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TIGSource ForumsCommunityDevLogsCogmind (sci-fi robot-themed roguelike) - BETA RELEASED
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Author Topic: Cogmind (sci-fi robot-themed roguelike) - BETA RELEASED  (Read 234598 times)
Kyzrati
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« on: September 26, 2013, 02:23:10 PM »



Cogmind is a science fiction-themed traditional roguelike in which you play a robot that builds itself from components found or salvaged from other robots.

Various destructive scenes... (hundreds of particle effects with accompanying audio)

Some inventory management with ASCII art and... destruction and repair Smiley

Gameplay
  • While exploring the world you find (or take) power sources, propulsion units, utilities, and weapons, and attach them to yourself to create a slow tank bristling with weapons, or a fast-moving flyer zipping past enemies before they even have time to react, or a stealthy sword-wielding assassin bot, or whatever else you can come up with from the salvage you find. The game can quickly change as you lose components and your loadout changes.
  • Action is turn-based but you don't have "action points" per se; instead, every action takes a certain amount of time, and robots that can perform actions more quickly can continue to due so until another robot is ready to act.
  • Combat is optional if you can avoid it, and there is no grinding for XP since the game rewards you for simply reaching new areas.
  • While not fighting/sneaking, you can find/construct allies, hack machines, manipulate your enemies, and explore the story through terminals spread throughout the complex.

Parts
  • Power Sources: Engines, power cores, and reactors supply the power necessary to run other systems.
  • Propulsion: Treads, legs, wheels, and hover/flight units enable a robot to move more quickly (multiple types can be attached, though only a single category can be active at a time).
  • Utilities: Special devices, processors, storage units, and protective gear that provide a wide range of benefits.
  • Weapons: Guns, cannons, launchers, and a variety of melee weapons.

Resources
  • Energy: Generated by the core and power sources; necessary for moving, firing energy-based weapons, and sustaining the operation of some utility systems.
  • Matter: Salvaged from robot remains; used to fuse components, and consumed by ballistic weapons and launchers as ammunition.

Notable Features
  • Dynamic character development without XP/grinding
  • Animated interface
  • Thousands of ASCII particle and sound effects
  • Nine different animated endings to uncover
  • Full mouse and keyboard support for all commands
  • Drag-drop support for mouse
  • Fully destructible terrain
  • ASCII art

General Feature List
Many of these are a given for anyone familiar with roguelikes, but I'll list them here for completeness.
  • Resource management
  • Inventory and equipment system
  • Item identification system (for a subset of powerful items)
  • Fog of war
  • Several damage types each with unique properties/effects
  • Simple yet dynamic combat system
  • Multiple AI behaviors
  • Numerous items, special abilities, and enemies
  • Permadeath
  • Autosave/load on exit/startup
  • Large randomly generated maps
  • Turn-based action
  • Single player
  • All units use the same ruleset as the player
  • Score output to an external file, with detailed statistics

More Information
« Last Edit: September 15, 2020, 01:16:58 AM by Kyzrati » Logged

Boopable
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« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2013, 05:26:26 PM »

 Addicted I'm not sure what I'm looking at in that screen shot, but DANG do I want to find out.
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Kyzrati
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« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2013, 05:32:44 PM »

Whoops, I had a note on there that that's a mockup, not an actual screenshot, but accidentally removed it before posting.

That said, the GUI seen there is already fully implemented, and while a video will be far more explanatory (and cool with the animation and sound), I'm waiting until there's some real content to show off. Cogmind is still pre-alpha as of now.

Before then there will be lots of blog updates, all with more screenshots (and gifs!) and I'll continue posting here. Any feedback is welcome!
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« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2013, 05:36:37 PM »

Addicted I'm not sure what I'm looking at in that screen shot, but DANG do I want to find out.

I was about to say this but then I saw that it was already said. It's easy to get lost in the mockup, but in a very good way.
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Kyzrati
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« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2013, 05:46:11 PM »

Thanks, the mockup is extremely busy, for sure.

I like that since it goes along with the theme (so I'm glad it sparks curiosity!), but this particular image is like that partly because I used it as my go-to reference during GUI implementation, and thus filled in as much extra space as possible with all the supported features.

While the player's experience could definitely end up looking like that, it will come much more gradually. For example you start with an empty inventory, far fewer slots for parts, and without anything attached to you. Individual windows will become more useful gradually as you ease into the game. There will be a tutorial-like intro that should help with this.
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« Reply #5 on: September 26, 2013, 10:27:25 PM »

The concept is really darn cool. I think if you were to make the visuals more clear, as an example, going for for a Monaco style where only things that need to be shown are outlined clearly, it would help. But the idea, I love it!
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« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2013, 05:20:19 AM »

"I think if you were to make the visuals more clear, as an example, going for for a Monaco style where only things that need to be shown are outlined clearly, it would help."

I respectfully disagree--it looks to me like what you can see is in beige while your "memory" of the level is in the Matrix-like green. Sweet.

Double sweet if that masks changes you aren't aware of.

"There's been a glitch in the matrix!"
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Kyzrati
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« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2013, 01:20:01 PM »

I respectfully disagree--it looks to me like what you can see is in beige while your "memory" of the level is in the Matrix-like green. Sweet.

Double sweet if that masks changes you aren't aware of.

"There's been a glitch in the matrix!"
Correct. That and you can lose previously seen map data to system corruption and whole rows/columns can disappear. You can also use terrain sensors that gradually fill in distant unexplored areas bit by bit, which looks pretty neat.

The difference between explored vs. visible areas is even more apparent on later levels where there's a lot more contrast between visible and non-visible walls. Beige is only used on the earliest levels. The map visuals will probably be changing somewhat (the alternate "sprite mode" will definitely have a different feel), but this mockup was intended mostly for GUI purposes.

I think if you were to make the visuals more clear, as an example, going for for a Monaco style where only things that need to be shown are outlined clearly, it would help.
Or did you mean something else by this? I can't quite tell if you're referring to the map or some other part of the interface. Cogmind does have fog of war, which is a big part of the experience. (I've written a long post about that, but it's pretty far back in the queue of yet-to-post blog content...)
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eigenbom
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« Reply #8 on: September 27, 2013, 02:34:53 PM »

This looks pretty awesome. Smiley
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Kyzrati
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« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2013, 05:17:02 PM »

Thanks eigenbom. I know you and _Madk are into ASCII Wink

Been working on more UI mockups lately, and even some ASCII art concepts, but they're not quite complete.

Today's post is Cogmind's first feature update since last year's playable prototype. It introduces guided weapons, weapons that fire in salvos, and energy weapon overloading.
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« Reply #10 on: September 28, 2013, 05:25:08 PM »

That looks amazing. The missiles are beautiful somehow.
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Ultima Ratio Regum
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« Reply #11 on: September 28, 2013, 06:19:50 PM »

Hey Kyzrati Smiley. Cogmind looks really cool per se, but I have to agree with the above, the missile graphics are tremendous.
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Kyzrati
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« Reply #12 on: September 28, 2013, 06:36:06 PM »

Hey URR, thanks guys. Now I feel I should've done some work on the missile animations, seeing as those in the gifs are recycled content a couple years old... they weren't even the focus of the post! Didn't consider that some of what is "old" to me might be new to anyone seeing Cogmind for the first time. I won't be getting into special effects until the UI is complete, but pretty soon I will be ready to show off some new interface animations.

@URR: Still awaiting URR torch throwing gifs, btw Wink
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« Reply #13 on: October 01, 2013, 02:45:52 PM »

@URR: Still awaiting URR torch throwing gifs, btw Wink

YES YES YES  Shocked. It's coming. Probably. Though I'm debating doing a video update for once instead of a text one, so might put it there instead...
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« Reply #14 on: October 01, 2013, 03:54:26 PM »

Beautiful missiles indeed! I would decrease the brightness of the smoke trails quite a bit so the eye can stay with the missile more easily, but that's just me. Smiley
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Kyzrati
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« Reply #15 on: October 01, 2013, 04:01:18 PM »

Sounds like a good idea! I'll be redoing all the animations from scratch in a few months when it's time to start making map content look prettier.

Working on the interface right now. Just started adding help popups for in-game explanations, since we all know no one reads manuals...
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« Reply #16 on: October 03, 2013, 02:33:59 PM »

An overview of how the interface is improving from last year's prototype: Building a Better UI

This and one more post will be about "non-gameplay" elements, then I'll be going into things like robots, machines, and melee combat.
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Kyzrati
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« Reply #17 on: October 06, 2013, 03:38:01 PM »

Game options, including resizing the map view.
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Kyzrati
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« Reply #18 on: October 09, 2013, 05:24:12 PM »

Multi-tile Robots. They won't be too common, but now they're possible.
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« Reply #19 on: October 09, 2013, 07:16:26 PM »

Yes I love multi-tile ultra rare units. Especially if they are really big, like 8x8. Smiley
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