Corridor Dragon

It is well renown combat style! It helps player to destroy waves and waves of monster!
You have found big vault? Group of goblins? Don't panic! Just rush into nearest corridor and kill them one by one! They wouldn't be able to reach you with missiles and summons!

The question is -- why most of roguelikes have one tile corridors between areas (rooms etc)?
Answer is simple! Remember size of classic console window, it is tiny for modern times.
Also, one level of dungeon = one screen.
If we make good corridors and halls, they would eat up all free space!
One tile corridors is obsolete way to create game. It gives possibility of nearly uncontrollable scamming (DCSS has smite spell, but it is not a skeleton key for corridor dragon style).

It was in the past or games based on old games, like DC, but why new games has it?
Okay, I can understand one tile doors, but don't think it is good for gameplay, but corridors? Why?
Well. Doubtlessly, it is of this "please die" old features of ancient times. =)

PS
And I don't say that one tile corridors don't have right to exist! In some special occasions, like small shaft or secret passage, they would be exactly on their place. Anything we want to show as really small and narrow, but not every corridor in the game.

Action!

I decided to separate blog posts about roguelike dev and  Fallen progress.

This one is about Fallen!
We are still working on surprise. There was enough premature decisions, so I want to keep it simple and interesting. This is my  law now.
Also, now I have a break from hidden stuff and pass the baton to GoodSir, so I can continued work on Actions!
I have finished interface, that allows you to see what do creature or your avatar doing right now.
Also, it show what effects and conditions affects creature.
The fun is, I keep it simple, I didn't add new structure that affects creatures. All this cool effects using turn action routines, like move and fight. It is flexible enough to have states like "fly from strong kick", "get a attribute gain/loss" and so on.
Right now I am coding wrapper then will provide with easy interface to work with low level "turn actions routines".
When I will finish, actions like "Horrible battle cry  -20 attack to every enemy for N turns", "bleeding strike - hp/turn", "Iron skin +2*level armor" or "bush fly in %direction%"  could be done with flying colors.

ASCII

What do you think about ASCII.
Do Roguelike means ASCII?
You said yes, but why? Seriously. Just think about it.
Why ASCII means to be roguelike main feature?
Heh, it looks like I understand.

The same situation happens with other aspects of roguelikes and  nearly everything in life.
For example, lets say, that Roguelike development is religion.
We have the main idea, name it teaching. What make roguelike so addictive.
Make you to assault dungeons, fight monsters. That's why they eats up hours of your time and you don't regret it.
What is "Te@ching of Roguelike"?
It is procedural generation, jiggling all game world up side down.  
It is lot of random action in gameplay.
Depth and tons of simple details, fast gameplay, that takes hours to master.
You can see, they are really few.
This is roguelike.

But, there is other side of the coin, that doesn't make roguelike, but absurdly meant to do so!
The sacrament rituals of roguelike.
Some of them had settled here, because The Master Rogue did so.
Without understanding why this feature was there!
We can see a lot games, that has all roguelike "features", read game presents us heap of ridiculous  combinations of obsolete  rogdev traditions, dirty hacks in a uncontrollable boring mix. (I knew it, it was reason of Fallen1 downfall. =)  )

Lets check a couple of this rogue dev traps:
Food clock. You say -- "but roguelike have to have it!". Hey, hey! Why?
Because food clock exists in all Great Roguelikes of Old Times!
Okay, but some of them, like ADOM, would really win, if food clock would vanish from them or reworked greatly.
And for rogue or DCSS. Food clock is limitation, gameplay press, that makes player to move forward and not to grind.
And I think -- not the best one.
Food clock could be really annoying part of game play if you add it, just because every roguelike should have it.


Next, but not the last sacrament rituals is our topic, ASCII.
Ask anyone, what means Roguelike and one of 3-5 answers would be "this ugly ASCII".
But before trying to put me on pyre for heresy, ask youself -- why ASCII even came to roguelikes?
Answer is simple, it was the easiest possible way to create UI for indy game.
It would take minimal code/hours investments and reasonable quality for terminals of old times.
The joke is that right now, create console window simulation on modern computers as hard as create fully graphical interface.
But the second one is really more flexible and useful.
Right now, ASCII in roguelikes is sacrament tradition, that should die long ago, but still on board.

Why? Well. people love traditions and ritual, even if it put real idea aside.

Couple of nasty bugs have been cleared, halve dozen of issues fixed.
Debug interface now turned to something you will see in final game.
But the most important, we have big surprise for our future players!
I am not completely sure when I'll finish this, tomorrow or at weekend.

EDIT: Also, I implemented interesting, perk- based leveling system for creatures. It isn't something new, you can see in different games, but it really cool system!
For example, I don't juggle with stats of, for example, giant roach.
All creatures are the same from the start. I just gave it three perks.
Hard as nail (+ good hit points bonus per level), Carapace(armor per levl + static bonus), Clumsy (- to hit) and set it level to 3.
It make this beast rather interesting and dangerous for low level, badly equiped character.
Because it got about 30 hit points and 12 armor. At the good side, it has only 65% basic to hit chance!

---

Yes, my vacations is over and I have less spare time and the most important, brain power to work on Fallen.
Heh, I really love coding computer games.
I really feel anticipation for this, but I am not sure, that I can become full time indie roguelike developer.
Simply, because I have to eat and pay bills. This life is funny I have to spent 10-12 hours per day on something I really don't like, even hate from time to time, to have couple hours, dead tired on something I like.

From other hand it makes me so happy and I feel such an urge to work, every time I work on Fallen.
Well. It is critical difficult personal decision. Mostly finance, of course. Maybe I'll write something about it later.

Animation

Just this. Animation is on board now.

Interface work

Finished buying skills for skill slots, experience, exp for killing foes, level ups.

Then upgraded interface. Game will show context help when you move mouse over subject, like creature, item, button etc
Added automatic "on click" move, so you click o local map and chareacter moves there. 

Also, made basics for future animation. I can't imagine way we can make abilities without proper animation.

Plan: make alarm stop of auto move, when foes comes close to game screen.
Then return to skills.
I look forward for 4 skills right now. Axes, polearms, armor and explorer.
Also, game should respect creatures skills, ehen selecting them weapons and armor.

After that, I'll make generated word a bit more interesting.  I have plan for chests with treasures and money to collect.

Rogue Dungeon

Can help. but made classic rogue like dungeon generator in underworld.
Underworld waiting for procedurally generated content.
But! Now I am at Character development for 100%!