Roguelike Radio Episode 109: Cogmind
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Oct 11, 2015 Josh Ge (Kyzrati), indie designer behind Cogmind and creator of RexPaint, discusses creating a robot-building sci‑fi roguelike. He recounts its 7-Day Roguelike origins, going commercial after becoming a parent, design choices for ASCII and tiles, open development with community input, UI and accessibility tradeoffs, pricing and release plans, and ambitions for sequels and hidden content.
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Launched Against Witcher 3
- Josh released the alpha on May 19th, the same day as Witcher 3, yet still found success.
- Unexpected coverage (PC Gamer) reached non-roguelike audiences with mixed but largely positive reactions.
Price For Sustainability
- Price niche indie games to match sustainability, not to chase volume.
- Use sales later rather than permanently underpricing to preserve long-term viability.
Optional, Player-Driven Narrative
- Story is optional and discoverable; players can ignore it for pure mechanics-based play.
- Optional narrative paths open alternative routes and multiple endings without forced cutscenes.