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[JasonPickering]

yes, followed promptly by losing.

[True Valhalla]

Hehe, I actually got through 4-5 more levels like that. I think when the rooms are full like that, the game starts placing enemies at the 0,0 coordinates (you can see something weird behind my HP).

[Kapser]

Kapser I dont know if I could do a leveling mechanic. the player goes through so quickly, that it might seem tacked on. The +1 Health/Mana could work. but would it be better to do it by island or by enemies killed?

By island sounds good to me. Well, if balancing stays manageable.

[verticalvertex]

Works great. Little annoying that you have to click one square infront of you.

[JasonPickering]

Thanks guys everyone has been really helpful. Quick question I would like to know. about how often do you actually use your skills. is it maybe like 3 times a game? I am thinking of adding something for finishing a level and it might be that skills are one time use. but on to the next island you can recharge one skill or add 1 max health. Just wondering how often people actually use them.

Since this has been posted up I have been adding in the stuff I knew I would need, but didn't put in yet. Now an Island can either be the normal Field we have now, or snow. each area will have its own enemies and each enemy now has a rarity.

Verticalvertex: do you mean you wish you could just click in a general direction to move that way? I do plan on implementing that soon.

[Felix0]

I don't know why one would make this instead of a full-fledged roguelike, with a command for every letter of the keyboard and tons of obscure systems. Or at least, something along the lines of Chunsoft's Mystery Dungeon series. It's not like the iPhone can't handle such games in a turn-based setting--just bring up a touch keyboard or a large menu when necessary. What you've got isn't unplayable, but it's piddly and unsubstantial. I don't want any single-screen environments that I can see everything of from the beginning, either. A more sophisticated level generation system and nuanced enemy behavior would also be very welcome.

You CAN make this thing work. It's just going to take some serious effort if you don't want to end up on the smartphone trash heap. Immerse yourself in Nethack, Angband, and ADOM for insight and inspiration.

[Ooops]

I don't know why one would make this instead of a full-fledged roguelike, with a command for every letter of the keyboard and tons of obscure systems. Or at least, something along the lines of Chunsoft's Mystery Dungeon series. It's not like the iPhone can't handle such games in a turn-based setting--just bring up a touch keyboard or a large menu when necessary. What you've got isn't unplayable, but it's piddly and unsubstantial. I don't want any single-screen environments that I can see everything of from the beginning, either. A more sophisticated level generation system and nuanced enemy behavior would also be very welcome.

You CAN make this thing work. It's just going to take some serious effort if you don't want to end up on the smartphone trash heap. Immerse yourself in Nethack, Angband, and ADOM for insight and inspiration.

You realize that out of your total of 5 posts, 4 have been negative reaction to game projects, 3 of them being borderline insulting? Also such comments are not very constructive. Gee, what you want here is a game of another genre. It's about as helpful as saying: " I'd much prefer playing a racing game".

@ orhers: Am I feeding a troll here?

[capn.lee]

I don't think he's a troll, I just think he is giving his opinion more value than it's worth.
He'll fit in just fine around here. 

[Kapser]

The perfect roguelike would be between those two. I want a roguelike with deep strategic thinking, but I don't like how much of them are not user friendly.
The game is too simplistic, but I think he's on to something. The prototype is more fun than a lot of roguelikes I played.

Seriously a game gotta damn good for getting to learn what every freaking key of the keyboard are used for.

To awnser the question, I use the heal spell pretty often but I try always using it in an optimal way to finish the level maxed out. The fire spell, I only use it when I'm about to die (which doesn't happen often) or when there's like 3 mana potions on the floor. I think the heal spell is a bit too good, not for the way the game is balanced right now, but if you want to make a really fun spell system. (for the same mana cost, fire will be worth it in very few occasions)

[happymonster]

Just make you and the creatures have different move ranges per turn. I.e. you can move 2, some monsters can move 1, others 2 or more.. That would add more positioning and tactical play.

[Felix0]

The perfect roguelike would be between those two. I want a roguelike with deep strategic thinking, but I don't like how much of them are not user friendly.

Would you prefer Angry Birds? A large part of the enjoyment from a good roguelike comes from gradually figuring out all the minutae of its mechanics. If you're merely running around and stabbing at slimes in tiny little dungeons ad infinitum, you're only boring yourself. In terms of raw mechanical detail, ADOM, Nethack, and Elona are some of the most complex and intricate games ever made. These are games truly meant to engross, entertain, and engage the player's mental capacities, not to stave away boredom on a train commute.

What genre does Ooops think this game belongs to? Isn't "Rogue" right in the title? He's got a point, though: at the moment, it's only complex enough to pass as an awful SRPG with one unit. Its prospects aren't looking too good: Rogue, the genre's namesake that's over THIRTY YEARS OLD now, actually has a lot more going on than this modern interpretation: even hallways between individuated rooms!

I give credit where credit is due. As of late, the "indie games" community has given a free pass to many lazily drawn and coded games with little redeeming value: Passage, Meat Boy, and Knytt Stories among them. But I believe that each game's qualities should be judged against the entire history of the medium, not merely the last eight years of small independent PC development. Cave Story was made by one man in his bedroom, probably with no budget at all! Blaming game design flaws on a lack of staffing or funds, or forgiving them for the same reason, is inexcusable. with I find comments like "enjoyed this game, woohoo!" to be far less constructive than specific examples of what I found wrong or inadequate about games. We're here to improve our games, not pat each other on the back.

And an actual troll would have said "lol dis gaem sux."

[failrate]

It's darling.  I just wish I had more choice of where to go.

[rek]

blah blah blah

Nobody's going to force you, or anyone else, to play this.

[Felix0]

So what? Someone else is going to. And as more low-quality "roguelikes" like this are made, the more accepted this kind of lazy game design is going to become. If it becomes the standard for the genre, than far fewer people are going to be exposed to its defining classics: Nethack, Shiren, and ADOM. Especially with the uber-prevalence of the iPhone, it's just unhealthy for these kinds of games to run wild.

We've already seen this happen to the platformer genre: why do you think Locomalito's excellent Ghosts 'n Goblins clone Maldita Castilla is getting so little attention? Because the grand tradition of long, detailed action-adventure sidescrollers with baroque graphics that must be played from start to finish straight through is being abandoned. It's being replaced by bite-sized "masocore" abortions like Super Meat Boy, where all difficulty is negated by the abundance of quicksave respawn points with infinite lives, and the graphics aren't even worth mentioning. Not to mention that Team Meat are completely incompetent programmers, as the MySQL fiasco with Super Meat Boy made clear.

I'm trying to spur the developer on to gain some ambition, utilize the talent I hope he has, and make something at least modestly great. I will never grow tired of abusing this example, because it's so painfully relevant: Cave Story was made by one man in his bedroom with no money.

[JasonPickering]

Thanks guys:

Kasper: Thanks for the feedback on the skills. I am really thinking that they dont add as much as they take away. I think figuring out a way to give the player so more Choice in their combat would help. It seems that I am making two games at the moment. the first is this game where you use skills and the second is one where you use the monster deaths. I really need to focus on one or the other and I want the second one.

happymonster: thats actually in interesting idea. I am reminded of some of the fantasy flight board games. I think Descent has that, but don't quote me. basically the player has two points per turn. Moving costs a point, and attacking costs a point, and there is a special move that costs two points.

failrate: I agree the player is usually forced into situations they wish to not find themselves in. I am trying my best to list these out so I can build a system or add mechanics to fix these. The main one now is spawning with enemies right next to the bridge.

So the next plan is to set up several new combat systems. I will be testing them out on paper first, whatever survives will then get a engine test. I hope to find something that gives the player more choice without throwing in everything and the kitchen sink.