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[pat]

No love for laptops without a keypad...  (even with it fn-locked)

I actually wrote it on a laptop but yeah it's clumsy. hjkl + yubn (I think) should work as well

[Horseplank]

You could try the The Way Back Machine.

I found the following so far:

http://web.archive.org/web/20070903094602/http://cgempire.com/forum/showthread.php?t=379
http://web.archive.org/web/20080523094243rn_1/www.cgempire.com/forum/tutorials-101/terror-ascii-dungeon-c-tutorial-codephobes-part-4-a-1556.html

I am not sure how much that the above links capture of the original, since I never really read the whole thing, but hopefully there's enough there to help you. Good luck.

Thanks for the effort... I don't know if I can use it if I don't have the other parts, though! 

Oh well. I'll learn the old fashioned way... (trial and error!)

[dephbokks]

Thanks for the effort... I don't know if I can use it if I don't have the other parts, though! 

Oh well. I'll learn the old fashioned way... (trial and error!)

After I wrote that reply last night, I decided to create a new simple roguelike library based on SDL. It is written in C++ and only requires SDL. It is written to be lightweight and allow for the simple creation of rl games.

I am finishing it up and I hope to have it published soon. It is a breeze to use and very simple. I will also work to provide decent documentation & intro tutorial as well. Possibly it will fill the void of the Terror in an ASCII dungeon tutorial. I think it will be superior since it provides a pre-written framework that is ready to go. It also will be modifiable since all source code will be provided.

It will be released under a permissive license like MIT, I think. Also, it is not intended for people who can exploit and utilize the already extensive libcotd library, but for beginners and people who want a lightweight framework that they can add to.

[Jookia]

SDL is bloat.

[Sowelu]

Awesome, way to go dephbokks!

[qwertyuiopas]

SDL?

Bah.

If you want image manipulation, write it yourself!


(Though it might be easier to add platform independance with it, I guess...)

[dephbokks]

Whoah. I get it. You guys hate SDL. I just think SDL does not deserve that much hate. Lantinga et al did a fine job and it has its uses, especially for beginners.

You always need an API whether it be OpenGL, DirectX, SFML, SDL, etc, etc. I thought that SDL will be most accessible to a beginner. That's why I chose it. If I ever wanted to write a rl in C++ I'd prolly go with SDL creating an OpenGL instance. That is what I do for most of my C++ projects and I like it. I thought DF is being converted over to SDL with OpenGL.... Toady seems to like it. I think it's good for creating an OpenGL window.

Having said that, in theory an experienced person could simply replace SDL blit calls with their OpenGL equivalent and yank SDL image manipulation out of the whole thing.

Like I said this is more geared toward the casual coder/beginner; I can extend it to use OpenGL if there is a wide desire for that, but SDL is prolly fine for a basic rl.

I am working on BSP dungeon generation now as the default dungeon generator for the framework. Hopefully, I can finish this tonight. Tomorrow will be monsters and then I will release.

Sowelu: thanks for the encouragement. I look forward to when you can look at the code and take it out for a test drive.

Edit: alright guys, I see your points, after a few drinks, I think the solution will be to release an OpenGL based lib with just the bare bones rendering system in place; that should be of more use to advanced users. Hope to have that for you to check out later. I think that will allow for a good compromise. best wishes.

[Horseplank]

Thanks for the effort... I don't know if I can use it if I don't have the other parts, though! 

Oh well. I'll learn the old fashioned way... (trial and error!)

After I wrote that reply last night, I decided to create a new simple roguelike library based on SDL. It is written in C++ and only requires SDL. It is written to be lightweight and allow for the simple creation of rl games.

I am finishing it up and I hope to have it published soon. It is a breeze to use and very simple. I will also work to provide decent documentation & intro tutorial as well. Possibly it will fill the void of the Terror in an ASCII dungeon tutorial. I think it will be superior since it provides a pre-written framework that is ready to go. It also will be modifiable since all source code will be provided.

It will be released under a permissive license like MIT, I think. Also, it is not intended for people who can exploit and utilize the already extensive libcotd library, but for beginners and people who want a lightweight framework that they can add to.

That would be great! I've settled on SDL and OpenGL sounds good as well. Let me know what you come up with.

[Normandy]

Regardless of everything else said in this thread (tl;dr), SDL is a fairly well-designed library for old-school 2d - i.e. everything's in sprite sheets, rotation is for the weak, and we have never heard of GPU acceleration. It's incredibly well-suited to that kind of stuff, with everything you'd need and nothing you wouldn't. I.e. it's perfectly acceptable for a roguelike, given its simplicity.

Move anywhere beyond that (rotation? anti-aliasing? never heard of it), and you're kinda left in open water.


Anyways, I have an opinion to ask: Roguelikes usually don't hinge on graphics, but I must wonder: do you prefer this solid-color ASCII, where background color instead of a '.' or '+' tells you what the ground is:

(I must admit, that's a very pretty example to use, but still valid)

... or do you prefer the ASCII style DF utilizes, with walls and ground being demarcated as characters, rather than background colors?

[Horseplank]

Hmm, it's a toss up. I think with some polish, the background color would work well. Not sure what kind of polish, though...

Glorious as ASCII is, it can be confusing.

[ductape]

ummm...the doryen library is pretty sick right now, and developed constantly and getting better all the time:

http://doryen.eptalys.net/

Yeah those maps are ascii

Now, wanna learn? Pick your language. I like Python because it is elegant and I can read it, and for any turn-based roguelike its plenty zippy. And the Doryen Library, libtocd support real-time roguelikes very easily.

Dont believe me? Check out htis tutorial for Python, you wil have a game running in no time flat:
http://roguebasin.roguelikedevelopment.org/index.php?title=Complete_Roguelike_Tutorial,_using_python%2Blibtcod

[Mipe]

Ugh, I dabbled in Python. Its indentation sensitivity drove me to melancholy. Right now I am looking into ways to extend libtcod into Ruby...

[dephbokks]

Just wanted to give a quick update on my EZRL - Easy Roguelike Library.

It is basically complete. Took about one week. I tried to finish it in 3 days, but the bsp dungeon generation had a stupid bug that wasted a couple of days. I am visiting my grandmother in the hospital tonight, but when I get back I'll try to post some screen shots and info.

I have to clean a few things up and right the documentation, but it should be ready to go shortly.

Some features:

• Blit any ascii character, in one of 16 colors (so far), anywhere on the screen with a call to one simple function.
• Uses Code page 437 character -- same as DF.
• 16 colors so far; easy for user to add more.
• Dungeon generation with bsp trees. Generate any number of levels with interlocking staircases and make the dungeon persistent or change with each level entrance.
• Accept and process keyboard input: event handler already setup for you.
• EZ player class, move your '@' around the screen with this class.
• Simple monster system.
• Blood splatter system.
• Field of View (FOV) system.
• Programmed in OO C++.
• Source available in full for user modification.

Again, this is not meant to compete with superior, more feature-rich libraries like libcotd. It is just a simple rl library.

[KaelGotDwarves]

Bump just to let you know I'm following the project. I ought to catch up on my C++, and roguelike tutorials (actual step by step) in C++ are quite hard to find.

[dephbokks]

Bump just to let you know I'm following the project. I ought to catch up on my C++, and roguelike tutorials (actual step by step) in C++ are quite hard to find.

You Tube Demo: EZRL Library

Thanks Kael. I just uploaded a video to youtube to show a first glance at the rl game created by this library. I used Taksi to record this video, so quality may not yet be maximized. The game definitely performs better than what is shown; the lag due to video recording is apparent.

Please know I am always interested in feedback for my presentation techniques. I think I am decent at conveying information and hopefully once I finish the documentation everything will be clear and straightforward for any potential users, but let me know if anything is confusing once the docs are out.

Best wishes.