Newbie to Rogue-Like Games

[Zikke]

I first played Moria and then uMoria. Where does that fall in the pantheon? Was that after Rogue?

[Nemesis]

I started with Rogue too, and it's a nice game even though one shouldn't expect to ever win it. Rogue gets downright ugly at level 12 when trolls start appearing and when you reach level 17 it gets nigh impossible due to medusas/umber hulks (same monster, different versions of the game).

It is of course possible to win, but you have to be very, very lucky. But sure, there is some skill to it as well. I got tired of the game after I finally reached level 21 and got killed by a Jabberwock. It was a game where almost everything went right and when I died I tried to use a save file I had backed up just to see if I was any close to winning. It still took lots of save scumming before I managed to get out of there alive with the Amulet of Yendor.

Should you find a Scroll of Scare Monster and two Rings of Slow Digestion things would be different, however. If you stand on your Scroll of Scare Monster, no one except for dragons can attack you (and hopefully you find the scroll before they start appearing) and with those two rings you can stand there forever, hitting the ever generating monsters with impunity, earning more and more xp! That would certainly make the game very easy and since the combination is so rare you shouldn't feel guilty when you exploit it. I never found all three things (or even two rings of slow digestion) in the same game, however.

Iron man games in Angband work a lot like Rogue, I guess. But even when playing iron man, hunger won't contantly force you to be quick as long as you have a book with the Satisfly Hunger spell and the book doesn't burn up.

[dreamician]

Thanks.

Yes, I'm just trying to experience the game as it was originally meant--if that means dying a lot, I don't mind.

Thanks getter--see you over at Rogue Temple!

[getter77]

We've a topic or so over at www.roguetemple.com on Rogue and such early ones in the pantheon.

For Rogue though, best bet by my reckoning for a good time is the work of the mysterious Donnie Russell

http://www.freewebs.com/drussell/index.htm

TileRogue was my first encounter with Rogue period.

[emulord]

Unless of course, you do not mind not being able to win. Think of it as a "how far can you get" type challenge.
If you're playing the roguelikes in historical order, don't worry about not being able to win. Play them until you're bored with it, then move on.

For what its worth,
My first roguelikes were Alphaman (90s pop culture) and a early version of Zangband. Both were really fun. Alphaman allows saving, so you can die without going too far back.

[PowerDiver]

I suggest you start with one of the later versions. It seems that each game is easier than the previous. Some people have a hard enough time winning recent games even so. If you start with the original, you may never make it to any other game.

[dreamician]

Hello Angband Community,

I realize this your forums are primarily concerned with Angband and its variants, but I couldn't find any other forums pertaining to Rogue and Roguelike games.

If this is too off-topic for the community here, let me know, or if you know of other forums out there pertaining to the original Rogue, clue me in!

So, a few days ago, I was doing a search for free rpg games and came across a wiki about rogue and roguelike games. I did some more searching, and learned quite a bit about the history of the genre.

Years ago when I came across fallout, I found that it had a predecessor called Wasteland. So I played through that, then played fallout. My enjoyment of the game was doubly enhanced because I had played it's ancestor.

So I'm doing the same thing here. I'm going to start with the original, then work my way up through the games as they came out over the years. I found early versions of Rogue here:

http://rogue.rogueforge.net/

The earliest version I could find was 3.6.3, and I started playing it today. I have a fondness for the old DOS OS, and let me tell you, this brought back some memories! I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

So now some questions.

Does anyone else here have an interest in the original game, is anyone playing it, and if you are or if you have, would you share any tips/tricks/hints/advice you have for someone who is brand new to the genre?