Rogue-likes

[Benkyo]

Just wait until you start trying for the gold and platinum badges!

Glad you're enjoying it though. I'm always recommending DoomRL (and Brogue) to anyone who'll listen but you might be the first person to have actually tried one of them. I suppose roguelikes are an acquired taste =)

[Maxine MagicFox]

Oddly enough, Brogue intrigues me.

Except... how difficult is it? I mean... I know the nature of the game is set up to be a difficult experience, but... it's not like... ridiculously difficult is it? Like I would be able to sit back and enjoy it? Or would I be rage quitting every three seconds?

[Benkyo]

Put it this way. When you die, the game quits for you, so no rage-quitting!

Heh.

Seriously though, the learning curve is pretty steep. When you meet your first ogre you will probably die. When you meet your first wraith, or troll, or tentacled horror, or dragon, you will probably die. You get the idea. But learning the ropes? Killing jackals and kobolds, unstoppering your first potion of incineration, getting slimed by a pink jelly... it's all good fun.

Worth a try, surely?

=)

[Reynard-Miri]

Oh how could I forget this game.

Dwarf Fortress. Adventurer mode is definitely rogue-like, and Fortress mode is arguably rogue-like. Legend mode most certainly isn't, but it makes clear that Dwarf Fortress puts the procedural generation of all other rogue-likes to shame.

[Maxine MagicFox]

[Benkyo]

[Benkyo]

I think a lot of the frustration people feel when playing Shiren is down to the way they incorporated aspects of JRPG grinding into the roguelike genre. After dying a few times, new players will quite understandably think that the key to progress is to collect a haul of good starting equipment and grind out a highly enchanted weapon and shield. Then they get much further and die again, think they have to repeat the cycle and get frustrated and bored. It's a horrible system and poorly signposted. Shiren 3, 4 and 5 (2 is crap) do a better job of graded challenges and the like, but the key to enjoying Shiren 1 is to set off on each adventure carrying nothing at all and take things as they come. If you're good enough at the game you won't need any starting equipment and since you set off with nothing you lose nothing if you die but will hopefully have learnt a lot.

Having said all that, Shiren has its flaws and even if you bounced right off it I still recommend giving Brogue a try.

[Maxine MagicFox]

^_^ Currently downloading.

Though, I wouldn't hold out any hope of me overly enjoying it, but, hell, it's free, and there's something about the simplicity of it.... I LOVED the screenshots. I like the lack of graphics. It... intrigues me.

[Geadin]

Roguelikes are definitely an acquired taste, but once one gets over the "omg this game is insanely hard and confusing" it's fun. I'm also addicted to muds... anyway, I've never knew there was a Shiren ds game. Dwarf fortress sounds familiar to me..going to have to look into it. on an unrelated note, I find that most ways to start a roguelike is to build up your character a bit on the first few levels, gain basic equipment, farm some ranks, and then move on. I think most newbs are too impatient to do this!

[Benkyo]

[Geadin]

yeah, it depends what mood I'm in. sometimes I just like dungeon crawling and the ol grind. but other times it bores me to death. I do like the idea of 'surviving' in the dungeon just based on items that you find and how you use them.