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Roguelikes: Was I supposed to take a left back there?
undeinPirat
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Roguelike games are games that are like Rogue. In general this means that the dungeon the player traverses is random every time, and the items are also randomly enchanted and cursed every time. This leads to a very high amount of replayability in these games. Other common features are permadeath, ie once you die, you have to start another character. Also, the game is turn-based, meaning you can wait and think about every move with the utmost consideration!
What follows is a list of common roguelikes, although it is highly incomplete at this point. If you know a good deal about a game that isn't on this list yet, please post a description or a link and I will edit it in.Also, if you like how most of these games are free and are stand alone developers, why not go find more games of that kind at The Indie Games Thread(some game links & descriptions borrowed with much thanks to Henroid).
Nethack:
Transcendence:
Alphaman:
Dungeon Crawl :
Scourge:
Gearhead:
Liberal Crime Squad:
Indie Roguelikes!(List copy+pasted from The Indie Games Thread)
Roguelike
What follows is a list of common roguelikes, although it is highly incomplete at this point. If you know a good deal about a game that isn't on this list yet, please post a description or a link and I will edit it in.Also, if you like how most of these games are free and are stand alone developers, why not go find more games of that kind at The Indie Games Thread(some game links & descriptions borrowed with much thanks to Henroid).
Nethack:
undeinpirat wrote:Nethack is a roguelike dungeon crawler, boasting a wide assortment of classes and items to use on your journey down through the Dungeons of Doom, into Gehennom to retrieve the Amulet of Yendor, get to the Astral plane and offer it to your god!
To find out more about the game, try its homepage : http://www.nethack.org/index.html
This game is known to be hard to win, in fact some people have been playing for decades and haven't ascended, even with the entire game being dissected and analyzed! As a roguelike game, it is mostly random every playthrough. One time, an ebony wand may be a wand of wishing; the next, a wand of death. This gives the game unlimited replayability and shocking surprises everytime!
Useful links:
Wikihack, the Nethack wiki: http://nethack.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
Eva Myers' comprehensive list of Nethack spoilers: http://www.statslab.cam.ac.uk/~eva/nethack/spoilerlist.html
nethack.alt.org (NAO) telnet Nethack server: http://alt.org/nethack/
A very active irc channel mainly for the NAO server but also for people playing on their own is available at #nethack on irc.freenode.org.
How well will you fare?
Transcendence:
Wassermelone wrote:Transcendence is a pretty amazing roguelike inspired 2d realtime spaceship dungeon (star system) crawler:
http://neurohack.com/transcendence/
Its rather good fun.
Alphaman:
smoocow2k wrote:I really liked Alphaman when I was about 15 or 16. It was a bit of a simpler roguelike, but it had some funny items and context. I remember it was my first roguelike and it kept me playing mainly because I thought it was funny that after a nuclear disaster the only foods remaining were beef-a-roni and spam.
It was a based in a post-apocalyptic world and that graphics were pretty understandable (for the most part)
Link:
http://members.chello.at/theodor.lauppert/games/alphaman.htm
Dungeon Crawl :
So I downloaded Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup. I am loving it so far. It even has a tutorial for newbies like me! The only other rougelike I really played was Dwarf Fortress.
The great thing about Crawl - and I apologize if this has already been mentioned - is that they (rightly) think it's silly that you need a FAQ to do most anything in other roguelikes. So the interface and the game world provides you with much, much more information on request. Like, in ADOM, only time, experience, or a spoiler list will tell you what happens when you eat a certain corpse. In Crawl? Right-click and it tells you. They even color code the poison- and sickness-inducing ones.
Which isn't to say a peek at the Wiki wouldn't be prudent now and again. It's just not really necessary to progress when right-clicking any identified object tells you what it does.
Scourge:
So I dont know how long this has been around but I just discovered it:
Scourge.
And it has graphics! and they are not that bad.
Im downloading it right now to see what its like. Anyone play it before?
http://scourgeweb.org/tiki-index.php
Gearhead:
Eric Zahn wrote:www.gearheadrpg.com
GearHead is a futuristic roguelike game, created by Joseph Hewitt. It's the first roguelike centered around GIANT FRIKKING ROBOTS. Choose from over twenty careers, each affecting your skills and starting relationships. A sequel, creatively named GearHead 2, is in development, with a drastically different skill system(Jo's promised to roll the new system into the first game) and the eventual promise of being able to diplomance your way through most of the game.
Liberal Crime Squad:
Eric Zahn wrote:Welcome to Liberal Crime Squad!The Conservatives have taken the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of government. Over time, the Liberal laws of this nation will erode and turn the country into a BACKWOODS YET CORPORATE NIGHTMARE. To prevent this from happening, the Liberal Crime Squad was established. The mood of the country is shifting, and we need to turn things around. Go out on the streets and indoctrinate Conservative automatons. That is, let them see their True Liberal Nature. Then arm them and send them forth to Stop Evil. Eventually the public will fall behind us, and we will put more Elite Liberals in government.
Indie Roguelikes!(List copy+pasted from The Indie Games Thread)
Roguelike
Incursion
Lost Legends
Angband
Powder
Nethack (PA)
3059
Triangle Wizard
Dwarf Fortress (PA)
Transcendence
SoulFu
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup
Spelunky
Lost Legends
Description: A very poor graphics roguelike that is none the less in the First Person Perspective. Soon to have random terrain generation, it will prove well to keep an eye on it.
Site: Clicky!
Additional Info:
Site: Clicky!
Additional Info:
Angband
Description: A Tolkien inspired rogue like choose from many races and classes to try and help them defeat the evil Sauron and Morgoth.
Site: Clicky!
Additional Info: Link to official site within the link above?
Site: Clicky!
Additional Info: Link to official site within the link above?
Powder
Description: A tradtional roguelike through and through, players will try for the goal to get to the 25th level of the dungeon, retrieve the Heart of Baezl'bub, and then return to the surface world. What makes this difficult is the requirement to not die on the way.
Site: Clicky!
Additional Info:
Site: Clicky!
Additional Info:
Nethack (PA)
Description: A classic, journey with your dog(or cat) through various levels of dungeons in your quest for the amulet of Yendor.
Site: Clicky!
Additional Info: We have a thread on this game.
Site: Clicky!
Additional Info: We have a thread on this game.
3059
Description: A very deep, real time, futuristic roguelike. Form parties, fight aliens, or kill the townsfolk as you make your way as a colonist on a strange planet.
Site: Clicky!
Additional Info:
Site: Clicky!
Additional Info:
Triangle Wizard
Description: A geometry based wizard real time roguelike. Buy spells, shatter walls, and choose from a variety of races and disciplines of magic.
Site: Clicky!
Additional Info:
Site: Clicky!
Additional Info:
Dwarf Fortress (PA)
Description: You must command a small band of dwarves to construct a home, dealing with all hardships societies must eventually face - immigrants, emotional breakdowns, trading wood to piss off elves, goblin raids, man-eating carp, and the occasional OH JESUS THAT DEMON IS RIPPING MY FORT APART!
Site: Click!
Additional Info: We have a thread on this game.
Site: Click!
Additional Info: We have a thread on this game.
Transcendence
Description: A space-based roguelike it looks like. Someone try it and fill us in!
Site: Clicky!
Additional Info:
Site: Clicky!
Additional Info:
SoulFu
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup
Spelunky
Description: This is actually a platformer with the randomized roguelike element of going down down down a cave. Collect treasure and save dames for score, and for God's sake don't anger the shop keeper!
Site: Click! (someone check if there's a more official link, please)
Additional Info: We have a thread located here. (link pending) Also listed as a platformer.
Site: Click! (someone check if there's a more official link, please)
Additional Info: We have a thread located here. (link pending) Also listed as a platformer.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] steam: undeinpirat
undeinPirat on
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Furthest I've made it is the Fortress leading to Hell (Gehenna?) where an especially angry air elemental ate me. Still so much fun.
I'll tell you what, the one most notable tip I ever learned was Elbereth.
For those who don't know, you can engrave by pressing E (capital is important), which then lets you choose what to engrave with. Engraving with different objects has different effects, for example, if you engrave with your fingers(by choosing -), then the engraving might not engrave all of the letters, and the engraving will wear away quickly. If you use a wand of fire or lightning, the engraving will be permanent. This is very useful when you engrave the word Elbereth, which as long as the entire word stays intact on the floor, every monster except those represented by @, minotaurs, any which are represented by A, and the three Riders on the astral plane.
Saved my ass many times, especially in places like the Castle where many big monsters come at you at once (also Liches eek).
The game does a decent job of telling you how to win - it's just going to take thousands of lives.
And with that, I should probably leave the thread.
One day, I'll win. Damnit, one day...
I'm ranked 1431 as Cobell on the list of ascensions per player.
http://alt.org/nethack/perplayer.html
That is the definition of perseverance. Looks like the harddrive crash there lost my stats for my ascension, but I'm positive I copied and pasted that somewhere on my PC if anyone's interested in spoiling themselves a bit and seeing what kind of gear ascensions have.
:?
I don't give a damn how divine or super you are, horses will end you.
Only true ascension is with a Tourist? Bad ass in my opinion. I've never ascended on NAO. :? But, I have ascended a Barbarian and a Samurai before I knew of NAO. Never been able to work that magic again.
EDIT: Also, I leveled up. Is there some screen where I can allocate points after leveling or is it all done automatically like in a JRPG?
Play Crawl instead.
I am serious, nethack is pretty bad compared to modern roguelikes.
That's because you have a mental checklist, Crawl requires more than than that.
Considering the Nethack developers threw in everything, including the kitchen sink, that feeling is understandable.
Nethack may be the elder statesman, but Crawl blows it out the water. Reigns in the worst excessives of the sadism, adds a nice UI and graphical tile set if you want it (if you use stonesoup) and yet is still hard as balls. I couldn't go back now.
However, once you got your ascension kit done (which it should be before Gehenna) you're almost an unstoppable juggernaut. Even a wizard with something as simple as Athame is rough in melee when you are at 18 str, -25 AC and Expert in your weapon style.
I should give Crawl a try considering how well people are talking about it in this thread though.
Honestly, the reverse is true. Crawl is a dungeon crawler through and through. There is literally no point in time, EVER, that you should either be killing doods, or getting killed by doods. (the ecunumical temple doesn't count,
Honestly? You'd be better off trying out Elona than Crawl, if story/overworld exploration is what you're after.
Nethack has classquests. Is there anything like that in Crawl?
Nethack generates dungeons random each time, except for the (changing) classquest and few fixed levels (oracle, Abyss). I am pretty sure Crawl does that too, but to be honest i have no clue how far randomization goes.
Nethack offers branches. The first being Gnomish Mines. Crawl?
Nethack has boss monsters (the dark lord for example wich i beat with an invisibility ring the first time).
Crawl?
Nethack has neat things like polymorph, lyncantropea, psycic powers, cursed items and simply lotsa stuff to spice up the gameplay. I am not entirely versed in the gameplay depth Crawl offers but it seemed less. Maybe i did not try hard enough.
However if you like grapical mousedriven dungeon crawls i recommend http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon_Hack
or Diablo2 (but a huge grief is the dungeons are NOT randomized, it would be so great if they did this to D3)
- No class quests it must be said.
- Yes random.
- Yes yes yes branches.
- Yes to random 'boss' monsters. (Sigmund!)
- Vast spell system, all the item variation you could desire, polymorph is in but more random.
To me the main difference is that Crawl is a lot less random killy than Nethack. When you die it's usually more your fault than just unavaoidable bad luck. You still get out of depth beasts and cursed items to fuck you up, but the bad items will rarely insta-kill you. Nethack for me has too many utterly random moments. A sink for example could bring great disaster or great boon when kicked. Only way to find out is to try it, and given the price of 'doom' coming up on the dice you just don't tend to try.
Some people like that! Different strokes for different folks.
I remember one particular session as the worst death EVER in a computer game i played through.
My capable and trusted mage steped onto a unnoticed firetrap. Spellbooks, scrolls, cloak... *puff*
And my boots. At this point i knew that it would not end pretty. Shorlty after that i discovered a locked chest. I tried to force the lock with my dagger wich promtly broke. I kicked it open but without boots it was a rather painful process. And what was inside? Can you imagine? Boots. As if telling me "come on sucker there you have it - haha". I put them on and floated. MAGIC boots! Boots o' levitation, pal! I quickly discovered those were not only boots o' levy but ALSO being cursed. I couldn't remove them and starved to death in frustration hanging under the ceiling because my remove curse scrolls burned up in that thrice dammed firetrap.
That was cruel, yes. But thats also gameplay depth. I still remember it. Everytime i come across boots in loot i am EXTREMELY careful from now on. It happened only once but that was totally sufficient.
"Come on crazy old man, that are only boots no need to poke em with that stick of yours. And those will remain boots now matter how long you keep the poking up."
"Just shut up the fuck, will you?" *keeps poking*
I lovvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeee Powder on the DS. I can't really get into nethack again unless they update the UI. I just don't want to remember 300 different commands.
edit: I know they aren't going to change the UI.
Crawl
Generally, you want a tough melee class, as the spellcasting classes are generally low on hp and hard to kill monsters with at first. Most recommend a Lawful Human Valkyrie or a Samurai, and I would agree with that. With the Valkyrie, you get a shield and food from the get go, allowing you to wander around the dungeon a bit more and have some easy AC. With the Samurai, you get a ranged weapon and some decent armor, allowing you to take on some harder monsters earlier on.
Ok, and is their a tileset mod i can use. I am unfortunately of the graphic age >.<
And i was looking on thw wikia, and couldn't find any.
As for crawl, IDK. I will probably try that next, the closest thing to this i've ever played was a MUD called Mume. Which actually I still occasionally play.
For nethack tileset, in the folder of the default download, there is a file called NethackW. That is the default tileset client in Nethack.
One of my favorite roguelikes is Incursion. As far as i know it is the only D&D based roguelike
Yea, I found it, and quickly died on level 3 because I walked into a bear trap, fainted from hunger, ate a rotten gnome corpse (that wasn't rotten until I ate it apparently) kept fainted and ended up dyin g of an illness while stuck in a bear trap. What a way to go...
Crawl time!
That said, I find it interesting that I originally got hooked on ADOM years ago and haven't bothered to play anything else, whether it's Nethack or modern stuff like Crawl. I am not playing ADOM now but if I wanted to play a regular fantasy Roguelike, that would be it. Do people just stick with their favorites? I suppose I should try some others for completeness.
I'm currently loving DoomRL. Extremely well done and lots of features and role playing elements that I never knew existed in the game since I had only played one or two levels back when I first heard about it.
I need to explore more of the 7DRL competitions. I loved the SRPG SpiritsRL from this year, and I see the DoomRL author has a few others. His AliensRL tactical game has me most interested.