PREVIEW: Dark Things, a roguelike for Dungeon Craft

[marainein]

I'd better start the preview post before the one week challenge becomes a distant memory...
For the one week challenge on a randomly game generator for DC...reports and rumors are still coming in, but this is what we know so far:

* The game is provisionally named 'Dark Things'. It will be a roguelike (ie, randomly generated) dungeon, adhering to as many roguelike traditions and tropes as seems useful. It will use Dungeon Craft, and the standard AD&Dish rules.

* It will have a dark fantasy/horror theme to it, because I'd like it to be something different to simply wandering around some random maps killing some random monsters to meet an XP quota to advance to the next level. Fear of being alone in the dark, lost. trapped and hunted by supernatural beings will be there as themes as much as hack & slash.

* I am making this for my own satisfaction, as a sort of personal challenge. If anyone else ever plays it, that's a bonus. If anyone actually likes it, that's an even more unlooked for bonus.

* The module will consist of a single dungeon 16 levels deep, with the ultimate challenge to be faced on the 16th level, and a town above the 1st level where the player can return for training, shops etc. Another level will be a long stairway down, that connects all the dungeons and acts as a hub.

* the party will consist of a single PC, possibly being joined by NPCs

* each of the levels will have its own unique generator, style and theme. I wanted to get several themes done for the challenge, but I can see I'm only going to be able to finish one.

I'll post some actual screenshots soon.

[marainein]

Unlike many people here, I'm no artist. My 2D skills are nil (I can't even draw) and my 3D skills would be generously described as "negligible". I wanted to get through this project using only the default art that comes with DC. And after all, I had plenty of scripting, writing and design work to do. But I soon realized I'd have to do some primitive graphics work, just to give the player information about the game world.

The main monsters, who are frequently chasing/stalking the player through the caves, have glowing green eyes.


Alas, the same bioluminescent ooze that coats the eyes also lives on the cave walls leading to confusion over whether there's a monster out there or just some green slime.


A bottomless chasm. Every good cave system should have one


I wanted light and darkness to be major themes, so we have dynamic lighting that changes the way the walls look if the PC has a light source.

[Dinonykos]

This looks very promising.
I always wanted to do more default cave walls, but since I won't use them myself probably, it was lower priority to me. Maybe I find some time inbetween to do another so that you can have more variety.

Are you using the default 640x480 art? I ask because your screenshots look so stretched...

[ProphetSword]

I agree with Dinonykos.  It could be you're not allowing for the right aspect ratio on your monitor and allowing DC to be stretched out.  It seems to me the images should look more like this:

[manikus]

I am certainly intrigued by what you have shown us so far, marainein.

I am especially curious to see the random dungeron generation in action.

[marainein]

I always wanted to do more default cave walls, but since I won't use them myself probably, it was lower priority to me.

My thanks for the cave walls - I remember looking at the wall png images, and thinking 'hey, i recognize that name from the ua forums...'
 

Are you using the default 640x480 art? I ask because your screenshots look so stretched...

I agree with Dinonykos.  It could be you're not allowing for the right aspect ratio on your monitor and allowing DC to be stretched out.  It seems to me the images should look more like this:

Thanks guys - it had slipped my notice (maybe my brain has been rewired for a different aspect ratio) - I am using 640x480 art. I'm running it fullscreen inside a virtual machine (which is also full screened) on a 16:9 monitor and doing my screen captures from outside the virtual machine.  Something in that setup is probably causing it - I'll check it over now that Prophetsword has supplied me with a reference image.

[marainein]

I am certainly intrigued by what you have shown us so far, marainein.

I am especially curious to see the random dungeron generation in action.

It might be worth thinking about dungeon generation in theory - ultimately, is there a point to random dungeon maps, and how do they affect play? Not being a brilliant guy, I didn't really think about this until after I'd finished writing the generator

How do you guys explore a new map area in games like FRUA? And how do designers design them? A few modules I remember playing playing have had basically linear maps, most weren't, but I've only played a small fraction of the hundreds of modules that are out there, so I don't know what the standard is.

[manikus]

How would I use random generated dungeons? Since you brought up this topic, I have thought a bit about this and how I might incorporate some in a number of designs.

1)   I would use them in testing of databases - I've got a number of projects in the works that utilize different databases than the default ones. This kind of testing often involves walking around and entering various battles. Why not add some variety to the task?
2)   These could be great for "Side Quests". Here a story in your local tavern about a mcguffin in a small dungeon underneath of the hamlet near the mountain, and it can be different every time the player starts up a new game.
3)   You have a goal for your players on the fifth level of a dungeon (which you plan out meticuously), but you need a buffer of four levels to discourage the player - easily could be random and not detract from play or design.

[SilentThief]

another idea for a random dungeon would be like the "one shot" lair dungeons in Pool of Radiance. Like when you wander around in the overland map and you find the wyvern lair, you go in, (in theory survive), loot, and you are never able to find that dungeon again. I thought it interesting that there seemed to be several of these which were more or less the same dungeon, but the first was wyverns (hard) where-as afterwards you find like goblin and other easier enemies. At least that is what I remember from my last playthru which was admittedly a long time ago.

ST "who wants to play PoR again"

[marainein]

another idea for a random dungeon would be like the "one shot" lair dungeons in Pool of Radiance. Like when you wander around in the overland map and you find the wyvern lair, you go in, (in theory survive), loot, and you are never able to find that dungeon again. I thought it interesting that there seemed to be several of these which were more or less the same dungeon, but the first was wyverns (hard) where-as afterwards you find like goblin and other easier enemies. At least that is what I remember from my last playthru which was admittedly a long time ago.

ST "who wants to play PoR again"

You sound like you're remembering the kobold caves (which also had some wyverns in the main entrance) in the swamp - which were not a random lair.

(I don't know how I turned into the world's biggest Pool of Radiance nerd. It sure wasn't what my career advisor recommended back in high school. But it's ok, I guess)

[manikus]

My high school guidance counselor told me (after all those silly tests) that I should be a professional jazz musician.