Posted by Derek Yu
Thu, 21 Jun 2007 06:40:00 GMT
I really just wanted to show off dessgeega’s awesome crawlthrough (which is wonderfully explained and stylishly depicted), but since we haven’t featured Crawl on our front page before, let’s do it.
Ostensibly based on Nethack, ADOM, and other Roguelikes that came before it, Crawl nonetheless innovates by offering loads of very different race/class combinations to start with, as well as a varied pantheon of gods. dessgeega says that Crawl is “leaner and more balanced” than Nethack and is “logical, consistent, and straightforward.”
But yeah, play the game if you haven’t already, and definitely check out the entertaining and extremely informative crawlthrough by dess. I’d love to see more stories from the dungeon!
Tile version available here.
Posted in Macintosh, Highly Recommended, Roguelikes, Linux, Windows, Freeware | 10 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Tue, 22 May 2007 22:49:00 GMT
Our pal Slashie (aka Santiago Zapata) has created a new site for Roguelike news, called Temple of the Roguelike. So far it’s off to a great start, with Slash updating regularly and posting about Roguelikes which I doubt have seen much press outside of a few small circles. There’s even an interview with Glenn Wichman, the creator of Rogue!
All I gotta say is keep going, Slash! Keep going!
Posted in Roguelikes, Community, Interviews | 5 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Mon, 07 May 2007 16:32:00 GMT
Here’s something that the Something Awful guys and I can agree on: Dwarf Fortress is awesome. Which is why I was elated to hear that creator Tarn Adams (aka Toady One) has decided to go full time:
“He he he, I’ve been out of school for two years. I’m quitting my job as a visiting assistant math professor (like a baby professor) to write video games, DF in particular. Ideally, I’ll be supported by the DF community. Realistically, who knows? Right now I can pay for food, utilities and a slice of rent on donations, and I’ve saved enough money to make an honest effort for some months after I leave my job mid-May. I’m hopeful that when I finally have my time freed up I can push things forward to the point where the project generates enough interest that I’ll be able to pay my bills and maybe even get health insurance or something. Whether or not that’s optimistic remains to be seen, but I think it’s worth a try.”
Donationware is a tough route, but I would love to see Tarn get to make DF a living! Given his insane pace, one can only imagine what the game could look like with a few years of full time work. Send money!
Posted in Roguelikes, Community, Developers | Tags TarnAdams | 11 comments
Posted by Shapermc
Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:05:00 GMT
Recently a new e-zine was released titled Roguelike. The magazine (RTM) from editor Mario Donick. In the introduction of the first issue Mario makes a proclamation for the magazine and the genre:
“Most of today’s gamers, when presented with the ASCII-interface of a typical roguelike, immediately dismiss it as old, graphically unappealing, and boring. These sceptics refuse to have a deeper look into the game’s mechanics and its >inner values< and it takes time and effort to convince them to just try to discover the fun roguelikes have to offer. The outward appearance of the game is not as important for a roguelike as it is for a more modern, commercial game.”
The first issue is up now, and it looks good. It covers subjects on the interface and typography of the genre as well as taking an in-depth look at Glenn R. Wichman’s game The 7 Day Quest, a contestant from this year’s 7 Day Roguelike competition.
The second issue is scheduled to come out on April 2nd and plans to expand on the subjects covered in the first issue.
Posted in Roguelikes, Community | Tags 7DRL, ASCII, Magazine, Roguelike | 3 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:14:00 GMT
Peanut butter and hamburger, teaching elementary school and being nude… there are many great things in this world that are NOT better together. But Doom and Roguelikes? Those are two great things that are incredible together.
Whereas other Roguelikes require you to remember a zillion key commands and little tricks to get by (“Oh wait, I’ve got to press ‘q’ to ‘quaff’ this potion of troll buggery…”), DoomRL is quite easy to get into, with only a few important commands to remember. And Kornel Kisielewicz, the author of the game, has added just enough to the Doom universe to keep the game interesting, but without losing the flavor of the original FPS.
And if you’ve already played the game a year or so ago, it’s time to try it out again, as the latest version (0.9.8.5) has a buttload of new features, like difficulty levels, challenge modes, advanced traits, and new special levels. And arch-viles!
So yeah, as you can see, I’m a big fan of this project. Play the game and then join the forums. Kornel is great about taking user suggestions to improve the game! Check it out – it’s fun.
Posted in Highly Recommended, Roguelikes, Linux, Windows, Freeware | Tags KornelKisielewicz | 24 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Wed, 30 Aug 2006 02:26:00 GMT
“My legendary clothesmaker just threw a tantrum because his masterwork giant cave spider silk pants were stolen by invisible goblins. Which I guess I can understand, they probably were really nice pants. The thing I don’t understand is why he decided to mangle the limbs of one of my legendary craftdwarves and break the legs of my legendary carpenter.” -bloodyfool, Dwarf Fortress player, from the forums
I need to stop talking about this game, because it’s annoying my friends and keeping me from my work. It’s a Roguelike that let’s you build and run a… well, dwarf fortress. (I love saying “dwarf fortress.”) There’s so much detail in this game that it’s almost too complex to play. I just like revelling in the possibilities.
EDIT: Also, here’s a link to a beginner’s guide (Penny Arcade forums) and the Dwarf Fortress wiki. The game’s hard to get into without either.
Posted in Highly Recommended, Roguelikes, Windows, Freeware | Tags TarnAdams | 20 comments
