Dynamic Protocol

Dynamic Protocol: A Player-Responsive Sci-Fi Dungeon Crawler is a top-down prototype created as a proof of concept for an adaptive game design framework that allows a game to adjust its mechanics, structure, and overall experience based on the player’s in-game behavior while still preserving designer control.

In the game, you explore procedurally generated sci-fi dungeon levels, avoiding or eliminating enemies as you search for the exit structure. Reaching the exit generates a new level and continues the cycle. As you play, the system tracks whether your behavior leans more toward stealth or action, then adapts the next level to better match your emerging playstyle.

The prototype is designed around two contrasting but compatible gameplay styles: stealth and action. Players can move carefully, avoid detection, and rely on stealth-oriented strategies, or engage enemies more directly through combat. The game dynamically shifts between these design directions based on how the player actually plays.

As a research prototype, Dynamic Protocol does not focus on long-term progression, narrative, or a full commercial gameplay loop. Instead, its purpose is to demonstrate how adaptive game systems can respond to player behavior and generate gameplay experiences that better align with different player preferences.

This game was created as part of the thesis An Adaptive Game Design Framework for Dynamically Interpolating Gameplay Experiences Based on Player Behavior by Firas Maayah. The thesis was completed for a Master’s degree in Integrated Architecture & Design through the Department of Virtual Technology and Design, Art & Architecture, at the University of Idaho, under the supervision of Yumna Kurdi.