POI has its own prison. Losses stay scary… but not run-ending. You can still take hard fights, just like in Act 1.
- On act start, a 100×100 playable sector is generated — enough for roughly 40–60 minutes.
- The sector contains camps/POIs of different difficulty and one main objective camp. Destroy it to finish the chapter.
- After victory: return to the Sanctuary, or push into the next area with your current power and army preserved — Diablo-style chapter transitions.
This satisfies both audiences:
- players who want a focused 40–60 minute session
- players who want a long adventure across multiple areas
Currently in progress
- Decorating camps and cities
- Settlement NPCs with quests
- More POI variety
- Balance tuned specifically for Act 2’s open-world pace
Important: if the Act 2 gameplay shift isn’t your style — Act 1 remains as it is.
Act 2 / open-world preview
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Generator Viewer demo
Explore freely. Split or stay together. Clear the threat — then decide: Sanctuary, or the next frontier.