[FAQ] Roguelike Games
Matt Chatterley
<< ROGUELIKE GAMES >>
FAQ Version 1.15 (4th May 1998)
Maintained by Matt Chatterley (ma...@mpc.dyn.ml.org)
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This FAQ attempts to cover everything which a newcomer to, or even
experienced player of Roguelike games may wish to know about them, without
divulging into details of individual games (ie: How to play X).
Information pertaining to availability, as well as an uptodate list of
these games is included, and the FAQ is indexed by topics.
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UPDATES:
* 4. 5.98: The Minstrel's Song section was updated/adjusted,
The Moria section was updated/adjusted,
The Unreal World section was added.
* 5. 2.98: The Moria section was updated/adjusted,
The links section was updated.
* 23.10.97: A brief section on Crawl was added.
* 4.10.97: Utumno was added at the authors request, and the section
on Moria was updated to include the DOS version.
* 3.7.97: Finally wrote the FAQ, though its mostly Greg's material
at the moment. Need to collect some links and so
forth for section 3.
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INDEX
1. What are "Roguelike" games?
2. What "Roguelike" games are out there? Where can I find out about them?
3. What resources exist for "Roguelike" gamers?
4. Submissions and Contributions
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1. WHAT ARE ROGUELIKE GAMES?
It all began with a simple game called "Rogue", which was very simplistic,
and used an ASCII display, allowing the character to control an adventurer
(more details in section 2). The popularity of this game spawned a long
list of variants, and whole new games using a similar idea. These in turn
spawned variants and new games, and there are now many of these games in
existance.
The defining features of a roguelike game are typically (there are always
exceptions):
* ASCII display (using the '@' symbol for the player is popular, for
instance).
* Single player (almost all are, Crossfire is one notable exception).
* They are adventure games, rather than just hack'n'slash, or strategy
(although different games use different amounts of these elements).
* They are turn-based, rather than real time (this means that the action
happens "one move at a time, and will stop if you stop).
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2. WHAT ROGUELIKE GAMES ARE OUT THERE? WHERE CAN I FIND OUT ABOUT THEM?
Originally by Greg Wooledge (wool...@kellnet.com)
The list is fairly long. The Roguelike games are continually evolving
and branching off, so any attempt to list them all will be incomplete.
But here are some of the most widely known games:
1. Rogue
This is the game which started it all. It was originally
distributed with older Berkeley Unix systems, in binary form only.
The source code was never publically released. You can read more
about the original game at http://www.wichman.org/roguehistory.html .
Epyx released a binary version for certain computer systems in the
1980's. These copies can sometimes be found in software stores or
second-hand from other players.
A few free adaptations (most with enhancements) have also been
written. You can find some of them at
http://www.win.tue.nl/games/roguelike/rogue/ .
The appropriate Usenet newsgroup for Rogue discussions is
rec.games.roguelike.rogue.
2. Larn
Larn is a direct descendant of Rogue. It's the first Roguelike game
to feature multiple dungeons with a sort of surface world (in this
case, a town) to connect them.
You can find some free versions of Larn at
http://www.win.tue.nl/games/roguelike/larn/index.html .
The appropriate Usenet newsgroup for Larn discussions is
rec.games.roguelike.misc.
3. Moria
Moria is a Roguelike game with a different sense of scale than
Rogue. It features a town level, with an endless(?) dungeon.
But rather than being limited to one terminal screen in size,
each dungeon level is several screens wide and long. Games of
Moria generally take weeks to complete, rather than hours or days.
Moria was written by Robert Alan Koeneke for VAX/VMS systems,
in Pascal. The game obtained a devoted following, and was later
rewritten in C for Unix systems (and named UMoria) by James
E. Wilson. You can read the early history of Moria at
http://www.ionet.net/~koeneke/CGames/Moria.htm .
The game is currently maintained by David Grabiner
(grab...@math.lsa.umich.edu). A Moria web page can be found at
http://www.math.lsa.umich.edu/~grabiner/moria.html . The Moria source
code can be found at ftp://ftp.cis.ksu.edu/pub/Games/Moria .
The DJGPP-compiled version of Umoria 5.5.2 has been available from the
official site since 15/9/97 as:
ftp://ftp.cis.ksu.edu/pub/Games/Moria/pc/80386-5.5.2/m552-386.zip
An Intel 8088 (!) version has been available ever since 1994-08-04
(two weeks after the release of v5.5.2 itself) as
ftp://ftp.cis.ksu.edu/pub/Games/Moria/pc/8088-5.5.2/mor55288.zip
A working version of Moria 5.5.2 is now available for the PC; it's
also available at the main Moria archive, but this URL is more
likely to work:
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Pines/7376/m552-386.zip
The appropriate Usenet newsgroup for Moria discussions is
rec.games.roguelike.moria.
4. Hack
Hack is a more complex version of Rogue. It features a pet dog
or cat who accompanies you on your adventures, and a wealth of
assorted items and dungeon features. It is best known today as
the predecessor of NetHack (see below).
You can find some information about Hack at
http://www.win.tue.nl/games/roguelike/nethack/index.html#Predecessors .
The appropriate Usenet newsgroup for Hack discussions is
rec.games.roguelike.nethack.
5. NetHack
NetHack is one of the most widely played, and one of the most
complex, of all the Roguelike games. It was derived directly from
Hack (see above), and adds even more features, including but not
limited to unique monsters, unique named weapons, quests, and a
graphical interface.
Recent versions of NetHack are released under the GNU Public
License, and can be downloaded from ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu
or one of its many mirror sites. It is maintained by a team of
developers called the "Dev Team". They're generally secretive
about the work in progress, but have been known to respond to
questions in the NetHack newsgroup on occasion.
You can find some more information about NetHack at
http://www.win.tue.nl/games/roguelike/nethack/index.html .
The appropriate Usenet newsgroup for NetHack discussions is
rec.games.roguelike.nethack.
6. Omega
Omega is the first Roguelike game to feature a wilderness which
connects several towns. It is also noted for its mutiple-class
characters, including class-specific quests. There is a certain
humorous atmosphere to this game.
You can find more information about Omega, including source and
binary distributions, at http://www.alcyone.com/max/projects/omega/ .
The appropriate Usenet newsgroups for Omega discussions are
rec.games.roguelike.misc and alt.games.omega.
7. Angband
Angband is derived from Moria, and adds unique monsters and unique
items (artifacts), as well as new spells, new monsters, and so on.
Recent versions have added graphical interfaces.
Angband is currently maintained by Ben Harrison (be...@phial.com).
You can find more information about Angband, including source and
binary distributions, at http://www.phial.com/angband/
The appropriate Usenet newsgroup for Angband discussions is
rec.games.roguelike.angband.
8. ADOM
ADOM used to stand for Ancient Dungeons of Mystery, but with the
addition of a wilderness and a more complex plot, it now stands for
Ancient Domains of Mystery.
ADOM features several dungeons and towns connected by a wilderness
world. It is nearly as complex as NetHack, and has nearly as large
a following. In addition to the wilderness and plot, ADOM is noted
for its skill system.
ADOM is currently released only in binary format for certain
computer systems. Its author and maintainer, Thomas Biskup
(r...@saranxis.ruhr.de) has stated that the source code will be
released when version 1.0 of the game is released.
More information about the game is located at
http://users.aol.com/ADOMDev/index.html .
The appropriate Usenet newsgroup for ADOM discussions is
rec.games.roguelike.adom.
9. Ragnarok
Ragnarok: IBM PC VGA (I added a close up map with pictures, but it
still has the ASCII map above)
Homepage:
http://www.win.tue.nl:82/games/roguelike/ragnarok/
file:
ftp://ftp.win.tue.nl/pub/games/ragnarok/rag24.exe
The game and hint guide are now freeware (even though the signoff
banner states otherwise), and the strategy guide has been publicly
released to:
ftp://ftp.win.tue.nl/pub/games/ragnarok/official.zip
10. Utumno
Utumno is a conversion of the Angband engine to a fully graphical,
real-time environment. It resembles Diablo in that fashion, but has a much
greater depth to its gameplay than Diablo does.
The Utumno web page, which contains news, links to downloads, screenshots
and more can be found at http://www.citilink.com/~craighea/utumno/ and is
generally updated regularly.
Utumno does not have its own newsgroup, but rec.games.roguelike.angband
(because of the strong links between the games) and
rec.games.roguelike.misc are both appropriate.
The author, Matt Craighead, can be reached at crai...@citilink.com.
11. Crawl
Crawl is a game in the manner of a crossbreed between early Hack and
UltraRogue, with several original features added in as well.
The homepage for Crawl is at
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/7812/index.html, and both the game
for DOS, and the Source code (each under the GPL) are available from it.
Crawl is currently at version 1.1, and the author, 'Linley' can be
reached at z...@olis.net.au.
12. The Minstrel's Song
The Minstrel's Song is a game loosely themed after Omega, with a very
rich and detailed world, a skill-based character system, special
races and monsters, extensive help, and many other features as well.
The home page for The Minstrel's Song is at
http://www.imsa.edu/~jhayward/tms/, and the UNIX source code is
currently available, along with a Macintosh port. A port to PC
platforms is in the works.
The Minstrel's Song is currently at version 1.0b, and the author can
be reached at jhay...@imsa.edu
13. The UnReal World
Current version 2.14
System requirements: PC/MSDOS/VGA or MCGA/SB optional
The UnReal World is a fantasy role playing game placed in the far
north at the iron age. There is no any special objective in the game
(although there are quests you can solve) - it's more like represents
mans struggle against the wild nature in the rarely settled country.
There are thousands of square kilometers of wilderness to explore and
lots of ways feel excitement of the enchanting, charming and living
game-world. The UrW is very realistic. There are no hi-fantasy
elements or creatures.
The game utilizes some real northern mytology.
You can develope your character to be a skilled hunter, a genial
fisherman, a cunning trapper, a greedy tradesman etc.etc.etc.
There are no special professions you may choose - but cultures
instead of them. And tens of skills from cookery and timbercraft to
hideworking and tracking.
Author: Sami Maaranen (smaa...@muikku.jmp.fi)
homepage: http://www.jmp.fi/~smaarane/urw.html
(can be also found from http://win.tue.nl/games/roguelike/urw)
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3. WHAT RESOURCES EXIST FOR ROGUELIKE GAMERS?
There are a number of newsgroups in the rec.games.roguelike.* hierarchy,
for the more popular games, and a rec.games.roguelike.misc newsgroup for
discussion of general topics and other games. An announcements group also
exists, where documents such as this FAQ are regularly posted.
Below are a list of links to websites, and other resources which roguelike
gamers may find interesting (subdivided by game, if relevant).
GENERAL
* The RogueLike News Page, maintained by Darren Hebden can be found at
http://www2.krisalis.co.uk/wwwdheb/index.html. Darren can also be
contacted at ro...@skoardy.demon.co.uk.
* The Roguelike Games Home Page (http://www.win.tue.nl/games/roguelike/).
This page is a bit out of date, but still contains a lot of
useful information about a large number of Roguelike games.
ADOM
* The ADOM mailing list (originally intended for spoilers / topics not
entirely suitable for rec.games.roguelike.adom, and for those
folk who cannot get the group). Only available UK evenings (and
weekends) - http://user.itl.net/~neddy/adom/communicate.html for
more details.
ROGUE
* Edwin Rots' page (http://elektron.et.tudelft.nl/~erots/rogue/rogue.html)
Providing a fairly comprehensive look at Rogue (the namesake of all
Roguelikes, strangely enough!), this page is very interesting, even
for those who are not players of Rogue itself.
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4. SUBMISSIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS
If you want to make a submission to this FAQ, suggest a change/update, or
anything of the order, please email the maintainer at the address given at
the top of the document.
All contributors names will be added at the end, with email addresses
(unless you request that it not be listed).
Contributors:
Matt Chatterley (ma...@mpc.dyn.ml.org)
Greg Wooledge (wool...@kellnet.com)
Thomas Boyd
Linley (z...@olis.net.au)
Lars Helgeland (lhel...@c2i.net)
Edwin Rots (E.R.J...@ET.TUDelft.NL)
Jonathan Hayward (jhay...@imsa.edu)
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--
--
-Matt Chatterley
http://user.itl.net/~neddy/
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.." -John Lennon (Imagine)