McRogueFace/roguelike_tutorial/README_PART_03.md

Simple TCOD Tutorial Part 3 - Generating a dungeon

This is Part 3 of the Simple TCOD Tutorial adapted for McRogueFace. We now add procedural dungeon generation to create interesting, playable levels.

Running the Code

From your tutorial build directory:

cd simple_tcod_tutorial/build
./mcrogueface scripts/main.py

New Features

Procedural Generation Module (game/procgen.py)

This dedicated module demonstrates separation of concerns - dungeon generation logic is kept separate from the game map implementation.

RectangularRoom Class

• Clean Abstraction: Represents a room with position and dimensions
• Utility Properties:
  • center - Returns room center for connections
  • inner - Returns slice objects for efficient carving
• Intersection Detection: intersects() method prevents overlapping rooms

Tunnel Generation

• L-Shaped Corridors: Simple but effective connection method
• Iterator Pattern: tunnel_between() yields coordinates efficiently
• Random Variation: 50/50 chance of horizontal-first vs vertical-first

Dungeon Generation Algorithm

def generate_dungeon(max_rooms, room_min_size, room_max_size, 
                    map_width, map_height, engine) -> GameMap:

• Simple Algorithm: Try to place random rooms, reject overlaps
• Automatic Connection: Each room connects to the previous one
• Player Placement: First room contains the player
• Entity-Centric: Uses player.place() for proper lifecycle

Architecture Benefits

Modular Design

• Generation logic separate from GameMap
• Easy to swap algorithms later
• Room class reusable for other features

Forward Thinking

• Engine parameter anticipates entity spawning
• Room list available for future features
• Iterator-based tunnel generation is memory efficient

Clean Integration

• Works seamlessly with existing entity placement
• Respects GameMap's tile management
• No special cases or hacks needed

Visual Changes

• Map size increased to 80x45 for better dungeons
• Zoom reduced to 1.0 to see more of the map
• Random room layouts each time
• Connected rooms and corridors

Algorithm Details

The generation follows these steps:

1. Start with a map filled with walls
2. Try to place up to max_rooms rooms
3. For each room attempt:
   • Generate random size and position
   • Check for intersections with existing rooms
   • If valid, carve out the room
   • Connect to previous room (if any)
4. Place player in center of first room

This simple algorithm creates playable dungeons while being easy to understand and modify.

What's Next

Part 4 will add:

• Field of View (FOV) system
• Explored vs unexplored areas
• Light and dark tile rendering
• Torch radius around player

The modular dungeon generation makes it easy to add these visual features without touching the generation code.