Checking in because it's been a while since the last update. Things are progressing quickly on several fronts:

Nearly all the code is in place to allow me to import quest/dialogue/dungeon content, so now all that's left is to continue to build the content. (more on how that works later)

The first 2.5 dungeons are functional, although I constantly find myself finding ways to improve them. With non-procedural design, I am able to build much more intricate structures with carefully hidden paths and hazards.

I don't plan on phasing out the procedural generation in general. I actually have found that by building structures by hand, I will notice patterns that I could add to the procedural gen.

Bugs are being addressed rapidly as well, with the list of known issues ever dwindling.

#Glyphscape #devlog #gamedev

Chugging along with the main quest, and the basic structure is coming together. Generally, it consists of modular side quests that the player completes as an agent of the king/queen.

You awaken with no memories, except for your name and class. You are directed to the local nobility for assistance.

The Crown has resources to help you with your own personal quest, in exchange for your completion of some dangerous tasks. These tasks are related to a specific crisis that the realm is experiencing.

Elements of each quest such as names, locations, factions, dungeon types, etc. will be randomized as much as possible so that each run feels more unique.

#quest #Glyphscape #gamedesign

The initial design for the #Glyphscape #quest system was entirely #procedural. It was successful in that it provided literally limitless content, but I soon discovered that once the player has seen most of the possible quest formats, the experience gets boring VERY quickly.

I still plan to include the procedural radiant quests for players who enjoy the radiant format, but the focus will instead be primarily hand-written content.

Because the game is a #roguelike, I worry that replayability will suffer if the player is forced to follow the same path on every playthrough, so I plan to include some #procgen elements throughout. I hope to find a balance that gives the player a deep experience while also not saddling myself with thousands of lines of unique dialogue.

Between Thanksgiving and a new puppy, progress last week was slow. I've been working on cleaning up the last of the bugs *that I know of*, and fortunately that list is almost finished.

Next up is #quest and dialogue content. I rewrote the quest system a while back, and have yet to re-implement the existing quests from the old system. Once those are in, it is finally time to start putting the main quest line(s) in place.

#Writing is not my forte, so we'll see how much actually gets done.

#gamedev #Glyphscape

One of the largest sources of inspiration for #Glyphscape is #dwarffortress (as you may be able to tell). I loved how much complexity was hidden within such simple visuals.

I don't think it is controversial to say that the obscurity of the DF's graphics, while necessary to build such complexity, are a hindrance to many players' enjoyment of the game. The graphical overhaul for the #steam version is evidence to me that the folks at #Bay12 know this.

Glyphscape was originally designed with an identical visual approach, where each game tile gets one character to represent its contents. My play testers *hated* it. Everyone who played was confused and frustrated by ambiguous characters (myself included, sometimes).

My solution was to instead build pseudo-sprites out of multiple layers of stacked strings. Additionally, I modified the original font to include custom characters for common entities such as weapons, armor, and monsters.

Time for an #introduction post!

#Glyphscape is a classic #roguelike, complete with #ascii graphics and a #procgen #openworld.

Glyphscape originated as a #minigame nested in a #cyberpunk hacking simulator game in 2019. The parent game has been shelved indefinitely as the scope of an ascii-based game was much more appropriate for my skill set as a programmer (or rather my lack of skills in other areas of #gamedev).

I will be posting #devlog updates here, both to document new features, and to explain bits of code that I believe will be helpful for other developers.

Access to the game is limited to internal testers at the moment, but there are plans an Alpha release in the near future. DM me if you are interested.