My current project is to recreate an homage version of a very old ASCII rogue-like as a mobile game. The maps from this game consists of walls, doors, secret doors, and openings. The maps also featured one-time fog of war (once explored, always revealed). In rooms, one could find things like stairs, traps (pits, shafts, energy, teleport, guaranteed monster encounters), and various magical effects (darkness, anti-magic, illusions). Based on the combination of these things, one could also find hallways and large rooms.
I have started creating a whole map for this game, only to find myself asking some questions. Here is a list:
What experiences and suggestions does everyone have in this area? I'm looking for opinions, ideas, and brainstorming; though if you have technical details of how-to, while that is most welcome, it is not expected at this point.
I have started creating a whole map for this game, only to find myself asking some questions. Here is a list:
- Should I design a whole map, or create a unit by unit map (where a unit = rooms and hallways).
- If I choose unit-by-unit, can I reuse these rooms yet still keep track of where they are in the big-picture map?
- If I choose unit-by-unit, can I add and remove unique features via some method (global events?) to prevent visual repetition?
- How can I best emulate the special features of traps and magical effects on the map level?
- How should I best pull off the fog-of-war (any good plugins out there that are play-tested and recommended?)
- How can I include a "create-your-own-character" mechanism in the game? (Both visually and mechanically)
- How can I include mini-games?
- How can I include crafting?
What experiences and suggestions does everyone have in this area? I'm looking for opinions, ideas, and brainstorming; though if you have technical details of how-to, while that is most welcome, it is not expected at this point.
