Roguelike with every (well not actually every) Genre!

[PerspectivDesigns]

I have found that everyone has misunderstood my idea with this post, so I have made a new topic that I hope describes my idea better.

http://forums.roguetemple.com/index.php?topic=3465.0

[Trystan]

I think it could work and I think it's weird.

This is actually the idea I'll probably go with for my next 7DRL. I'm curious to see what you come up with. Good luck!

[Trystan]

Mixing genres could be zany fun too. Imagine fighting a toga-wearing bear in a ten-gallon hat who's duel wielding steam powered lasers. RAWR!

[PerspectivDesigns]

Mixing genres could be zany fun too. Imagine fighting a toga-wearing bear in a ten-gallon hat who's duel wielding steam powered lasers. RAWR!

Lol! That's not quite what I had in mind, but still cool!

[PerspectivDesigns]

I think it could work and I think it's weird.

This is actually the idea I'll probably go with for my next 7DRL. I'm curious to see what you come up with. Good luck!

I think it could be weird if the player wants it, or it could be more normal.

If you make that game I'd love to play it!

[languard]

I really don't think this idea is possible at all.  Such a game would feel unfocused and very, very random.  Further more the sheer amount of content you would have to generate to have all of those things in a single game would make it very difficult for a solo dev to complete.

Even just looking at the combat system I don't think it would work.  It's like a doctor told me once when he was giving me my temporary leg brace to use before my custom ordered one came in: "This is one size fits no-one.  It will work, but it won't be comfortable."  I'm sure you could create a combat system that technically works for all of those different situations, but it would never work as good as a system designed specifically for that setting and genre.

[Trystan]

I really don't think this idea is possible at all.  Such a game would feel unfocused and very, very random.

I don't see how saying "oh, this must be the Feudal Japan area" is that much different than "oh, this must be the sewer branch of the dungeon". Different dungeon generator, different creatures, different items, maybe a few environmental dangers, but it's not like one level would be a FPS and another would be a galaxy-wide 4X space game. I think there was even a 2013 7DRL where each level was from an older PC game - including art and character stats. Heck; if someone can make a flash game where you play a Super Mario Brothers crossover [1] mixing characters, music, and graphics from Zelda, Metroid, Mega Man, Contra, etc, then I'd bet a mixed genre roguelike is possible and potentially fun and illuminating.

Then again, I'm often a fan of the kitchen sink approach to roguelikes so mixing wildly different genres seems like a logical next step. If you're trying to make, or play, a game where every stat, item, and creature is exactly balanced out with no real advantages or disadvantages, then you probably shouldn't look to this multi-genre style of game.

[1] http://www.explodingrabbit.com/games/super-mario-bros-crossover

[Krice]

I'll have a huge list of buildings, items, NPC's, terrain types, scenarios and more.

Remember to start small.

[Darren Grey]

Personally I'm not sure why this is interesting. Are you just reskinning the same content? Theme and setting can be nice for flavour, but it's the mechanics at the heart of the game that really matter.

Having said that, you should check out A Rogue's Dream: http://www.cutgar.net/?p=100  It's a 7DRL that didn't quite make it, but it had the cool idea (which works) of pulling themes in from the web. So you say your name is "cat" and it makes a cat icon for you from Google image search, chooses enemy types and player powers based on Google autocomplete for searches like "cats hate ..." It has infinite themes essentially, all built up from the sum of human knowledge on the internet. It's open source too if you want to give it a gander.

[Etinarg]

It can be made, but it will take such a long time to make that it's unlikely to be finished.

More genres - real myths. Some popular examples:

- Greek/Roman gods and mythology
- Mesopotamian/Persian gods and mythology
- Aztec/Inca gods and mythology
- Scandinavian/Nordic gods and mythology

More weird things borrowed from arts

- Dadism
- Kubism
- Pointilism

Still more

- Mafia/organized crime
- Military
- Time travel

if you ever get close to the finishing line I sure can supply more

[PerspectivDesigns]

I really don't think this idea is possible at all.  Such a game would feel unfocused and very, very random.  Further more the sheer amount of content you would have to generate to have all of those things in a single game would make it very difficult for a solo dev to complete.

Even just looking at the combat system I don't think it would work.  It's like a doctor told me once when he was giving me my temporary leg brace to use before my custom ordered one came in: "This is one size fits no-one.  It will work, but it won't be comfortable."  I'm sure you could create a combat system that technically works for all of those different situations, but it would never work as good as a system designed specifically for that setting and genre.

I don't think you guys quite understand. My idea isn't doing all genres at once, it's just having the option of mixing genres. You could play a game that's a western alien invasion (Cowboys and Aliens), you could do cyberpunk far future (The Matrix), a d hundreds of other good combinations. You could do weird combinations that just don't make since, but at least there's the option.

Also I don't plan on each genre being too large. Most genres will have terrain, buildings, species, items, and at least 1 interesting game mechanic.

The combat system is like Dwarf Fortress. It keeps track of every body part (thus allowing randomized aliens), innards, and various injuries to those parts. I'm not saying a caveman could beat an alien, I'm just saying that battle is possible.

I've also thought of 4 more genres

Mafia : World and Theme
Vikings : World and Theme
Super Heroes : Theme
WWII : World and Theme

[PerspectivDesigns]

It can be made, but it will take such a long time to make that it's unlikely to be finished.

More genres - real myths. Some popular examples:

- Greek/Roman gods and mythology
- Mesopotamian/Persian gods and mythology
- Aztec/Inca gods and mythology
- Scandinavian/Nordic gods and mythology

More weird things borrowed from arts

- Dadism
- Kubism
- Pointilism

Still more

- Mafia/organized crime
- Military
- Time travel

if you ever get close to the finishing line I sure can supply more

Thanks for the ideas! I already have the idea for time travel. Wizards, superheroes, and people in the far future will have the option to time travel. Time travel will actually be really simple because all it has to do is create a new world at the genre you're traveling to.

My mythology genre I wanted to include all kinds of different mythologies. So if you choose a Viking world, Viking theme, and a mythology secondary theme, it will have Nordic mythology.

My plan for making this possible is just having large text files of creatures, items, and buildings that can easily be added to. Terrain will be more complicated.

[Z]

Your topic title is very misleading (and seems to make no sense), because for me "genre" is roguelike, and subgenres would be hacklike, bandlike, spelunky-like etc.

Roguebasin uses the word theme. You could also use "world", "setting" etc.

[PerspectivDesigns]

Your topic title is very misleading (and seems to make no sense), because for me "genre" is roguelike, and subgenres would be hacklike, bandlike, spelunky-like etc.

Roguebasin uses the word theme. You could also use "world", "setting" etc.

I do use the word theme and world. I use the word genre to include the possibility of both.
If you read thru my list of genres you would see that I use those.

Roguelike is a genre of game. But you can have different genres of roguelikes.

[halvorg]

I'm not sure I understand, do you want a game where these worlds/settings clash? Or do you want to make one roguelike with several optional themes?