Feature Requests for Rogue Touch

[LordGek]

Zakia, we'll do our best to make the shop system easy to work with. I think it'll work with scrolling tables similar to what you'd see with our existing inventory screens. We haven't coded it yet, but do have some diagrams on paper here of how it might flow.

I guess that would be easier than the Nethack model BUT I hope it is still just a random selection of items and NOT anything like many RPG shops where you can buy and infinite (assuming you had the cash) supply of things like food or healing as this would really unbalance the game, IMHO.

[BigDrahma]

I agree; the number of items should be very limited.
This may have been suggested already, but what if the "shop" was a person, a "creature" you found wandering the floors (essentially another follower of Yendor who's more keen on making a buck and getting the heck out of the dungeons). You attack him, and that opens the "store". He'd have one or two items, essentially not too much more than the average person exploring that level would have, and he'd be willing to part with them... for a ridiculous price.

[CommanderData]

I guess that would be easier than the Nethack model BUT I hope it is still just a random selection of items and NOT anything like many RPG shops where you can buy and infinite (assuming you had the cash) supply of things like food or healing as this would really unbalance the game, IMHO.

I agree; the number of items should be very limited.
This may have been suggested already, but what if the "shop" was a person, a "creature" you found wandering the floors (essentially another follower of Yendor who's more keen on making a buck and getting the heck out of the dungeons). You attack him, and that opens the "store". He'd have one or two items, essentially not too much more than the average person exploring that level would have, and he'd be willing to part with them... for a ridiculous price.

We're all in agreement then. The item list will be random within each game, and there will be finite amounts of each item that does appear in the shop. BigDrahma's version of the "shop" might be cool to program as well! The advanced mode may actually have several NPCs running around that trigger interesting actions by running into them

I don't know if everyone here keeps up with touchArcade... LordGek I know you do, but others may not... anyway I have gotten some neat ideas from over there that might get implemented in version 1.5 I'll be ready to discuss a full list of the next round's features here sometime a couple days after 1.3/1.4 is finally approved. We're at the end of Day 5 in waiting since it was resubmitted, so hopefully not much longer!

[BigDrahma]

Thanks for the kind words!

Another idea you could implement is the bones file shop... which is this: if you record possessions as part of your final high score, you could implement a global bones file of sorts. At the beginning of each game, randomly choose 5 corpses from the unsuccessful high scores (i.e., those who didn't get the amulet), and place their corpses randomly on the floors they died (make sure you pick corpses who died on different floors). The player finds the corpse, and can loot the body.

This may also be a clever way of generating a bit of a community. People see each other's character's names and how they died (the string I imagine when finding a corpse is something like... "This poor soul seems to have scrawled something on the wall before dying... 'Beware the Slime. -Rodney '")

[Zakia]

Thanks for the kind words!

Another idea you could implement is the bones file shop... which is this: if you record possessions as part of your final high score, you could implement a global bones file of sorts. At the beginning of each game, randomly choose 5 corpses from the unsuccessful high scores (i.e., those who didn't get the amulet), and place their corpses randomly on the floors they died (make sure you pick corpses who died on different floors). The player finds the corpse, and can loot the body.

This may also be a clever way of generating a bit of a community. People see each other's character's names and how they died (the string I imagine when finding a corpse is something like... "This poor soul seems to have scrawled something on the wall before dying... 'Beware the Slime. -Rodney '")

That is a great and original idea, although a bit game breaking =P. Just the messages?
It'd be funny getting memo's from forum members.

"Moar Cornucopia staff p...lz... -Hulk"

[BigDrahma]

That is a great and original idea, although a bit game breaking =P. Just the messages?
It'd be funny getting memo's from forum members.

"Moar Cornucopia staff p...lz... -Hulk"

Perhaps the corpse has been *mostly* looted, and thus only one item (could be randomly generated if the inventory isn't saved in the high scores) is there. The cool factor is definitely in finding other community members dead on the floor with you!

Maybe there could be a few random "last words" for the game to choose from... personalized death notes would probably be overrun with spam and random cursing.

[firebird]

Maybe there could be a few random "last words" for the game to choose from... personalized death notes would probably be overrun with spam and random cursing.

When you die, it would be cool if the monsters around you started dancing or something like that.

[CommanderData]

Firebird, welcome to our little corner... glad you could join us!

I think that Firebird's contribution could work with the whole corpse idea- Maybe anyplace there's a body on the floor with goodies it should have a couple of monsters surrounding it! Not sure if I could animate the "dancing" exactly, but it seems likely that you'd find enemies nearby... and that would make it less game-breaking if you had to plow through a handful of trolls to loot the body for anything

The idea of death scrawls is hilarious! All I can think of is Monty Python and the Holy Grail bit where they're in the cave:

MAYNARD: It reads, 'Here may be found the last words of Joseph of
Aramathea. He who is valiant and pure of spirit may find the Holy Grail
in the Castle of uuggggggh'.
ARTHUR: What?
MAYNARD: '... the Castle of uuggggggh'.
BEDEMIR: What is that?
MAYNARD: He must have died while carving it.
LAUNCELOT: Oh, come on!
MAYNARD: Well, that's what it says.
ARTHUR: Look, if he was dying, he wouldn't bother to carve 'aaggggh'.
He'd just say it!
MAYNARD: Well, that's what's carved in the rock!
GALAHAD: Perhaps he was dictating.

We actually may not store any items/equipment on the server here because that would break my HOF scheme and we'd need to delete everyone's scores again. But there's still a few ways this could be done to make things really fun!

BigDrahma's got another excellent point about the scrawls... they will be randomly selected and generated by us. Otherwise you'd see all kinds of awful stuff written in-game eventually. Not by anyone here of course I've already had to implement a swear trap of sorts for names so that our younger players don't have to see some of the more... creative... names people might pick

[BigDrahma]

Oooh... can you make names that violate the swear trap get negative stats when they start? Like 1HP, no weapon, no armor, starting in a monster room?

The death message could be "Next time, pick a nicer name." or something.

As for looting, randomly generated items would likely be just fine. I just thought that if you used possessions for scoring purposes, it'd be neat to re-use them in-game. Also, I love the idea of the corps being surrounded (eaten?) by two or three of the monsters that killed the guy when you find it. But the item drop better be decent if I have to fight them to get to his body!

[Mojo]

I hope my suggestions haven't been suggested yet...if so, just suggest to me that I stop suggesting!
(Incredible game, by the way!!!)

1. Have some doors to special rooms or corridors locked, so you have to sub-quest for the key to open said rooms or corridors.
2. While resting, have a small chance of a random encounter during your nap.
3. Perhaps some shape-changing magical item that turns you into a random beastie! (if there's not already one )

I'll come up with more soon and will post them as well.

Of course, if Rogue Touch was never updated again, it would STILL be an awesome game!
Thanks for all of your hard work!