Going Rogue - Part 01

Mine is the name

My name holds a deep and primal power that shan't be denied!

I'm actually designing an ASCII roguelike right now and this is a good reminder that I need to put some extra elbow grease into the usability side of things haha

Nice intro

Pick me maybe?

Good luck!

I'm normally not so into turn-based roguelikes but this is the perfect intersection of good hosts, good game and a clever idea - the music really helped.

Looking forward to the show. Hope it was fun for you Ben!

Really nice surprise! And also use my name!

Can't wait to see my name!

Good luck brave traveler

Vinny and Ben is a great combo. I'm going to love this show!

PICK

Oh, a Spelunky-like.

This is good. I want to die. Use my name.

Oh boy, what a nice Christmas present :D

I really hope this turns into an exploration into the roguelike genre, and that it helps people understand why most games that are called roguelikes today aren't really like Rogue at all, but simply take a couple of mechanics from it (usually random level generation and permadeath). However, I can't help but feel that the angle that Ben chose for this is going to lead to its early demise. Roguelikes, as far as I am concerned, are not meant to be beaten, but experienced and had fun with. You can certainly beat a roguelike, but they are usually extremely hard, and require a great, even intimate understanding of their mechanics to get anywhere. I've played a lot of Angband and Nethack, but never got even remotely close to finishing them (although, maybe I'm just bad at them).

Starting with Rogue is great and all, but after that (and after trying Nethack at the very least) maybe you could give more modern roguelikes a try, like Brogue (as some other people suggested), which is a great introduction to the genre with a more "modern" interface (and autoexploration, so you can die faster!), Caves of Qud, Tales of Maj'Eyal (TOME), Ancient Domains of Mystery (ADOM), Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, or even Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead. If you want a more lighthearted take on the genre, Dungeons of Dredmor is great fun (and still hard as nails).

Other people have posted some great tips, but let me reiterate a couple that are essential:

1. You have as much time as you want to make your next move. Rushing through the dungeon is probably the number one case of death on a roguelike. This is the one thing that people that call pretty much anything with permadeath a roguelike don't seem to understand. Roguelikes are not action games. They are much more like classic tabletop games, like chess.

2. Learn to use all the mechanics to your advantage. Yes, lots of things are randomized at the start of the run, so think about the things that don't change, and how to take advantage of them.

3. Combat is 90% about positing. Don't run into the darkness! There are monsters there. Retreat to known terrain, and take advantage of corridors, doors, and other choke points. If the game lets you use diagonals, that means that monsters will also use them, so don't forget about them.

4. Die and learn. You will die, and you are meant to die. Don't try to learn the rules all at once, but try to experiment and poke at the mechanics you don't quite yet understand. Roguelikes are about learning and thinking ahead, not about twitch reaction.

5. Have fun! If you find roguelikes frustrating, that's ok, they are not for everyone.

Sorry for the long post, but, as you can tell, I really like this genre, and I hope this gets more people excited about it :)

quaff that wahquf quy... how did video games ever catch one

finally the ultimate roguelike, Rogue!

Yes, this is why some of us try to play whack-a-mole with the Tags on Steam. Lately, some people have been using the term "Action Roguelike" which is still silly, but more acceptable. The better term for the modern genre would be "Run-Based" since that's basically the only common denominator.

Unrelatedly, my favorite Rogue-Like is ADOM. Highly recommended, and it has a sequel in the works next year. =]

I would quite like to be the rogue, Ben!

Hey Ben, pick my name.

Pick me teacher

Loving this already. Also, Derek the Red sounds like a guy who’s not afraid to fight yetis, just saying.

This was great. Loved the intro. Keep going Ben.

very cool, I want to know how many alternate titles this feature has had though. (Rogue One, Rogue Run, Rogue-ing Right Along)

I didn't realize that Pixel Dungeon is basically an exact ripoff of Rogue, neat!

Pick me if my username fits

@ben@vinny Since I have haven't seen anyone else post it. You need to get to level 26, get the amulet, and ascend back to the surface to beat the game. Also you can find information more easily when searching if you include the "1980" (the year of the game's release) in your searches. Hope this helps.

Endurance run?

What if Ben never beats Rogue? Who gets the Rorie services then?

This is just great! I look forward to seeing how this series transpires. I played a ton of a similar game to this as "Mines of Moria" back in the day.

Put me in, coach!

That intro rules, this series idea is cool, and I'm very here for some Ben & Vinny collaboration, feels like a pairing we don't see too often.

This is awesome, I was guessing it was gonna be Nethack but this is sweet too. It does however beg the question: Vinny Dwarf Fortress run when?

Already know this is going to be awesome.

Adding my name to the list. Good luck Ben!

Really excited for this series!

Ben,

I think you want the Del key to search for hidden stuff.

Feel free to use my name if you'd like.

This music is too good.

pick me pick me pick me

edit: you threw your bow at the hobgoblin

Boy I hope you win with my name!

Use my naaaame!

ooh i like! name one meee, moonstar!

How wonderful is this? Placing my vote for a full Endurance Run. Thanks, guys!

had a great glitch as Ben yelled oh god dude my internet crashed.

Are we live?

nice!

Hey I have a username you can use

Cheese buckets

This is just what I needed right now. Thank you.

this is the premium content I re-upped for