Darren, I just listened to the ASCII edition of the podcast - and while it was interesting, I thought the main point of ASCII wasn't mentioned. Basically, the ASCII characters weren't really chosen because they were symbolic, or aesthetically pleasing, they were chosen because thats all the original coders had to chose from.
I think a lot of roguelike players, especially the ASCII stalwarts can get to a point where its the ASCII that defines them, rather than the games themselves. Like ASCII is worn as a badge of merit, for only the few that still support it in these days of modern systems and graphical representations. It's true there is a sort of purity to it, like you all said in the podcast, but its more down to being forced to use the basic supported character set than any real design decisions based on symbolism or aesthetics.
I appreciate what can be done, in terms of gameplay, still presented in ASCII, and I think theres still a sector of RL's that can utilise ASCII, some even push the boundaries using the character set, embracing it like a lived in well worn cardigan, yet expanding what can be done with it. But I still think, that even the symbolism can be worked on, and tested, and pushed, so that you have more interesting roguelike adventures built, without the confines of yesteryear. I look towards the likes of The Slimy Lichmummy for inspiration, or even the likes of Brogue, no matter how gaudy, and following the spectrum up through to the many graphical games bringing new audiences into the genre. Perhaps they will step back out of curiosity and see where the genre come from, where the evolution started, but to confine it is a cardinal sin.
My favourite ASCII RL is QuickHack, and its java based and uses a very modest amount of graphical flair to spice it up. Perhaps there is an evolution happening, and with the likes of Necklace of the Eye and TOME we can look forward to RL's embracing and expanding what has come before in terms of homage and evolution?
Finally, are you planning (or considering) a show on
Bionic Dues from Arcengames? Its a roguelike inspired robot team dungeon crawl with a lot of tactical options. Chris Parks the lead dev and main man behind all of Arcengames is usually very willing and vocal about his development cycle. A true visionary in the world of indie game development and embracing procedurally generated content since AI War (his first game).
