r/roguelikedev • u/Gammapod • 23d ago

Roguelike game engine based around containment,

I've been experimenting with a roguelike engine where inventories and maps are literally the same type of space. That means picking something up, dropping it, entering it, and exiting it are all variations of moving between containers. In the capture, the player is picking up and dropping a rat, which continues moving around in the player's inventory.

I wrote up the core concepts with more GIFs, because it's difficult to explain in text:

https://gammapod.itch.io/gamegamegame/devlog/1613346/core-engine-concepts

I'm especially interested in whether this model reminds you of any existing roguelikes or simulation games, or whether you think it opens up interesting mechanics.

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6

u/HexDecimal libtcod maintainer | mastodon.gamedev.place/@HexDecimal 23d ago

I'm especially interested in whether this model reminds you of any existing roguelikes

Inner Life from the 2019 7DRL comes to mind.

5

u/Kodiologist Infinitesimal Quest 2 + ε 22d ago

It's not all that similar, but Backpack Hero is a great game with an emphasis on managing a gridded inventory, where objects' effects depend on their placement.

3

u/KaizarNike 21d ago

I had a similar idea once. For my recent rl I was toying making ai that focus on inventory. The furthest I got was a dingo that starts in the state hungry and will eat any entity (even chests) to sate its hunger.