The Red Prison - roguelike based on 5th edition D&D

[pat]

I've got to admit, I don't really understand what the Solasta licence means for them given that the SRD is fair game for anyway, but if Wizards of the Coast would like to officially endorse my product then I'm ready to talk business haha

[getter77]

I think it just grants more of the cutting edge v5.1 than the more "basic" OGL on top of giving a bit of an approving, knowing nod even if not outright endorsement---it still isn't an official WotC joint jaunt like BG III where they can interact with pretty much anything iconic, but it creates a higher tier essentially.  May also factor in to Solasta being a very much public facing commercial project, as opposed to an incidental one that is predominantly a homebrew affair.  The whole DM Guild thing wasn't a thing back when the original OGL kicked up, and they skipped the lot of it entirely for 4e, so it is out there.  WotC outright just bought a game development studio that was working on yet another 5e game, so perhaps the tiers will become more meaningful as this forthcoming era seems to constitute them getting serious about their gamespace for the first time since the Capcom and such era back in the 90's/

[pat]

Things have been a bit slower for me in terms of putting out new releases. That's been because of a combination of real life commitments which needed to take priority over game dev work but also because there was some big ticket items which would need a fair bit of time to complete and to properly test.



The current new version is one of those big changes and the game now includes variable movement speeds for all creatures. While that might seem like a relatively small change, it required a lot of behind-the-scenes work to implement a kind of energy system for all entities and to translate that to work with each creature's speed.

The big reason for the change was the intent to rebalance the game more in favour of melee combat and against ranged combat and spellcasters who spam offensive cantrips. I've always worked on the theory that each on-screen tile represented ten feet in terms of distance. That worked quite well in most respects until you think about the normal PC movement speed being 30 feet per turn. Without that aspect of the rules being implemented, spellcasters and ranged combatants effectively got 3 times as many turns to attack while melee fighters slowly approached them. That's all changed now.

It's still a bit experimental because you'll see that when you're actively engaged in combat that other creatures can kinda jump towards you as they move multiple squares at once. That's deliberate and that's part of what I'm monitoring in terms of whether it's actually fun or not. From my own playtesting it feels pretty good, but I'm very open to ideas if someone thinks that movement speeds should be tweaked in any way.

Full change list:

* Fixed bug with opportunity attacks where a creature has died somehow (I think?)

* Implemented constants for time to take actions and movement. Add cooldown variable to all objects to record this. Added method to record this value whenever actions are movements are made.

* Finished implementing variable movement speed system - movement now takes 1/3 as long as other actions as base costs and these can be altered to reflect different speeds for each creature for each types of acts.

* Changed order of attribute display just to suit my cosmetic preference.

* Implemented movement delay of 50% times base value for hidden actors.

* Implemented movement delay of 50% times base for wearing heavy armour without requisite strength (apart from for dwarves).

* Updated movement speeds for all monsters.

* Implemented numpy instead of standard python lists to deal with a number of arrays for map storage to improve speed problems introduced by new speed system... and then removed it because my poor programming actually meant that it was slower!

* Did some tidying up of graphics routines to remove redundancies to improve speed.

* Added custom time costs for resting, opening and closing doors and talking.

* Fixed bug with heavy armour and movement speeds not calculating properly.

* Updated action surge to work with new speed system which is actually a lot simpler than the previous system.

* Removed an anomaly with the sidebar display when the player is affected by only invisible conditions and there shouldn't be any visible sign of this.

[pat]

I've just uploaded an experimental version of the game filled with some HUGE changes. I never planned on making the game anything more than a simple dungeon crawl but the idea of creating an overworld and a number of different places to visit and explore crept into my thinking and I've spent the last few weeks working pretty heavily on it.

Here's what the new overworld looks like:



Normally I would remove the old version from itch.io and upload all new versions to Steam straightaway but I haven't had the chance to test this as much as I would like although it feels pretty stable to me. So at the moment I've got two different version for download (http://patjw.itch.io/theredprison) - one of them is the stable(ish) single dungeon crawl and the other is the experimental version with the full overworld and other features enabled.

You can expect to find 9 dungeons to explore, each with a different theme, enemy types, dangerous bosses with powerful artifacts to be discovered. There are also 5 friendly settlements around the map, some containing unique NPCs to interact with. A lot of this is just a skeleton to be filled out with future updates but it should give you a good feel for how the game is progressing and the direction I'm heading in.

A word of warning though, some of the dungeons might be quite deadly - especially as you go deeper and deeper and I'll definitely rebalance them as time goes on. I intend on directing the player to the easier dungeons through various quests so that they don't accidentally stumble into the hardest dungeon on the map. For now, my advice is to start with the Warrens, and then look for the Bandit Keep and the Ancient Shrine. And if you want to explore the old dungeon layout, it still exists at the far south-west of the map.

If anyone tries this out and wants to give me some feedback (good or bad), I'd be really appreciative!

[getter77]

I at least encourage this wild escalation---go where the momentum manifests to keep things lively and inspired for you!   

[Troubler]

Well you've got my attention. I love wilderness sections.
I'll give it a play sometime over the holidays.

Also, I remember back when the game was in the dungeon, there was this monster called a "Commoner" you could find.
It seemed like it should have been an NPC but wasn't. But that was a while ago.

[pat]

Great! Make sure to let me know what you think!

Commoners are definitely NPCs which I use to populate the towns a lot but can also show up in the dungeons when I don't specify what monsters to generate on which levels.

[pat]

And of course I made some mistakes in that experimental version with item generation being completely out of kilter for testing purposes along with an incorrect graphical tile for villages. Fixed now with a new version uploaded.

[Troubler]

I played it some these last few days. There have been improvements since last time. Though some issues still exist.
I also didn't get very far this time, even with debug equipment littered everywhere. So that's pretty embarrassing.
The wilderness and towns are still too early to say much about, but I didn't experience any bugs up there either.
The aesthetics of the dungeon seem better than before. Though the targeting is a problem for me.
The "highlighted" tile is usually hard to see, and it goes off screen when trying to target distant enemies.
An outline of the tile you are targeting would be nice. Here are a few bugs I found:


1.When you fill up your inventory with enough items, the list will cut into the messages, leaving a line running through it.
2.On sanctum level 3 I experienced some lag, but don't know why. A little while later I was knocked out by air elementals.
   An error occurred a little while after that. Generally errors are common when my guy is unconscious. Here is the log:
   Traceback (most recent call last):
     File "theredprison.py", line 13894, in <module>
     File "theredprison.py", line 13201, in main_menu
     File "theredprison.py", line 13149, in play_game
     File "theredprison.py", line 3050, in take_turn
     File "theredprison.py", line 7379, in monster_ko_to_death
     File "theredprison.py", line 2791, in drop
     File "theredprison.py", line 2930, in dequip
   AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'traits'
   Traceback (most recent call last):
     File "theredprison.py", line 13894, in <module>
     File "theredprison.py", line 13194, in main_menu
     File "theredprison.py", line 13149, in play_game
     File "theredprison.py", line 3050, in take_turn
     File "theredprison.py", line 7379, in monster_ko_to_death
     File "theredprison.py", line 2791, in drop
     File "theredprison.py", line 2930, in dequip
   AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'traits'
3.The bug where you die and your body blocks the way still exists. I even managed to get a picture of it.
   Though I have also noticed that your party members will attempt to displace bodies, and it's less common than before.

[pat]

Thanks heaps for the feedback. I agree about the highlighted square being hard to see sometimes, it became a lot worse when I changed some of the graphical tiles and it needs a fix.

The inventory is going to undergo a bit of a rework with merging piles of the same item type removing a heap of clutter and you're right that there's a graphical bug at that one point in the screen.

I suspect that lag is due to me pushing the limits of python with inefficient AI programming. I've had similar issues and I think I need to streamline some aspects of that part of the game to improve performance.

You'll also be pleased to know that I'm working on making unconscious or sleeping creatures not block corridors anymore. I'm just going to make it so that you can walk over the top of them because I experience the same issues. It can sometimes feel unfair if your allies can't get to you or cheap that you can hide behind an unconscious ally, so it seems to me that it should just be removed altogether and incapacitated creatures should essentially become part of the background.

And that error message you posted is a new one for me... I'll look into that as well.

This kind of feedback is absolutely invaluable so I just wanted to make sure you know how appreciative I am for you providing it, thanks so much.

[Troubler]

No problem. I'm looking forward to see how the game turns out.
Is the bodies blocking paths thing something that would happen in a real game of DND?
It doesn't seem very realistic to me, but if that's how it's supposed to be, I can't really complain.

I think the error log might have to do with the PC dropping items?
I noticed the error popup right when I went from being unconscious to dead.
This might be it, as the log references monster_ko_to_death. A lot of my party members died around the same time too.
It's unlikely to have been from other monsters being killed since we were totally outclassed by the air elementals.

[pat]

Whether a body blocks someone in a real game of D&D is one of those things that would come down to the individual DM I'd say. I don't think many DMs would say that a small or medium sized body would block a hallway, but perhaps it's a different story for an ogre or dragon corpse.

That error is almost certainly to do with items in your allies inventory when they die. I don't think I use that same function when the player dies so I'll hopefully be able to recreate it fairly simply.

[pat]

I figured out that error - I'm fairly sure it crops up when an NPC dies with an item in their inventory which adds a trait to the user and that's a bit of a rarity which is why I hadn't factored the possibility of a dead carrier into my item dropping code. I've fixed it and that fix will be included in the next version that I upload relatively soon.

[pat]

New version released on both Steam and itch with a number of dungeons and towns to explore and a couple of quests to undertake. The world is still a work-in-progress but there is the beginnings of a broader story and series of quests which I'll be working on expanding as time goes on.

Full change list:

* Implemented static whole map starting level. Implemented special case light map for above ground. Amended save and load routines to deal with scenarios where there aren't any up and down stairs. Implemented a new vault type, which covers the whole map to be The Red Outpost.

* Continued work on fixed level generator. Continued work on The Red Outpost. Added flipping of set map on x and y axis.

* Implemented trees and shrubs into level generator.

* Implemented unique NPC generation from map files.

* Implemented flavour text for unique NPCs and necessary routines around that.

* Wrote Saint Othmar's custom flavour text.

* Updated save system to handle different dungeon branches.

* Continued work on new level generation, multiple branches and overworld content.

* Updated trees to be always visible once discovered so they act as quasi-map walls.

* Updated commands so that options on the overworld are very restricted.

* Removed most of the code to do with procedural quests because they're temporarily a bad fit for the game's structure.

* Finished special item and monster generation code using data from dungeon branches.

* Fixed weird and long-standing bug to do with placement of monsters.

* Reworked encounter generation routines and finished compulsory special encounter generation in a random vault in the dungeon.

* Implemented new tile sets for walls in normal dungeons, towns and the red prison.

* Got rid of the scorpion tail's from crab tiles.

* Implemented basic version of North Warren with unique NPCs: Odette, Sunny, Susie.

* Implemented basic version of Mirefield Keep with unique NPC: Lord Wesley.

* Finished implementing skeletons of remaining towns.

* Implemented unique monster distribution for Badbog, Catacombs, Rage Hill, Haunt and Sanctum.

* Fixed bug with hidden attackers.

* Fixed bug with item distribution.

* Changed village tile to something a bit more consistent.

* Reduced player XP gain by half.

* Added Saint Barnabas, Saint Hedwig and Cardinal Florian.

* Added flavour text for every generic NPC.

* Hopefully fixed a bug with dungeon generation which created unintentional hordes of enemies.

* Added random monster generation to special item vaults.

* Added kobold mobs spawning to warrens:2; added kobold horde as a guaranteed mob on warrens:3.

* Added Nubnag, a powerful kobold boss with the savage, relentless and extra attack traits.

* Varied the monster generation routines so there is always a chance of a random monster turning up on any dungeon level.

* Made all potions stackable to save inventory room.

* Fixed bug with NPCs dropping some items on death.

* Slightly reduced food generation rate.

* Added ranged attack stats for skeletons.

* Created necromancer horde with skeleton archers and zombie brutes.

* Added Saint Cormag the necromancer as a boss for the ancient shrine.

* Added flavour text for Nubnag.

* Designated certain encounters as special so that they don't randomly spawn.

* Added dictionary for actor positions to try and optimise the AI functions somewhat. Should cut down on a lot of looping through lists looking for actors in certain spots.

* Fixed bug with targeting system and lookup table.

* Added visual indicator of when a unique NPC is seen.

* Implemented basic journal to record all player actions.

* Implemented basic quests and reward system.

* Added gold and made it spawn as a common item in amounts between 5 and 20 pieces.

* Implemented new quest system with ability to create multiple quests per quest giver with different priorities, rewards and prerequisites.

* Fixed bug with items spawning in walls around the exterior of the map.

* Added quest given by Cardinal Florian to kill Saint Cormag.

* Finished work on quests so that they work properly and quest givers can have multiple quests to give with different prerequisites and competing priorities as well as properly giving rewards.

* Reduced how often the screen is updated to hopefully give a big boost to speed.

[getter77]

I would presume to imagine this sprawl will also re-calibrate your ongoing race/class/etc reckonings as now there's more to flavour beyond the purest of contained dungeon crawl to avail?