GP2X Dungeon Crawler

[mac-10]

Hi

I need a bit of help.
I was playing around with flash the other day and I wanted to see if I could make simple dungeon crawler work.
And made this test

http://www.webpointsolutions.co.uk/map_02.html

It’s based on a really simple 2d array

map = [ [1,1,1,1,1,1,1],
[1,0,0,0,0,0,1],
[1,0,0,1,0,0,1],
[1,0,1,1,1,0,1],
[1,0,0,1,0,0,1],
[1,0,0,5,0,0,1],
[1,1,1,1,1,1,1] ];

5 is the hero


It is very very ruff but it does shows the concept I am aiming for.
But I don't know how the combat works in a game like that. I know the hero and
His opponent will have stats like strength and stamina etc but how do you work
Out the out come of a battle based on the stats.

All so is there a way to create a Procedural maze I imagine it’s very difficult
But I would be cool if every time you pick up the dungeon was completely deferent.

Thanks

Mac

 

[skeezix]

Its your game... define it how you'd like Roll some dice, add some stats. boof. All yuou kiddies who missed playing D&D when you were little

Procedural generation .. just look up a 'maze generator'; there are piles of simple algorithyms that generate crappy mazes. That would be a first step, but it woudl generate uninteresting mazes.

The hard part is making them _fun_, not just a twisty nmasty mess.

Untold LEgends on the PSP uses fractal/random maps; totally crap.. you can tell they'r erandom, when all the monsters end up at the end, or that sort. Human generated mazes for-the-win!

jeff

Add: btw.. nice!

jeff

 

[vaustein]

It seems that you want to build a Rogue-like random dungeon generator. I once built a solid random dungeon generator in C++ with help from the "Roguelike development" website. I developed and tweaked my own algorithms, but reading the designs and tutorials really helped.

I ought to port it to the 2x. In its current state (updated two years ago), the player may traverse the dungeon in pseudo-3D a la "AD&D Gold Box" or "Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures (FRUA)", and it includes an overhead auto-map.

I'm not really a hobbyist game programmer, though. I only work on game programming when I feel a strange obsession, which happens on a bi-yearly basis. I'm trying to decided whether to 1) port the whole thing to Java or 2) keep in C++/SDL and improve the code. The actual dungeon generation code is clean, but the pseudo-3D code is hacky and stream-of-consciousness.

 

[ruckage]

Hi Mac,

I'm working on something similar and as skeezix said combat is really a matter of choice. you could go the turn based route and base the combat on good old pencil and paper rpgs like AD&D or you could have a slightly more realtime approach as in the methods used in Dungeon Master. As for maze/dungeon generation you can get some hints on how to achieve it here http://www.astrolog.org/labyrnth/algrithm.htm#perfect
another great site that gave me loads of inspiration was http://www.roguelikedevelopment.org/
I used the information from these and other sites scattered around the web to make my own algorithm for dungeon generation, i'm still working on it but here is an output of one of my randomly generated dungeons.

I think the key with randomly generating dungeons is to make sure the algorithm can make a wide variety of different styles, (or have different algorithms to create variety) mine can make very maze like maps, at one end of the spectrum and extremely spase dungeons at the other end, some may have large rooms as in the picture shown or consist of claustrophobic tunnels.
I used a very simplified version of this algorithm to generate the mazes in my Dastardly Dungeon game. (more maze like for that game though with a few loops to make it more interesting.

Anyway hope all goes well as first person dungeon crawlers like this are definately too few and far between these days.

 

[Gruntfuggly]

What would be great would be a 3D interface like yours, to the standard Rogue game. Rogue is such a simple but addictive game, but it works brilliantly - I much prefer it to the more 'advanced' versions, like Moria, Hack, etc. However, a 3D first person interface would be cool...

 

[mac-10]

Thanks for all the input

The rouge like stuff is really interesting I'll be check that out tonight
and I never realized there are some many way to create mazes : )

I really like the idea of creating a dynamic game.

I was inspired by this company they make the great games.

Check out there Procedural city it’s genius
http://www.introversion.co.uk/blog/index.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67qOa1YhF3A

I know I don’t have the skill to generate an entire city but
An array full of 1’s and 0’s maybe.

I have never heard of Rogue or Hack but I will check them out.

Thanks again for the links and help

Mac

 

[ruckage]

Check out there Procedural city it’s genius
http://www.introversion.co.uk/blog/index.php

Mac


Wow. Thats amazing. I just downloaded the video of the city generator in action. Just imagine with this kind of technology you could have a gta style game that could span the whole planet or it could be part of an elite/freelancer style game where rather than the planets being barren spheres they could be fully populated. I love randomly generated content .

 

[mac-10]

Wow. Thats amazing. I just downloaded the video of the city generator in action. Just imagine with this kind of technology you could have a gta style game that could span the whole planet or it could be part of an elite/freelancer style game where rather than the planets being barren spheres they could be fully populated. I love randomly generated content .

http://www.introversion.co.uk/blog/archive.php

It's really interesting defiantly a game to keep an eye on
that must be some complex Algorithms at work
stuff check out the rest of chirs's blogs he explames why
he uses randomly generated content.

 

[Vilmos]

Good for you. You can never have too many dungeon crawlers!

I like them so much I made two of them for PalmOS.

Pocket Dimension has the full PocketC source available if you wanted to grab some very basic code. The game was very simple as it worked on PalmOS 3. If you are interested you can check it out at the Pocket Dimension Website

 

[YakumoFuji]

cellular automata

feel free to come by and join us in rec.games.roguelike.development were a semi-friendly bunch...

ive used quite a bit of my roguelike code in Fishguts. All the dungeons, are created using a cellular automata routine so they look like nice caves... standard 'rogue' dungeons are easy to make, check the source to qhack for some really simple stuff.

 

[mac-10]

thanks YakumoFuji

I have made a nasty action script test I have not cleaned up the code
yet so its a bit slow but it does randomly generate rooms without
any over laps

http://www.webpointsolutions.co.uk/map.html

Thanks all for your help

 

[mac-10]

Hi

I have been working on a map generator for a couple of days

Here is a link to a flash vision.
For some reason I find it easier to get the principal working
In flash first before I move to c++. I make fewer mistakes.

http://www.webpointsolutions.co.uk/map_gen1.html

Basically I am not sure it the map is suitable a dungeon crawler.
It seems very random is there a way of making the layout seem
more structured?

Anyway advice would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Mac

 

[YakumoFuji]

you need more rooms/open space etc. maybe every so often dig a {3/4/5}x{3/4/5} space out instead of just laying corridors around the place.

scroll to bottom and see the kids of maps it generates (ignore the ones at the top)
http://roguebasin.roguelikedevelopment.org...ave-Like_Levels

 

[vaustein]

Hmm...I'd like to share the output of my dungeon generation algorithms in two formats:
- Overhead map courtesy of a dungeon map "viewer" I wrote in order to learn MFC for a Microsoft cert exam.
- Visuals of my pseudo-3D dungeon viewer w/ overhead map.

If I do restart this project, I'll definitely stick w/ C++ and SDL. Java on the 2x runs like a tranquilized cheetah.

 

[YakumoFuji]

Hmm...I'd like to share the output of my dungeon generation algorithms in two formats:
- Overhead map courtesy of a dungeon map "viewer" I wrote in order to learn MFC for a Microsoft cert exam.
- Visuals of my pseudo-3D dungeon viewer w/ overhead map.

some nice dungeons there vaustein, but imo too many dead ended corridors to be enjoyable.

 

[vaustein]

That's tweakable - my algorithm has an adjustable "bias" between rooms and corridors. Those maps are "unbiased", hence the excessive dead-ends.

Also, I probably made the pics too big. I really didn't intend to visually hijack the thread.

 

[mac-10]

Hi there

Just want to say thanks to you guys for your help.
Its taken me almost 2 weeks but I think I have cracked it.
I have uploaded an image

the pink squares are dead ends I will be removing
and I still have got to remove the halls that hit the outer
walls and do some general hall way cleaning up.

Vaustein I like your dungeon generator, it really helped
seeing the way you had rooms, hallways and doors
Rather than have just a floors and walls.

Yakumo I did try the Cellular Automata it made
my head hurt :blink:

It really is amazing how by playing about with 8 variables you can
Seriously change the look and feel of the map.

Any suggestions on how to improve it would be great.

Thanks again for your help

Mac

 

[Alex.]

Suggestion: make one or two really large (like 3-4 times the average size) rooms, for good measure I have no idea if it's possible to do that, just throwing an idea into the air.

 

[mac-10]

hi alex

just gave that a try
now we've got some big room action

 

[Alex.]

That looks great, it must be real nice to have this kind of control over what your generator produces

Can't wait for what you'll use this for