

Episode 72: IRDC 2013
20 snips Jun 17, 2013
Tom Ford, a developer known for his work in procedural puzzles, shares insights on generating solvable locked-door quests. Johanna Ploog, a game designer, discusses her experimental project 'Murder All' and the pitfalls of procedural mystery generation. Patric Mueller contributes to the conversation on defining roguelike genres and crowdfunding's impacts on indie games. Together, they delve into emergent gameplay, the balance of winnability in roguelikes, and the ongoing innovation within the community.
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Episode notes
Genre Labels Evolve, They Describe Not Prescribe
- The term "roguelike" is broadening in public use and often just signals procedural or randomized content.
- Jeff Lait and Patric Mueller note that genre labels are descriptive tools, not strict rulebooks for developers.
Use Feature Lists As Diagnostic Tools
- Use lists of features as conversation starters rather than checklists that create false certainties.
- Treat "Berlin interpretation" style lists as diagnostic tools to explain why a game feels roguelike, not as pass/fail rules.
Procedural Generation Drives Roguelike Traits
- Many arguments about "roguelike" semantics are really arguments about procedural content.
- Ido Yehieli emphasizes procedural generation as the core driver behind features like permadeath.