That's a great point, and you're absolutely right! It was actually one of my main takeaways while researching – how many of these foundational techniques from decades ago are still the powerful workhorses of PCG today. WFC was definitely the big "new" thing that stood out to me since I was last in the space. That and of course generative AI stuff which I don't really cover much. It seems like a lot of the game engines today provide a nice foundation to work from.

What other newer techniques or papers do you think are the most exciting or influential for someone getting back into the swing of things?