Poll

What graphics/"graphics" do you prefer?

Text - Windows
Text - DOS
Isometric
3D
Tiled Graphics
Square Tiled Graphics

Author Topic: How do you like your roguelikes?  (Read 42501 times)

Omnivorous

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How do you like your roguelikes?
« on: November 20, 2009, 12:43:00 PM »
I hope I didn't forget anything.. I didn't bother adding "Text - Linux" because I think all roguelikes that can be played in Linux (which is almoast all of them) it is available in text-mode. But text in windows is alot different than a DOS-version. And I know the correct term might be "ASCII" or unicode, but we all understand what "text" means. :)

I prefer a clean, clear and colorful (in the right ways, not "flashy") text-layout in DOS.

IsharaComix

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Re: How do you like your roguelikes?
« Reply #1 on: November 20, 2009, 12:53:14 PM »
Full screen on the Ubuntu virtual terminal!

I wish I could get on an old Unix terminal just so I can see how they played them in the old days. That would be so awesome.

getter77

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Re: How do you like your roguelikes?
« Reply #2 on: November 20, 2009, 01:25:21 PM »
If I could've selected all Graphical variants, I would've.  Well, at least until some other projects take the Triangle Wizard style and run with it!   :D
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Z

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Re: How do you like your roguelikes?
« Reply #3 on: November 20, 2009, 02:12:16 PM »
I assume that by "Text - DOS" you mean that the system console is used (which makes it look like DOS), and "Text - Windows" means that the game uses a graphical library such as e.g. SDL to display the world in simulated ASCII, or something like that. (There is a big difference, I usually like games which use the system console, but dislike most of those which simulate, because they force me to look at fonts I do not like. But libtcod also looks great from what I have seen.)

Omnivorous

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Re: How do you like your roguelikes?
« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2009, 02:51:46 PM »
I assume that by "Text - DOS" you mean that the system console is used (which makes it look like DOS), and "Text - Windows" means that the game uses a graphical library such as e.g. SDL to display the world in simulated ASCII, or something like that. (There is a big difference, I usually like games which use the system console, but dislike most of those which simulate, because they force me to look at fonts I do not like. But libtcod also looks great from what I have seen.)


I don't know anything about coding, so I don't know the difference on that side. I just mean "It has been optimized for DOS and you can play it in DosBox" or "It hasn't been optimized for DOS, and you run it in windows - with whatever you are offered there" basically.

Rabiat

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Re: How do you like your roguelikes?
« Reply #5 on: November 20, 2009, 04:01:14 PM »
I don't care if a game is graphical or in text mode. But if it's in text mode, I usually prefer actual full screen text mode to a console window. If it's graphical, and the game allows movement in eight directions, I prefer hex tiles to square/isometric.

The only thing I dislike is 'cosmetic' 3D. Viewing a spinning @ through a tilting chase cam may be fun for ten minutes, but if the game remains grid-based and/or turn-based, the extra dimension is essentially meaningless.

Z

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Re: How do you like your roguelikes?
« Reply #6 on: November 20, 2009, 04:50:09 PM »
I don't know anything about coding, so I don't know the difference on that side. I just mean "It has been optimized for DOS and you can play it in DosBox" or "It hasn't been optimized for DOS, and you run it in windows - with whatever you are offered there" basically.

So, DoomRL and the ASCII version of Dungeon Crawl are "Text - Windows" or "Text - DOS" for you? They both might look like DOS programs, but you could not run them under DOS, unless you downloaded a DOS specific executable (I see there is one for Crawl, but not for DoomRL). That's a choice of operating system, not of graphics style, like the other options... Unless someone likes the feel of playing through DosBox for some reason, but I don't think there is enough reason nowadays to produce games which are supposed to be played via DosBox.

About the technical details... the system console looks like DOS (or rather can look like DOS), (see e.g. DoomRL, ASCII version of Crawl, DOS version of ADOM...) and the simulated ASCII looks like whatever the dev wanted to make it look like (e.g. ADOM WinBeta).

AmnEn

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Re: How do you like your roguelikes?
« Reply #7 on: November 22, 2009, 09:01:33 PM »
Tiled Graphics are prefered.
I don't have a problem with ASCII based roguelikes but I'll prefer a tilebased one over ASCII anytime. I don't quite understand the fixation on monochrome ASCII either. Why does it have to look like the first version released ever? :/
I can understand it if it is due to a lack of ressources to develop anything other than that, Roguelikes are quite complex beasts. But the decision to not use any graphical means just because someone shuns them, be it color or tiles, is beyond me.
« Last Edit: November 22, 2009, 09:04:16 PM by AmnEn »

Omnivorous

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Re: How do you like your roguelikes?
« Reply #8 on: November 22, 2009, 10:16:13 PM »
I don't know anything about coding, so I don't know the difference on that side. I just mean "It has been optimized for DOS and you can play it in DosBox" or "It hasn't been optimized for DOS, and you run it in windows - with whatever you are offered there" basically.

So, DoomRL and the ASCII version of Dungeon Crawl are "Text - Windows" or "Text - DOS" for you? They both might look like DOS programs, but you could not run them under DOS, unless you downloaded a DOS specific executable (I see there is one for Crawl, but not for DoomRL). That's a choice of operating system, not of graphics style, like the other options... Unless someone likes the feel of playing through DosBox for some reason, but I don't think there is enough reason nowadays to produce games which are supposed to be played via DosBox.

About the technical details... the system console looks like DOS (or rather can look like DOS), (see e.g. DoomRL, ASCII version of Crawl, DOS version of ADOM...) and the simulated ASCII looks like whatever the dev wanted to make it look like (e.g. ADOM WinBeta).


Exactly. DoomRL is "Text - Windows". I can't play it in DOS, and so, I don't play it. Even though I love that game.

Scautura

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Re: How do you like your roguelikes?
« Reply #9 on: November 23, 2009, 10:37:14 AM »
You missed an option: I don't really care, as long as it's playable.
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Re: How do you like your roguelikes?
« Reply #10 on: November 23, 2009, 02:20:41 PM »
Give me ASCII on all platforms!

Vanguard

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Re: How do you like your roguelikes?
« Reply #11 on: November 23, 2009, 09:24:34 PM »
I like tiles better so long as they're clearly recognizable and professional looking.  Ascii is better than badly done tiles.  CastlevaniaRL, Mage Guild, and Crawl are examples of games with good tile sets.

pat

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Re: How do you like your roguelikes?
« Reply #12 on: November 23, 2009, 10:33:04 PM »
Give me ASCII on all platforms!
yep, can't stand tiles for some reason. Maybe I just haven't seen any that I like.

Omnivorous

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Re: How do you like your roguelikes?
« Reply #13 on: November 25, 2009, 07:21:27 PM »
You missed an option: I don't really care, as long as it's playable.

Well I think every true roguelike-player feels like that. Question is what do you -prefer- (with whatever you put behind that word, maybe a 3D-roguelike will come out that blows your mind, but until it does, perhaps you've had the best experiences with clean ol' ascii :)).

To me the ascii-graphics represent imagination. That's what usually separate good/bad RPGs; if the player gets so into it that the imaginary world he/she is tumbling around in becomes a part of them. With ascii you kinda don't have any options. You have to use your imagination, if you don't, you only see a screen full of letters! :)

I have tremendous respect for the 'T' in Rogue :D The yellow g's too early in a Crawl-game, etc.

Vanguard

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Re: How do you like your roguelikes?
« Reply #14 on: November 25, 2009, 10:58:54 PM »
I don't see tiles and ascii to necessarily be mutually exclusive.  CastlevaniaRL allows for both, and it looks good either way.