Roguelike Radio

Richard Bartle, co-creator of the first MUD and virtual world pioneer. Pier Donini, longtime MUME builder who models deep Tolkien-style worlds. Cat Rambo, developer of the roleplay-required Armageddon and community leader. They trade stories about building and sustaining text worlds. They dive into roleplay enforcement, immersive mechanics, player-driven narratives, and why text sparks imagination.

A Halloween chat about vampire camp, Lovecraftian stealth and creeping insanity. They explore resource-scarce alien dread, jump-scare risk in procedural runs, and Weeping Angels-style blink mechanics. Topics include evolving nemesis threats, roaming FOE tension, environmental subversion, body-mutation horror, pets as emotional stakes, and the dread of inevitable failure after a long run.

Episode 139 of Roguelike Radio, where we discuss Unexplored with Rob Parker and Eben Howard interviewing the game's creator, Joris Dormans. Read more »

Episode 138 of Roguelike Radio, where we interview Jeremiah Reid, creator of the vampiric Golden Krone Hotel. Read more »

Tarn Adams, co-creator of Dwarf Fortress, Tanya X Short, co-founder of Kitfox Games, and Mark Johnson, a games academic and developer, dive into their new book on procedural generation in game design. They discuss the origins of the book, the careful selection of contributors, and the balance between academic and practical insights. Topics include the use of AI in games, unique chapters like ethical PCG, and the challenges faced by high-budget titles. Their practical tips on when to employ procedural generation are sure to enlighten game designers.

This is episode 136 of Roguelike Radio, where we interview Eniko, creator of possession-based roguelike MidBoss. Read more »

This is episode 135 of Roguelike Radio, talking about the results of the 2017 Seven Day Roguelike Challenge. Talking this episode are Darren Grey, Ian Bowes (of ASCII Curious and the LaserBeards podcast) and Chris Haner (aka Rogueliker). Read more »

A lively debate on where randomness belongs in game design, from procedural maps to single decisive rolls. They contrast visible chance like cards with hidden machine rolls and discuss making luck a strategic element. Conversations cover reward randomness, AI unpredictability, signaling threats, and ways players can mitigate bad luck.

Join Jeff Lait, a seasoned 7-Day Roguelike developer, as he shares his wealth of experience in designing traditional roguelikes. He delves into the significance of 'roguelikeness' scores and debates whether developers should conform to community expectations or innovate freely. The conversation highlights the trade-offs between art and mechanics, the importance of player learning through challenge, and clever design tips like using traditional tropes with a twist. Jeff also emphasizes the role of permadeath and immersive gameplay to engage players effectively.

A lively look back at 2016 in the roguelike world. Personal highlights and setbacks from two long-time voices. Community growth, celebrations, and conference rethinking. Crowdfunding drama, open source moves, and major releases. Trends in tools, engines, and rapid prototyping. Plans and hopes for what comes next in 2017.