Game News Caves of Qud - Open World, Post-Apoc Roguelike

[Alex]

SimpleComplexity, you do realize this is a rogue-like, right? One that isn't even finished yet? How is this worse than the find the lost puppy quest from ADOM?

 

[SimpleComplexity]

Shh i'm trying to make the game better. The developer should start reading the sticky project "monkey" post before he puts his fingers on anything rpg-related again.

 

[Gwendo]

You can move any npc, by passing over them. Repeat that and you can move them anywhere.

Also, I've droped a poisonous grenade (or whatever, I just played 5 minutes), hurting some people, but they didn't react. Just stood there in the poisonous cloud, loosing HP. And talked to me, as if nothing happened.

So I've quit.

 

[SkepticsClaw]

First quest: Go to some red rock and kill sum monstars!! Derp.
Learn to design a fucking roleplaying game before you make one.

Hm. You realise this is a tactics and strategy game focusing on character building and survival right? It's a roguelike. You know what that is, right? If you expect some kind of glorious fantastical story which has all deep characters and emotions and shit like that, then you're simply doing it wrong.

 

[SimpleComplexity]

What is a roguelike?

 

[SkepticsClaw]

think Mass Effect except with more interspecies lesbian sex.

 

[Shannow]

What is a roguelike?

The dual-wielding, backstabbing DPSer that steals the show from the nuker and the tank.

 

[SimpleComplexity]

Roguelike logic: It's just a roguelike, don't judge the game so hard! It's just a tiny dwarf, please don't hit him that's rude. It's not his fault that he is a dwarf. You can't hit a dwarf bro. Hey he just hit a dwarf!

 

[Fowyr]

.NET? Thanks, I'll pass.

Isn't that widely installed on Windows platforms? Or some other reason to dislike it? Just curious as a non regular Windows user.

I consider using of .NET as sign of very lazy programming. I'm OK when this shit used to some specialized program. But why anyone may use this slow piece of crap for the GAME is beyond me. I am not fan of the frameworks.

Most of my experience with .NET was as user, though. Also I prefer keep my OS .NET-free. With Win98 it's very easy.

 

[Mackerel]

Roguelike logic: It's just a roguelike, don't judge the game so hard! It's just a tiny dwarf, please don't hit him that's rude. It's not his fault that he is a dwarf. You can't hit a dwarf bro. Hey he just hit a dwarf!

Pity response to your weak shtick: Dwarfs have their uses. :twisted:

 

[Fowyr]

First quest: Go to some red rock and kill sum monstars!! Derp.
Learn to design a fucking roleplaying game before you make one.

Keep your LARPing from my roguelikes. kthxbye.

 

[SimpleComplexity]

Enjoy your kill X monsters quests

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

First quest: Go to some red rock and kill sum monstars!! Derp.
Learn to design a fucking roleplaying game before you make one.

Keep your LARPing from my roguelikes. kthxbye.

You can't LARP in roguelikes - they don't have a FPP/over the shoulder view.

Also, rescue the puppy, find out what happened to the carpenter and kill khwhatever the dark druid are much more interesting quests than kill x monsters of the y type.
Besides the flavour stuff, they offer some choices and consequences in the beginning of the game and more variety between play-throughs.

 

[Melcar]

The Codex cannot into roguelikes.

Damn, too bad that I can't install Net2.0 on my Wine due to some stupid bug.

Shouldn't installing Mono do it?

 

[shihonage]

Roguelikes can be skewed into anything their creator wishes, mangled beyond any recognition, really, and proof of that is the last link in my sig.

However I don't see anything particularly wrong with starting quests asking you to kill some monsters, in a game which appears to be about caves with monsters.

 

[ShavenApe]

.Net sucks! lol!

.NET? Thanks, I'll pass.

I consider using of .NET as sign of very lazy programming. I'm OK when this shit used to some specialized program. But why anyone may use this slow piece of crap for the GAME is beyond me. I am not fan of the frameworks.

Most of my experience with .NET was as user, though. Also I prefer keep my OS .NET-free. With Win98 it's very easy.

(Emphasis my own)

There are so many different angles I could choose to hit this from, but I will try to choose the one that is least-likely to result in pages and pages of OT ranting debate:

.Net is like many other programming tools. Expert coders can write efficient code that performs well with it. However, ignorant programmers can also write bad code which performs poorly with it. The platform itself does not perform poorly and in general has been shown (after the initial translation from MSIL code) to perform on-par with native code. Many games manage to run very well on XNA, which is built as a .Net API.

Anyway, my point is not to defend .Net as a platform, but more to point out that deciding that a project is going to perform poorly because it was developed on a particular platform is a decision based on a bad premise.

Sorry for going OT.

 

[Fowyr]

Re: .Net sucks! lol!

Real codexers don't change subjects even when they discuss aspects of phrenology in the Wizardry thread.

.Net is like many other programming tools.

Except this stupid framework thingies and stuffies. And loss of portability. Some time ago I tried to install new Catalyst on the clean WinXP sp2. Looks like it was impossible without .NET. FFS! Luckily, drivers were installed normal. Catalyst Control Center may go suck a dick.

The platform itself does not perform poorly and in general has been shown (after the initial translation from MSIL code) to perform on-par with native code. Many games manage to run very well on XNA, which is built as a .Net API.

Hm. Interesting.

Anyway, my point is not to defend .Net as a platform, but more to point out that deciding that a project is going to perform poorly because it was developed on a particular platform is a decision based on a bad premise.

I know what most of my .NET enmity is only because I'm paranoid and mad as fuck. But I look at this as another method to distance both programmer and user from computer.
BTW, contradiction in my post was intentional. I know what I don't know what I don't know

You can't LARP in roguelikes - they don't have a FPP/over the shoulder view.

I thinked about this as a joke and snorted. Because really you can LARP (in the Codex sense) even in the Tetris.

Also, rescue the puppy, find out what happened to the carpenter and kill khwhatever the dark druid are much more interesting quests than kill x monsters of the y type.
Besides the flavour stuff, they offer some choices and consequences in the beginning of the game and more variety between play-throughs.

Yes, but further you have "kill 20 firstly slain creatures", kill Filk, kill what necromancer on the dwarven graveyard and so on. You don't play roguelikes for interesting quests, you play roguelikes for tons of items, skills, actions, combat, character development and RNG the Magnificent.
Also you should try GearHead. You may like it.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Also, rescue the puppy, find out what happened to the carpenter and kill khwhatever the dark druid are much more interesting quests than kill x monsters of the y type.
Besides the flavour stuff, they offer some choices and consequences in the beginning of the game and more variety between play-throughs.

Yes, but further you have "kill 20 firstly slain creatures", kill Filk, kill what necromancer on the dwarven graveyard and so on.

Filk and necromancer on the dwarven graveyard are still unique critters. And the kill 20 firstly slain creatures is a generic kill quest with a twist.

You don't play roguelikes for interesting quests, you play roguelikes for tons of items, skills, actions, combat, character development and RNG the Magnificent.

Still, well done quests give more flavour to such game. If there aren't such quests, I prefer when there aren't any just like in Incursion.

Also you should try GearHead. You may like it.

Procedurally generated dialogues in GearHead are creepy.

 

[Fowyr]

You don't play roguelikes for interesting quests, you play roguelikes for tons of items, skills, actions, combat, character development and RNG the Magnificent.

Still, well done quests give more flavour to such game.

Agreed.

Also you should try GearHead. You may like it.

Procedurally generated dialogues in GearHead are creepy.

Main quest was pretty meh, but several sidequests are memorable. One with a giant mecha repair, or one with a Cyclops. And I can't remember anything really creepy about GH's dialogues.

Speaking of the roguelikes, some time ago I played really enjoyable roguelike with great potential called Xenocide. Pity what it looks dead.
http://roguebasin.roguelikedevelopment.org/index.php?title=Xenocide

 

[MicoSelva]

I'm not hardcore enough for roguelikes. I've died more than 200 times in nethack and only reached 4th dungeon level, despite using internet guides.
It was even worse with Angband.
I might still try this game if I'm blessed with an unexpected boost of free time - I like the setting and the interface improvements over the above mentioned games.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

I remember liking Xenocide a lot, it's a shame it didn't get finished. It seems that it was made by the same guy that made His Dark Majesty O_o .

I'm not hardcore enough for roguelikes. I've died more than 200 times in nethack and only reached 4th dungeon level, despite using internet guides.
It was even worse with Angband.
I might still try this game if I'm blessed with an unexpected boost of free time - I like the setting and the interface improvements over the above mentioned games.

Nethack is pretty infamous for its difficulty. ADOM is much easier - it only took me about 4 years of playing almost every day to beat it. Good times. Sadly, it lost a lot of appeal to me after I have beaten it .

 

[reaven]

I haven't played a lot. A couple of characters but I can say a thing or two about the game:

The setting is quite original at least for a roguelike, its post apocalyptic but its like a mix of medieval society with remnants of our technology, so you have classic weapons as axes and swords with rifles and grenades...
There are also mutations which I haven't tried yet. My two characters were pure humans so I didn't start with a mutation and I didn't get any on their short lifespans.
The UI in general is nice and if you have played dwarf fortress you will quickly familiarize with the ascii representation of objects.
But if there's something I don't like is that the game its divided in areas.
Think of a zelda game, you change area when you get to the edge, well the same thing here. I suppose its due to the high resource use of the game.
I play pretty much every roguelike I come across and I must say I'm glad is not another classic rogue clone.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Damn, too bad that I can't install Net2.0 on my Wine due to some stupid bug.

Shouldn't installing Mono do it?

No .

 

[Davaris]

Ascii interface? THanks but no thanks.

I admire the purity of these kinds of projects, because there is no fluffing around with art and 3D engines. It is all about the game.

However ASCII is so ugly it hurts my eyes. If they got a design artist to create an exotic and unique icon set and it works on a tablet PC, or a mobile phone, I would love it.

 

[Jim Cojones]

There are also mutations which I haven't tried yet. My two characters were pure humans so I didn't start with a mutation and I didn't get any on their short lifespans.

I've rolled a character with three legs, three arms and two heads. :D There are some less conventional mutations too, and so far I'd say it probably is more interesting to play as a mutant. Opinion may change after I play more.