Procedural Map Generator
Create deterministic 2D ASCII maps using procedural noise. Generate heightmaps, terrain with vegetation, biome variety, or island configurations for game prototypes, world builders, and procedural generation testing.
Also known as: map generator · terrain generator
seeded
Presets
Output
About this tool, tips & examples
What it does
The Procedural Map Generator builds ASCII world maps from deterministic noise in four styles: raw heightmaps, terrain with vegetation, biome variety, and island formations. Maps run from 4×4 up to 80×80 characters, and every map regenerates exactly from its seed — the whole world compresses to one string.
Common use cases
- Game prototypes — overworld maps for roguelikes and strategy games while the real generator is still a TODO.
- Worldbuilding — an island or continent shape to spark a campaign map; print the ASCII and sketch over it.
- Learning procedural generation — see how noise becomes terrain, then biomes, then islands, one map type at a time.
- Fixture worlds — seeded maps make pathfinding and spawning tests deterministic.
Settings
- Map type — heightmap, terrain, biome, or island (presets for small terrain and island).
- Width / Height — 4 to 80 characters each.
- Seed — the same seed, type, and size always regenerate the identical map. Share the seed, share the world.
Privacy note
Maps are generated locally in your browser and never uploaded. Output is deterministic procedural content — synthetic geography for games and teaching.
FAQ
How does noise become a map? Each cell gets a noise value; thresholds map value ranges to symbols (water below 0.3, plains to 0.6, mountains above — that kind of rule). The island type additionally fades values toward the edges so land clusters centrally.
What do the symbols mean? Each map type uses a small legend of ASCII characters for its features — consistent within a map, so parsing it in code is a one-liner.
I need dungeons, not overworlds. The Maze & Dungeon generator covers interiors (mazes, caves, room layouts); the Perlin & Simplex tool exposes the raw noise grids these maps are built from.