Escape from the Rosewood Abyss

[Sol_HSA]

I've been working on this roguelike of mine, on and off, for the past year (along with a lot of sidetracking like building an audio replay engine from ground up). Anyhoo, it's far enough now that I've actually given it a name, and I'm aiming for a release sometime this year (hopefully earlier than later).

The official (and quite empty at the moment) site is http://www.rosewood-abyss.com

And here's a recent video - I post new ones every now and then, feel free to check my youtube account for earlier ones..



Unlike most roguelikes, this one's more of a stealth/survival horror kind; you have no way to attack, only ways to avoid enemies.

[JohnWordsworth]

Haha - I love the moment at around 2:00 when you realise that you've got to stop and think about the moves otherwise you're doomed :p.

Looks like fun. I like the idea of the light source being important in your progress. Just needs some more 'loot' to find when running around!

[Komag]

Looks great, I love the design so far, but would also like more loot, fewer enemies maybe, more time to explore

[Sol_HSA]

There's loot =), and I do some very stupid things on that one video, like keep the lamp on for no reason, and waste the flashbang.. Another play I recorded (but discarded) I was halfway through the dungeon, had 5 flashbangs and plenty of lamp oil, and then the game crashed..

A lot of that is dependent on how you play, but the random generation also plays a big role. In that 'better' run I found a whole level with just one guard, while another had plenty of them.

Having a lot of enemies doesn't really make the game unplayable, as there are ways to deal with most situations. If you've burned your lamp oil and wasted your flashbangs, you're going to have a bad time. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if someone did a "no lamp or flashbangs" run of the game. Assuming it gets popular enough, that is. =)

[FlashSoul]

Can you tell a bit about the technology behind it? Which libraries do you use, etc.

[Sol_HSA]

Can you tell a bit about the technology behind it? Which libraries do you use, etc.

Sure.. based on SDL, rendering through OpenGL, audio replay using SoLoud. All C/C++ code.

[Sol_HSA]

Here's a new video that shows more of the features.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bajdq2Qq508

[FlashSoul]

Sure.. based on SDL, rendering through OpenGL, audio replay using SoLoud. All C/C++ code.

Interesting. I'm myself using SDL for a little project of mine at the moment (a UI system to dispatch events to the correct UI elements). However, I use SDL2's new video API. Did you start before it came out or did you have a particular reason to directly use OpenGL?

[Sol_HSA]

Interesting. I'm myself using SDL for a little project of mine at the moment (a UI system to dispatch events to the correct UI elements). However, I use SDL2's new video API. Did you start before it came out or did you have a particular reason to directly use OpenGL?

I started the framework I based the game on long before SDL2 was released, and, well, using OpenGL directly gives me finer control should I need it (although, for this project, I doubt it).

[Sol_HSA]

I was afraid that the game was too easy, this being a rogue like and all, but the feedback I got from my alpha testers (both of them) suggests this is not the case. I had been pondering how to make enemies more difficult (or how to add some more difficult enemies), but this suggests I should add less difficult enemies to add variety. =)