Rogue
| Rogue | |
|---|---|
 Level 3 of the Dungeons of Doom | |
| Genre | Roguelike |
| Latest release | 5.4.4 (Announcement) |
| Release date | September 5th, 2007 |
| Platforms | Unix, BSD, GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS |
| Developers | Michael Toy, Ken Arnold, Glenn Wichman |
| Code license | Modified BSD License[1] |
| Media license | N/A[2] |
| P. language | C |
| Homepage | http://rogue.rogueforge.net/rogue-5-4/ |
| Contribute | |
| Rogue is a free game. This means that the source code and media files are available to be studied, modified, and distributed. Most projects look for help with testing, documentation, graphics, etc., as well. | |
Note: This article is mostly about the game as it can retrieved from the restoration project at Rogueforge.net, which provides critical bugfixes and ports. Other distributions of the game may exist as well.
Rogue (full title: Rogue: Exploring the Dungeons of Doom) is a fantasy role-playing game played in the terminal where the player must venture deep down the Dungeons of Doom, in order to retrieve the Amulet of Yendor and grab lots of gold and then escape alive. Many monsters, traps and challenges seeking to kill the player will stand in their way. Rogue is the namesake of the roguelike genre. It was originally published in the 1980s.
The latest known free software release of this game is version 5.4.4, released under the Modified BSD License in 2007.[1]
Gameplay[edit]
Rogue is a very old game, so it does not have graphics. Instead, the dungeon is rendered entirely in a terminal. The terminal renders the dungeon with ASCII characters, with each character representing one tile on a square grid.
The game is played on the keyboard, using numerous keyboard commands. The key ? in-game gives an overview.
The player starts in level 1 of the dungeon, with an enchanted mace, a short bow and arrows. They and must venture deeper and deeper to find the Amulet of Yendor and then escape with it. This is very difficult to achieve, it is much more likely the player will die in their first attempts. The game also features a highscore table of the best adventurers.
Rogue is a 2D game; the dungeon is made out of square-shaped tiles. Everything, including items and creatures, occupies one tile. Another key aspect is that the gameplay is entirely turn-based. Every action, like walking, fighting, throwing, etc. takes a turn. The player can take as much time as they like to think.
The dungeons are randomized at every play, the player doesn’t know how the dungeon will look at first. This is known as procedural generation. When the player dies, it’s game over and the player is encouraged to start all over with a new dungeon and character. In the roguelike community, this is also known as permadeath.
On the way downwards, the player will face hostile creatures which will become stronger and stronger. Many different items and gold (which is used for the highscore) will be scattered around the dungeon. Potions and magic scrolls grant effects, both good or bad. Melee weapons and ranged weapons are useful in combat. The player can throw items from a distance. Armor protects from damage. Magic rings grant good or bad effects as long they are worn. And so on.
Many items will be unknown to the player at first and only show their effect after being equipped or identified by magic means.
Some dungeon tiles will be traps that harm the player. Sometimes, pathways or traps are hidden, so the player can spend time searching neighbor tile to reveal them.
Killing enemies grants experience and eventual higher experience levels that grant higher strength and Hp.
A typical game situation[edit]
You swing and miss the bat--More--
------------------------
------------ #+......................|
|..........| #|......................|
+..........+######-------------+----------
------------ #
#
#
#
##
------+---------
+..............|
|..............|
|..............|
-------+--------
#####
------+-----
|..........|
|........?.|
|..........|
|..@.......|
|=B.....=..|
------------
Level: 1 Gold: 78 Hp: 7(12) Str: 16(16) Arm: 4 Exp: 1/9
This screen shows a typical game situation in Rogue.
The screen has three parts. At the top, there is an event message. At the bottom, there is the player status. In the middle, there is a map of the dungeon. The player always sees one level of the dungeon at once.
The dungeon is represented from a top-down view by various ASCII characters. In this image, you see:
.: Floor-: Horizontal wall|: Vertical wall#: Passage+: Door=: Ring?: ScrollB: Bat (a hostile animal)@: The player(space): Dark or unexplored area
Top row: "You swing and miss the bat--More--"
The top row displays a message of the latest event. The "--More--" means the player must confirm this message to proceed.
Bottom row: "Level: 1: Gold: 78 […]"
The bottom row shows the player status. From left to right, it displays the dungeon level (higher = deeper), collected gold, current and max hit points (Hp), current and max. strength (Str), armor level (Arm), experience level and experience points (Exp).
Rogue Restoration Project[edit]
Source code archives of the game can be found at rogueforge.net. This website aims to preserve Rogue and also work on restoration so the game still works on newer systems. The last version of the original authors was 5.4, published in 1985, the restoration project continued work on that to provide critical bugfixes and ports.
Rogue’s legacy[edit]
Rogue is historically significant as it kicked off an entirely new genre called roguelike. Many roguelike games naturally share many similarities with Rogue.
External links[edit]
- Wikipedia on “Rogue”
- RogueBasin on “Rogue”
- A Guide to the Dungeons of Doom (the original game manual)
Articles of interest[edit]
- A Brief History of Rogue
- The History of Rogue: Have @ You, You Deadly Zs
- COS 226 Programming Assignment