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DarkBASIC Professional Discussion / 20-Liner gets an Upgrade..

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David Gervais
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Posted: 23rd Jun 2010 14:57
Hello Everyone,

It's strange how sometimes something simple can catch your imagination and inspire a burst of creativity. About a month ago while doing my daily browsing of these forums I dropped into the 20-Line Challenge thread. Lo and behold,..

http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=169862&b=11

..an 18 line 'Roguelike' game! I was like "No way!".. well after grabbing the code, compiling it and playing it.. WAY!!!

I was simply amazed at how well this little 20-Liner captured the feel of the old Roguelike games. The dungeon generation was "Most Excellent Dude!" Then a spark ignited my imagination, having a long history with Roguelike games and a Hard Drive stuffed with RPG tiles/graphics I have made over the years I decided to see if I could give this little gem a facelift. I contacted IBOL after 'baiting' him in his own thread..

Quote: "I might make you some custom graphics if you are interested..."


IBOL is a smart cookie, he saw the potential of my offer immediately and we made contact. The first thing he did was to adjust his code to use 'Placeholder' graphics. Within hours (in my spare time) I replaced the floor/wall and player tiles. This set the tone and direction of the rest of the graphics. (An initial 'sneak peek' was posted in his original thread.)

When I get inspired my mind races and thinks of ways to 'Keep it simple' and 'make it good'. Well, IBOL took care of that, so I only had to 'insert eye-candy as required'.. LoL

As you no doubt saw in the newsletter, we managed to get it all done and finalized. Attached is a compiled exe along with the required media. Just unzip it to a folder and you should have a GrailOfTheGods.exe and a folder called gotg-ti\ containing all the media.

As an added bonus IBOL has made sure that the source code is 'Super-Commented' so that both beginners and pros alike can learn how the code runs and what part of the code does what. Reading through the commented code is almost like a tutorial in itself. My hats off to IBOL for doing such a fine job of keeping his code clean and well commented.

see for yourself..



I'd like to thank IBOL for letting me have some fun with his little Roguelike. It was a pleasure to work with him over the course of the last month and I hope that this little upgrade will help to show that 'simple' does not mean 'bad', and that perhaps others might take some inspiration from this shining example of how a simple 20-liner game can be taken to the next step.

As an artist who often gets frustrated in my lack of programming skills, I know that many programmers feel the same way where their art skills are concerned. With that in mind, I'd like to encourage all you programmers to use 'Placeholder Graphics' when developing your games. It is the easiest way to 'lure' an artist like myself out of the woodwork. I for one like the idea of 'customizing' or 'upgrading' placeholder graphics. I can't promise that I'll upgrade every project that uses placeholder graphics, but if you use them, you never know who might take an interest in helping.

Cheers!


P.S. o..m..g IBOL caught my eye again.. a Space RTS in 20 lines..

http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=170425&b=11

hmmm I wonder...

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David Gervais
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Posted: 1st Jul 2010 12:48
Newsletter Bump!!

Van B
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Posted: 1st Jul 2010 18:03
That is brilliant! - it's amazing what some people can do with just a little code or a neat idea.

These straightforward RPG games get addictive, trying to find better swords and stuff. As a developer though, they can be a lot of fun to work on, because it's randomly generated - it still poses a challenge even when you have the code in front of you. No need for monotonous level editing either - I hope some people adopt this and add to it. Now, I would kill to see a 3D version, like the old classic Dungeon Master and Captive .


Health, Ammo, and bacon and eggs!
IBOL
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Posted: 1st Jul 2010 19:38 Edited at: 1st Jul 2010 19:39
wow, david, this does look great

here's my first high score post, on Medium: 10100



hey hey! ho ho! 1100110!
5 Full Games

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Mnemonix
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Posted: 1st Jul 2010 20:38
I found the grail!!

Awesome game there IBOL, and nice work on the graphics David!

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David Gervais
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Posted: 1st Jul 2010 23:17
Has anyone found the 'Easter Egg' yet? hmmm?

LoL, Cheers!

Mnemonix
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Posted: 1st Jul 2010 23:35
I must know where the easter egg is!

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Van B
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2010 00:23
I found it - it's quite far on...

IF depth=(7+(diff*2))


Theres a clue


Health, Ammo, and bacon and eggs!
David Gervais
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2010 02:36
It's always on the next to last level, hint "it's like a trap"

Cheers!

Van B
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2010 10:27
I was exploring the whole levels, so was bound to find it . XP hound that I am.


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IBOL
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2010 19:35
what's your highest character level, van B ?
i got 16

hey hey! ho ho! 1100110!
5 Full Games
Sepnon
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2010 19:51
cool!

reminds me the best rpg id ever played, Nethack
Van B
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2010 20:51
I'm not sure, only played through on easy so far though, will give medium a bash.


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Green Gandalf
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2010 22:58 Edited at: 2nd Jul 2010 23:24
Oh No! I got killed!

A poor start to my attempt to beat VanB.

The "defeat" screen revealed a glitch - some of the scores appeared over the text. I was playing full screen and the monitor resolution is 1680x1050.

I'll have to try again.

Edit This is getting sad.
At least I remembered to take a screenshot showing the glitch this time (attached).
And I was doing so well.
Looks like those shader demos I was discussing elsewhere will have to wait just a bit longer.

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David Gervais
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Posted: 3rd Jul 2010 01:46
Green Gandalf, this glitch seems to be related to the set font command.. if you do not have the font, it reverts to some system default and that throws off the text formatting. IBOL is away from his home computer but I'll bring it to his attention when he gets back.

Cheers!

Green Gandalf
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Posted: 3rd Jul 2010 01:54
How do we find out which fonts we have?
Van B
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Posted: 3rd Jul 2010 02:00
Yeah, same problem on mine.

But I finished medium level 18!


Health, Ammo, and bacon and eggs!

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Green Gandalf
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Posted: 3rd Jul 2010 02:06 Edited at: 3rd Jul 2010 03:10
Quote: "But I finished medium level 18!"


I keep getting killed in medium level 8. Perhaps that's the limit of my attention span.

Edit I meant depth 8 not level 8 - I was about level 13. Just got killed at the same depth again - because I accidentally attacked something before pressing Q. Oh well, it's my fumbling keyboard skills again - and this is a turn-based game. No wonder I'm no good at "the real thing".
David Gervais
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Posted: 3rd Jul 2010 04:19
GG, in your control panel there should be a 'Fonts' icon. open that to see the installed fonts on your computer. the font the game looks for is "copperplate gothic bold"

Cheers!

Green Gandalf
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Posted: 3rd Jul 2010 18:05
Thanks. I've learnt something today.

That font is present on my XP laptop - but not on my Vista PC which I was using for the game. So I guess that explains it. Is there a simple fix, for example, is it easy to add extra fonts to the PC?
David Gervais
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Posted: 3rd Jul 2010 19:52
basically all you need to do is copy any new fonts to the \windows\Fonts folder and reboot to have it be recognized. The font used by the game is installed if you have MS Office, any version. It is not part of the Windows OS default fonts.

Cheers!

P.S. I contacted IBOL, he'll probably change the font used to Comic Sans MS and a new version of the code posted here and in the 20-liner thread.

Green Gandalf
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Posted: 4th Jul 2010 00:40 Edited at: 4th Jul 2010 02:38
Quote: "The font used by the game is installed if you have MS Office, any version."


Doesn't seem to be true - I have MS Office installed on both machines and use both regularly.

Anyway, thanks for the tip - I'll try copying the missing fonts to my Vista machine and report back.

Edit Yep. That fixed it thanks.

But as you can see I still have some work to do ...

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IBOL
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Posted: 5th Jul 2010 02:29
congrats on fixing it GG,
but after i get home and sleep in my own bed,
i will definitely work a default MS font into the game,
so people don't have to do that.

you will get it... save your potions!

hey hey! ho ho! 1100110!
5 Full Games
Fatal Berserker
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Posted: 5th Jul 2010 02:43
Willo-Whisps are pretty over powered, i had 100 health (i guess max), ran into one, and it killed me =/

Sasuke
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Posted: 5th Jul 2010 03:06 Edited at: 5th Jul 2010 03:07
Man this is awesome, but hard is hard, ran out of potions and had to fight 3 Elemental's all in one spot.



A dream is a fantasy, if you achieve that fantasy it was never a dream to begin with.

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sneaky smith12
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Posted: 5th Jul 2010 18:21
Spoiler alert! Easter Egg code for those who want to see it:


If at first you dont succeed, LOWER YOUR STANDARDS.
Mnemonix
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Posted: 5th Jul 2010 18:37
I SHOT THE FOOD!!

BUT I DID NOT SHOOT THE POTION!


err


Wrong game

How did you do the visibility code?

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IBOL
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Posted: 5th Jul 2010 18:52 Edited at: 5th Jul 2010 18:55
is that eric clapton doing a gauntlet reference? awesome!

visibility for the whole game is a simple distance formula.

(anything less than 4 distance is visible...
you can see thru walls, etc. i just wanted to emulate visiblity in as few lines as possible...)

there is also a seperate array for what you have already seen n(20,20)
it is zero'd at the beginning of each level, and then set to 1 as parts of the dungeon are revealed.
the screen drawing routine then looks at n(20,20) , and draws any
square that has value 1 , but not 0.

visibility for the traps and one other thing is distance<2 , so you have to be right next to it to see it.

Green Gandalf
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Posted: 7th Jul 2010 00:05 Edited at: 7th Jul 2010 00:06
Quote: "But I finished medium level 18!"


So did I - but you beat my score by 20 points. It's just not fair.

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Sharlenwar
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Posted: 7th Jul 2010 19:50
Haha, amazing. Another wonderful game to dissect and learn some more DBPro commands. Amazing.

Thanks for the work on this guys!

Plotinus
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Posted: 7th Jul 2010 22:18
Great fun - a really nicely put together little game!

The graphics are very smart and look very good. The key system is nice - adds a little something that is lacking from Rogue.

I have a couple of gripes, or suggestions for improvement. I don't like the combat system - where you move next to the monster and then a fight to the death occurs automatically. I think it would be better if only one round of fighting occurred, allowing you to move away or to attack again as you see fit. In most roguelikes, much of the fun comes from using various tactics in the fights, but here there are no player decisions at all.

Also, it would obviously make a big difference if the monsters could move around. It's a bit odd how they sit there like lemons waiting to be attacked.

The monsters could be more interesting if they had different kinds of attacks and other abilities - e.g. a monster that reduces your attack power, a monster that can teleport, a monster that steals your gold, etc.

Also, the attack/defence strength system is simple but a bit strange - it seems odd that picking up a random weapon should increase my attack power even if it's weaker than the one I'm already holding. I think the traditional roguelike system of allowing you to decide what weapon to wield, and what item of armour to wear on the various parts of your body, makes a bit more sense.

It would be good, too, if areas of the dungeon on the other side of walls didn't become visible. That would force you to actually go around corners to find out what's there - much more atmospheric that way.

Basically, all these suggestions are to make it more roguelike! Even so, as it is it's a great little game. I got to level 8 before getting squished. It's incredible that the original version of this could be squeezed into twenty lines.
IBOL
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Posted: 7th Jul 2010 23:28
hey, plotinus,
thanks for all the suggestions.

yeah, all of your 'gripes' were just my attempt to accomodate the idea into 20 lines.

i made a huge rogue-like 3 years ago that i never released,
and it is so much more detailed it's ridiculous.

also, i am really thinking about taking this further,
and making actual weapons and moving monsters and single attacks and all that stuff.

so give us some time, and it might just be what you're looking for!

IBOL
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Posted: 7th Jul 2010 23:29
here is the *new* version of the game,
that addresses the "font" issues:


all media, etc. is still the same. please check first post.

Plotinus
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Posted: 8th Jul 2010 19:20
Quote: "so give us some time, and it might just be what you're looking for!"


Fantastic!

Roguelikes are such a great genre, because they can include very simple games like this, and incredibly complex ones like NetHack or Zangband, and they're all fun.
Talairina
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Posted: 12th Jul 2010 23:42
I've ported my combat code to this version IBOL. If you fancy taking a look at it just let me know.

I've also started working on a few improvements on it as well which includes Skills/Abilities I.e. Slash, Maul and Quick Strike. These skills will be used in a Turn-Based Combat system working off my existing version but simply waits for a player to choose what to do I.e. Attack, Dodge or Use a Skill/Ability.

Skills/Abilities will use a new stat Stamina which can only be restored at the end of the level. This way a Player will have to decide if using that high costing stamina ability against the Troll at the start of the level is worth not having much stamina for the rest of the level.

Anyway, thanks for this heavily commented code and the lovely graphical improvements. I'm going to finish this combat system up and send you the source and see what you think. If you enjoy it then I'll release it for everyone with your permission.

Tal
IBOL
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Posted: 13th Jul 2010 08:41
wow, yeah,
i am definitely interested.
i anxiously await your post or email!

RoboRocketry
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Posted: 4th Aug 2010 16:59
Many MS products came with teh CopperPlate font. You can see a list from the following link: http://www.microsoft.com/typography/fonts/font.aspx?FMID=312

Fly High Where Only Eagles Dare!
IBOL
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 06:22
Talairina ,
i never heard from you,
would quite like to see it!

also,
working on a 3D version of GOTG
(GOTG3D)

lots of core functionality is already done,
just taking a break.

Talairina
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Posted: 9th Sep 2010 04:26
Sorry, I got pulled in another Project and shelved this one for awhile. The skill system is in and working. I have the equivalents of Damage over Time (DoTs) abilities working too!. What I'm struggling with is a good interface for using and selecting skills. I would love to use a MMO style drop bar with graphical skill icons but I can never seem to get certain parts working. I'll dive in to it though and give it a go.

I noticed you've used a few ideas for your combat system in the 3d version. I like =) Would love to do a 3d version of this myself but by god, I'm awful with 3d, just cant get to grips with it =p If you ever need a tester for anything, feel free to ask. You still have my email aye?

I'll get this bundled over too you once I can get the graphical skill bar working! I may (or may not) email you a idea I had to hear your thoughts/views on it. Would love to hear what you think and if it was even a good idea!
IBOL
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Posted: 14th Sep 2010 03:50
hey talairina,

you don't seem to have an email address on your profile,
so i'll tell you mine:
saunders72(AT)hotmail(DOT)com

i would like to hear/see whatever you are doing.

the 3D in this project is so basic it's sick. it's just textured boxes and un-animated objects.
but it plays good.

anyway, talk to you later,
hope to see what you've got,
IBOL

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Posted: 12th Dec 2010 20:48
if anyone still plays this, or just wants to put their high scores online,
i should be adding that functionality over the next few weeks
(lots of things to work on, not much time)

Zombie 20
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Posted: 3rd Jan 2011 07:48
this game is brilliant. I really want to mod it some more myself.


Coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee cappacino, JAVA!
Talairina
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Posted: 14th Jan 2011 12:05
You should defiantly mod it yourself. Ibol doesn't seem to mind people doing that and seems quite interested in what we can do with it. He's even helped me mod it myself with his very in-depth explanation of the combat code and various other aspects of it.
IBOL
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Posted: 5th Mar 2011 19:22
yeah, hey,
my forum thread view thing isn't making me aware of new posts,
so i'm over a month late,
but yes, by all means, play with the code, mod it,
post what you do (or links to it).

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