Generating Map Sketches for Strategy Games

How can a human and an algorithm productively collaborate on generating game content? In this paper, we try to answer this question in the context of generating balanced and interesting low-resolution sketches for game levels. We introduce six important criteria for successful strategy game maps, and present map sketches optimized for one or more of these criteria via a constrained evolutionary algorithm. The sketch-based map representation and the computationally lightweight evaluation methods are geared towards the integration of the evolutionary algorithm within a mixed-initiative tool, allowing for the co-creation of game content by a human and an artificial designer.