Temple of The Roguelike Forums
Game Discussion => Traditional Roguelikes (Turn-based) => Topic started by: Avagart on October 24, 2015, 04:43:56 PM
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Think it`s time for my Archive Hoarder Mode to activate. The danger these games will just vanish forever is quite real and rather scary. That reddit torrent is a good attempt but we need something more ruthlessly scientific, in a TOSEC vein
And I agree with him. And I would like to raise the issue of 'vulnerable' roguelikes: small / little known / abandoned / those that have already disappeared from network.
I think would be good to make lists of roguelike which vanished aldready or which are rare, difficult to find or just probably at risk of vanish. Someone can still have them on HDD so it might make sense to (re)upload and make them available?
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So far only I checked 7DRL 2013-2015, but if you know roguelike which isn't easily accessible or his official site disappeared, please write here! :)
I just up unavailable roguelikes on my dropbox now, but I hope we will find better way to 'archive' these games.
Roguelikes with broken official links, which I have in my collection:
7DRL 2013
Dungeon-Themed Starvation Simulator link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/as4ha9xmg76melo/DungeonThemedStarvationSimulator_POST_7DRL_WIN.rar?dl=0)
KlingonRL link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/5r8yhf1bndm9boy/KlingonRL%20-%20Final%20-%20Post%20Contest%20Difficulty%20Balance.rar?dl=0)
Trinkets (binary) link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/76yo3iry93qp5cj/trinkets_binary.rar?dl=0)
7DRL 2014
Something Something Office Rampage link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/sr2xbo4empig7dz/7DRL_SSOR.rar?dl=0)
The Deadly Four link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/59ghnfb5e9zd8c9/deadlyfour.rar?dl=0)
Plato Rogue link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/16yr5fjexb3wg9a/PLATO_ROGUE.rar?dl=0)
Power Grounds link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/rajzila6401h0el/Power%20Grounds.rar?dl=0)
Princess Rescue link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/bffjgl74f03mq3g/Princess%20Rescue%202014%207drl.rar?dl=0)
The Littlest Princess link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/mjtwjsdklirhsdt/The%20Littlest%20Princess%207DRL%202014%20Final.rar?dl=0)
7DRL 2015
Blackguard link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/egn5sgjf2syo070/blackguard-windows.rar?dl=0)
DeathDealer (binary) link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/8g0nzg0hqe3j9ml/deathdealer_-_winx86_x64_executable.rar?dl=0)
Hellion (aka Space Hellion) link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/v3xtw53ts5nbqhq/Hellion.rar?dl=0)
Little Warrior link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/72wvbn9dcybxv1m/littlewarrior_win32.rar?dl=0)
Seventh Saga (here or in 'rare'?) link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/yey05i7m064yl57/SeventhSaga_PC.rar?dl=0)
Transfix link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/vxcvddsi58pr1yg/TransFix-1.0-all.rar?dl=0)
Voronoiace (it's 7DRL? 2015?) link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/r4kgl8h2i4rd8mg/voronoiance-win32.rar?dl=0)
Rare roguelikes, or harder (usually just wo page on roguebasin ;) ) to find:
7DRL 2013:
Attack the Geth
EXCELent Rogue
FlatlineRL
Fleeing the Fray
Friendly Meddling
the case of the girl in the red dress
H. P. Roguelike
Land of Strangers
Lurk Under Wires
Like a Rogue
STACKER
Tetrogue
Urwald
Liberation of Yarna
7DRL 2014
Colosseum of Rogues
Good Game
Guilder
Hellspace
horddays
Knight
Mountain of the Gods
Rushan grows stronger (aka RushanRL)
Saligia
SoulsRL
The Mana Well
Third Planet
Variablo
7DRL 2015 (lots of these are not in risk, because itch.io, but - I get 'roguebasin' as 'base' ;) )
I'm the Burglar
Cinnamon Fins RL
Cloak and Tower
Curse of the Dry Hills
Dumuzid
Dusk of a Shattered Kingdom (aka dusk)
Edwin's 2015 Seven Day Roguelike
Evig Winter
Feeding Frenzy
Goblin-COM
Goblin Gold
HarvestRL (aka A Rogue Harvest)
Heart of Morning
High Tech Survival
Isometric ASCII Roguelike (aka Isometric Roguelike - By Metaldemon)
koobas
Lost Valkyrie
Outlaw Space
Phage
Rogue AI
Rogue for Hire
Roguelikeishness
RoyaLe
Salvage Crew
Second Stepper
Sneak
Space Scavenger
The Dungeon
Theseus
To the West (binary)
TradewarsRL
Vamp N Wolves
We Have a Bug (aka We Have an Evil Bug)
That's okay, you've got explosives.
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This sounds much like Roguelike Graveyard site initially led by Jakub. Wayback Machine has much of that archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20100130044141/http://www.graveyard.roguelikedevelopment.org/) and my hard disk is even more bountiful treasury of the old or forgotten. I estimate to have around thirty titles hard to find otherwise. This is a consequence of being maintainer of now defunct list of actively developed roguelikes for some time.
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I`m gonna go with a more completist angle and simply aim to collect every roguelike ever released. That`s because a) it`s impossible to predict which game will eventually became endangered b) it`s fun to have everything in one place...just because and also think doomsday for when we finally have to live in a post-apoc scenario with no interwebs or maybe for aliens to find on some ancient SSD...
Projects like these are of course mostly work in progress, since there will be heaps of games missing, some for good, some being "found" eventually. But once there is a solid base it will be possible to release an all-encompassing torrent. Then people can compare its contents with various collections, archives, databases and such and add to it / make corrections and update the thing. After that a definitive master list can be compiled, accompanied by a Missing RLs poster - so as we know which ones are really really gone and making efforts to recover them.
My plan at the moment is to use the Roguetemple database as a starting point (mined it already when I first joined this site but I wasn`t strict enough). This entails going through every single entry, downloading the content and making notes about the problematic ones (missing/unreleased/HTML etc). For now I will exclude the 7DLR section - this is a big job for later as it`s much more messy.
The structure will be something like alpha / beta+stable / unfinished directories with separate games packed within. This way it`s possible to download a single game instead of the whole torrent and also still have some sort of order that other folks can mold more to their liking - say, if you want to lump everything in a single directory on your HDD. Still have to decide on some naming convention too.
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You should put the information online, so others can go over the list, and help out. I know you live in a russian bunker and only venture out while wearing full body tinfoil ;), so IIRC do not have a google account, but a google docs spreadsheet would be ideal for this. More cumbersome would be a specialised page in the roguebasic wiki.
In any case, if you did so, you could post updates to /r/roguelikes on reddit, and people would likely jump in and help out.
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Ha, it was actually a Polish bunker (now transmuted into some other localities) - but you`re not wrong about the rest :P Yes, I`m a rather stubborn caveman and so anything Google is out of question. Not a big fan of Reddit either, besides they already have a torrent going there .
Thing is the initial stage of this operation (building a collection out of the Temple`s db) is not a chore in the slightest - I really enjoying digging in the digital crates. So don`t really need help as such since it`s really a pleasure. Other thing is, there`s lots of decisions to be made with this kinda projects and I`d rather avoid unnecessary arguments (I participated in quite a few similar endeavours in retro gaming area and even seemingly silly things like "shall we have a directory inside a zip or leave files loose?" can cause much commotion). And since it`s something I`m gonna use for foreseeable future, I`d like it to be done my way (see the "stubborn" bit)
However, that doesn`t of course mean I wouldn`t like to share it with the community. To this end I`m trying my best atm to come up with a format that would be easily adjustable by whomever it might concern - in short, so if folks don`t like my way of doing things, they can easily change the format/structure and adapt it to some other consensus. I already have most of it planned out and will post methodology details here over the next weekend (hopefully). Sure enough, more people could accomplish this sooner than one person...but I don`t see nothing wrong with more than one team doing it anyway, it could be also beneficial.
The real help will also be needed later on, with general "proofreading", testing for Mac/Linux - perhaps even building dedicated versions for these platforms (haven`t decided how to tackle this yet) and of course most of all with search parties once there`s a real Missing list.
7DRLs are another area that probably could use external input - I do have in mind a gargantuan task of trying to persuade every single participant who completed the challenge to release a standalone - or finding a way of ripping them from the web. This could be quite a task...
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methodology
*spits in disgust*
The real help will also be needed later (...) of course most of all with search parties once there`s a real Missing list
This is the part I am willing to help as long there is no requirement to conform to a ... (shudder) methodology. Place simple instructions how you want this done, not some thrice cursed EULA.
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*spits in disgust*
I take it as an encouragement, especially seeing as it comes from one of the anc...umm, elder roguetemplars. It`s a tough love here, eh 8)
I do have a propensity to use words in a slightly theatrical way, especially in languages that are not my native one. Hence "methodology" means just a bunch of basic rules and decisions on how to approach this subject. Sure, it can be done without any - in fact that`s what the reddit torrent is like, have a look here: https://archive.org/details/RoguelikeMegaCollection2015 (https://archive.org/details/RoguelikeMegaCollection2015)
Not to detract from the author`s work in any way - it is indeed a great initiative and at least "something" out there - however it has several flaws. It`s not really searchable, some names could be a mystery even to veterans, it`s a big ol (writhin`?) mixed up mass of files, and also its exactness is questionable (tried looking for 3059 and Abura Tan with no result, perhaps the fault of naming again).
I will outline the rough draft (aka the METHODOLOGY, hell yea) in my next post, however the task Ancient volunteered for - Search & Rescue has only one, indeed simple, instruction : "Find them!"
But to do that we first need some sort of Master List folks can compare their collections and apply knowledge to.
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Do you want to get every version of every roguelike (like ToME in reddit's torrent), or just most recent release?
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Good question, one of which I was mulling over last few days.
Future-proof answer is: yes. The realistic, for-now answer: to some extent.
So, in the long run - absolutely, wherever available. We have to think ahead, say 100 years from now somebody wants to go over the evolution of Armoured Commander...I know I`d love it! It could be also educational for present/future devs and also sometimes just fun - I heard some older versions of DF are amazing and on the other hand I am worried about some changes that apparently are happening in DCSS. And somebody else might reverse that example. Bottom line: we gotta catch`em all!
However, this is of course another big task. For now, I will just concentrate on latest versions - my ideal is the ol` 1G1R maxim - "one game one rom" from other archiving scenes. It means that main directory will only contain archives with latest versions - all others will be delegated to a separate Versions directory. This way it`ll be easier to download what you want (some people won`t be interested) and keep size and clutter at bay.
Once the 1G1R core is stable we can start looking for older versions, perhaps asking the devs and other collectors.
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That reddit also has other flaws. Namely it does not have games which build under windows but are distributed as sources. Tied looking for Quest for Pants, Kitty Underground and COSE (Champion of the Savarian Empires) but found nothing. On second thought it has my game, so I cannot say I dislike it. :-)
Good luck on your quest Akeley!
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Hm, I have binary versions of some games made in python which were distributed only as source (Deathdealer, Trinkets, Idle Hero, Sunstorm... and probably several more).
@akeley - absolutely agree with your opinion (especially about DCSS - I really don't understand 'flows' of development and keep latest releases of every major version).
So, you wrote about making lists. If you doesn't like using google apps - how this can be organized if not in google sheet? Should I sent you excel document via email, or so?
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Okay, here`s how the whole thing looks at the moment
Roguelike Archive aim: to collect every single roguelike ever released.
Simple statement, insta problem. Yes, commercial games will have to be excluded for obvious reasons...though as a completist and an old pirate, I say it with kinda heavy heart. The commercial games will be fully documented in the database though. As for the "olden", abandonware titles - well, will have to deal with these on case by case basis.
The collection will be released both in torrent and perhaps also downloadable archive format (depending on circumstances).
DIRECTORY STRUCTURE - sort of a cross between Roguetemple db and my HDD one.
[ DOC] - any documentation unrelated directly to particular titles. Tech and non-tech alike. Articles, blogs, cover art, sites, forums - anything goes. Plus all the master lists.
[7HDRL] - 7HR, 7D and any other competition RL
[Alpha] - all the alphas
[Beta+Stable] - all the betas and stable versions
[Demo] - all the demos
[Originals] - all the original archives/files exactly as obtained from whatever sources. No changes, no fancy naming, 100% organic.
[Proto] - anything hard to classify - tbh not sure what could go in this dir or if it will be named that or even feature at all. Original thought was it`d be for pre-alphas or just some...drafts? but not sure if such exist.
[Source] - all the sources we can obtain
[Version] - mentioned in previous post - all the versions we can obtain
[???] - any ideas?
Defunct games - it`s a "type" in Temple`s database, here I changed it to just a "status" - meaning there won`t be a separate directory. It`s a tough one...but overall I think it works better. So, you can have an alpha or a beta beta that is "defunct" - it`s one of the flags in the naming system.
Playability - is my main concern in building this db, basically I love to know how many playable RLs are out there, and also it`d be great just to unpack the dir and know what kinda stuff is there. This more or less governs the above structure, I also would like to add a flag ["p" or "playable"] to the games in alpha section later - many of them play as well (or better?) as betas. Overall it`s a tricky field (define playable?), but I just assume for the sanity`s sake that all the [beta+stable] games are "playable" - but so is lots of alphas. For that flag player`s feedback and opinion would be needed - later.
Alpha-Beta-Stable chain obviously fluctuates over time. Updates ahoy!
Ok, sit tight now, deep breath, etc..
There will be a traditional - non-traditional divide inside main [Alpha+B/S] directories at least. At the moment I have a Lite directory inside each of these, trad RLs are in the main. Criteria is simple: turn-based/permadeath/procedural.
The explanation: I want to know at a glance what do I have and access it accordingly, and for me personally this is a preferred setup and classification. It`s not to cause or further any argument, prove some points or promote any interpretations. The divide is not a diss or a slight by any means. Please note: there are no separate RL/ RLite torrents, just one big ass Roguelike Archive and thats all there is to it.
Still hate it? Okay:
It`s all easily adjustable. Simply mark/move all from the Lite dir into the main, done. Don`t like alpha/beta distinction? Pour it all into one dir.
GAME ARCHIVE STRUCTURE
I`v chosen 7zip as a main compression tool. If anyone has better idea I`m willing to listen as my decision is only vaguely informed - it`s open source, seems to have a decent ratio and these days most other packers recognize it too. But I don`t know really if that`s the best idea.
Games will be re-packed with no changes from original archive apart from one: I will add a [ Doc] directory containing whatever info regarding this particular title I can find. At first it`s mainly from Roguebasin/game`s website (if differ from internal game docs) but later on we can add anything - guides/reviews/spoilers etc we can find.
This is a questionable decision as many people might balk at having an "alien" dir inside the game proper. However from experience with other sets i know a separate mammoth Doc dir is a pain...and I always wish I had all the info in the game`s directory itself (1stWRLDPRBLM detected, yes). Again though, for those who can`t stomach it, a simple solution: unpack everything - treat the lot with a good file finder ([ Doc] is distinct enough) - hit delete - repack - done. Tested this in Total Commander, it`s a breeze.
NAMING CONVENTION
Why bother? Well, things get messy otherwise plus we need to able to search. there will be hundreds of games - probably under 1500, not as bad as ZX Spectrum or MSDOS collections (5 digit numbers) but still. Also, the games will escape their native directories eventually and then naming+flags can be quite helpful.
Inspired by TOSEC et al, but I want to keep it much simpler, since their names can get to a silly novella-grade sometime. So, for example:
Abura Tan v0.A11 [alpha][src][DOS][def].7z
Hopefully it won`t get longer than that. Again, playability is my yardstick, I want to know as much about it just by looking at a name. So, [alpha/beta/stable] - [src] only for sources - [platform] (here Win will be a default and the flag only appears for other platforms) - [def] for defunct (again only appears if that`s the case, "live" is assumed default)
And again: hate it? Purge it! (I might do it myself in personal HDD...names-sans-flags definitely looks cuter). The flags are easy to search & destroy in a single swoop (Total Commander plug again....well, it IS the best tool for Win ever :)
Thats that for now. I will post my spreadsheet/db examples over the weekend on my site hopefully. Again, kudos to people behind the Roguetemple database - I was always mesmerized by how brilliant it is and now it comes fully to life again - exporting is super easy and thoroughness staggering. Without it this project would be hardly possible.
All comments and suggestions and customary RT scalding/tumbleweed are more than welcome ;)
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The reddit torrent was uh... kinda weak (as measured by the super scientific metric of how many of my roguelikes it included), so a more completist effort sounds like a great idea. I'd be happy to help (or try to) with windows and linux builds and/or archive digging.
Even of other people's games.
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[DOC] - any documentation unrelated directly to particular titles. Tech and non-tech alike.
Reviews! Those tend to disappear over time or get buried too deep in archves. Even roguetemple lost at least one permanently.
[Demo] - all the demos
What goes here? Crippleware of commercial games, or games so alpha to be practically unplayable? What about releases meant to be tech demos of an engine for roguelike?
[Originals] - all the original archives/files exactly as obtained from whatever sources. No changes, no fancy naming, 100% organic.
This practically means one subdirectory per archive to guard against naming clashes. In the old days "game.zip" and "roguelike.zip" were somewhat popular names for archives. Oh, also "source.tar.gz".
[Proto] - anything hard to classify - tbh not sure what could go in this dir or if it will be named that or even feature at all. Original thought was it`d be for pre-alphas or just some...drafts? but not sure if such exist.
Just see this (http://www.oocities.org/fmunoz_/clawsword/index.html) as an example of pre-alpha. My heretical opinion is such things are unworthy of preserving.
There will be a traditional - non-traditional divide inside main [Alpha+B/S] directories at least.
Heartily approved, although I would name them roguelike and not-a-roguelike. Probably that gets me even more harsh stares than your idea of a divide.
I will add a [Doc] directory containing whatever info regarding this particular title I can find.
What about games already having a directory named doc? This is pretty much a standard for games releasing for something besides Windows. Do you add there or make a [_Doc] directory?
(tagging)[src] only for sources
Is this not redundant with them being in source directory? Or do you mean games that pack sources with binary in one archive?
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I had some concerns, but I'm going to wait for mentioned examples and snippets - maybe I just misunderstood some things.
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@Quendus - thanks for the shout...indeed some help might be appreciated, definitely later but also some now since spending more time with this undertaking and estimating its scope I figured that perhaps after all...
...VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED - to deal with the Linux/OSX side of the collection. It seems the neatest way would be for these systems to have separate directories with sub-dirs (the same like in the main Win directory) instead of cramming them all into one dir.
I`m working on the first part at the moment, the Beta+Stable directory. My rough estimate for the completion is somewhere around Xmas - maybe earlier. But that`s for Windows/DOS only. One, I don`t have experience with nor access to these other operating systems and secondly, it`s all quite time consuming (though once you get into the routine it`s not so bad. The worst "danger" actually is getting distracted by playing the games themselves :)
Anybody feels like doing some light archive work, gimme a shout. It`s quite simple and, given the subject, fun really. Whole process goes like this: open the spreadsheet - pick a game - follow the links - download the data and any immediate info - rename/add Docs/repack/ - test the end product - distribute into appropriate directories - GOTO 10
This way the complete first part BETA+STABLE (most fun coz most playable) would be ready much faster. I could eventually do these myself, going blind without testing...but Win is my priority at the moment.
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@Ancient
- re: [Demo] dir - yes, I `d imagine it`d include anything from commercial to tech demos. So far I didn`t see any but some are bound to pop up. As for low-level alphas, well, these are still alphas even if hardly playable so off to the Alpha dir they go.
- re: [Originals] dir - good point about name clashing but I just 7-zip the original archives with just the game`s name up top...so, Abura Tan for example, without any flags or version numbers. This dir looks quite cute actually and I`d imagine would be actually pretty good for those folks who dislike the structure in the main directories (you can just download this and have everything, unspoiled by my meddling :)
- re: [Proto] - ha, I get what you`re saying but true archivist must have no emotions and coldly catalogue where none would dare before. Or something :) Think of the aliens/future devs!...who knows maybe, one day they will turn that example into a super hit...(or heed the warning ;)
-re: The Great Divide - harsh indeed, but I wouldn`t mind that much...however we can`t have not-roguelikes in something called a Roguelike Archive...it could cause a cosmic-level syntax error, I fear.
-re: [ Doc] dir inside games - yes, thought about conflict with native [Doc} directories it that`s why I put two spaces at the beginning. It`s an old trick for the dirs I want to be always first...it works for this too, making it distinct enough and at the top of the game dirs so you know it`s the "alien" one. Well, it works in Windows at least....let me know if it could cause conflicts in naming under other Os-es. Using [_Doc] is another alternative, I just think [ Doc] looks a bit neater (yes, I`m that sad).
- re: [src] tag - yes, it can seem redundant if the file is inside the [Source] directory already. However, like I said earlier I`m thinking of a scenario where the inevitable jailbreak/spillage occurs and assorted archives leave the respective directories. Things happen...accidentally or on purpose (say you email somebody a bunch of files).
And source archives can be confusing - especially for noobs like me (y u no exe! grrr!)
I make it all up as I go though and things look differently in assorted stages so when it`s all done some changes might (most likely will) still occur.
@ Avagart - will upload a general snapshot of the whole dir as soon as a find bit more time....
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[alpha] and [beta+stable] are parent directories? And game folders are inside them? Don't you think that put every version of such game into game folder, and then organize it into [alpha] etc. is more intuitive? Just a suggestion ;)
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Do you mean one big dir with all the games and then subdirectories for particular games? Like the reddit torrent sort of? That would have no structure whatsoever really, just a big ol mass of games..even with naming convention it would be tricky to navigate...
Sorry my brain working too slow atm to visualize this correctly. Maybe I misunderstood. Anyway, managed to upload this thing...my website is old and creaky but the download seems to work.
Download link: http://arkhammanor.com/rpgbase/RLdbTEST.7z (http://arkhammanor.com/rpgbase/RLdbTEST.7z)
It`s only to see the dir structure - there`s few games since I had to trim it for my silly ftp to allow me to upload. There are also my working spreadsheets in the DOC dir.
The DOS/LINUX/OSX inside the [Platform] dir are only there for now, eventually I think these should be separate (at least Linux and Mac, DOS maybe will go with other legacy platforms). And of course some changes and.or additions will probably occur...though I`m quite happy with the main structure so far.
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Yeah, one big directory. Probably with subdirectories for more specific content (for example for jam entries, so 7DRLs, ProcJams, etc.). I think that would be clearer - with proper naming scheme this wouldn't be 'messy'. I'm afraid that your system which appears to be clear, in practice could be... uncomfortable.
Let me explain my concerns.
First of all, can be problems with adjustment version to directory. Which versions of DCSS are alphas, which betas, which stable? Moreover, in that case, 'separating' versions of one game by two *main* directories could be a bit confusing.
What I have in my mind:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ta6lcdxjlvbwtf7/Roguelikes.rar?dl=0
I made it on quick, only to providing example of main idea, so there are things to discuss.
Ouh, one more thing. My example is archived, but idea is for making open directory with archives, not one big archive (this is why reddit torrent (a little) sucks)
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I see what you mean - sure, it`s one way of doing this. I considered this method at start but chosen my structure for reasons explained previously. This mostly regards the playability - I think its beneficial to have one directory with playable games and the rest separated according to status. This way it`s much more approachable, especially to newcomers and people with little interest in source code or some early versions.
My setup is mostly influenced by the Temple`s database and its categories, and also my experiences with retro archiving scene. It`s actually a compromise between different approaches (TOSEC/Goodsets/No Intro). Having all the versions of a game in one archive is similar to Goodsets way - it has its pluses but also minuses and I think the latter outweigh the positives. This is why the No Intro sets - with their "one game one rom" philosophy - were much more popular, since most folk are just interested in a playable version, while alphas, demos, sources and all that might be of more interest to devs and collectors.
Therefore I`ve chosen the current structure - if you just want working games, get Beta+Stable, if you`re interested in more, there are other dirs. Compromising, the [Originals] directory will be sort of similar to what you`re proposing - all the original versions in one archive, unaltered - though this will lack structure.
I`m not imposing this on anyone since like I said, I mostly build this db for myself first and then if people are interested, it`s there for the taking and also pretty easily adjustable and moldable to whatever structure somebody might wish to have on their HDD. Again I also have no qualms if anybody wants to take it, rebuild it and then release as a main torrent - if that`s the community`s wish. Or you can just start building your own version - the more the merrier :)
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Regarding the method used for compression, if you can include a copy of the compression program then it's largely irrelevant.
For example, if you use 7zip, and 7zip allows distribution of the executable in such packages, then just include a copy of the 7zip executable in your archive (perhaps in the root folder). That way everyone would be able to decompress the files you include in this package, regardless of whether they have a copy of the program already and regardless of whether the program is still even available (such as in the distant future).
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Sure, that`s the idea, though I have to read through the license still (there`s something fishy bout the un-rar element). That`s also why I couldn`t consider Winrar since it`s a commercial program. I also plan on populating the TOOLS dir with all manner of useful/required programs, though licensing issues might be a headache.
"Distant future" itself is an interesting thing, kinda fun to think about...I mean, ideally we should include all the OSs too, just in case :) Even sillier, some Raspberry Pi schematics too. However, I believe that if somebody finds it in a really really distant future, they will just feed it to their local AI which will insta-reengineer all the necessary software, hardware and whatever else might be necessary.
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This sounds interesting, good luck!
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Thanks /. Luck is always good, but for this I just need more spare time ;)
As it is, I crawled up to letter "F" today, which is just about a quarter of the whole Beta+Stable family (I`m @ #118 out of 417 entries, if you exclude alpha/7drl/bands in Temple db search).
These 118 entries yielded 32 traditional RLs. 9 non-trad. 19 "missing". The rest are missclassified entries, some alphas, talkies, commercial and not-Win platforms.
If the pattern persist, there`s about ~130 traditional fully playable, free roguelikes out there - a mysterious figure that was always one of my reasons for this db crawl. Not all of course are gameplay dons like the major-likes and there are some downright bizarre projects too..but still. A hundred? Is that a lot?
I suppose it is, given that you can play one good RL for years. Anyway, these are just some harmless/pointless statistics...I`m back to digging ;)
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Nice! Would you consider sharing names so far on your missing list?
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Not all of them are "missing" as such - it`s just catch-all criteria for when I was unsure what`s up. Some may not have been released at all.
Artisan
Battlement
Berserk!
Beyond
Bronze and Faith
Caverns of Underkeep
Choose
Claw and Sword
Cryptic Light
Dawn of the Dead Roguelike III
Dead By Zombie
Deep
Downfall
Dragon
Dungeon-Themed Starvation Simulator!
DungeonS
Exalt
EZ-Rogue
http://arkhammanor.com/rpgbase/RLdbMISSING.7z (http://arkhammanor.com/rpgbase/RLdbMISSING.7z) - here`s my doc, with links and some more explanation.
Shout if you know about any of these, files or info are most appreciated.
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Artisan - Had one tech-demo'y release and perished. One of those release early, fail early. Had a page but someone removed it instead of replacing with archive. The game shipped as Windows binary with some Python libs. I have the thing available on my HDD.
Berserk! - Website has some kind of a problem. I will be overhauling RogueBasin article. See: http://forum.chaosforge.org/index.php/topic,7334.0.html and when it is fixed http://berserk.chaosforge.org. However, nothing prevents you from pulling the code from repository and compiling it. Use: https://svn.code.sf.net/p/berserkrl/code/ as SVN repository address.
Beyond - As far as I remember this was never released, although it had quite some discussion devoted to it on rgrd. The engine it was running on (H-World) is more of interest, as it featured working demo.
Deep - Fully playable roguelike, alhough bit buggy and ridiculously easy due to broken balance. I once reviewed it but Slash seems to have taken the review down. Got Deep 1.8 on disk, which is not very much different from latest release. Mignt work on 32 bit Windows.
Claw and Sword - Source only distribution. Although makefile is prepared for some kind of Linux it should compile for Windows without problems. Unfortunately this was the case ten years ago. Today you wil have to alter the source to make modern compiler take it up. I have those changes applied if you wish (for GCC 5.2.0).
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Grand, having a veteran on board is priceless.
At the moment it`s all about Windows so I`m interested in .exe`s and/or sources for this platform. Haven`t got a clue about compiling and any such sorcery so if you could sort that out it`d be great help.
With Berserk!, it was an early note when I was still thinking of doing Linux (and OSX) simultaneously with Win...abandoned that idea for now :) It`ll have to be a separate project...hopefully by, or with help of, people who know these platforms - otherwise it`s just stumbling in the dark.
I`ll add your notes to the db and as for files - please upload somewhere or keep`em safe for now and wait till I crawl to the end of the section and we have more MIAs.
Already got two more:
Exalt
EZ- Rogue
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I'm sure I played Berserk! on Windows, but game folder disappears oO. Probably folder name is weird so I just cannot find it.
I uploaded Dungeon Themed Starvation Simulator here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/as4ha9xmg76melo/DungeonThemedStarvationSimulator_POST_7DRL_WIN.rar?dl=0)
Deep (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ybd0l3werffwn5/Deep_2_22a.rar?dl=0)
Artisan (https://www.dropbox.com/s/n7g05dtzoo1juov/Artisan_0.5.rar?dl=0) It's just a tech demo? I never get through this game, but version number suggests alpha/beta stage od developement.
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Thanks a lot - that`s three lost runes recovered ;)
Berserk! for Win is fine, available for download. I meant the Linux "versions" but since I don`t know much about this OS it made no sense I think - check previous post by Ancient, they seem to be available for compiling too.
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Ouh, I have to say that DTSS which I send is post 7DRL version; I don't have the original one.
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Avagart was faster with fetching the stuff and moreover you brought the latest Deep there. Thank you!
So I went rolling with the compiler and linker instead. CnS-002 for Windows: link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/0lsmo4aykmem6id/Claw_and_Sword-002.7z?dl=0) (without sources)
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Telos (http://www.roguebasin.com/index.php?title=Telos) is what the failed "Helltank" entry at the 2011 7DRL challenge was supposed to be. You need to defeat an army using a single massive tank.
It`s also entry #100 in the "traditional" section of the Beta+Stable part of the Archive. Which is some kind of a milestone I guess. My plan to have a release ready for Xmas looks rather silly now, of course; R(eal)L(ife) and intrinsic: laziness took their toll. However, it`s all getting closer - there`s still about a 70 entries ahead, but >350 behind, which is not too bad . One more month, hopefully.
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Did you encounter some 'missing' roguelikes? Games which was released but disappears from web and they are unaccesable now?
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Sure - at the moment there are 64 entries that are either totally missing or have some question marks floating by. I will release the list once I get to the bottom of the pile - shouldn`t be too long now.
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There are a couple of games I have which I've made available to individual people on /r/roguelikes because they seem to be unavailable (or at least hard to find) now. I don't know if they're ones you already have.
Avendesora
BOSS
Eden Sector
Linley's Dungeon Crawl
March 15, 1924
Rayel
Solstice
The Hunt
Warp Rogue
In any case, I think this is a great project. It's something I've vaguely thought for a while would be a good idea.
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Thanks for the list, I will check it against the master once it`s complete.
Yeah, it`s crazy that you can struggle to find something as major as Linley`s Crawl these days...and main reason for trying to get a hold on things before it`s too late.
Also, always glad to see a regular poster come out of retirement ;)
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Hello. rlgclub.ru (russian roguelike community) have pretty big roguelikes archive. After transition from another hosting it is now located at https://mega.nz/#F!lwJnjTjA!HHDSo0pSaDuZ0M-07WFj9Q .
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Hello. rlgclub.ru (russian roguelike community) have pretty big roguelikes archive. After transition from another hosting it is now located at https://mega.nz/#F!lwJnjTjA!HHDSo0pSaDuZ0M-07WFj9Q .
I had a quick look and it's an impressive list! Thanks for sharing!
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Very impressive - will be a big help. Haven`t seen this before...thought this one is the only big Russian RL archive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B2SRk3wthlxFSlJWbmhGUkduWlU&usp=sharing#list (https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B2SRk3wthlxFSlJWbmhGUkduWlU&usp=sharing#list)
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This is a same archive. But Google Drive is broken - half of the folders looks empty while they aren't. So Sanja moved (well, perhaps copied) it to mega.nz.