Messages

1

Traditional Roguelikes (Turn Based) / Re: Pathos: Nethack - Android tablet app on Google Play

« on: November 04, 2015, 10:27:40 PM »

@Legend, well no one can say that we didn't try!  I think your phone must be on Android 4.3 (jelly bean)?  It needs to be on 4.4, do you have an upgrade path?  So close yet so far!

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Traditional Roguelikes (Turn Based) / Re: Pathos: Nethack - Android tablet app on Google Play

« on: November 01, 2015, 04:18:22 AM »

@Legend, I have adapted Pathos for the phone - it's now available on Google Play:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.x10host.pathos

I recommend playing in portrait orientation on a phone and landscape on a tablet.

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Traditional Roguelikes (Turn Based) / Pathos: Nethack Codex now: Google Play, Apple iTunes Windows Store/Desktop v7.2

« on: October 19, 2015, 11:33:28 PM »

Pathos is now available on three platforms:

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.x10host.pathos
Apple iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pathos-nethack-codex/id1045848120?ls=1&mt=8
Windows Store: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/games/pathos/9nblggh6c16j

Would love to hear your feedback and suggestions.

Since I last posted there have been a number of improvements:

- auto-pickup for gold
- teleport control now allows you to teleport to a square you haven't been to before.
- character button is green on the launch screen if there is a save file.
- journal messages for karma changes
- better feedback when targeting squares.
- zoom in and out using: pinch-and-zoom or mouse wheel or plus&minus keys
- you can hide the green menu buttons by pressing Escape key until everything is hidden.
- wand zap now bounces in corridors.
- icon is horizontal flipped as an attacking animation.
- puddings will multiply when hit with iron.
- gremlins will multiply in water traps.
- blue jelly and brown mold are healed by cold and will multiply.
- golems are affected by fire, shock and water.
- shops have a buy all and sell all button
- containers have a remove all and place all button
- all musical instruments can be played with effect
- zoos start with sleeping monsters
- noise will wake sleeping monsters
- stealth allows you to be more quiet
- lurkers, trappers and piercers will hide

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Traditional Roguelikes (Turn Based) / Re: Pathos: Nethack - Android tablet app on Google Play

« on: September 10, 2015, 03:06:44 PM »

@Legend, I've been able to reduce the requirements to Android 4.4 and above.
Hopefully you can now install from Google Play!
Would be great to hear how you go.

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Traditional Roguelikes (Turn Based) / Re: Pathos: Nethack - Android tablet app on Google Play

« on: September 08, 2015, 11:14:28 AM »

Pathos requires a tablet running Android 5.x.  Sorry, I would have stated that from the beginning but the Android ecosystem is a bit of a learning curve!

The Keyocera Hydrolife appears to be a phone running Android 4.x?  So you might be out of luck twice there. 

I'm not sure roguelikes translate very well to a small screen but I haven't done the work for  the phone UI in any case.

The Android 5.x requirement is something I hope to relax but needs some more research.  For the devs out there, there is a ~15 view hierarchy depth limitation that is present in 4.x and seems to be resolved in 5.x.  This issue manifests as a stackoverflow error that ends the app... ouch.

If it's any consolation, the Windows version is 100% code sharing with the Android version.  Hope you get a chance to check it out.

http://pathos.x10host.com/

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Traditional Roguelikes (Turn Based) / Pathos: Nethack - Android tablet app on Google Play

« on: September 06, 2015, 06:00:44 AM »

Pathos has just been published as an Android app on the Google Play store!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.x10host.pathos

(Pathos is a tile graphics roguelike built on the entire rule set from Nethack).

Works really well on my Nexus 9 tablet but no idea about any other device! Don't try and play on your phone though.

Also includes a new update for the level 25 end game. I won't give any spoilers but it brutal and there lots of treasure.

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Traditional Roguelikes (Turn Based) / Re: Pathos: Nethack

« on: August 24, 2015, 09:44:00 AM »

I have huge respect for all the side paths and evolutions of Nethack and of course all the original authors.  I guess I am simply chasing the essence of what I loved about the original Hack game.
So much like everyone else, I have my own philosophy on what is important.

As an illustration, my kids are 6 (can read) and 4 (can't read) and are able to play Pathos and follow the general mechanics. They are using a Windows 8 tablet so it is entirely touch input.  I'm not sure you could say that about any other true roguelike?  And I've been pretty true to the Nethack mechanics and it's not easy to stay alive.

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Traditional Roguelikes (Turn Based) / Re: Pathos: Nethack

« on: August 23, 2015, 02:38:28 PM »

The next major step is to bring Pathos to tablet devices.

Pathos is written in C# and I am getting good traction with Xamarin (wraps the Android and iOS APIs on top of Mono.NET).
There are also some important game details to be worked on like implementing all the special attacks.

But mostly, I need help to build a player base to inspire more Pathos development.
I have visited this community a lot over the years and thought it was the perfect place to first announce the existence of Pathos.
But to really answer your question I need to share a brief history of Pathos.

I played the original Hack as a young person and it definitely inspired me to become a coder.
Many years later I stumbled upon Nethack and found that I was still hooked.
I played Nethack on and off for the next decade.
One day I decided to download the source code and have a look around.
I had this notion that I could fix the usability of Nethack.
I believed that Nethack needed to be more accessible to reach the next generation of players.

So I ported a huge amount of the C code to C# as an exercise in learning the code base. Yes, I might be a crazy person.
I even had it playable before it became really clear to me: the original code base is too compromised to be taken forward in a meaningful way.
Disappointed, I had a long break from this project before it occurred to me to start a new game engine.
Using the Nethack code I had already ported to C# I was then able to import all the assets (items, monsters, roles, races, skills, spells, and so on) into the new game engine.
Through plenty of late nights, weekends and annual leave - we now have Pathos.
My wildest dream is Rogue -> Hack -> Nethack -> Pathos.

So what's next? Well, what would you like to see?

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Traditional Roguelikes (Turn Based) / Pathos: Nethack

« on: August 23, 2015, 05:02:18 AM »

Pathos is a dungeon adventure game with the soul of Nethack. Tile graphics and sound effects. Keyboard, mouse or touch screen. Only for Windows 7+ at the moment but Android and iOS versions are coming in the future.

If you love Nethack as much as I do please have a look at some gameplay videos:

Ranger part 1 of 1 https://youtu.be/KlhYwXSOQrs/
Ranger part 2 of 2 https://youtu.be/oICzBwztOQA/

If you like what you see you can download and play http://pathos.x10host.com/

It's not a 100% port of Nethack because I haven't spent the last 20 years on it!  But I think you'll find it captures the essence and smooths out a lot of the legacy usability awkwardness.  I'm hoping to get some interest and feedback to continue the development.  Looking forward to hear what you think.