Game News Have some ASCII fun as LambdaRogue is now released

[DarkUnderlord]

Tags: LambdaRogue

If you're one of those crazy people who likes playing with ASCII characters, this might be the game for you. <a href="http://lambdarogue.net/dl-showentry.php?n=53">Mario sends word that his rogue-like aptly titled "LambdaRogue" has reached release version</a>. Here are the details:
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<blockquote>LambdaRogue's feature set, esp. the number of different monsters and items, is rather small compared to many other roguelike games. However, all features are chosen in a "less is more" manner by me with clear concepts in mind.
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Features of LambdaRogue 0.3.1 [I assume there's a bit more in the new 1.0 release version]
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<ul><li>graphical SDL mode and text-based console mode
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<li>optional soundtrack
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<li>control by using keyboard (keys are configurable) or mouse
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<li>3 difficulty levels
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<li>2 alternate ways to win (with different endings)
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<li>5 professions to choose from (Constructor, Enchanter, Thief, Ranger, Soldier)
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<li>5 gods, inspired by greek mythology, to worship (Aphrodite, Apoll, Hermes, Dionysos, Ares)
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<li>10 skills, abilities and talents to train
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<li>4 character presets for an easier start for new players
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<li>10 dungeon levels, all randomly generated when entered
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<li>wilderness
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<li>20+ quests
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<li>17 different standard monsters, many of them with special abilities
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<li>up to 7 unique monsters (depending on the selected difficulty level)
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<li>many carefully handcrafted items, among them are:
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<li>43 different weapons (incl. some rare and 13 unique weapons)
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<li>35 different armour, helmet and ring items (incl. many rare and 14 unique items)
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<li>28 different potions (incl. many rare and 9 unique potions)
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<li>21 different spells to learn (incl. some not so easy to be obtained)</ul>
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... LambdaRogue is now considered "postcard ware" (yes, I know I've stolen this from ADOM). If you like the game or at least want me to continue developing it, send me a postcard. The address can be found in the ingame help files.</blockquote>
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You can see some screenshots and get more details from the game's website: <a href="http://lambdarogue.net/">http://lambdarogue.net/</a>
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Thanks <b>Mario</b>!

 

[mariodonick]

Yes, indeed there are more features (for example 20 dungeon levels, new quests and items and interface improvements) in 1.0 -- thanks to your news entry I recognized that I had to update the features-page on the game's website. Done now.

Mario

 

[elander_]

If you used graphical icons (Ultima style) instead of chars i could consider playing that game. There's no reason to keep using characters these days. It only imposes an heavier cognitive weight and makes it harder to get into the game.

 

[mariodonick]

That's of course true, but it's a roguelike

Anyway, I have a "skin" for LambdaRogue which makes the SDL mode entirely graphical and I might release this skin someday, but at the moment it does not look very good. There are many ugly placeholder graphics which have to be replaced with better ones. While it is rather easy to create bigger-sized artwork based for example on stock photography, creating good and easy-to-identify tiles is hard for me. Especially since I use the uncommon 20x40 size for tiles, but most free tilesets have a 32x32 size.

 

[Castanova]

Nah, elander, it's very difficult and time consuming to create graphics for a game. It's time better spent on development. And it's not easy to get talent to work for free on a game that's not extremely popular. It's not like LambaRogue is intended to be a crossover hit.

 

[Elwro]

Yup, keep ASCII and concentrate on features.

 

[mariodonick]

It's not like LambaRogue is intended to be a crossover hit.

Exactly. It's just a small game, and if somebody likes it, I am happy. If not, it's no problem.

 

[elander_]

Anyway, I have a "skin" for LambdaRogue which makes the SDL mode entirely graphical and I might release this skin someday, but at the moment it does not look very good. There are many ugly placeholder graphics which have to be replaced with better ones. While it is rather easy to create bigger-sized artwork based for example on stock photography, creating good and easy-to-identify tiles is hard for me. Especially since I use the uncommon 20x40 size for tiles, but most free tilesets have a 32x32 size.

What icons do you need and how do you pack them? Just make a list of these things and i may help you create a simple tileset, but i don't promise anything prophessional. When i mean iconic it doesn't have to be realistic or pretty. Ultima IV for example used intuitive icons to represent objects without trying to be pretty.

 

[mariodonick]

Well, lots of monsters and the main character (replacing the @ ).

Many roguelikes use the free tileset from David Gervais (http://pousse.rapiere.free.fr/tome/tiles/AngbandTk/tome-angbandtkmonsterstiles.htm) but I'm sick of this one; not because it is bad (it is well done), but because so many roguelikes use it and I had to scale down the images. I need something similiar, but in 20x40. If you're still interested, I can send you a PM with a list and description of the monsters.

Actually, the whole artwork of the SDL mode could be done better. Drawn images instead manipulated stock photos, along with icons for monsters, items and the dungeons itself. Everything in one coherent style. THAT would be great.

 

[elander_]

I just recalled that you can use the Ultima IV upgrade project tileset without any copyright problems. From the fan site:

http://www.moongates.com/u4/upgrade/Upg ... creenshots

Can I Use These Graphics For My Own Project?
Yes, provided that you understand you may be sharing the base tile set with other developers. Download links are here.

The direct link to download the tileset image:
http://www.moongates.com/u4/images/misc/shapes.gif

The icons are very small and include a vast selection of monsters, items and humans.

 

[mariodonick]

Thx. These icons are ok. I think I will provide a non-ASCII-skin soon (but only as additional download).

 

[aleph]

keep ASCII. People who complain about them are not the target demographic of roguelikes anyway. And they look much better than some crappy tiles.

 

[mariodonick]

I have released a 1.0.1 patch. Besides fixing a NumPad bug, the 1.0.1 update allows you to use an optional graphical tileset (completely without ASCII chars). See http://lambdarogue.net/dl-showentry.php?n=57 for details.

 

[elander_]

Looks very good with the new tileset. The icons are functional and easy to recognize. Beats using chars for me.

 

[Higher Game]

Tiles are much harder to do right than people think. With the solitary exception of the Gearhead games, Roguelikes should stick to ASCII.

 

[mariodonick]

With the solitary exception of the Gearhead games, Roguelikes should stick to ASCII.

Other good examples are CastlevaniaRL (REALLY good, even with some animations) or the tile version of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.

And of course, if the "roguelike" definition is understood in a broader way, Diablo and several newer japanese console RPGs, were other good examples.