MicRogue - Update Jun 19th

[jasonpickering]

I am thinking about just doing a Blogger for it, something that I can easily edit, and add posts too. Probably once I have a few more games, I will go with a full website.

[Darren Grey]

Yeah, that can work, and similarly has easy templates you can use.  Does it allow file hosting though?

[jasonpickering]

Well I can host through dropbox, I think. That's not a problem. and Microgue.blogspot was open (until I snatched it up). how do you do the hosting for Roguelike Radio?

[Darren Grey]

I have a friend generous enough to give me a lot of space.

The nice thing about Google Sites is it includes a good amount of free hosting alongside the web structure and templates et al.  Plus you can have a public directory folder that you can just drop things in (like old builds) and link to it for a web directory view.

[Pueo]

1. Different Dungeons - will have different enviroments, traps, enemies, and final depths

I think that's a great idea, especially along with #3.  Say the king says "Ice Diamond!" and you go "!"  Then you can go into the Ice Cave to get the Ice Diamond.

2. "Quest" Tiers. level up dungeons as you beat them, forcing you to go deeper to find the treasure. (can always play an easier tier)

I'm not too sure about that one.  It seems against your original(?) goal of a quick/fun game if you have to keep track of tiers and choose a tier to play in.

3. "Artifacts". right now the king says jewel, but this could be a randomly chosen mcguffin to get and I could keep track of all of them for the player. so the player can see which ones they found.

See #1.

4. Skills. basically the player would have one skill/spell to use. this would replace in game items. Not a lot of people actually use the items though.

This and #5 (I think) would make a great addition to the game.  I imagine it as the original intro cut, but instead of one hero, you can choose the hero that goes "!" and play as him.

5. Different heroes. (This would probably be best if I did the skills idea. each one could have a different skill)

See #4.

also a final question. I am thinking of replay-ability. Anything you would like to see?

I think if you add in numbers 1, 3, 4, and 5, you'll have the perfect amount of replay-ability.

[jasonpickering]

Pueo: excellent comments as always. I do agree that the 2 seems to take away from the game. my main concern is I want different dungeons and they will have different difficulties. should the player be able to select which dungeon to tackle? what if they want to try and defeat the all Ninja Dojo? what if they want to battle the horrible Ice Castle?

I think having a quickplay button that just randomly selects would be good, but I think letting the player select a specific dungeon would be good to. maybe I can do like 3 Artifacts per Dungeon. that way if the player is missing one artifact it would be easier to find.

Also before Darren beats me up, I am trying to get a Blog up and running. It will always have the newest build up top and then posts below for me to talk about whatever else pops into my head.

[Pueo]

Pueo: excellent comments as always.

I try. 

I think selecting the dungeon they want to tackle should be allowed, but the default should be random selection.  I also like the 3 Artifacts per dungeon idea.

Does the blog you are thinking of using do (free) file-hosting?  I'm thinking of getting a blog up when I get further along with my project.

[jasonpickering]

Wel right now I use drop box. For all my file hosting. It gives 2 gbs free. But you can earn more by doing different stuff Or just It more.

Edit: this gives you a basic idea. I still need toy do all the wPrk before it goes live though
http://microgue.blogspot.com

[Darren Grey]

Just tried the latest build.  Was a bit too easy - I would have liked an extra floor or two.  Also, there was a bug in the music on re-entering the dungeon after winning; it repeated the same track on top of the current track.

Some sort of score system might be nice for replayability.  Maybe just a turn counter.

A variety of dungeons would be nice, perhaps just in random sequence.

What's the release plan for this?  It seems a mobile version would be great.

[guest509]

  Hey I played and won. So that means it's too easy, as I am a poor player. :-)

  Great game. Congratulations.

[Snargleplax]

Played and won.  I like how it's come along!  It's fun figuring out how the enemies work.

[jasonpickering]

sadly I have been lazy recently and have not got much done. Its been a bit of a heat wave and I done want to spend time with a hot laptop, so my nights have been reading, and playing my iphone. The next big thing I am going to try and do is add the "skill" I basically want to give the player one power that they can use. I hope that will open up play a bit, but we will see.

Darren Grey: yeah I tend to make things easier for testing purposes. I will probably add another floor, although other dungeons might have different floor requirements. I will fix that bug with the winning, I know what caused it. I am thinking a bit about replayability, and possibly adding in something of a score? or a way for a person to tell that they did better this time, then last time. the problem is I really don't know how to quantify that you did better aside from going with a step counter. I think Keith has a good idea with Auro, where score is based on several factors and points are awarded at the end.

Edit: Also Darren, hurry up and get that score episode of Roguelike Radio up. I like when your episodes coincide with problems I am having in my own game.

As for my release plan its iphone and ipad for now. I probably wont release on android. I also know people would like a pc build so I am thinking about maybe selling it online and then maybe putting a lite flash version up somewhere. keep in mind all prices will be like under $3.

Snargleplax and Jo: thanks, Glad you like it.

[kraflab]

sadly I have been lazy recently and have not got much done. Its been a bit of a heat wave and I done want to spend time with a hot laptop, so my nights have been reading, and playing my iphone.

Oh god I know that feeling.  I find it incredibly difficult to get anything done during the summer

Great game though, I look forward to seeing the content expand a bit, because to me it seems like merely the tip of the iceberg.

[jasonpickering]

thanks. yeah I am hoping to get it finished by the end of July, but we will see. I am trying to get the base game down for now that way I can just add stuff. for the moment though I am forgetting the timer, and the skills and focusing on score design. So the purpose of score is to show you played a better game this time then you did last time. Now the big challenge is how do we define a better game. so I have been playing through game after game and I have been thinking about criteria. This is where I need everyones help. What do you define as a good run?

Speed: beating dungeon with the mimimum amount of steps is ideal, so for each step the player should lose a certain amount of points.

Killing monsters: should killing monsters be a goal? what if some dungeons have it as a goal, while others dont? that would certainly change gameplay. what if you only got points for clearing a floor? what if its killing monsters in succession that nets you points?

Mini-quests: Games like jetpack joyride and infinity blade do this. give random quests with bonuses. what if you enter the dungeon and if you kill less then 10 monsters you get a bonus? over 10 you get a bonus, beat it in a certain time and you get a bonus. you never know what these "Challenges" will be.

treasure: picking up coins adds to bonus. This can be tricky, because its all luck based, depending on where it spawns, how much, where the enemies are, path to the stairs. its a lot of factors, but when you grab a handful of coins it does feel good.

Winning: should winning add to a score? or should you only get a score when you win. usually I would say you should always get a score, but my game is so small, and winning is not terribly hard to achieve I think winning should net a score. that way the player goals go like this. 1. Win the game. 2. win the game with a better score.

well that's it for about now, I am sure I can think of other stuff and if you have any comments please let them be heard. I think score is going to be "Coins" and most likely getting a score of like 100 is fantastic, none of that you scored 10000000 POINTS!!!

[Pueo]

I remember when I played an online or application based Sudoku, your score would start at a set amount (based on difficulty) and decreased with each second.  Certain actions further decreased your score, such as placing a number in the wrong spot. Perhaps you can go that way?  Say every time your character moves, you lose X points, and every time your character kills a monster or goes down a level, you gain X points.