Universal Rogue Touch (by ChronoSoft)

Discussion in 'iPhone and iPad Games' started by CommanderData, Apr 10, 2009.

  1. Capeman

    Capeman Member

    Mar 7, 2009
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    It is also the second time it is asked and answered in this thread. Actualy it's more like the third time...
     
  2. Ravenblack

    Ravenblack Well-Known Member

    Feb 24, 2009
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    I didn't look back nor noticed it being asked and answered.
    :eek:

    So it's an In-game leaderboard. ... interesting.
     
  3. CommanderData

    CommanderData Well-Known Member
    Patreon Indie


    Hi everyone, sorry I could not make it back in to answer questions last night! It seems like all the big ones were covered already, but I will review the last couple of pages and see if I can add any more detail in a follow up post!

    We'll be hard at work on making a decent user's guide to assist future players in understanding the basics of gameplay and terminology! I guess growing up geeky you just take it for granted than people know what +1,+1 means :D

    Yes, that monument is a placeholder for an in-game list of people who have retrieved the amulet. We also have gravestones planned on various floors marking where other people on the leaderboards have died! Those are drawn, but not visible yet... Most of this stuff will become functional in the next update :)
     
  4. Pal Van Marrsterhausen

    Pal Van Marrsterhausen Well-Known Member

    Feb 19, 2009
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    Commander Data is in the house! Officer on deck! :D
     
  5. Zwilnik

    Zwilnik Well-Known Member

    Rogue Touch is showing up in the games chart now (already at 88) so it looks like a lot more people are finding out how fun it is :)

    Should be the #1 RPG game by the end of the day, excellent result!
     
  6. CommanderData

    CommanderData Well-Known Member
    Patreon Indie

    As you were! :D

    Thanks again for your support and all the "regular rogues" pitching in an answer or two last night! I appreciate that so very much!




    I know, just saw it and I was floored! It's amazing an old game still has a fan club out there... Zwilnik, your discussions and games inspired me to push harder for recognition! Thanks so much! I'll send you a PM in a little while ;)
     
  7. Ravenblack

    Ravenblack Well-Known Member

    Feb 24, 2009
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    #87 Ravenblack, Apr 11, 2009
    Last edited: Apr 11, 2009
    Rogue Touch is no.1 paid app for RPG in my appstore. :) No 53 on overall games ranking. No 71 on overall paid apps.
     
  8. phishboy

    phishboy Member

    Mar 31, 2009
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    Got it last night after reading about the 1.5 update. I had been playing another "Rouge" game and mistakenly thought both were the same. Big mistake. Rogue Touch is the foshnizzle.

    After several plays I've only made it to lv12 :( I am confident I will find the amulet some day. For now I'll just blame my bad luck on the cursed armor I always seem to get.

    Going to post a review. Sadly, someone else has the "phishboy" moniker so the review will be posted under "warren w" I believe. It's gonna be my first game review (guess RT inspired me).

    Everyone check out Rouge Touch if ya haven't already. $.99 < soda :p
     
  9. Yeah, that other Rogue ain't got nothin' on RT. It hasn't even been updated! (Although once RT was released, I'd have said "Why bother?" too. :D)
     
  10. LordGek

    LordGek Well-Known Member
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    Feb 19, 2009
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    I'll do you one better, man.

    Since Texas Hold'em tournaments always love to brag about stupid stuff like "A $50 buy-in will get you $4,000 in chips!"

    For $0.99 you will get an INFINITE AMOUNT OF VIRTUAL GOLD PIECES!! :D
     
  11. CommanderData

    CommanderData Well-Known Member
    Patreon Indie


    Awesome phishboy :)

    I played the other rogue too, as it came out while we were about a month into Rogue Touch development! If it had been a better version, I would've thrown in the towel on our project... but fortunately for everyone else it frustrated and annoyed me enough to say there's enough room in the App Store for another one, and darn it I'm going to finish :D

    Looking forward to your review, it's great that the game is engrossing enough to move you into writing about it ;)

    -----

    Mindfield, I did get to read your update review, I know there was a ton of ground to cover since 1.0 and you did a great job of highlighting it all! As always, it's greatly appreciated. I'm going to comb it for a good "sound bite" that I can use to update my app store description ;)

    Once you get around to authoring a game, maybe I'll have to reverse roles and write reviews!

    -----

    LordGek, That's great! I'll pay you an INFINITE AMOUNT OF VIRTUAL GOLD PIECES for that idea... Maybe once shops are added to Rogue Touch you'll be able to spend it all... But with inflation a potion of healing will be about infinity-10 coins :D
     
  12. twalkabout

    twalkabout Well-Known Member
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    Nov 12, 2008
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    1.6 newbie ideas?

    Now that 1.5 had been out for well over 24 hours, it's about time we started clamoring for new features...

    Seriously though, with the price drop and rise in rankings, I think it is going to attract a huge group of players new to the rogue experience. I myself have never played a roguelike before Rogue Touch. I imagine CD might be interested in what ideas people might have to help attract and retain those new players. I do remember a couple of my initial frustrations with the game before I figured it out. I looked at the Chronosoft forum, but the more advanced players post there on tweaks to make this an even more awesome game. Since this TA forum has tons of first time rogue players, I'd thought it'd be a perfect place to get some ideas. Here's a few things I've got:

    1) a quickstart demo mode where it guides you though how to play including double tapping, using weapons and other items, etc. i'm not sure how easy this would be to program? the demo could include some answers to the top ten FAQ. e.g. you pick up a freezing +2 +2 spear - and a message explains what the numbers mean. or maybe even add +2 hit chance +2 damage to title in the inventory screen (would that make it too long?). also, during this demo, you'll get the "you are hungry" message - and it will explain "don't eat yet, wait for the next message..." then when it says "you are feeling weak", it will guide you how to continue on for a while before eating to conserve your food.

    2) control scheme. i know CD is still working on modifying that to come up with something ideal. i personally would like something that requires less tapping and let you keep your finger more often on the touchscreen. something like a virtual joypad ala Zombie Attack! or maybe a feature that lets you double tap or something on the mini map - and it will take you there. or a "head to stairs" feature once you know where they are.

    3) in game equipment & magic page (as opposed to just having it here: http://www.ChronoSoft.com/RogueTouch/RogueTouchEquipment.html

    4) strategy guide? i am working on trying to compile one of those, i'm going to start a thread soon over at the chronosoft forum. PM me if you have any suggestions. i'm not sure if this will ruin the fun of trying to figure out your own strategy though? here's a few things that will be on there to give you an idea of what i'm talking about:
    - throwing weapons at a monster will identify the weapon (but don't do it in a hallway) that way you won't waste a scroll of identify or get stuck wielding a cursed weapon.
    - don't double vorpalize a weapon (the weapon will disappear).
    - monster specific strategies. e.g. ice monsters - zig zag toward them so they won't get a chance to freeze you. for slimes, head for a hallway, then they can only multiple once at a time and cannot surround you. stay in a doorway if you want to kill a few for the exp or kills

    6) combat sounds? i think that would add a lot for the first time player, even just a few really simple ones. maye one for hitting a monster, one for being hit, and one for missing?

    7) how important do y'all think a modified version of the game is that is less roguelike but more consistent with concepts that younger RPG players are familiar with like a store? i know this is in the pipeline. i do remember at first thinking it was silly that you collect gold with nothing to spend it on. but now especially with the leaderboard, i find the lack of a store adds to it's randomness and replayability. e.g. if i was always able to buy a +5 +5 flaming longsword of griffin slaying by level 20, then it would make the game too predictable.

    that's all i've got. it'd be cool to see this game get into the top 50 and stay there for a while. maybe CD can then quit his day job since he clearly already isn't spending enough time updating the game weekly or responding to every post here and in the chronsoft forum. not to mention actually playing the game and setting the top score...
     
  13. LordGek

    LordGek Well-Known Member
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    Feb 19, 2009
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    [cue the paranoid music]

    Oh sure, add in shops so that you can whittle away my hopes of getting a high score, I WILL NOT BE SO EASILY FOOLED OUT OF MY WINNINGS!

    (I'm not going to fall for that old "company store" mentality so you can just keep all of my cash in the dungeon's own coffers)
     
  14. LordGek

    LordGek Well-Known Member
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    Feb 19, 2009
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    While I could go for some of this stuff being in game as I'm the type of guy who likes to play with all of the game mechanics out there on the table (like reading the rules of a boardgame before you play it), I almost think there is an old RPG mentality that would rather DISCOVER a lot of this stuff. Having it right there so easily accessible is like having an in game cheat sheet for an adventure game. You may tell yourself you'll only look when absolutely stuck but before you know it you're just looking up every puzzle and the game ceases to be amusing.

    Something that might be fun, although surely more hassle than it would be worth, is something like an adventure journal where your guy supposedly makes notes on every item he has discovered so far on the current run. Nothing you the player have to do but click on "look at journal" where you will see some vague descriptions (organized by type) like under Potions, "Sickness: This nasty liquid appeared to leave me significantly weaker." So it would both serve as a bit of a reminder to new folk but, more importantly to us veterans, let you know at a glance what you've already discovered on this run (really handy when resuming a game after a few days or after you've just played 30x in one day and start forgetting...did I already discover Sickness in this run or was that my last guy?).
     
  15. soccerstud652

    soccerstud652 Well-Known Member

    Jan 19, 2009
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    Seconded...although I am unsure if some of the appeal of this game is learning as you play. I had no idea how to even move when I first started, and now I find myself exploring so I can find out what type of potion or scroll I have, or how to use this weapon or that armor.

    Devs, keep the updates coming as this game has REAL potential.

    Price wise, I have been holding off for a sale and I realize now this game could easily be a $4.99 game and I'd be glad to pay it.
     
  16. CommanderData

    CommanderData Well-Known Member
    Patreon Indie

    twalkabout, LordGek.... it's stuff like this that makes me glad I got up in the morning :D

    This is some great discussion!

    First, twalkabout:
    I agree a great deal that the sale is attracting lots of new players who are willing to take a chance on that "funny little ugly game" :) And I'm very interested in keeping everyone happy, and having as many people enjoy the experience whether it's new or a nostalgic spelunking with an old friend!

    1) A quickstart or demo mode.. I've been thinking on how this could best be accomplished to help train new rogues as they go into the dungeon for the first couple of times. I don't have any concrete code for it yet, but I do want to make something that will help new people without holding back the pros!

    2) Controls- The D-pad allows a bit more "finger remains on the screen" type of play, but I assume you'd like to see this extended into the classic touch mode as well? So you more or less could drag your finger around without lifting?

    3) We could quite possibly add iPhone formatted web pages for equipment and the monster lists. Maybe even a FAQ or guide?

    4) A strategy guide will likely be a must for new players. I'd really like to talk with you about that some more... Maybe you can PM me here or at the ChronoSoft forums to go over things a bit?

    5) Combat sounds are something a lot of people are interested in. I have actually collected a few interesting samples, and have some people willing to help in recording/production of the rest. I do agree even just a couple of good audio bits to get started with could really change the feel of the game if done right! :cool:

    6) Modified "advanced mode" Rogue Touch... its a mythical beast we've been talking about for a long time. How many people really need it? Maybe it's only a vocal subset of our players? Could I maybe do this in a way that keeps the original feel and still makes things interesting? I have a few ideas... hopefully I can share them soon... Can we do this in a way that doesn't break the game as you say? OK I have 5,000 gold at floor 20, I can buy my super weapon and armor and coast through to victory! No, we don't want that at all. Would love to hear more from everyone else on that topic! :D


    LordGek, I do agree that the strategy guide may seem a bit like cheating... there are currently pretty detailed FAQs for older version of Rogue floating around the intarwebs now and it hasn't killed the rogue-like though. Take a look at this one for example: The Rogue's Vade-Mecum... A fair amount of info in that is still valid for Rogue Touch! I can say that I would prefer everyone tried to make it without assistance first though :D



    I'd love for us to get popular enough to quit our day jobs and do this full time. I have at least a half dozen game ideas on the drawing board, but until I can quit the "day job", or knock the earth into an orbit that gives us a 40 hour day, or maybe invent a time machine I can't seem to get started :D


    Thanks again for your thoughts! Be back in a bit :)
     
  17. lazypeon

    lazypeon Well-Known Member
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    #97 lazypeon, Apr 11, 2009
    Last edited: Apr 11, 2009
    Discovery is fun to some degree, but many popular "RPG"s these days don't emphasize discovery. It was confusing at first, but I like how you don't know what items are in Rogue now. However, some things could be better explained in-game. I don't know anyone who would immediately understand what a +1/+1 weapon is. My first thought was +1 min damage / +1 max damage, which is close, but not quite right. Not to mention, it's not clear what weapons are better than others. Compare that to Diablo or WoW, and you'll see how it's hard(er) for new players.

    A few strategy questions:

    - Do you descend as soon as you find the stairs, or continue to explore the whole floor? I usually explore everything, to gain items and XP. Food would be the only thing that limits you, but usually it isn't a factor.

    - When to use scrolls/potions/wands? I usually use them as soon as I get them, unless I already know what they are.

    - Do you equip armor/rings/weapons right away, or wait to make sure they're not cursed? I usually equip things right away, but I'm starting to regret it often :)

    - People talk about restarting when they don't like their starting items. What kind of items do you look for that say "this is going to be a good run". I haven't noticed too many variations in the starting items that would make much impact.

    EDIT: Combat sounds would be great.
     
  18. SSquared

    SSquared Well-Known Member

    Jan 27, 2009
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    I finally bought it. Thanks! I used to play rogue and nethack a lot back in college. I was unsure of purchasing this as I wasn't sure what appeal it would bring this time around. But it still has the mystery and desire to see what is in the next room!

    Having the developer around is very important to me, too, when purchasing a game. I really appreciate the enthusiasm and excitement CommanderData has provided. v1.5 shows his dedication to the game and the community!
     
  19. twalkabout

    twalkabout Well-Known Member
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    Nov 12, 2008
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    yeah i think that's the most important thing, explain the stuff that may be basic to someone who played AD&D (i didn't), but most people have no clue what it means

    definitely explore the whole floor at least until you get to griffins. that's the only way you'll have enough items and exp to survive to the amulet.

    the only variation in the starting equipment is the number of arrows and whether you have a potion, scroll, staff, or ring as your bonus magic item. some people restart until they get a ring or staff since those are more rare. but i don't think it's worth the time, and who knows, one of those games where you had a potion, maybe there was a flaming +2 +2 two handed sword next door.

    i've got the answers to your other questions in the strategy guide i'm working on, but i don't want to post it here in case it's too much of a walkthrough? not that it's really possible to have a walkthrough in rogue seeing as how it's near impossible to win. or i'll let CD handle those. you can PM me and i can send you my skeleton copy.
     
  20. soccerstud652

    soccerstud652 Well-Known Member

    Jan 19, 2009
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    I have a piece of crappy armor that is cursed and won't let me take it off. How do I cure this?
     

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