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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​

Casting (Implicit)​

The automatic conversion of data between port types. For example, a Float value of 0.7 will be implicitly cast to a True boolean if connected to a Bool Mask port.

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.

Blackboard​

A panel used to define global variables (Properties) that can be shared across a graph. These properties are exposed to the Unity Inspector for easy modification.

Sticky Note​

A UI element in the graph editor used for adding documentation, comments, and labels directly onto the canvas.

Sub-Graph​

A reusable graph snippet saved as an asset. It can be nested within other graphs to modularise logic and reduce visual clutter.