Roguelike Radio Episode 111: Invisible Inc
Dec 17, 2015
Jason Dreger, lead designer who prototyped Invisible Inc., and James Lantz, designer focused on procedural stealth systems, talk design evolution and inspirations. They trace the pivot to turn-based stealth, talk procedural level generation and guard placement. They cover vision, camera hacking, UI clarity, the alarm clock tension mechanic, and the limited rewind safety net.
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Multi-Pass Level Generation Pipeline
- The generator builds a skeleton maze, fits handcrafted room templates, then places guards in a multi-pass pipeline.
- Designers mix authored room chunks with algorithmic layout to balance variety and control.
Design For Procedural Imperfection
- Build mechanics that tolerate imperfect procedural outputs by giving players tools to handle bad spawns.
- Provide distractions, hacks, and nonlethal options so procedural fairness doesn't demand perfect levels.
Information As The Core Stealth Tool
- Clear, explicit information is central: player 360° vision and visible enemy cones enable pre-planned strategy.
- Hacked cameras and revealed guard intent shift play from reactive to higher-level planning.
