Procedurally Generated World With History Simulation and 3D Map
Xuanchen“ Alvin”
Xuanchen“ Alvin” SHEN
Software Development
Procedurally Generated World With History Simulation and 3D Map
For my six-month thesis project, I developed a procedural world-generation tool that dynamically creates customizable virtual worlds with simulated histories and interactive 3D maps. My goal was to address the limitations of static environments in games and simulations by designing a system that could generate evolving, seed-driven worlds with realistic sociopolitical and geographic dynamics.
I used Voronoi diagrams, constructed via Fortune’ s algorithm, to partition terrain into provinces with distinct geographic features, such as continents, oceans, and rivers. Using these partitions, I procedurally derived climate systems, hydrology( including precipitation and river flow), and temperature gradients. A core focus was simulating historical evolution; I designed systems for development, war, and diplomatic interactions between procedurally
generated nations. Cities, trade routes, and political borders emerged organically based on culture distribution and terrain data. I also implemented user-editable features, allowing adjustments to province ownership, province data, and country data before exporting structured XML data for external applications.
This project strengthened my skills in algorithm usage( e. g., Fortune’ s Algorithm or A * Algorithm), simulation design( climate and cultural systems), and multithreaded programming.
I chose this project to explore the intersection of procedural generation and emergent storytelling, motivated by the gaming industry’ s growing demand for dynamic, replayable worlds.
82 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT