Messages

556

Other Announcements / To learn or not to learn (help me decide)

« on: October 17, 2009, 10:30:17 PM »

My dream is to make my roguelike game and then put it online (for free) and keeping updating it maybe adding fans suggestions.
I planned and writed lots of stuff for it, about mechanics, gameplay, and story as well. It would be a very huge game with arcade gameplay and retro style graphics.
My problems are the lack of time and knowledge (about how to code).
I have two main doubts, but before I'll tell you my current situation.

When I was a teenager (and even before) I used to be an hardcore videogamer. I really, really like videogame - expecially rpg, and expecially expecially roguelike.
But after high school I started getting a degree, a girlfriend, sport and all kind of social "time sinks" so I didn't managed to spend at videogames as much time as I would. I graduated and within a couple of years I will be even more busy because of my job, so my situation will never gave me the free time I had before. At this point of my life, I have a sort of mental block about learning how to code.. but I think still not enough money to pay a programmer and a graphic to do all the coding (I will in 3 years). Furthermore, my eyes have become less tolerant to the monitor and I can't stand behind a pc for more than some hours. The good thing is that at high school I studied something and now I know some of the coding logics ("if" processes, recursiveness, etc).

Now my doubts:
#1- If I decide to take the work all for myself, can I learn a program language in my situation? How many hours will this take? And then, how much time could require a project let's say with an ADOMish depht but also graphics and stuff?

#2- I fear that when I'll have learnt how to code, all my passion and game related creativity will disappear. Maybe it's a stupid irrational feeling, but who knows.
(I remember many years ago, I discovered an engine (RPG maker) and started developing a game.. and then experienced this. Maybe it was because the engine sucked and didn't allowed me to do anything. Whatever.)
What do you think? I must admit this second doubt is strong.

557

Other Announcements / Re: Project: Roguelike Renaissance

« on: October 17, 2009, 10:02:56 PM »

Great work man, you're awesome.

558

Traditional Roguelikes (Turn-based) / Re: Triangle Wizard: what's your strategy?

« on: October 17, 2009, 12:28:25 PM »

Device Manipulation is really nice, thanks.

I changed my strategy.. now I go for those 8 spells:
1- Vaporize or a circle 4 attack spell
2- Circle 4 summoning
3- Evaporate Wall or Fireball or Teleport
4- Raise Wall
5- Healing Water
and, not shortkeyed:
a- Turn Undead
b- Dispel Magic
c- Manipulate Device
(d- Haste if I'm not playing a fast movement race.. but I usually pick the angel)

559

Traditional Roguelikes (Turn-based) / Re: IVAN: some questions

« on: October 16, 2009, 09:19:18 AM »

Thank you guys!

560

Traditional Roguelikes (Turn-based) / Re: Triangle Wizard: what's your strategy?

« on: October 16, 2009, 08:01:59 AM »

Last question: do you know if there is a way to deactivate traps or sell weapons in shops?

561

Traditional Roguelikes (Turn-based) / Re: Triangle Wizard: what's your strategy?

« on: October 11, 2009, 03:46:55 PM »

I had the impression that the more potions you consume, the less they become powerful. Is that true?

562

Other Announcements / Re: your favorite roguelike

« on: October 11, 2009, 01:22:57 PM »

Good thing!

563

Other Announcements / Re: 1st Person Roguelikes?

« on: October 11, 2009, 01:21:58 PM »

You are right, Dungeon Hack was a try, but it lacked of many roguelike features (permadeath, freedom, mechanics to discover, lots of content, a complex non-trivial world with object interactions, player-like monsters).

564

Traditional Roguelikes (Turn-based) / Re: Triangle Wizard: what's your strategy?

« on: October 11, 2009, 01:14:44 AM »

I tried a Druid.. wow, Vaporize and Geyser are great spells.
Is there a class with one of them auto levelling up?

Why sometimes when drinking potions I receive a message like "potion efficacy decreased"?

565

Traditional Roguelikes (Turn-based) / Re: Lords of Darkhall

« on: October 11, 2009, 12:24:12 AM »

Free roguelikes shouldn't exist; they should be "postcard-ware" like Adom

566

Traditional Roguelikes (Turn-based) / Triangle Wizard: what's your strategy?

« on: October 11, 2009, 12:06:27 AM »

I'm kinda new to this game, and in my best game so far I reached dungeon level 25 with an Angel Elementalist (I was lucky, I got Holy magic and started with Crusade, Summon spirit of light, Spirit Wraith @ level 3 and soon got Crusade regeneration and stuff; stupid death btw).

My general strategy is to start with at least one good attack spell (possibly one that doesn't need a good aim) at level 2 or more, and a summon spell (three brute force pets are often - if not always - a great help; and they make you gain xp).
My goal is to get a minimal level/regeneration/storage to those spells:
- Haste spell (must have)
- Evaporate wall (for tactics and speeding up dungeoning)
- Raise wall (for tactics)
- Watcher (for invisible enemies)
- a high level/regeneration/storage for a good circle 4 attack spell
- a high level for a good circle 4 summoning

I always kill all the enemies in every dungeon and never pick up spells not included in my goal list.

For the moment my fav characters are:
- Angel Geomancer -> Angels are great; they move fast and they fly for a little malus in hp and damage. Geomancer is a really cool class because it starts with Evaporate Walls (tactic), Summon boar (summoning), Stoning (missile). Slow also comes in handy with bosses.
- Gnome + any class with the Haste spell -> Gnomes' +1 level to every spell is something great, their only big disadvantage is their low speed, but this can be fixed with a permanent haste spell.
- random spells classes (Elementalist, Wild mage, Sorcerer), because sometime they get great combinations.
- Ice Mage and Sun Mage are also cool

What's your strategy? What are your favourite race-class combinations?



PS- do you know if you can sell equipment in shops?
PPS- is there a way to deactivate traps?

567

Traditional Roguelikes (Turn-based) / IVAN: some questions

« on: October 10, 2009, 10:34:44 PM »

1- do my equipment make enemies get bigger? and how does it works? here are my doubts:
a- only the weapon bonus (+1, +2..) or also the material?
b- only my weapon or every piece of equipment?
c- only my equipped stuff or also the stuff in my backpack?
d- only my weapon + stuff in my backpack or also the stuff I leave on the floor or closed in chests (carried with me)?

2- what are some good things to wish? usually I go for "vermis" and "dragon cuirass", or "belt of levitation" if I haven't managed to beat the sumo wrestler.

and, if you are into variants:
3- since the developers abandoned the project, there have been made some variants: http://www.attnam.com/downloads.php?show=variants
What are the main differences between IvanT, IvanX and Livan? What is your favourite?

Thanksss!

568

Other Announcements / Re: your favorite roguelike

« on: October 10, 2009, 06:22:29 PM »

My chart is:
#1- Adom
#2- Doom RL
#3- IVAN

Adom is my favourite. Lots of race/class combinations (really different to play), lots of secrets in Wasteland style (that is one of Biskup favourite games indeed), hard and challenging.

When I want more action I love to have a quick Doom RL game.

I recently discovered IVAN and it's really cool, too bad it will be probably no more updated or completed.

Some days ago I also started playing Triangle Wizard; the game is still simple but I find the concept (real time action top down roguelike) really cool.

About Angband, I tried the vanilla one but I founded it very boring, it lacks many features compared to Adom. BTW I appreciate the 100% tactical orientation.
Maybe in the future I'll try some variants.

I also really like Spleunky and Cortex Command (not roguelike games).

569

Other Announcements / Re: 1st Person Roguelikes?

« on: October 10, 2009, 06:04:28 PM »

I also had this idea; a game like that would be simply awesome - Eye of the beholder style (slow, multiparty) or maybe Doom style (action packed levels).

Recently a software company tried something like that in a commercial way, but it went bad and they closed. The game is Hellgates: London.