Dungeons Under Gannar

This is a roguelike roleplaying game based off of Castle Of The Winds. If you’re one of the 99% of people who don’t know that game, check it out. It’s one of the most newcomer-friendly roguelikes you can find. Thanks goes especially to DWTerminator for spreading the word on how to get it running on modern systems (in his Castle Of The Winds review).

Since I’m using the term roguelike, I figure that quantifying how much like Rogue it’s going to be will also help describe the game, so if you’re not a hardcore roguelike afficianado, say hello to The Berlin Interpretation.

Random Dungeon Generation: Of course. I don’t have any personal opinion on the mechanic, but Castle Of The Winds did it, so I’m doing it.

Permadeath: Not really. I’ll likely include a Hardcore Mode down the line, but I’m not particularly fond of permadeath. However, creating incentives to let characters stay dead is still on the table.

Non-Modal (Able To Do Any Action At Any Time): Yes. I do plan to let the player character attack merchants and talk to bandits. The keys for “pick stuff up” and “go downstairs” already have an effect if there’s no stairs and nothing to pick up. “Why you’d want to” is a question for the player to answer.

Inter-Connected Systems: I don’t know if this game will get complex enough to apply, but yes, if enough systems happens, I’ll let them play themselves out. Myself, I get more enjoyment from systems-based games than from narrative-driven ones, so letting systems interact with each other will be given higher priority than curating the player experience.

Resource Management: Not really. I’m not terribly fond of survival mechanics, so I highly doubt I’ll put a hunger meter or anything like that into this. If stamina and magic management count, though, then sure.

Hack&Slash Focus Without Peaceful Options: Mostly. Like I said previously, hostile negotiations will be allowed in this, and that’s because I do plan to put roleplaying in here as well. That said, talking down bandits will be one option, and obliterating them and taking their stuff will be another option.

Identities Unclear Until Identification Process: Sure, why not. I don’t have any opinion on it, but Castle Of The Winds did it, and I’m following suit. The rest of these are minor attributes, but hey, they’ll help describe the game a little more.

Controlling Only 1 Character Each Run: Sure, why not. Enemies Have Player-Like Behaviors And Abilities: Most likely. Some monsters will have physiological abilities that the player likely won’t get, such as dragon’s breath, but I’m planning create a large pool of abilities from which everything gets something.

Tactical Challenge: That’s likely going to happen by itself. Anyone who doesn’t take advantage of choke points in a group fight is an idiot. ASCII Characters On A Tile Map: … I’ll give you 3 guesses for each of those qualifiers.

Presents Status Of Player And Game Through On-Screen Numbers: Sure, why not.

Exploring Dungeons: Of course.

On a side note, I’ve seen at least a few attempts at recreating Castle Of The Winds from scratch. Unfortunately, because Rick Sadaa didn’t know his game would become a cult classic, the source code didn’t get preserved (that actually happened to a lot of games from the 1970s and ’80s and for the exact same reason). Further misfortune is that none of the recreations have succeeded or even been completed. I feel somewhat like I’m one more traveler on that doomed path, but because I’m making a game similar to Castle Of The Winds and not one exactly like it, I don’t have the albatross of Replication While Blind around my neck. Of course, that’s not to say I’m any better than the programmers who gave up. Were I trying a 1-to-1 replication, I’d already be long dead in the water.