Nihilist -- Experimental

[SarahW]

This is a test game I created in a couple of days. I still plan on refining it, though I'm still extremely new to learning how to do procedural generation.

Title: Nihilist
Genre: Puzzle SF

Concept: An experimental puzzle terminal game without corridors, and a slightly different battle system. This one also focuses more on puzzle solving, although there are random battles after each unlocked door.

Issues: Each hidden room with locked door had a random chance of encountering another locked door, so the puzzle difficulty could have more difficult if I had not had a boss battle after each unlocked door.

Github link: https://github.com/LWFlouisa/Nihilist/tree/master/Nihilist

Update: Modified battle system. A quirk of the gamestate machine is based on the dice you can get a lot of battles.

[AgingMinotaur]

Please let me know if the link is broken, and I'll replace it!

Yup, seems broken. I at least get an indefinite "Loading gateway.ipfs.io" when I open the URL.

EDIT: Actually, it works (now?). Maybe my connection was just bad at the time. I'll give it a whirl and try to come back with some comments.

As always,
Minotauros

[SarahW]

Thanks, will check out a different solution later on.

I'm finding myself hating the Rubygems documents lately. So I'm having to figure out a bunch on my own.

I keep forgetting my copy is on my other computer. I might add Terminal Shooter to it.

Edit: This puts it into this weird hybrid of Puzzle Game/Terminal Shooter game.

[AgingMinotaur]

Hey, I did take a look now. It's still pretty bare bones, so the main comment at the moment is just to carry on building on what you have.

Interface-wise, it felt a bit odd to have to press enter after each single letter command. It'd be smoother if wasd-movement (and maybe arrow-keys as well) registered instantly. I was also a bit perplexed that you use "<" for stairs down and ">" for stairs up, opposite of conventional RLs, but maybe there's some hidden meaning to that?

Regarding the mini-games, I looked in the source to find out how to "solve" the encryption puzzles The current implementation is obviously a placeholder, so difficult to comment before there's actual gameplay in there. Combat: Felt a bit bland at the moment, or rather, again, like a placeholder for a more fleshed out system. I like the idea of deterministic combat, but there wasn't much going on now, just trading blows until the opponent decides to flee, without much risk since hp regenerates to full between each fight. Currently, it's actually impossible to lose, I think? But I can see the basic system working as more variety comes into play, like health and other depletable resources, different actions/items interacting in a rock-paper-scissor-like way, perhaps? It felt like you're going for something influenced by Interactive Fiction. For inspiration, you might check out RL/IF hybrids like Kerkerkruip and Anamnesis, which use similar premises.

Dungeon layout: Again, there's not much practical variety between the two different room types, and it still felt unclear where you're headed with the tactical map, since there's no real interaction going on. Will there be monsters walking around that you have to avoid or bump to fight/interact with? Or other features that lend "meaning" to the map? The point of a tactical map is of course that choosing the right path should be a challenge, and I currently got the feeling that the basic game might work just as well without an actual map (ie. taking the IF inspiration even further), since the meat of the game, as it stands, is confined to the combat and crypto modes. Again, it's hard to say without knowing more about what you have planned.

In conclusion, the one thing I would like to see is key presses registered instantly, if you're going with single letter commands. Other than that, the premise seems interesting, with a lot of room for experimentation. Good luck going ahead!

As always,
Minotauros