OK time to release.
Download:
http://7drl.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/bughack.zipMade this game with REZ.
Welcome to BUGHACK. The idea for the game was to include roguelike mechanics based on how ants find food through scents.
You are a leader ant who must lead worker ants to delicious harvest. Every sector you must gather a certain amount of harvest. Keep your ants safe, or you'll take damage! You must call ants out of an ant hole and then lead them to to fruit.
Press C in-game to see controls.
IF THE GAME IS TOO SMALL: To fullscreen, hit F in game.
Alternatively, replace the occurrence tiles12x12_gs_ro.png in bughack.py with tiles18x18_gs_ro.png
Dependencies: Python 2.X (32 bit is needed on windows)
SDL (included in Windows, needed on Linux)
RUNNING: python main.py
(Or on windows, right click main.py and run with python 2)
Created by: Programming by ludamad (Adam Domurad), putterson (Pat Goebel), art by REZ (Clay Bullard)
This is a really neat idea and I think you've executed it very nicely. I don't have much experience with roguelikes of this nature, so I don't have much to compare it to, but I think it's fun! I didn't realize that the areas were randomly generated (if I'm not mistaken) until I stupidly died in the second sector. I like the mechanic of leading the worker ants to the food, and I was scrambling to keep those fuckers safe from harm.
And as always, Rez is on point with the pixel art.What was this an entry for?You are on windows, correct ? You need Python 32bit and 2.x, as I mentioned.
Link to needed python version: http://www.python.org/ftp/python/2.7.3/python-2.7.3.msiPretty entertaining! Interesting little concept for a roguelike.
I found that once you get the spit ability, you can be unbeatable, by spitting at enemies, eating their remains, and just skipping turns until your MP regenerates. This strategy can fail if you need to regen MP, but are getting mobbed by enemies; although that doesn't happen too often.Finally I can say "Go team ant!" without the sarcasm. Well, until the defeat screen flashes and I'm getting stomped to death by the red ants. Then it reverts to the original meaning.
SimAnt meets NetHack!
I'm still a bit confused about some things, like how to use abilities (how do you actually select a target area? everything I tried pressing cancels the ability) or how to dig.Also, colours for different types of messages is a neat idea, but I found that it makes them harder to read when the contrast between the colours is high (e.g. 3 red messages and 2 blue ones in between). On the other hand, I loved the mini-inventory display.SMP: The later levels have more enemies though, how far did you get ?
Cesque: You dig by moving onto an area or right clicking on it. You use an ability by using 'a', then the ability, and then enter on a valid target. See the README about making the game larger in case it is more readable.Looks neat, good job :o
It's hard for me to understand what the "Roguelike" genre means exactly. From what people have told me in the past:(1) No graphics or Crappy Graphics (2) Permadeath (3) Random Generated Levels (4) Turn Based Combat (5) Item Identity changes (6) Deleted Savefiles on Death or No Saves at allI created a simple text RPG back in 2004 or 2005 when I was learning C++. It might still be posted on the C++ learning community that ih8censorship created for Game Makers.Roguelikes don't necessarily need to have zero graphics at all (the ascii is just a characteristic of the classic ones, most notably nethack), but everything else you mentioned are generally characteristics of roguelikes (also some other general ideas are grid-like levels and the setting being a dungeon/tower with floors which you progress through).
Some good examples of roguelike-ish games that aren't text-based which I can name off the top of my head are Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and Azure Dreams (although they're much more forgiving than "true" roguelikes, in which death/losing means you're thrown out of the dungeon and have to start over from Floor 1 rather than perma-game over)Had fun with this, I can't remember ever playing a roguelike that wasn't hurrendously overcomplicated so this is nice.
To me roguelikes are a part of an interesting different approach to RPGs:
- Procedural generation- Punishing repetitive activity (with permanent death being the logical conclusion but not strictly necessary)- Involved gameplay often with a steep learning curve (though markedly less for 7day roguelikes)It has nothing to do with the graphics used IMO.