In Search of Patterns: Disrupting RPG Classes through Procedural Content Generation

This paper presents a first attempt at exploring the search space of Role-Playing Game (RPG) skill systems, with the hope to find stable patterns outside of conventional RPG classes. At the foundation of the experiment is a small text-based game that allows human players to enter RPG combat and uses an evolutionary algorithm to generate and suggest new character abilities to them. The content representation was carefully chosen to be simultaneously simple and expressive. The evaluation function scores abilities based on their use by players. While the game is far from finished, preliminary test results are encouraging.

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