I'm now in a point where I'm not sure if the game I'm currently finishing is really a Roguelike, an ASCII-RPG or a Roguelike-like.
Like others said don't worry about it too much. If you want my opinion (a conservative one) here it goes.
Also, it's mentioned the Berlin Interpretation, that is somehow accepted by the @'s community as a standard for knowing if XXXXX game is a RL or not.
A standard, yes. Not as a final say though.
1.- Random environment generation
......Maps are PREMADE in human-readable format, i.e. not random generated
......Items absolutely random generated. (using basic patterns a.l.a diablo)
......Monsters absolutely random generated. (using basic patterns a.l.a. diablo)
......Also there is a lot of randomness in the game in many other aspects that don't event the most pure Roguelikes have.
Maps being premade also harms point nine (exploration) significantly because player can memorize most efficient scouting patterns. This invalidates the requirement of careful exploration. It also makes exploration boring. So actually you miss on two major points by this.
Dieing
Sorry for this nitpick but it bugs me. Dying, not dieing.
5.- Non-modal
......Yes and no. Yes because everything is worked out in the 'game' screen, EXCEPT combat, that is final fantasy-ish, more or less.
Combat, the core activity of a roguelike has a different mode? Sorry, but this results in no points for you in this category. Third major point missing.
6.- Complexity
......A lot. Actually, this point is what I am proud of it. The game is absolutely complex, with many factions, currencies for different kingdoms, a lot of quests and sidequests, a lot of places to explore and a lot of player freedom, each player class has his own completely different background story and aims, quests can be dynamically modified by other events or quests... Basically there is a lot of complexity.
Great! I want to play your game.
8.- Hack'n'slash
......Yes and no. Combat is one important part of the game, but not the most important and not the goal of the game.
Roguelikes are about combat in one form or another. If resolving conflict by defeating enemies somehow is not central you also fail this point. So "no", rather than "yes and no". Take Sword in Hand. There you have this kingdoms warring feature. It is a side thing which is what I would still call "yes".
......There are many fights, but not every 10 seconds, and not one every 30 minutes. I think it's quite balanced.
Good for your game!
9.- Exploration and discovery
I addressed this above.
So, by major points alone your game is not a roguelike, although you possess more than 50% of them. I like to reserve this term to games that are very close to the core. As others say worry not about this. Care about your game being great!
