Ginny
Question about Rogue-like games
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Ginnylady
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Question about Rogue-like games
I'm wanting to try a rogue-type game. Would those of you who have played a few share your recommendations, please? Things like NetHack, Ragnorak, Angband, etc......I've no idea where to start.
Ginny
Ginny
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Chesspieceface
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You are going to get a fair range of opinions on this around here. Nethack is the real classic, but my personal all time favorite is Ancient Domains of Mystery.
I like ADOM because it has benefitted from the influence of so many other roguelikes, and it has a few things the others don't. Namely an actual story to it. It has some overall structure that is consistent even though the individual dungeons are random.
Surely there will also be those who prefer Angband and its variants as a LOTR themed roguelike. Zelazny Angband or Zangband is probably the most popular variant or at least it was. It hasnt been updated in about two years.
Even with all the amazing 3d accelerated games I play, I still go back to ADOM a couple times a year even if just for a game or two. Great stuff.
I like ADOM because it has benefitted from the influence of so many other roguelikes, and it has a few things the others don't. Namely an actual story to it. It has some overall structure that is consistent even though the individual dungeons are random.
Surely there will also be those who prefer Angband and its variants as a LOTR themed roguelike. Zelazny Angband or Zangband is probably the most popular variant or at least it was. It hasnt been updated in about two years.
Even with all the amazing 3d accelerated games I play, I still go back to ADOM a couple times a year even if just for a game or two. Great stuff.
kind of like a cloud I was up way up in the sky and I was feeling some feelings that I couldn't believe; sometimes I don't believe them myself but I decided I was never coming down
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Kasey Chang
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If you got a Palm OS PDA, try iMoria, free and all that.
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
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yossar
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Dungeoncrawl is the only roguelike I've ever been able to get into. Not sure exactly why.
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Austin
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Smoove_B
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Peacedog
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There's a zillion roguelikes out there Ginnylady. The key is in finding one to fit your needs. While many of them share a large feature base, some offer refreshing gameplay mechanics (e.g. Eyeband & it's alchemy system), while others really branch out (IVAN).
There are two broad caregories of Roguelikes, perhaps:
1) Survival games - the "classic" roguelike. You are dropped into a dungeon, and the goal is to get to the bottom level, do something, and then generally return to the top. Called survival because all you have to get by on is what you scavenge. Food, beneficial potions, and things like identify scrolls can be precious commodities for some time.
2) "Town based" games. These feature one or more towns (if more, there's usually wilderness areas). This changes the game somewhat - generally you have more resources available to you at first. You'd think this would make the game easier. Well. . .not necessarily. Zangband and ADOM are both townbased (both each in it's own way - more on that in a second), but both are very difficult.
Some history notes:
Many Rogue Likes are heavily Tolkien influenced (thank Moria, and Jeff is right you should give that a try). This meant that the "uber bad" guys were Tolkien figures. Unique monsters are generally called just that - uniques. They generally have more powers than typical monsters. Boss monsters, in that sense.
Various rogue likes have built on that premise. Sometimes replacing Tolkien, sometimes adding on. Some, like ADOM (or IVAN), have created their own mythologies. The games with their own mythologies seem to do more interesting things in terms of level design. E.g. in ADOM, there's a frictionless level.
Game mechanics - generally you pick a class & race combination. It will affect your max stats, how quickly you level, stareting stats, and abilities. Some games use classes loosely. Some don't use them at all. Some use them strictly (difference between strict and lose - a fighter in a loose system could learn magic eventually). One wonderful thing about having so many roguelike choices is that you can find a system you like and play games in that system. yay. Generally, rogue likes offer you basci equipment, magical equipment, cool magical equipmentr, and artifacts. Cool is generally themeed in some way. In a Tolkien based game, you'll find weapons of westernesse, or Weapons of Gondolin, etc. They have properties based in part on that suffix (if you will). Magic is generally of the "+3" variety. Artifacts are their own special reward.
Just understand also that there's generally all sorts of options that tie into these things. Example: sometimes artifacts spawn right there on the dungeon floor. You might miss them. Traditionally, that meant you were SOL. But many RLs feature a "preserve artifact" option - meaning that there's a chance it will spawn again at some later date.
Now, some of the basics:
Nethack - one fo the originals. Survival based though these days it may have a town option. Many people prefer variants like Crawl or Slash'em. I'll leave it to you to disocver which tyou prefer. One thing these games bring to the table is that you can easily jump in and out. Perhaps more so than some of the variants. I mean, the premise is pretty cut and dry - enter the dungeon and start going down at a rate that you feel comfortable with. Unlike, say, ADOm, where you'll have to do no small amount of figuring out what to do next. Nethack and similar games are perhaps the perfect "I need to spend time on this trip with my pda, what should I do?" game.
Angband (also called Vanilla sometimes) - one of the most widely copied codebases out there, I believe. You can play with or without a town. Further, it features interesting tyhings like "autoquests" - quests assigned on a given dungeon level that you must complete before fidning the stairs (e.g. "kill 8 jackals!"). The quests usually reward you with something pretty good (and as you get deeper, you start getting ego items). You can use spells/scrolls to skip these levels. But, to advance normally you must find and kill all those monsters on that level. Call it a hybrid of two styles, if you will. Play the game either way, at your leisure.
Zangband - Angband on steroids. It's very difficult. It features all the traditional Tolkien baddies, the entire host of Zelanzy's fictional characters (the worst of whom occupy positions as very high level uniques), and the entire host of Lovecraftian monsters. This basically means "it's more unique monsters than your typical *band". Double your pleasure, double your fun (and Silly Deaths!). I like it, perosnally. But it's difficult. Features autoquesting, special side quests (obtained in the various towns).
*Bands - there's a zillion variants. Among the more popular used to be Kamband, Kangband, and Oband. The former two just aded lots of quests and stuff to the basic Angband model. The latter was an attempt to experiment with and change a number of traditional features to the Angband codebase. Many of those things were incorporated back in. Eyeband - made by some dude who took the Angband model and put in a pretty cool alchemy system on top. Mix potions, be ware!
Cthulhuband - not sure if it's maintained. Features the lovecraftian catalogue as your primary foes. An interesting skill system. But the game was not really being maintained as of a couple of years ago, aqnd it was ridiculously hard due to how the skill system worked.
ADOM - this really is a different beast. The story is more than cogent. There are differetn ways to beat the game, requiring you to do very different things. You won't see all the sites here in a victory necessarily. Various locations & dungeons are very thematic and interesting, and often require you to shift your thinking from one moment to the next. Unlike most roguelikes, there's only 1 "deep" dungeon, and it goes on forever. But you don't even need to enter it (unles. . . ). It's got different dungeons/levels scattered about a world map. There are a number of unique levels scattered throughout the game. As well as quests you can complete. The puppy dungeon right near the start is a great place to get acclimated. Be very careful on the level that a's start showing up. And on the bottom level - be *extra* careful. It's a great place to level and there will be a decent item on it somewhere. But the longer you spend there, the greater the chance that something really nasty will appear around a corner and eat your face. The entire game has interesting locations like this. Any roguelike fan should give this a try at some point. But, this is a difficult game. Stay away at first, perhaps.
TOME - formerly Pernband, IIRC. It's now heavily a middle earth based roguelike with tons of classes & races & features. Pretty fun. It's now fully "world" based, with a map and many familiar locations and a number of dungeons.
IVAN - like ADOM, roguelike fans need to try this game. Soon. It's entirely graphical, which is a rarity. But that's important, given that you'll sometimes be tracking a monster by it's blood trails (I kid you not). Or vice versa.
It's still early in development. Unique world. Some serious level themeing. And what a systme. Attributes that improve as you do things (e.g. if you run alot, dex can go up. If you fight in melee alot, str & end can go up). There's body part locations, wishes, hammers of thunder, cool artifacts, wierd monsters. It doesn't rely on the traditional roguelike method of item & monster generation. There's no depth per se. Instead, there's a chance you could start the game and find something really powerful (Hammer of Thunder, Artifact, Wand of Wishing) sitting on the floor next to yoiu. All is not well, however, as tyhe more powerful shit you equip, and the higher your stats get, the better a chance of some really powerful enemy spawning. Like a diamond golem. That's *no* fun. Artifacts kick ass, but if you equip one it won't change the fact that your stats aren't that good and your weapon skills suck. So that golem might pummel you senseless anyway.
But, this game must be experienced. Deal with hunger, loss of limb, wishing for new limbs (and be creative. Don't settle for flesh. Try diamond, or obsidian, or Phoenix feather, or dragonscale. . .), monsters that can teleport your equipment away from you, suicidal dwarves that explode, it's very own little shop of horrors. . .I've been very impressed with the game (Though I haven't played in awhile. That might change soon now that you got me talking about it
).
There are more games. Too many for me to list (particularly since I'm forgetting a couple offhand).
I'd start with Moria, nethack, or Dungeon Crawl. Get a feel for the games. Then branch out as necessary. Report here with your progress. Be prepared to die 1000 times. Be prepared to do utterly stupid shit to get yourself killewd, *right* when things were starting to look promising. Be prepared for a little frustration. Keep plugging.
Under no circumstances whatsoever are you to trust the RNG. Some call it the Random Number Generator. Others call it the Random Number God. Understand that it is an alien being, truly. Beyond our comprehension. And that every time you think something good has happened in your game, it's setting you up for a fall. The RNG is hungry. For our very souls.
There are two broad caregories of Roguelikes, perhaps:
1) Survival games - the "classic" roguelike. You are dropped into a dungeon, and the goal is to get to the bottom level, do something, and then generally return to the top. Called survival because all you have to get by on is what you scavenge. Food, beneficial potions, and things like identify scrolls can be precious commodities for some time.
2) "Town based" games. These feature one or more towns (if more, there's usually wilderness areas). This changes the game somewhat - generally you have more resources available to you at first. You'd think this would make the game easier. Well. . .not necessarily. Zangband and ADOM are both townbased (both each in it's own way - more on that in a second), but both are very difficult.
Some history notes:
Many Rogue Likes are heavily Tolkien influenced (thank Moria, and Jeff is right you should give that a try). This meant that the "uber bad" guys were Tolkien figures. Unique monsters are generally called just that - uniques. They generally have more powers than typical monsters. Boss monsters, in that sense.
Various rogue likes have built on that premise. Sometimes replacing Tolkien, sometimes adding on. Some, like ADOM (or IVAN), have created their own mythologies. The games with their own mythologies seem to do more interesting things in terms of level design. E.g. in ADOM, there's a frictionless level.
Game mechanics - generally you pick a class & race combination. It will affect your max stats, how quickly you level, stareting stats, and abilities. Some games use classes loosely. Some don't use them at all. Some use them strictly (difference between strict and lose - a fighter in a loose system could learn magic eventually). One wonderful thing about having so many roguelike choices is that you can find a system you like and play games in that system. yay. Generally, rogue likes offer you basci equipment, magical equipment, cool magical equipmentr, and artifacts. Cool is generally themeed in some way. In a Tolkien based game, you'll find weapons of westernesse, or Weapons of Gondolin, etc. They have properties based in part on that suffix (if you will). Magic is generally of the "+3" variety. Artifacts are their own special reward.
Just understand also that there's generally all sorts of options that tie into these things. Example: sometimes artifacts spawn right there on the dungeon floor. You might miss them. Traditionally, that meant you were SOL. But many RLs feature a "preserve artifact" option - meaning that there's a chance it will spawn again at some later date.
Now, some of the basics:
Nethack - one fo the originals. Survival based though these days it may have a town option. Many people prefer variants like Crawl or Slash'em. I'll leave it to you to disocver which tyou prefer. One thing these games bring to the table is that you can easily jump in and out. Perhaps more so than some of the variants. I mean, the premise is pretty cut and dry - enter the dungeon and start going down at a rate that you feel comfortable with. Unlike, say, ADOm, where you'll have to do no small amount of figuring out what to do next. Nethack and similar games are perhaps the perfect "I need to spend time on this trip with my pda, what should I do?" game.
Angband (also called Vanilla sometimes) - one of the most widely copied codebases out there, I believe. You can play with or without a town. Further, it features interesting tyhings like "autoquests" - quests assigned on a given dungeon level that you must complete before fidning the stairs (e.g. "kill 8 jackals!"). The quests usually reward you with something pretty good (and as you get deeper, you start getting ego items). You can use spells/scrolls to skip these levels. But, to advance normally you must find and kill all those monsters on that level. Call it a hybrid of two styles, if you will. Play the game either way, at your leisure.
Zangband - Angband on steroids. It's very difficult. It features all the traditional Tolkien baddies, the entire host of Zelanzy's fictional characters (the worst of whom occupy positions as very high level uniques), and the entire host of Lovecraftian monsters. This basically means "it's more unique monsters than your typical *band". Double your pleasure, double your fun (and Silly Deaths!). I like it, perosnally. But it's difficult. Features autoquesting, special side quests (obtained in the various towns).
*Bands - there's a zillion variants. Among the more popular used to be Kamband, Kangband, and Oband. The former two just aded lots of quests and stuff to the basic Angband model. The latter was an attempt to experiment with and change a number of traditional features to the Angband codebase. Many of those things were incorporated back in. Eyeband - made by some dude who took the Angband model and put in a pretty cool alchemy system on top. Mix potions, be ware!
Cthulhuband - not sure if it's maintained. Features the lovecraftian catalogue as your primary foes. An interesting skill system. But the game was not really being maintained as of a couple of years ago, aqnd it was ridiculously hard due to how the skill system worked.
ADOM - this really is a different beast. The story is more than cogent. There are differetn ways to beat the game, requiring you to do very different things. You won't see all the sites here in a victory necessarily. Various locations & dungeons are very thematic and interesting, and often require you to shift your thinking from one moment to the next. Unlike most roguelikes, there's only 1 "deep" dungeon, and it goes on forever. But you don't even need to enter it (unles. . . ). It's got different dungeons/levels scattered about a world map. There are a number of unique levels scattered throughout the game. As well as quests you can complete. The puppy dungeon right near the start is a great place to get acclimated. Be very careful on the level that a's start showing up. And on the bottom level - be *extra* careful. It's a great place to level and there will be a decent item on it somewhere. But the longer you spend there, the greater the chance that something really nasty will appear around a corner and eat your face. The entire game has interesting locations like this. Any roguelike fan should give this a try at some point. But, this is a difficult game. Stay away at first, perhaps.
TOME - formerly Pernband, IIRC. It's now heavily a middle earth based roguelike with tons of classes & races & features. Pretty fun. It's now fully "world" based, with a map and many familiar locations and a number of dungeons.
IVAN - like ADOM, roguelike fans need to try this game. Soon. It's entirely graphical, which is a rarity. But that's important, given that you'll sometimes be tracking a monster by it's blood trails (I kid you not). Or vice versa.
It's still early in development. Unique world. Some serious level themeing. And what a systme. Attributes that improve as you do things (e.g. if you run alot, dex can go up. If you fight in melee alot, str & end can go up). There's body part locations, wishes, hammers of thunder, cool artifacts, wierd monsters. It doesn't rely on the traditional roguelike method of item & monster generation. There's no depth per se. Instead, there's a chance you could start the game and find something really powerful (Hammer of Thunder, Artifact, Wand of Wishing) sitting on the floor next to yoiu. All is not well, however, as tyhe more powerful shit you equip, and the higher your stats get, the better a chance of some really powerful enemy spawning. Like a diamond golem. That's *no* fun. Artifacts kick ass, but if you equip one it won't change the fact that your stats aren't that good and your weapon skills suck. So that golem might pummel you senseless anyway.
But, this game must be experienced. Deal with hunger, loss of limb, wishing for new limbs (and be creative. Don't settle for flesh. Try diamond, or obsidian, or Phoenix feather, or dragonscale. . .), monsters that can teleport your equipment away from you, suicidal dwarves that explode, it's very own little shop of horrors. . .I've been very impressed with the game (Though I haven't played in awhile. That might change soon now that you got me talking about it
). There are more games. Too many for me to list (particularly since I'm forgetting a couple offhand).
I'd start with Moria, nethack, or Dungeon Crawl. Get a feel for the games. Then branch out as necessary. Report here with your progress. Be prepared to die 1000 times. Be prepared to do utterly stupid shit to get yourself killewd, *right* when things were starting to look promising. Be prepared for a little frustration. Keep plugging.
Under no circumstances whatsoever are you to trust the RNG. Some call it the Random Number Generator. Others call it the Random Number God. Understand that it is an alien being, truly. Beyond our comprehension. And that every time you think something good has happened in your game, it's setting you up for a fall. The RNG is hungry. For our very souls.
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Austin
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Smoove_B
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Peacedog
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Rogue was a computer game from the 80s. 1983 to be exact. It featued simplistic graphics and gameplay centered around an entirely random dungeon filled with random items. By that I mean, the dungeon was different every time you played a new game. And, though I'm unsure on this point - if you went up and down between two levels they changed every time (different modern day RL's handle this differently). Items changed too. A red potion might be a healing potion in one game and a poison potion in another. So, every time it was a fresh experience, and you were always on your toes.Austin wrote:What exactly is a rogue-like game?
It inspired games like Telengard and Temple of Apshai, who used a similar principle. At some point, some dudes who played the shit out of this game back in the 80s were sitting around and said "that was the bomb, let's make a similar game!".
Hence the term "Rogue Like". There are dozens upon dozens of them out there. Many are based on a specific codebase/game. Like the *bands are all based on thew Angband codebase (which was loosely based on Moria I think, but with very large changes to code & gameplay mechanics).
The basics generally remain:
1. Random levels.
2. Random items.
3. Some sort of race/class choice for starting out that either heavily or loosely dicates your powers/abilities/etc.
But different games have really gone in different directions with that forumla (e.g. ADOM, IVAN).
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dangerballs
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Here is a great list of dungeon type games:
http://www.digital-eel.com/deep.htm
At the bottom, you will find my favorite roguelike, Castle of the Winds (freeware now), which was written by Rick Saada and published by Epic Megagames before they went all Unreal.
http://www.digital-eel.com/deep.htm
At the bottom, you will find my favorite roguelike, Castle of the Winds (freeware now), which was written by Rick Saada and published by Epic Megagames before they went all Unreal.
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Dreamshadow
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And for those who don't want Fantasy games, there is Gearhead.
http://www.geocities.com/pyrrho12/programming/gearhead/
It's a pretty deep and flexible. Gearhead 1 is at version 1 (I believe) and he is working on GearHead 2 which has a basic isometric GUI. Great game featuring infantry, mech, and vehicle combat.
http://www.geocities.com/pyrrho12/programming/gearhead/
It's a pretty deep and flexible. Gearhead 1 is at version 1 (I believe) and he is working on GearHead 2 which has a basic isometric GUI. Great game featuring infantry, mech, and vehicle combat.
My NaNoWriMo profile
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SlyFrog
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Ginnylady
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Thanks for all your help/input guys!
And, Peacedog, I am floored by the in-depth, thorough reply that you so painstakingly crafted.
(bow)
I am deeply appreciative.....I am floored by the knowledge that you have.
Where to begin is still not an easy call. I know that I don't want to start with a game that is impossibly difficult.
On another note, I assume that there are Newgroups for afficionados of these games?
Best
Ginny
And, Peacedog, I am floored by the in-depth, thorough reply that you so painstakingly crafted.
(bow)
I am deeply appreciative.....I am floored by the knowledge that you have.
Where to begin is still not an easy call. I know that I don't want to start with a game that is impossibly difficult.
On another note, I assume that there are Newgroups for afficionados of these games?
Best
Ginny
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Smoove_B
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If you go to the bottom of the Rogue-Like Wiki, there's quite a few external links to newsgroups and fan-sites.Ginnylady wrote: On another note, I assume that there are Newgroups for afficionados of these games?
Maybe next year, maybe no go
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Peacedog
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Oh and. . . they're out for pretty much any major OS. Linux, Windows, Palm, you name it.Austin wrote:So are they all pretty much meant for PDAs?
Ginny, there are definately news groups, and they can be an excellent resource.
don't fret where to start overmuch. I'd suggest Angband or Dungeon Crawl. The most important thing is to get a feel for the dungeon crawling - most RLs feature it to a heavy degree (even games like ADOM, who just spice it up rather niftily). You need to get a hang of the kinds of tactics and thinking you'll want to employ. Hug walls, make judicious use of bottlenecks, and never be afraid to run like hell.
Good crawl start page. Some hints, and some minor/more significant spoilers to use as you see fit.
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Ginnylady
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Thanks PD.
I'll begin with Dungeon Crawl, for sure.
Could you tell me how to find its newgroup?
I see a few variants of DC out there and not sure which to try.
http://www.angelfire.com/trek/mazewest/
http://dungeoncrawl.org/
http://crawlj.sourceforge.jp/down_e.html
Thanks again
Ginny
I'll begin with Dungeon Crawl, for sure.
Could you tell me how to find its newgroup?
I see a few variants of DC out there and not sure which to try.
http://www.angelfire.com/trek/mazewest/
http://dungeoncrawl.org/
http://crawlj.sourceforge.jp/down_e.html
Thanks again
Ginny
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Peacedog
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Ginny, this looks like where Crawl is discussed:
rec.games.roguelike.misc
Alas, it doesn't have a specific group. Angband (and variants) and ADOM do, however.
I'd recommend playing the straightup Crawl for now - http://www.dungeoncrawl.org/
But I can't comment meaningfully on those variants. Glancing, though. one looks like a graphical overhaul for Crawl? I'd say try it, and if you like it play with it. If not, stay Ascii. I'm not one of those Ascii-nazis - play however you feel comforetable (several Band variants - Ang, Kang, and Zang among them - have a great tileset package that can be obtained fwiw).
The other looks like an interface overhaul - might be worth trying that as well. I'm generally ok with ASCI, but I'd prefer a true GUI where I can use the mouse myself.
rec.games.roguelike.misc
Alas, it doesn't have a specific group. Angband (and variants) and ADOM do, however.
I'd recommend playing the straightup Crawl for now - http://www.dungeoncrawl.org/
But I can't comment meaningfully on those variants. Glancing, though. one looks like a graphical overhaul for Crawl? I'd say try it, and if you like it play with it. If not, stay Ascii. I'm not one of those Ascii-nazis - play however you feel comforetable (several Band variants - Ang, Kang, and Zang among them - have a great tileset package that can be obtained fwiw).
The other looks like an interface overhaul - might be worth trying that as well. I'm generally ok with ASCI, but I'd prefer a true GUI where I can use the mouse myself.
Take your modern games elsewhere cock man oppressor!Exodor wrote:If you're looking for a modern, Diablo-style game you can't go wrong with Fate
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Ginnylady
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LOL. ("I'm not one of those Ascii-nazis")Peacedog wrote:Ginny, this looks like where Crawl is discussed:
rec.games.roguelike.misc
Alas, it doesn't have a specific group. Angband (and variants) and ADOM do, however.
I'd recommend playing the straightup Crawl for now - http://www.dungeoncrawl.org/
But I can't comment meaningfully on those variants. Glancing, though. one looks like a graphical overhaul for Crawl? I'd say try it, and if you like it play with it. If not, stay Ascii. I'm not one of those Ascii-nazis - play however you feel comforetable (several Band variants - Ang, Kang, and Zang among them - have a great tileset package that can be obtained fwiw).
The other looks like an interface overhaul - might be worth trying that as well. I'm generally ok with ASCI, but I'd prefer a true GUI where I can use the mouse myself.
Take your modern games elsewhere cock man oppressor!Exodor wrote:If you're looking for a modern, Diablo-style game you can't go wrong with Fate
ROFL.
You are the best Peacedog! Your sense of humor is refreshing and right on point.
I'd prefer some neat tiles to ascii.
In truth, this all is merely a diversion of sorts since I am currently wading my way thru Helherron, which I love. (My party average is about level 7 now.) I've followed, thru searches, much of the advice you gave on that game here, too.
Thanks so much for your always generous support and input.
Much appreciation.
Ginny
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Peacedog
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Well, ZangbandTk (et all) are the tiled versions of those games. SOme of the tile options are pretty good, IMO. TOME had some tiles but they were kinda sucky. Things may have changed.
I don't know anything about the Crawl tiles. But I'll have a report soon I think.
Ivan is entirely "graphical". Again, it has to be. How else would you be able to immediately look at the screen and say "hrm, I no longer have legs. That could be a problem"? At least, it wouldn't be as easy to do so.
But, there are more. I'll see what I can dig up from home in the next day or so.
Glad you are enjoying Helherron. I've put a lot of time into that game. There's also more where that came from (so to speak).
I don't know anything about the Crawl tiles. But I'll have a report soon I think.
Ivan is entirely "graphical". Again, it has to be. How else would you be able to immediately look at the screen and say "hrm, I no longer have legs. That could be a problem"? At least, it wouldn't be as easy to do so.
But, there are more. I'll see what I can dig up from home in the next day or so.
Glad you are enjoying Helherron. I've put a lot of time into that game. There's also more where that came from (so to speak).
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Ginnylady
- Posts: 77
- Joined: Mon Mar 13, 2006 11:11 pm
"There's also more where that came from (so to speak)."
Oh?! Now you've really piqued my interest. What are you referring to?
Also, would you recommend a good newsgroup reader, please? When I go into Outlook and click on 'goto News', my browser, Firefox, pops up and keeps asking for a user name and password. I've no recollection of ever setting up a user name/PW in Firefox.
Heck, Roboform is supposed to remember all that stuff anyway!
I've heard there are good programs devoted to newsgroup reading.
I'd appreciate if you could share one of those.
Thanks
Ginny
Oh?! Now you've really piqued my interest. What are you referring to?
Also, would you recommend a good newsgroup reader, please? When I go into Outlook and click on 'goto News', my browser, Firefox, pops up and keeps asking for a user name and password. I've no recollection of ever setting up a user name/PW in Firefox.
Heck, Roboform is supposed to remember all that stuff anyway!
I've heard there are good programs devoted to newsgroup reading.
I'd appreciate if you could share one of those.
Thanks
Ginny
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Ginnylady
- Posts: 77
- Joined: Mon Mar 13, 2006 11:11 pm
In checking them out, this is the core game but with some neat, Helherron-style tiles.
http://crawlj.sourceforge.jp/down_e.html
Best Regards
Ginny
http://crawlj.sourceforge.jp/down_e.html
Best Regards
Ginny
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noxiousdog
- Posts: 24627
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:27 pm
- Contact:
I still have never won Angband 
Black Lives Matter
"To wield Grond, the mighty hammer of the Federal Government, is to be intoxicated with power beyond what you and I can reckon (though I figure we can ball park it pretty good with computers and maths). Need to tunnel through a mountain? Grond. Kill a mighty ogre? Grond. Hangnail? Grond. Spider? Grond (actually, that's a legit use, moreso than the rest)." - Peacedog
"To wield Grond, the mighty hammer of the Federal Government, is to be intoxicated with power beyond what you and I can reckon (though I figure we can ball park it pretty good with computers and maths). Need to tunnel through a mountain? Grond. Kill a mighty ogre? Grond. Hangnail? Grond. Spider? Grond (actually, that's a legit use, moreso than the rest)." - Peacedog
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Peacedog
- Posts: 13148
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 7:11 pm
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The lowest I've been in a roguelike is like '2200 in Zangband. I'm *terrible* at them. I was getting past the underground tunnel portion of Ivan about one time in 3 when I stoppewd playing htat. That's only 3 levels, but they are hellacious (it really is a differetn experience).noxiousdog wrote:I still have never won Angband
Ginny, I don't use anything for newsgroup reading. It's been awhile since I did any. I used to do it online, just wherver.
Well, now, that depends on what you've been up to. There are more "classic"s tyle shareware CRPGs out there though. Nahlakh (if you can get it to work in XP - I can't), Natuk (which is a real treat), for one and two. But, there's other good stuff out there. And some interesting stuff. Google Teudogar.ginnylady wrote:Oh?! Now you've really piqued my interest. What are you referring toOh?! Now you've really piqued my interest. What are you referring to?
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Ginnylady
- Posts: 77
- Joined: Mon Mar 13, 2006 11:11 pm
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Peacedog
- Posts: 13148
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 7:11 pm
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Cleaner interface and docs in Natuk. The presence of a "hit location" system is more relevant IMO. Better magic system. The game system as a whole is pretty impressive, actually. You'll like it if you liked Helherron.
Prelude to Darkness - I never got into it, I keep meaning to give it another chance. You should ytry the demo someday, however. If nothing else, just mark the name down somewhere you won't lose it (e.g. your "CRPGs I wish to try".doc file. You do have one don't you?).
SPiderweb software I believe you know. If you don't. . .well I'll leave the rest to you. I'll save my thoughts on the matter for another time, but Vogel is doing another "rehash" (of sorts) - Nethergate allegedly will be getting the treatment in the near(ish) future (Geneforge 4 is on deck, actually). That's probably the best CRPG nobody ever played (natuk isn't far off from there, though). Avernum and Geneforge (and the series) are the games of note (if you didn't know, but like I said I think you did).
Starscape. Part action shooter (think asteroids, but powerups & much nastier enemies). Part adventure game (loosely in the Starflight sense). Flawed, somewhat silly dialogue at times, but really fun.
Ragnarok - graphical roguelike. Free. Pretty fun, though I haven't played with it that much.
Crimsonland - really an action game with what barely qualifies as RPG elements. But, incredible game.
EUO - I'm not sure how legit this one is. If you've ever wanted to play Ultima V online with other people, EUO is for you. It's pretty funI guess. There's a pk "inhibited" server, too.
Yendor Tales - seriously old school M&M 3 like games. But I think you still need to pay for them, and they really are old. And getting them to work in XP is not a certainty. There's like 4Yendor games though.
Lysander - if you ever get an Ultima I itch. It's pretty good. Nice way to spend an afternoon.
Um. . .more later. IF you need links, tell me. I took the path of least resistance to this post, and I'm not the least bit ashamed of this.
Prelude to Darkness - I never got into it, I keep meaning to give it another chance. You should ytry the demo someday, however. If nothing else, just mark the name down somewhere you won't lose it (e.g. your "CRPGs I wish to try".doc file. You do have one don't you?).
SPiderweb software I believe you know. If you don't. . .well I'll leave the rest to you. I'll save my thoughts on the matter for another time, but Vogel is doing another "rehash" (of sorts) - Nethergate allegedly will be getting the treatment in the near(ish) future (Geneforge 4 is on deck, actually). That's probably the best CRPG nobody ever played (natuk isn't far off from there, though). Avernum and Geneforge (and the series) are the games of note (if you didn't know, but like I said I think you did).
Starscape. Part action shooter (think asteroids, but powerups & much nastier enemies). Part adventure game (loosely in the Starflight sense). Flawed, somewhat silly dialogue at times, but really fun.
Ragnarok - graphical roguelike. Free. Pretty fun, though I haven't played with it that much.
Crimsonland - really an action game with what barely qualifies as RPG elements. But, incredible game.
EUO - I'm not sure how legit this one is. If you've ever wanted to play Ultima V online with other people, EUO is for you. It's pretty funI guess. There's a pk "inhibited" server, too.
Yendor Tales - seriously old school M&M 3 like games. But I think you still need to pay for them, and they really are old. And getting them to work in XP is not a certainty. There's like 4Yendor games though.
Lysander - if you ever get an Ultima I itch. It's pretty good. Nice way to spend an afternoon.
Um. . .more later. IF you need links, tell me. I took the path of least resistance to this post, and I'm not the least bit ashamed of this.
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Svlad
- Posts: 214
- Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2006 3:59 pm
This thread has done an excellent job adding things to my Great List. Thank you all
One roguelike I haven't seen mentioned thus far is Lost Labyrinth. It's graphical and features some interesting gameplay, but I found it decidedly lacking in depth. It's worth playing around with for a day or two.
DoomRL - Doom the Roguelike. Includes sounds from the original game, is also lacking in serious depth, but it's a whole lot of fun during the interval before you realize you're done with it.
Transcendence - a vaguely roguelike shmup-oid with RPG elements. I enjoyed it quite a bit when I played it, and the developer has worked on it since, so the problems that drove me away are likely to be gone.
One roguelike I haven't seen mentioned thus far is Lost Labyrinth. It's graphical and features some interesting gameplay, but I found it decidedly lacking in depth. It's worth playing around with for a day or two.
DoomRL - Doom the Roguelike. Includes sounds from the original game, is also lacking in serious depth, but it's a whole lot of fun during the interval before you realize you're done with it.
Transcendence - a vaguely roguelike shmup-oid with RPG elements. I enjoyed it quite a bit when I played it, and the developer has worked on it since, so the problems that drove me away are likely to be gone.
'Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: 'we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.'
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Peacedog
- Posts: 13148
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 7:11 pm
- Location: Despair, level 5
- Contact:
Dreamshadow mentioned Gearhead, which was one of the games I'd forgotten to mention earlier. It's been awhile since I've played it, so it should be much farther along.
Lost Labrynth sure *looks* like another game I'd meant to mention but forgot. If it's the same game, I agree it isn't much for depth but it was fun. A good "kill 20 minutes" game perhaps.
Trancendence - I'm not familiar with it. This I have to see. Wait, I think I have played this. If so, it definatley had a bunch of issues. But I'd have played this a long time ago, so maybe as you said it's come a long way.
Lost Labrynth sure *looks* like another game I'd meant to mention but forgot. If it's the same game, I agree it isn't much for depth but it was fun. A good "kill 20 minutes" game perhaps.
Trancendence - I'm not familiar with it. This I have to see. Wait, I think I have played this. If so, it definatley had a bunch of issues. But I'd have played this a long time ago, so maybe as you said it's come a long way.
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sawtooth
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2005 2:33 pm
My favorite is just plain old nethack. Still plenty of ways to die, but not as many as slash'em. Angband can be a bit rough.
I play nearly all of my nethack via public servers as I like finding bones and letting other folks watch me play if they like. I'm a pretty careful player, but that's one of the important parts to success, so they might get a bit bored if they do watch. I have not played much at all since the /dev/null nethack tourney last November though. 13 ascensions in a month wore me out just a bit.
Anyway, if anyone tries nethack there is a #nethack channel on irc.freenode.net and one may want to take a look at http://alt.org/nethack for info about the server I play on and links to others as well. It just takes a telnet client (on windows PuTTY is the suggested client as the built in windows client will mess up the menus a bit when you log in. NAO features some web based editors to change the config too so it's a bit easier than before to do that stuff but I know the account may need to age for an hour first.
The greatest benefit of playing on NAO is that people can watch your game and give suggestions, but don't ask too much or don't about stuff that's in the guidbook or easily accessed from the in game help. Folks usually answer but tend to hate that a bit...
At this point we've got 123 souls in #nethack but obviously most are lurking. There are currently 28 players logged in with a game running (several are idle though).
I play nearly all of my nethack via public servers as I like finding bones and letting other folks watch me play if they like. I'm a pretty careful player, but that's one of the important parts to success, so they might get a bit bored if they do watch. I have not played much at all since the /dev/null nethack tourney last November though. 13 ascensions in a month wore me out just a bit.
Anyway, if anyone tries nethack there is a #nethack channel on irc.freenode.net and one may want to take a look at http://alt.org/nethack for info about the server I play on and links to others as well. It just takes a telnet client (on windows PuTTY is the suggested client as the built in windows client will mess up the menus a bit when you log in. NAO features some web based editors to change the config too so it's a bit easier than before to do that stuff but I know the account may need to age for an hour first.
The greatest benefit of playing on NAO is that people can watch your game and give suggestions, but don't ask too much or don't about stuff that's in the guidbook or easily accessed from the in game help. Folks usually answer but tend to hate that a bit...
At this point we've got 123 souls in #nethack but obviously most are lurking. There are currently 28 players logged in with a game running (several are idle though).
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Peacedog
- Posts: 13148
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 7:11 pm
- Location: Despair, level 5
- Contact:
I've always wanted to check out an online roguelike, so I'll probably do that at some point.
Just had a fantastic Ivan game go striaght down the tubes. Things were going super, though a little task in the Tunnel #3 was not going to be easy. And then I saw it - a Whip of Thievery. Never seen one. Picked it up. SAid "don't equip it yet, things might go bad" (I'm not 100%, but I think the way the game checks for monsters & the like only applies to equipped items, stats, and whatever materials your equipped items/limbs are made of).
I equipped it. Something gave me leprosy (I believe it was? It went down hill quickly. Sigh. Hopping around on one arm/leg just wasn't enough (but dammit, people still feared me and my whip).
Just had a fantastic Ivan game go striaght down the tubes. Things were going super, though a little task in the Tunnel #3 was not going to be easy. And then I saw it - a Whip of Thievery. Never seen one. Picked it up. SAid "don't equip it yet, things might go bad" (I'm not 100%, but I think the way the game checks for monsters & the like only applies to equipped items, stats, and whatever materials your equipped items/limbs are made of).
I equipped it. Something gave me leprosy (I believe it was? It went down hill quickly. Sigh. Hopping around on one arm/leg just wasn't enough (but dammit, people still feared me and my whip).
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sawtooth
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2005 2:33 pm
playing nethack online is still single player, you just have easy access to any bones files left on that server. There is a program named "Hearse" to allow players to download bones from other players for a few roguelikes.
For those who don't know bones files are levels saved when someone dies on a certain level (it won't always get saved) and whatever killed them is still there as well as however the rest of the level was. Might be good, might be bad. Depends if they died of starvation or by reverse genociding master mind flayers by reading a cursed scroll of genocide.
For those who don't know bones files are levels saved when someone dies on a certain level (it won't always get saved) and whatever killed them is still there as well as however the rest of the level was. Might be good, might be bad. Depends if they died of starvation or by reverse genociding master mind flayers by reading a cursed scroll of genocide.
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Kasey Chang
- Posts: 20750
- Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Contact:
I've played iMoria and actually won it... ONCE. The Prince of Darkness at later levels are NASTY...
The Prince of Darkness at later levels are NASTY...My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
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hitbyambulance
- Posts: 10252
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Ginnylady
- Posts: 77
- Joined: Mon Mar 13, 2006 11:11 pm
I'm havng a lot of fun playing Dungeon Crawl.
The version I am playing has nice nice tiles---clear, simple, and rather colorful. To me, easier on the eyes than pure ascii.
There are 26 races and 23 classes to shoose from.
http://crawlj.sourceforge.jp/down_e.html
Here are a few good information/hint sites on the game:
http://www.angelfire.com/trek/mazewest/
http://www.swallowtail.org/crawl/hints.shtml
And, finally, the following Newgroup has many threads on the game:
rec.games.roguelike.misc
Enjoy! I'd like to know what people think.
Ginny
The version I am playing has nice nice tiles---clear, simple, and rather colorful. To me, easier on the eyes than pure ascii.
There are 26 races and 23 classes to shoose from.
http://crawlj.sourceforge.jp/down_e.html
Here are a few good information/hint sites on the game:
http://www.angelfire.com/trek/mazewest/
http://www.swallowtail.org/crawl/hints.shtml
And, finally, the following Newgroup has many threads on the game:
rec.games.roguelike.misc
Enjoy! I'd like to know what people think.
Ginny
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Peacedog
- Posts: 13148
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 7:11 pm
- Location: Despair, level 5
- Contact:
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LordMortis
- Posts: 70197
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:26 pm
I ran a crossfire server for a little while, but couldn't generate any interest in it. I might be able to get it up and running again, but I was planning on changing that LINUX box to a Windows box and and making into my MP3 Jukebox when I finish ripping all of my CDs. (I'm on the letter F...)Peacedog wrote:I've always wanted to check out an online roguelike, so I'll probably do that at some point.
Just had a fantastic Ivan game go striaght down the tubes. Things were going super, though a little task in the Tunnel #3 was not going to be easy. And then I saw it - a Whip of Thievery. Never seen one. Picked it up. SAid "don't equip it yet, things might go bad" (I'm not 100%, but I think the way the game checks for monsters & the like only applies to equipped items, stats, and whatever materials your equipped items/limbs are made of).
I equipped it. Something gave me leprosy (I believe it was? It went down hill quickly. Sigh. Hopping around on one arm/leg just wasn't enough (but dammit, people still feared me and my whip).
If anyone has a LINUX box that they leave up all of the time, a fun MP persistant rouge like:
http://crossfire.real-time.com/