I vaguely remember, from aeons ago, a party-based roguelike that I enjoyed enough for its vague echoes to stick with me. There were a few things I didn't particularly care for (I think each character was on their own tile and the interface was a little rough), but it's stuck with me for probably about 20 years now.
For this jam, what I want to do is make a party-based roguelike. I've spent some time brainstorming the concepts, but I'll give a simple overview.
- Traditional: All ASCII terminal-based output. Text first. Not necessarily adherent to terminal/terminal emulator defaults (e.g. I am going for a wider and taller layout so that I can have some QoL features that are hard to get in your standard terminal. No meta-progression, no unlocks.
- Web/Local: I want this to run locally in a terminal (my preferred way to play) or on the web. Web will have some affordances for the format (e.g. HTML-native UI elements, game still shown in ASCII grid). Both versions will have parity.
- Class-based: Parties are built from characters with classes that determine what they can do. A rogue unlocks new loot and passages. A cleric causes party health to recover more quickly. A druid reduces the rate at which you get hungry. A fighter can tank hits and keep on going. Bards make everyone just a little smidge better.
- Knowledge matters: Items start unidentified, can be used but with unknown effects are hazardous. Wizards identify, or you can count on a barbarian's natural resistance to negative spell and potion effects. FOV and light matter; things might see you before you see them.
- Economy is the loop: Manage your characters' health and your party's food. Rotate primary party members, though remember that there's always a chance that someone else takes the hit. Paladins are the exception: when active, they don't let anything through.
- Characters "are" gear: While I might expand the systems further during the polish phase and add an equipment system in, the general concept is that your party composition is what matters most. Party members level up, can be found in the dungeon, etc.
- Streamlined, not dumbed down: The focus of the game is essentially a knowledge/decision puzzle. Run with a full party for maximum power, but you might starve in the dungeon. A single character will lose in tough fights, requiring careful map knowledge.
- Level features: Turn gold into items at a merchant. Drink from a fountain; will it save your wounded rogue's life, or send them into the grave? Resurrect dead party members at a shrine. Traps can take a chunk out of your party, unless you have someone who can spot them.
Some potential polishing features:
Spellcasting: Uses a "ritual" system to emphasize role of party composition. Spells are unlocked by having the right thresholds (e.g. Arcane/Divine/Primal magic). Spells cost energy (food?)
Advanced combat: My main concept probably works best with melee bump combat. Will need to see about ranged combat (is this something that happens automatically when in range?
Character races: Implement things like darkvision, tremorsense, etc. based on character races. Potentially go for a rich ADOM-style list; not just your usual human, elf, dwarf. Trolls regenerate quickly, but burn your party's food supply. Kobolds are squishy, but evade some incoming attacks.
Environmental Ambience: Different biomes, with their own enemy and feature sets.
