Hey everybody, thanks for the awesome amount of support for Low. Lots of questions about game play and graphics, so far.
Firstly,
yes, there is a major graphics overhaul in the process, along with many
many more creatures and characters. Most of the work has focused on
Procedural map generation, up to this point. Watch this space for
updates, screens and demos.
I had a great chat in the comments ( Steam Greenlight )
with a chap named Fenrir007- he asked a lot of questions that I think
you all have; here it is:
Fenrir007: Problem with 3D roguelikes is that in a 3D game the player expects a lot out of the visual exploration part of the experience - something that is left up to the individual imagination on a standard 2D roguelike. How will you make the exploration interesting without hand crafted levels? How did you address that on your take on procedural generation?
Phil (Dirigo): Hey Fenrir007, that was a great question, thanks. I agree that nothing can beat your own imagination when you play a Roguelike- Very simular to a novel always being a better experience than a movie. Low isn't a Roguelike, though- it just borrows the grid-based world generation, leveling, weapon and monster progression (etc.). It's a very different experence. Illumination and sneaking are very central, as is mapping. It can also provide a few jumps and scares in the dark, at times. Watch this space for lots of polish and improvements on the way.
Fenrir007: So its kinda like Ultima Underworlds, Stonekeep and such, except with a different type of world generation?
Phil (Dirigo): Realtime action- with sneaking and illumination more so like Amnesia than Ultima. The map is made on a grid, and an algorithm (much like the one in Angband) creates each level of the Labyrinth entirely uniquely each game.
Fenrir007: So the way I understand it, it is hand crafted places that are somehow arranged randomly by your algorithim, something like that? Programmer talk got a bit hard to follow.
Anyway, last question - are the graphics final or will you do some touch ups?
Phil (Dirigo): Every 4x4 foot block of the map is pre-created.... A square of floor, a door, a pit, an alter... etc. etc... Then, before each game, the program arranges them onto a grid, following certain rules that make the structures resemble rooms, caves and buildings. You will never see the same room shape and size twice. Pretty neat when you see it! The graphics and polish are what I am currently furiously focusing on. There will be major updates on the way. Thanks for the questions, buddy!
Thank you all for your support, Heroes of Athens!
