Speaking of which, the only necessary keyboard commands will be WASD for movement. Everything else right now will be handled by holding down the lmb and selecting an action from a radial menu - like the quick voice options that pop up when you press Q in Battlefield xxxx. I want your opinions on this scheme, though. Maybe it won't work out. It's an easy enough thing to change.
Can you give an example on how this would work? the way you describe, this is what i'm thinking:
You see a co-worker and walk up behind him. You then click on him(?)
I think you've got the basic idea, yeah. But there's another way to do it; instead of having to open the menu on the object, you open the menu wherever, select the action, then select the target. That sounds like a weird way to do it, but it allows you to open the menu wherever you want, so that the menu doesn't completely cover what you want to perform the action on. "Wait, was that a zombie or a coworker..?"
I've not got to that part of the engine yet, but what's written on my to-do whiteboard right now is to bind one way to the lmb, the other way to the rmb, and see which feels more comfortable.
If I'm undecided, and everything else is working alright, I might well release that test out here, and you guys can decide, or vote to scrap the system if you like. But I think it's worth trying.
Edit: Of course, there'll be the standard hotkeys as well, but for a lot of things it'll be easier to use the mouse. For example, selecting targets for actions which have a large range (firing a gun, casting a spell, talking, etc.).
That actually sounds pretty solid to me. I had BF2 for a while, so I understand what you mean with the covering of the target.
If the rmb or the lmb opens the menu, I'm guessing the other mouse button would select the options? My vote goes for rmb opening the menu, like your typical windows app.
Also, I'd think it'd be a good idea if the space bar could be mapped as a menu opening button as well. No real good reason why, but it just kinda seems to make sense to me.
Water coolers as the "fountains"
Printers contain spell memos, or are mimic printers that eat you
Vending machines for food/items
Gods of the workplace
Everytime you die it says "You're Fired"
Time/Day. Mondays are the worst/hardest days. Nightime custodians and security guards come out. Fridays casual clothes give more armor/effects. Weekends have less monsters/whatever. Overtime pay.
InitialDK on
"I'd happily trade your life for knowledge of my powers."
-Louis C.K.
Can't we just get a working engine together before the usual parade of "ideas" are spouted by mouthbreathers who still think pirates, ninjas and zombies are the height of comedy?
Time/Day. Mondays are the worst/hardest days. Nightime custodians and security guards come out. Fridays casual clothes give more armor/effects. Weekends have less monsters/whatever. Overtime pay.
As soon as you said security guards that opened up a whole new array of armour and weapons. Good work. :^:
Can't we just get a working engine together before the usual parade of "ideas" are spouted by mouthbreathers who still think pirates, ninjas and zombies are the height of comedy?
Welcome to the forums.
You are probably going to be very unhappy here.
MuddBudd on
There's no plan, there's no race to be run
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
Can't we just get a working engine together before the usual parade of "ideas" are spouted by mouthbreathers who still think pirates, ninjas and zombies are the height of comedy?
Welcome to the forums.
You are probably going to be very unhappy here.
Ben... has been here for a while, actually.
And while I think the tone is a bit harsh, I'm inclined to agree at least partially.
Can't we just get a working engine together before the usual parade of "ideas" are spouted by mouthbreathers who still think pirates, ninjas and zombies are the height of comedy?
Welcome to the forums.
You are probably going to be very unhappy here.
Man, I've been here since forever, and I'm used to the usual internet "humour" thing. I just though we were better than that here.
Seriously? Pirates vs Ninjas? Zombies? Set in an office environment filled with office "humour" and in-jokes? These sound like good ideas?
Hang yourself. I'm not joking. Take your Dilbert tie, get a good knot round the bannister at the top of the stairs, and another knot round your neck, then jump.
Can't we just get a working engine together before the usual parade of "ideas" are spouted by mouthbreathers who still think pirates, ninjas and zombies are the height of comedy?
Welcome to the forums.
You are probably going to be very unhappy here.
The majority of people who have posted and that are interested in this project have said they want to see this. Zetetic also already established why he was looking for a general theme before really getting to work on the engine.
Anyway, I'm sure that you'll be heard if you have ideas of your own to contribute, which apparently you don't.
I've got a roguelike engine I wrote in Java laying around. Right now it uses little .png images of ASCII, so altering it to use graphical tiles would take almost no effort. It's got a control scheme, combat handling, and you can make maps in notepad and it'll load them.
It's there if anyone wants it, and after it's cleaned up a little it would be a good platform to start.
Man, I've been here since forever, and I'm used to the usual internet "humour" thing. I just though we were better than that here.
Seriously? Pirates vs Ninjas? Zombies? Set in an office environment filled with office "humour" and in-jokes? These sound like good ideas?
Hang yourself. I'm not joking. Take your Dilbert tie, get a good knot round the bannister at the top of the stairs, and another knot round your neck, then jump.
It's just that this is a really good idea. A (possibly multiplatform) Roguelike that looks and plays like it was written this millenia? Sign me the fuck up!
So why then are we suggesting frankly retarded halfbaked ideas instead of helping out with the groundwork?
You think pirates vs. ninjas is rad? Great. First, welcome to 1999, hope you fit in. Second, show me a single line of code or hell, a single fucking sprite before you go cluttering up a perfectly good thread with your useless dribble.
It's just that this is a really good idea. A (possibly multiplatform) Roguelike that looks and plays like it was written this millenia? Sign me the fuck up!
So why then are we suggesting frankly retarded halfbaked ideas instead of helping out with the groundwork?
You think pirates vs. ninjas is rad? Great. First, welcome to 1999, hope you fit in. Second, show me a single line of code or hell, a single fucking sprite before you go cluttering up a perfectly good thread with your useless dribble.
Well tell us your fucking incredible ideas then, Molyneux. The mouthbreathers are waiting to revel in your genius.
It's just that this is a really good idea. A (possibly multiplatform) Roguelike that looks and plays like it was written this millenia? Sign me the fuck up!
So why then are we suggesting frankly retarded halfbaked ideas instead of helping out with the groundwork?
You think pirates vs. ninjas is rad? Great. First, welcome to 1999, hope you fit in. Second, show me a single line of code or hell, a single fucking sprite before you go cluttering up a perfectly good thread with your useless dribble.
Well tell us your fucking incredible ideas then, Molyneux. The mouthbreathers are waiting to revel in your genius.
Ben, you don't like pirates, ninjas, zombies, etc... fine. That's cool. But we've yet to see you contribute anything positive to the thread. All you've done is bitch about a lack of an engine that we've had since the first post (gamemaker), and rant about 'cliche ideas'.
So give us an alternative or shut the hell up.
MuddBudd on
There's no plan, there's no race to be run
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
It's just that this is a really good idea. A (possibly multiplatform) Roguelike that looks and plays like it was written this millenia? Sign me the fuck up!
So why then are we suggesting frankly retarded halfbaked ideas instead of helping out with the groundwork?
You think pirates vs. ninjas is rad? Great. First, welcome to 1999, hope you fit in. Second, show me a single line of code or hell, a single fucking sprite before you go cluttering up a perfectly good thread with your useless dribble.
Hey there. From all your other posts around here, you actually seem like an intelligent guy. So I'm going to talk to you like a human being.
See, I actually almost agree with you on some points. There are some ideas here that wouldn't make a good basis for a game.
But here's the thing - have you ever flicked through the Half-Life 2 art book? The first concept drawings for the original half-life look like they were drawn by five year olds. And the ideas behind them are awful. The point is that that's how things always start. By discussion and by throwing out what doesn't work, you begin to polish the game, establish an atmosphere and a feel, and get a real solid grip on how the rest of the project should evolve.
So yeah, you're probably right about some of our stuff here. But if you're interested, you need to stop being so damned close-minded and have fun. Who knows, maybe you'll come up with something that stuns us all.
It's just that this is a really good idea. A (possibly multiplatform) Roguelike that looks and plays like it was written this millenia? Sign me the fuck up!
So why then are we suggesting frankly retarded halfbaked ideas instead of helping out with the groundwork?
You think pirates vs. ninjas is rad? Great. First, welcome to 1999, hope you fit in. Second, show me a single line of code or hell, a single fucking sprite before you go cluttering up a perfectly good thread with your useless dribble.
Well tell us your fucking incredible ideas then, Molyneux. The mouthbreathers are waiting to revel in your genius.
Ben, you don't like pirates, ninjas, zombies, etc... fine. That's cool. But we've yet to see you contribute anything positive to the thread. All you've done is bitch about a lack of an engine that we've had since the first post (gamemaker), and rant about 'cliche ideas'.
So give us an alternative or shut the hell up.
Better yet, let ben make his own game. It's fine if you don't like the idea, but you're just complaining. Do it yourself if you don't like what has been presented.
Despite the naysayer I think the "office" theme is unique TO the Roguelike genre as I've never seen one.
Whatever pirates, ninjas, zombies and whatnot is just peachy to me as well.
Some form of sexual harrasment has to come into play with female enemies.
InitialDK on
"I'd happily trade your life for knowledge of my powers."
-Louis C.K.
Yes, the office theme for a rogue-like is awesome. The zombies would be completely unnecessary, but the office theme spawned from the idea of zombies (somehow).
In reality, you could throw in some of the regular Tolkien stuff and it would still be decent. You could have an orc as a janitor, or a supervisor. An elven morale leader (just thinking of an elf in a neck tie giving the guns with the click is hilarity enough).
The main catch would be throwing the basic office building workday theme in with some crazy fantasy elements to get some great humor. Shit, it could be an office building in hell, where you're a demon that's tired of the same old paperwork keeping track of torture efficiency and the current stock on human souls.
Personally, I love the idea of the office building rogue-like more than anything else, and I've been wanting a good urban zombie roguelike for a while now. The office setting really adds an element I haven't seen before.
By the way, will we get a customer appreciation bat? It'd be great to be involved in customer "service" at some point. And I assume the cardboard tube is already in.
Oh, and sexual harrassment, of course. We should stereotype the genders as much as possible concerning this area. Same sex harrassment ?
Despite the naysayer I think the "office" theme is unique TO the Roguelike genre as I've never seen one.
Whatever pirates, ninjas, zombies and whatnot is just peachy to me as well.
Some form of sexual harrasment has to come into play with female enemies.
I agree with this sentiment. The office setting is a familiar one to quite a few of us in real life, and doesn't seem like it be hard to create a vision for it in this game that sells itself well. And really, if it's done right, it doesn't matter how silly the premise is.
I will say that I agree with Ben insofar as seeing the progress you've made as soon as possible, Zetetic. When you hit a milestone, it'd be great to know about it. Also a test build before you move on to the full effort, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
I like the cut of this jib, but if it's going to be office themed, it will be an affront to the (zombie) gods if it wasn't chockfull of "the Office" quotes.
The ability to beat up Ricky Gervais alone, the oppurtunities!
Also, I want to suggest the ability to
1) Chainsaw off zombie limbs
2) Beat up zombies with said zombie limbs.
Hmm, going on with the crafting idea, would it be possible to set up complex traps? Use a 40 foot long extension cord along with a copy machine, shove the copier out the 7th story window, and anything getting caught by the cord will get yanked out the window with the machine as it plummets to the pavement.
The time involved to set it up might not really be worth it in practicality, but seeing it in action would be more than enough for me.
I'm pretty sure you're supposed to plan and design before you write code to implement your ideas.
Correct!
We already have an engine (GameMaker).
GAMEMAKER IS NOT AN ENGINE! IT IS WAY TO GET AROUND CODING!
We should do a engine first,as we need to know what the engine can do before we throw awesome sounding themes around.
It all depends on how you describe 'engine'. The game mechanics aren't there yet, but the means of implementing them are, and can be implemented within a day.
I'm pretty sure you're supposed to plan and design before you write code to implement your ideas.
Correct!
We already have an engine (GameMaker).
GAMEMAKER IS NOT AN ENGINE! IT IS WAY TO GET AROUND CODING!
We should do a engine first,as we need to know what the engine can do before we throw awesome sounding themes around.
It all depends on how you describe 'engine'. The game mechanics aren't there yet, but the means of implementing them are, and can be implemented within a day.
It would take a lot more than a day to make a roguelike engine in Gamemaker.
I'm pretty sure you're supposed to plan and design before you write code to implement your ideas.
Correct!
We already have an engine (GameMaker).
GAMEMAKER IS NOT AN ENGINE! IT IS WAY TO GET AROUND CODING!
We should do a engine first,as we need to know what the engine can do before we throw awesome sounding themes around.
It all depends on how you describe 'engine'. The game mechanics aren't there yet, but the means of implementing them are, and can be implemented within a day.
It would take a lot more than a day to make a roguelike engine in Gamemaker.
You can flesh out a basic one in a day. No game is ever finished.
What on earth do you even describe as an 'engine'?
I'm pretty sure you're supposed to plan and design before you write code to implement your ideas.
Correct!
We already have an engine (GameMaker).
GAMEMAKER IS NOT AN ENGINE! IT IS WAY TO GET AROUND CODING!
We should do a engine first,as we need to know what the engine can do before we throw awesome sounding themes around.
It all depends on how you describe 'engine'. The game mechanics aren't there yet, but the means of implementing them are, and can be implemented within a day.
It would take a lot more than a day to make a roguelike engine in Gamemaker.
You can flesh out a basic one in a day. No game is ever finished.
What on earth do you even describe as an 'engine'?
The program that processes input, displays images, and produces sound. Without having specifications, it's hard to design an engine to do anything with it since you don't know what your limits are.
You could write one with high limits and plenty of memory allocated, but it's going to be slower and use a lot more memory than if you knew what you wanted before writing it.
You need to know how big the models will be (if it's 3D, tile and map sizes and bit depth if it's 2D), how detailed the textures will be (so you know how much memory you need to allocate to each texture), what format the sounds will be in, and a bunch of other things that are hard to do without specifications.
I'm pretty sure you're supposed to plan and design before you write code to implement your ideas.
Correct!
We already have an engine (GameMaker).
GAMEMAKER IS NOT AN ENGINE! IT IS WAY TO GET AROUND CODING!
We should do a engine first,as we need to know what the engine can do before we throw awesome sounding themes around.
It all depends on how you describe 'engine'. The game mechanics aren't there yet, but the means of implementing them are, and can be implemented within a day.
It would take a lot more than a day to make a roguelike engine in Gamemaker.
You can flesh out a basic one in a day. No game is ever finished.
What on earth do you even describe as an 'engine'?
The program that processes input, displays images, and produces sound. Without having specifications, it's hard to design an engine to do anything with it since you don't know what your limits are.
You could write one with high limits and plenty of memory allocated, but it's going to be slower and use a lot more memory than if you knew what you wanted before writing it.
You need to know how big the models will be (if it's 3D, tile and map sizes and bit depth if it's 2D), how detailed the textures will be (so you know how much memory you need to allocate to each texture), what format the sounds will be in, and a bunch of other things that are hard to do without specifications.
Note that while Gamemaker does sounds and images pretty well by itself, it wasn't really design to create a rougelike game, so random map' etc, and the ast, vast amoujt of text needed could mess it up.
I'm pretty sure you're supposed to plan and design before you write code to implement your ideas.
Correct!
We already have an engine (GameMaker).
GAMEMAKER IS NOT AN ENGINE! IT IS WAY TO GET AROUND CODING!
We should do a engine first,as we need to know what the engine can do before we throw awesome sounding themes around.
It all depends on how you describe 'engine'. The game mechanics aren't there yet, but the means of implementing them are, and can be implemented within a day.
It would take a lot more than a day to make a roguelike engine in Gamemaker.
You can flesh out a basic one in a day. No game is ever finished.
What on earth do you even describe as an 'engine'?
The program that processes input, displays images, and produces sound. Without having specifications, it's hard to design an engine to do anything with it since you don't know what your limits are.
You could write one with high limits and plenty of memory allocated, but it's going to be slower and use a lot more memory than if you knew what you wanted before writing it.
You need to know how big the models will be (if it's 3D, tile and map sizes and bit depth if it's 2D), how detailed the textures will be (so you know how much memory you need to allocate to each texture), what format the sounds will be in, and a bunch of other things that are hard to do without specifications.
I know what an engine is, I've programmed games before, I was asking him.
I'm pretty sure you're supposed to plan and design before you write code to implement your ideas.
Correct!
We already have an engine (GameMaker).
GAMEMAKER IS NOT AN ENGINE! IT IS WAY TO GET AROUND CODING!
We should do a engine first,as we need to know what the engine can do before we throw awesome sounding themes around.
It all depends on how you describe 'engine'. The game mechanics aren't there yet, but the means of implementing them are, and can be implemented within a day.
It would take a lot more than a day to make a roguelike engine in Gamemaker.
You can flesh out a basic one in a day. No game is ever finished.
What on earth do you even describe as an 'engine'?
The program that processes input, displays images, and produces sound. Without having specifications, it's hard to design an engine to do anything with it since you don't know what your limits are.
You could write one with high limits and plenty of memory allocated, but it's going to be slower and use a lot more memory than if you knew what you wanted before writing it.
You need to know how big the models will be (if it's 3D, tile and map sizes and bit depth if it's 2D), how detailed the textures will be (so you know how much memory you need to allocate to each texture), what format the sounds will be in, and a bunch of other things that are hard to do without specifications.
Note that while Gamemaker does sounds and images pretty well by itself, it wasn't really design to create a rougelike game, so random map' etc, and the ast, vast amoujt of text needed could mess it up.
You'd be surprised what people can do with it. I've seen MMO's made with GameMaker.
Posts
Can you give an example on how this would work? the way you describe, this is what i'm thinking:
You see a co-worker and walk up behind him. You then click on him(?)
*click*
Eh?
I've not got to that part of the engine yet, but what's written on my to-do whiteboard right now is to bind one way to the lmb, the other way to the rmb, and see which feels more comfortable.
If I'm undecided, and everything else is working alright, I might well release that test out here, and you guys can decide, or vote to scrap the system if you like. But I think it's worth trying.
Edit: Of course, there'll be the standard hotkeys as well, but for a lot of things it'll be easier to use the mouse. For example, selecting targets for actions which have a large range (firing a gun, casting a spell, talking, etc.).
If the rmb or the lmb opens the menu, I'm guessing the other mouse button would select the options? My vote goes for rmb opening the menu, like your typical windows app.
Also, I'd think it'd be a good idea if the space bar could be mapped as a menu opening button as well. No real good reason why, but it just kinda seems to make sense to me.
Water coolers as the "fountains"
Printers contain spell memos, or are mimic printers that eat you
Vending machines for food/items
Gods of the workplace
Everytime you die it says "You're Fired"
Time/Day. Mondays are the worst/hardest days. Nightime custodians and security guards come out. Fridays casual clothes give more armor/effects. Weekends have less monsters/whatever. Overtime pay.
-Louis C.K.
Can't we just get a working engine together before the usual parade of "ideas" are spouted by mouthbreathers who still think pirates, ninjas and zombies are the height of comedy?
Pens
Staplers
Secretary's Hairpins
Phones
Paper Cutters
Fax Machine Tops
Guns you find in disgruntled worker's desks
Hah! The bosses are totally your gods. They see all via security cameras?
As soon as you said security guards that opened up a whole new array of armour and weapons. Good work. :^:
Welcome to the forums.
You are probably going to be very unhappy here.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
Ben... has been here for a while, actually.
And while I think the tone is a bit harsh, I'm inclined to agree at least partially.
Man, I've been here since forever, and I'm used to the usual internet "humour" thing. I just though we were better than that here.
Seriously? Pirates vs Ninjas? Zombies? Set in an office environment filled with office "humour" and in-jokes? These sound like good ideas?
Hang yourself. I'm not joking. Take your Dilbert tie, get a good knot round the bannister at the top of the stairs, and another knot round your neck, then jump.
The fact we don't even have anything remotely resembling a working engine, nor any real proof we will ever see such a thing and people are spewing this clichéd bullshit already makes me lose faith in this forum as a whole, and given the recent PS3 and Xbox360 threads it was pretty fucking low.
The majority of people who have posted and that are interested in this project have said they want to see this. Zetetic also already established why he was looking for a general theme before really getting to work on the engine.
Anyway, I'm sure that you'll be heard if you have ideas of your own to contribute, which apparently you don't.
It's there if anyone wants it, and after it's cleaned up a little it would be a good platform to start.
If you're so upset by lack of an engine and ideas you don't like, stop trolling and provide and engine or some alternative ideas.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
So why then are we suggesting frankly retarded halfbaked ideas instead of helping out with the groundwork?
You think pirates vs. ninjas is rad? Great. First, welcome to 1999, hope you fit in. Second, show me a single line of code or hell, a single fucking sprite before you go cluttering up a perfectly good thread with your useless dribble.
Seriously. Who pissed in your cereal? God?
Zombies.
Not God
Correct!
We already have an engine (GameMaker).
Well tell us your fucking incredible ideas then, Molyneux. The mouthbreathers are waiting to revel in your genius.
Ben, you don't like pirates, ninjas, zombies, etc... fine. That's cool. But we've yet to see you contribute anything positive to the thread. All you've done is bitch about a lack of an engine that we've had since the first post (gamemaker), and rant about 'cliche ideas'.
So give us an alternative or shut the hell up.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
Hey there. From all your other posts around here, you actually seem like an intelligent guy. So I'm going to talk to you like a human being.
See, I actually almost agree with you on some points. There are some ideas here that wouldn't make a good basis for a game.
But here's the thing - have you ever flicked through the Half-Life 2 art book? The first concept drawings for the original half-life look like they were drawn by five year olds. And the ideas behind them are awful. The point is that that's how things always start. By discussion and by throwing out what doesn't work, you begin to polish the game, establish an atmosphere and a feel, and get a real solid grip on how the rest of the project should evolve.
So yeah, you're probably right about some of our stuff here. But if you're interested, you need to stop being so damned close-minded and have fun. Who knows, maybe you'll come up with something that stuns us all.
Better yet, let ben make his own game. It's fine if you don't like the idea, but you're just complaining. Do it yourself if you don't like what has been presented.
Whatever pirates, ninjas, zombies and whatnot is just peachy to me as well.
Some form of sexual harrasment has to come into play with female enemies.
-Louis C.K.
In reality, you could throw in some of the regular Tolkien stuff and it would still be decent. You could have an orc as a janitor, or a supervisor. An elven morale leader (just thinking of an elf in a neck tie giving the guns with the click is hilarity enough).
The main catch would be throwing the basic office building workday theme in with some crazy fantasy elements to get some great humor. Shit, it could be an office building in hell, where you're a demon that's tired of the same old paperwork keeping track of torture efficiency and the current stock on human souls.
Personally, I love the idea of the office building rogue-like more than anything else, and I've been wanting a good urban zombie roguelike for a while now. The office setting really adds an element I haven't seen before.
By the way, will we get a customer appreciation bat? It'd be great to be involved in customer "service" at some point. And I assume the cardboard tube is already in.
Oh, and sexual harrassment, of course. We should stereotype the genders as much as possible concerning this area. Same sex harrassment ?
I agree with this sentiment. The office setting is a familiar one to quite a few of us in real life, and doesn't seem like it be hard to create a vision for it in this game that sells itself well. And really, if it's done right, it doesn't matter how silly the premise is.
I will say that I agree with Ben insofar as seeing the progress you've made as soon as possible, Zetetic. When you hit a milestone, it'd be great to know about it. Also a test build before you move on to the full effort, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
Watch the Crimson Permanent Assurance. That's what I think the crafting system should be.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
The ability to beat up Ricky Gervais alone, the oppurtunities!
Also, I want to suggest the ability to
1) Chainsaw off zombie limbs
2) Beat up zombies with said zombie limbs.
The time involved to set it up might not really be worth it in practicality, but seeing it in action would be more than enough for me.
We should do a engine first,as we need to know what the engine can do before we throw awesome sounding themes around.
It all depends on how you describe 'engine'. The game mechanics aren't there yet, but the means of implementing them are, and can be implemented within a day.
You can flesh out a basic one in a day. No game is ever finished.
What on earth do you even describe as an 'engine'?
The program that processes input, displays images, and produces sound. Without having specifications, it's hard to design an engine to do anything with it since you don't know what your limits are.
You could write one with high limits and plenty of memory allocated, but it's going to be slower and use a lot more memory than if you knew what you wanted before writing it.
You need to know how big the models will be (if it's 3D, tile and map sizes and bit depth if it's 2D), how detailed the textures will be (so you know how much memory you need to allocate to each texture), what format the sounds will be in, and a bunch of other things that are hard to do without specifications.
I know what an engine is, I've programmed games before, I was asking him.
You'd be surprised what people can do with it. I've seen MMO's made with GameMaker.