MORPH: A Reference Architecture for Configuration and Behaviour Self-Adaptation

An architectural approach to self-adaptive systems involves runtime change of system configuration (i.e., the system's components, their bindings and operational parameters) and behaviour update (i.e., component orchestration). Thus, dynamic reconfiguration and discrete event control theory are at the heart of architectural adaptation. Although controlling configuration and behaviour at runtime has been discussed and applied to architectural adaptation, architectures for self-adaptive systems often compound these two aspects reducing the potential for adaptability. In this paper we propose a reference architecture that allows for coordinated yet transparent and independent adaptation of system configuration and behaviour

Multi-level evolution of shooter levels

This paper introduces a search-based generative process for first person shooter levels. Genetic algorithms evolve the level’s architecture and the placement of powerups and player spawnpoints, generating levels with one floor or two floors. The evaluation of generated levels combines metrics collected from simulations of artificial agents competing in the level and theory-based heuristics targeting general level design patterns. Both simulation-based and theory-driven evaluations target player balance and exploration, while resulting levels emergently exhibit several popular design patters of shooter levels.The research was supported, in part, by the FP7 ICT projects C2Learn (project no: 318480) and ILearnRW (project no: 318803), and by the FP7 Marie Curie CIG project AutoGameDesign (project no: 630665).peer-reviewe

Targeting horror via level and soundscape generation

Horror games form a peculiar niche within game design paradigms, as they entertain by eliciting negative emotions such as fear and unease to their audience during play. This genre often follows a specific progression of tension culminating at a metaphorical peak, which is defined by the designer. A player’s tension is elicited by several facets of the game, including its mechanics, its sounds, and the placement of enemies in its levels. This paper investigates how designers can control and guide the automated generation of levels and their soundscapes by authoring the intended tension of a player traversing them.The research was supported, in part, by the FP7 ICT projects C2Learn (project no: 318480) and ILearnRW (project no: 318803), and by the FP7 Marie Curie CIG project Auto- GameDesign (project no: 630665).peer-reviewe