Glossary of Terms
This document provides definitions for the key concepts and terminology used within the Dynamic Dungeon toolset.
Core Systems
Constraint Generator
The high-level system responsible for arranging rooms and corridors based on a Dungeon Flow. It uses a backtracking solver to ensure all connectivity and adjacency constraints are satisfied.
World Generator
The node-based pipeline responsible for the low-level geometry and "painting" of the world. It processes data through a directed acyclic graph (DAG) to generate terrain, caves, and tile placements.
Map Diagnostics
A validation suite used to analyse generated maps for playability, ensuring that key areas are reachable using algorithms like A Pathfinding* and Flood Fill.
Generation Terminology
Channel
A stream of data within the World Generator graph. Common channel types include Float (heightmaps), Int (logical IDs), and BoolMask (visibility or selection masks).
Cellular Automata
An iterative algorithm used primarily for organic cave generation. It applies survival rules to cells based on their neighbours to create natural-looking voids and clusters.
Dungeon Flow
A ScriptableObject that defines the "blueprint" of a dungeon, specifying which rooms must exist, how they connect, and what Semantic Tags they carry.
Logical ID
A numerical identifier assigned to a tile or cell that represents its semantic meaning (e.g., 0 for Empty, 1 for Wall, 2 for Floor). These are later "mapped" to actual Unity Tiles or Prefabs.
Poisson Disk Sampling
A technique for generating a random distribution of points where no two points are closer than a specified minimum distance. This is used for even distribution of props, trees, or enemies.
Semantic Tag
A user-defined string label (e.g., "BossRoom", "Secret", "Lava") assigned to rooms or tiles. The generation system uses these tags to apply specific rules or aesthetics to different areas.
Socket
A connection point on a room template. Sockets ensure that doors and corridors align correctly between adjacent rooms.
World Snapshot
A data-heavy representation of the world at a specific point in the generation pipeline. It stores all active channels in high-performance NativeArrays, allowing for rapid processing via the Unity Job System.
Technical Concepts
Backtracking
The search algorithm used by the Constraint Generator. If the solver reaches a state where no more rooms can be placed without violating a rule, it "backtracks" to a previous valid state and tries a different branch.
Burst Compiler
A Unity technology that translates IL code into highly optimised native machine code. Most nodes in the World Generator are Burst-compiled for maximum performance.
Island
A disconnected group of walkable tiles. In Map Diagnostics, multiple islands usually indicate that a portion of the map is unreachable by the player.
Seed
A starting value for the pseudo-random number generator. Using the same seed with the same settings will always produce the identical map layout.