Balanced Civilization map generation based on Open Data

Gabriella A. B. Barros, Julian Togelius

Abstract: This work investigates how to incorporate real-world data into game content so that the content is playable and enjoyable while not misrepresenting the data. We propose a method for generating balanced Civilization maps based on Open Data, describing how to acquire, transform and integrate information from different sources into a single content. Furthermore, we evolve players' initial positions in order to obtain balanced maps, while trying to minimize information accuracy loss. In addition, this paper describes a tool to assist users in this process. Maps generated using these method and tool are playable and balanced yet faithful to the original sources.