I’m looking for an algorithm to help me build 2D patterns based on rules. The idea is that I could write a script using a given site of parameters, and it would return a random, 2-dimensional sequence up to a given length.
My plan is to use this to generate image patterns based on rules. Things like image fractals or sprites for game levels could possibly use this.
For example, lets say that you can use A, B, C, & D to create the pattern. The rule is that C and A can never be next to each other, and that D always follows C. Next, lets say I want a pattern of size 4×4. The result might be the following which respects all the rules.
A B C D
B B B B
C D B B
C D C D
Are there any existing libraries that can do calculations like this? Are there any mathematical formulas I can read-up on?
While pretty inefficient concering runtime, backtracking is an often used algorithm for such a problem.
It follows a simple pattern, and if written correctly, you can easily replace a rule set into it.