3 ms·

Roguelike creators need to experiment a bit more with different themes and different core mechanics to make gameplayore interesting and diverse. > High Fantasy

by platz 7y ago

Roguelike creators need to experiment a bit more with different themes and different core mechanics to make gameplayore interesting and diverse. > High Fantasy is the vanilla ice cream of video game themes https://www.goldenkronehotel.com/wp/2018/08/01/things-i-hate-about-roguelikes-part-4-bog-standard-dungeons/ https://www.goldenkronehotel.com/wp/2018/08/01/things-i-hate... > We have lots and lots of fantasy dungeon crawlers, so naturally if you want to really distinguish your project, go for any unique theme that’s not a fantasy dungeon crawler. https://www.gridsagegames.com/blog/2018/10/how-to-make-a-roguelike/ https://www.gridsagegames.com/blog/2018/10/how-to-make-a-rog... https://www.gridsagegames.com/blog/gsg-content/uploads/2018/10/roguelike_theme_list.png https://www.gridsagegames.com/blog/gsg-content/uploads/2018/...

panzagl 7y ago
For commercial roguelikes, sure, but the roguelike community overall really is a hobbyist community. It mostly seems to consist of developers who have come to the realization that while CRUD and web apps have been a good way to pay the mortgage, the real reason they got into computers in the first place was to play D&D.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- krapp 7y ago
  Might as well make the game you want to play, because chances are the game you want to sell, won't.
tstrimple 7y ago
Cogmind is a good example of a roguelike which took a different direction thematically and aesthetically and it seems to have worked out well for them.
fragsworth 7y ago
Go too far and you end up drawing the ire of the roguelike purists, for calling your game roguelike. Unfortunate reality. Roguelite has different overarching connotations as well, so it's a bit polarizing.
yters 7y ago
I'm surprised the context is always fantasy instead of sci fi, given the games are inherently tech dependent.
- Wohlf 7y ago
  Historical reasons mostly, but also fantasy is a lot easier. You don't have to pretend to be realistic. That said, if fantasy is vanilla then sci-fi is chocolate.
  - krapp 7y ago
    >Historical reasons mostly, but also fantasy is a lot easier. You don't have to pretend to be realistic. I know what you mean to say but good fantasy tries as hard to be "realistic" (in terms of plausibility and internal consistency) as good science fiction. Although in terms of providing recognizable game mechanics that resonate with a genre, fantasy is definitely easier thanks to the influence of D&D.
- setr 7y ago
  rogue, and most of its descendants, are really just a computer-implementation of DnD/ADnD -- particularly focusing on the combat mechanics. This is also where most of the core mechanics come from -- dungeoneering, permadeath, the lack of interest in keeping your character alive & the lack of interest in things like backstory and what-not, the general weapon mechanics (eg [+1, +2] for accuracy, damage bonus) and combat rules, etc. In this context, anything but fantasy would be surprising
TomasSedovic 7y ago
This comment feels like a bit of a non-sequitor, but I agree. Cogmind is amazing, my own roguelike is quite abstract and a lot of the ones that really gripped me are not yer classic orcs and trolls. If this is the reaction to the theme in the Rust tutorial that the original post talks about, that's because it's basically a port of the classic Python+libtcod one. It implements the same game, but walks the reader through doing it in Rust. I (not OP but the author of the article and the Rust tut) wanted to use the same game & structure so folks can compare and contrast. A lot of folks are coming from Python or are familiar with libtcod. Plus it's trained generations of RL devs for better or worse. If you do want to see roguelike creators experimenting, check out the annual Seven Day Roguelike Challenge[1]. Lots of absolutely amazing stuff keeps coming out of that, including most of my favourites. [1]: http://www.roguebasin.com/index.php?title=Seven_Day_Roguelike_Challenge http://www.roguebasin.com/index.php?title=Seven_Day_Roguelik...

by platz 7y ago

panzagl 7y ago

For commercial roguelikes, sure, but the roguelike community overall really is a hobbyist community. It mostly seems to consist of developers who have come to the realization that while CRUD and web apps have been a good way to pay the mortgage, the real reason they got into computers in the first place was to play D&D.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
krapp 7y ago
Might as well make the game you want to play, because chances are the game you want to sell, won't.

tstrimple 7y ago

Cogmind is a good example of a roguelike which took a different direction thematically and aesthetically and it seems to have worked out well for them.

fragsworth 7y ago

Go too far and you end up drawing the ire of the roguelike purists, for calling your game roguelike. Unfortunate reality. Roguelite has different overarching connotations as well, so it's a bit polarizing.

yters 7y ago

I'm surprised the context is always fantasy instead of sci fi, given the games are inherently tech dependent.

Wohlf 7y ago
Historical reasons mostly, but also fantasy is a lot easier. You don't have to pretend to be realistic. That said, if fantasy is vanilla then sci-fi is chocolate.
- krapp 7y ago
  >Historical reasons mostly, but also fantasy is a lot easier. You don't have to pretend to be realistic. I know what you mean to say but good fantasy tries as hard to be "realistic" (in terms of plausibility and internal consistency) as good science fiction. Although in terms of providing recognizable game mechanics that resonate with a genre, fantasy is definitely easier thanks to the influence of D&D.
setr 7y ago
rogue, and most of its descendants, are really just a computer-implementation of DnD/ADnD -- particularly focusing on the combat mechanics. This is also where most of the core mechanics come from -- dungeoneering, permadeath, the lack of interest in keeping your character alive & the lack of interest in things like backstory and what-not, the general weapon mechanics (eg [+1, +2] for accuracy, damage bonus) and combat rules, etc. In this context, anything but fantasy would be surprising

TomasSedovic 7y ago

This comment feels like a bit of a non-sequitor, but I agree. Cogmind is amazing, my own roguelike is quite abstract and a lot of the ones that really gripped me are not yer classic orcs and trolls. If this is the reaction to the theme in the Rust tutorial that the original post talks about, that's because it's basically a port of the classic Python+libtcod one. It implements the same game, but walks the reader through doing it in Rust. I (not OP but the author of the article and the Rust tut) wanted to use the same game & structure so folks can compare and contrast. A lot of folks are coming from Python or are familiar with libtcod. Plus it's trained generations of RL devs for better or worse. If you do want to see roguelike creators experimenting, check out the annual Seven Day Roguelike Challenge[1]. Lots of absolutely amazing stuff keeps coming out of that, including most of my favourites. [1]: http://www.roguebasin.com/index.php?title=Seven_Day_Roguelike_Challenge http://www.roguebasin.com/index.php?title=Seven_Day_Roguelik...