Video: Understanding the technique behind Spelunky 's level design

Spelunky has earned its place in the pantheon of indie classics, and that's due in no small part to how playable its procedurally generated levels are.

has earned its place in the pantheon of indie classics, and that's due in no small part to how playable its procedurally generated levels are. Making a game spit out highly playable and engaging randomly-generated content that sits on par with hand-authored design is exceedingly tricky.

Fortunately, there's an expalantion for Spelunky developer Derek Yu's method. Based in large part on Yu's own book on Spelunky 's development, this video clearly examines his technique. (Hat tip to Kotaku's Patrick Klepek for finding it first.)

For more from Yu on the development of Spelunky , you can read an extract from the bookhere on Gamasutra.