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Constraint Generator Documentation

The Constraint Generator is a high-level layout engine designed to create complex, connected dungeon structures. It solves the problem of "where should rooms go?" by satisfying connectivity constraints, door alignment, and room-specific rules.

Key Concepts​

1. Room Templates​

The fundamental building blocks of the generator. A Room Template is a Unity Prefab that has been prepared for the solver.

  • RoomTemplateComponent: Must be attached to the root of the prefab.
  • Door Anchors: Child objects with a DoorAnchor component that define where connections can be made.
  • Sockets: Each Door Anchor has a SocketType. Connections are only valid if sockets match (e.g., a 'Large Gate' cannot connect to a 'Small Crawlspace').
  • Baking: Room templates must be "baked" (via the inspector button) to pre-calculate their grid footprint and connection points.

2. Generation Modes​

Flow Graph Mode​

Generates a dungeon based on a hand-authored Dungeon Flow asset.

  • Uses a directed graph to define the logical sequence of rooms (e.g., Start Room → 3-5 Combat Rooms → Boss Room).
  • Guarantees that the dungeon structure matches the intended player progression.
  • Ideal for linear or branching narrative-driven dungeons.

Organic Growth Mode​

Grows a dungeon dynamically from a start point based on Organic Generation Settings.

  • Attempts to reach a target room count by randomly selecting and fitting templates.
  • Produces more unpredictable, non-linear layouts.
  • Ideal for "infinite" or highly variable exploration maps.

3. The Solver​

The solver uses a backtracking algorithm to place rooms. It ensures:

  1. Rooms do not overlap.
  2. Doors align perfectly on the grid.
  3. Sockets match between connected doors.
  4. All required rooms from the Flow Graph are successfully placed.

Workflow​

Step 1: Create Room Templates​

  1. Design a room in a separate prefab.
  2. Add the RoomTemplateComponent.
  3. Add child objects for doors and attach DoorAnchor.
  4. Click Bake Template in the RoomTemplateComponent inspector.

Step 2: Author the Layout Logic​

  • For Flow Graph: Create a Dungeon Flow asset and use the Dungeon Designer window to draw your room sequence.
  • For Organic: Create an Organic Generation Settings asset and configure room weights and target counts.

Step 3: Set Up the Generator​

  1. Add the DungeonGenerator component to a GameObject in your scene.
  2. Assign your Flow or Organic asset.
  3. Click Generate to see the result in the scene view.

Component Reference: DungeonGenerator​

SettingDescription
Generation ModeSwitch between Flow Graph and Organic Growth.
Dungeon FlowThe asset defining the room sequence (Flow mode only).
Organic SettingsThe asset defining growth rules (Organic mode only).
Layout AttemptsHow many times the solver will retry the entire dungeon if it gets stuck.
Max Search StepsLimit on how many individual placements the solver tries per attempt.
Stable SeedUse a fixed number for deterministic results.

Diagnostics​

If generation fails, enable Enable Diagnostics on the component. The Unity Console will provide a detailed trace of where the solver failed (e.g., "Could not find valid connection for Room B" or "Template X overlap at [10, 5]").