majiayu000 World Generation Protocol
Dynamic world creation — questions create places. "The world grows where curiosity leads."
Core Principle
Don't pre-generate everything. Generate on demand.
When a player asks about a place that doesn't exist, create it. Questions expand the world. Exploration IS creation.
Player: "What's north?"
DM: *creates north*
Generation Philosophy
# What triggers world generation
generation_triggers:
questions: "Where did the grue come from?"
statements: "There must be a library somewhere!"
actions:
DIG: "tunnel"
CLIMB: "passage"
quests: "Objective location generates itself"
exploration: "Walking beyond known areas"
Methods
CREATE - Generate New Place
invoke: CREATE
params:
seed: "Starting concept or name"
style: "World style (fantasy, sci-fi, modern)"
parent: "What area this connects to"
effect:
- Create directory for new place
- Generate ROOM.yml with properties
- Add exits connecting to parent
- Optionally populate with objects/NPCs
EXPAND - Add to Existing Area
invoke: EXPAND
params:
from: "Existing place"
direction: "north/south/etc or conceptual"
hints: "Optional flavor hints"
effect:
- Generate adjacent room
- Add bidirectional exits
- Inherit parent's atmosphere with variations
CONNECT - Link Two Areas
invoke: CONNECT
params:
a: "First place"
b: "Second place"
type: "door/portal/path/secret"
effect:
- Add exit from A to B
- Add exit from B to A (unless one-way)
- Update both ROOM.yml files
Directory Inheritance
Directories carry behavioral defaults that children inherit:
| Parent Directory | Children Inherit |
|---|---|
maze/ |
Dark, twisty, grue-friendly |
basement/ |
Damp, underground, echoing |
tower/ |
Height, wind, views, vertigo |
dungeon/ |
Cells, guards, escape themes |
garden/ |
Outdoor, weather, growing |
library/ |
Books, quiet, knowledge |
market/ |
Vendors, crowds, commerce |
Topology Patterns
| Pattern | Structure | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Twisty maze | Randomized connections | Challenge, getting lost |
| Grid | Regular X/Y layout | Cities, chessboards |
| Star | Hub with spokes | Crossroads, central plaza |
| Loop | Circular path | Racing, time loops |
| Tree | Branching, dead ends | Dungeons, boss rooms |
| Web | Many cross-connections | Complex social spaces |
Generation Seeding
From Questions
Q: "Where does the blacksmith live?"
A: Creates blacksmith-quarters/ with:
- Forge room
- Living quarters
- Connected to market/
From Actions
Action: DIG
Creates: tunnel/ or cellar/
- Connects to current room
- Darkness, rough-hewn walls
- Possible discoveries
From Quests
Quest: "Find the ancient tome"
Creates: hidden-archive/ somewhere logical
- Contains the tome
- Appropriate guardians
- Connected via discoverable path
Lazy Evaluation
principle: "Don't create until needed"
strategy:
- Player enters room: generate exits (names only)
- Player asks about exit: generate room behind it
- Player ignores exit: it remains potential
benefits:
- Infinite worlds in finite storage
- Every playthrough unique
- Player choices shape reality
State
generation_state:
seed: 42 # Reproducibility
style: "fantasy" # World genre
generated_places: [] # What exists
pending_exits: [] # Named but not yet created
topology: "organic" # Generation pattern
Safety Guidelines
- Maintain consistency — don't contradict established facts
- Respect player agency — their discoveries are canon
- Preserve mystery — not everything needs explanation
- Allow emergence — unexpected connections enrich world
Integration
| Skill | Integration |
|---|---|
| room | Generated places are rooms |
| adventure | World generation serves the adventure |
| character | NPCs generated with their locations |
| worm | Worms can trigger generation by crawling |
Example Session
> GO NORTH
The path leads into unexplored territory...
[CREATE: forest-path/]
You find yourself on a narrow forest path. Tall oaks
loom overhead. The trail continues east and west.
> WHAT'S EAST?
[EXPAND: from=forest-path, direction=east]
Through the trees, you glimpse an ancient stone
structure — perhaps a ruin or shrine.
> GO EAST
[CREATE: old-shrine/]
A weathered shrine stands in a small clearing...