Question about 7DRL rules - previously written code?

[ekolis]

Hey Missed out on the challenge last year, and I'd like to get back into it with what might be my most ambitious 7DRL yet... but since it's been a while, I want to clarify one rule.

It is permissible to use previously written code for a 7DRL, right? Provided of course that you didn't create that code specifically for use with this 7DRL! I have some utility classes I wrote for another project (one to roll dice, and another to load simple text configuration files, and probably others I haven't thought of yet), and I'd rather not have to write those again from scratch.

In case you were wondering what my idea is, it's something I've been bouncing around with this one guy on IRC for a while... basically, it's a roguelike version of Recettear!

Thanks!

edit: oops, should I have posted this in the Challenges forum? If so, would a mod please move it there? Thanks!

[dscreamer]

Absolutely fine. Go for it!

[ekolis]

Oh geez, now I feel like I REALLY cheated... I was chatting with some folks on #rgrd and mentioned I was planning on using the C# console class for display, and they said it was rather slow, so I decided to test it out myself and see how bad it is... Well, it's not awful, but I did have to make a few tweaks... Nothing too roguelike specific, but close enough! I rendered a bunch of random characters to the screen, and noticed that they were scrolling up the screen even though I was just rendering one at a time, so I got some help on that to make it work properly (apparently you can't render to the lower right corner or it scrolls)...

[jere]

IMHO, anything is kosher as long as you are very honest about it. The worst thing that you could do is be misleading about using previously made assets or code.

Something like that has happened before and people were pretty upset.

[Avagart]

IMO there is nothing bad about using previously written code... If this code is form of library / engine / or you just use fragments of previously written game / application. Some of most succesful 7DRL-devs like Jeff Lait or Numenor has own engine / framework and they, as I think, 'new game into already made frames'. And they roguelikes are (usually) great and polished - among others due to using previously polished 'general code'.

But it would be really bad if you would *work on this specific roguelike* before 7DLR challange.

[ekolis]

Yeah, I feel like what I did with testing out C#'s console functionality came REALLY darn close...

[Avagart]

Hm, if I were you I would declare it and use this code - at least it is about 'skeleton', 'frame' of roguelike, not about 'heart' or 'body', isn't it?

[ekolis]

Well, it's not something I was actually going to use, more of a proof of concept to see if the general sort of thing I wanted to do was even feasible So I guess it's not really that big a deal anyway... Not to mention, I spent maybe 15 minutes on this (well, and I asked around on IRC about a few things), so I could have easily done the same on the first day!

[Paul Jeffries]

I wouldn't worry about it too much; 7DRL is largely a personal challenge with no prize except (possibly) recognition, so the only person you can really cheat is yourself.  The important thing so far as other people are concerned is just to be honest about what was done in the week and what wasn't - the only major bit of controversy I remember was one group who claimed to have made all their art during the challenge when the datestamps on their asset files showed differently.

[Naburimannu]

I'm doing an awful lot of coding before the 7DRL starts. But I'm doing it in public (https://github.com/Naburimannu/libtcodpy-tutorial), starting from Jice's Python tutorial for libtcod, and writing approximately zero new gameplay. It's all refactoring, ease-of-use, UI improvements, mouse vs keyboard support: engine work instead of game work.

• I wrote stacking objects over this last weekend, which breaks the inventory size limit as written in a slightly player-friendly way but could be patched to match the old behavior with one or two lines of code. Back-stairs and persistent levels are nominally exploitable in the original tutorial ruleset, since there are times when you can go downstairs, which gives free healing (the first time), then backtrack to farm xp / get an object you weren't healthy enough to get. In practice this doesn't make a difference because the tutorial is almost always easily winnable.

[CaptainKraft]

Almost all previously written code should be fine. Just use your best judgement about the idea for the game. If you're trying to implement systems in your engine that only came up because you were planning your 7drl game, I'd say that's pushing it and you should probably stop. Making a tool (your engine in this case) easier to use or better before the jam is totally fine imo.

I also don't think people should be making anyone feel bad about using preexisting code. It's only when someone is obviously trying to cheat for personal gain that it becomes an issue. Even then... it's just a 7 day jam to have some fun and perhaps better yourself.

Good luck!

[Krice]

I'm guessing almost every game that is finished during 7DRL is using some kind of code or library written previously. Not to forget planning, I think good planning is important to make it much easier.

[Samildanach]

I'm guessing almost every game that is finished during 7DRL is using some kind of code or library written previously.

Yes, certainly most of the very polished 7DRL successes either re-use previous code or make of an existing engine such as the T-Engine. There simply isn't time during 7DRL, for most people at least, to design and implement an enjoyable game and code the entire thing from scratch.

The thing to remember here is that there's no prize or anything. It's not a contest, it's a challenge. If you don't feel you're cheating then you probably aren't. You are your own judge.

Not to forget planning, I think good planning is important to make it much easier.

Absolutely. The biggest mistake that PTrefall and I made last year was not doing enough prep before the start of the week.