Re: BrogueSpeak, an accessible roguelike
Hi,
I'm the guy who is making Brogue-SPEAK, but I'm not the author of the original Brogue game, it was made by the guy called Brian Walker. I only expanded it to support music and sound effects, and thus I'm very familiar with the code and how the game works, so I can modify it in any way desired.
The goal of the game is to get down to the 26th depth, grab the Amulet of Yendor and go back up to exit the dungeon where you entered it at the beginning. The game is not easy. Usually even after months of playing people struggle to get beyond depth 15, but that doesn't stop them from keep playing, keep trying and learning new strategies and new tactics. It's not about beating the game, it's about playing, learning and discovering.
Here are basic instructions how to play:
Start the game by pressing n to activate "New Game" button.
Press ENTER to invoke "cursor mode" and examine the map with curso r/numpad keys without moving the character. Pressing ENTER again will make the character automatically move towards the cursor. Use SPACE to cancel cursor mode.
Press TAB to invoke "target select mode" and cycle through monsters and items currently in the character's field of view. Beside reading the usual flavor text description this will also announce relative position. The cursor will be set at the location of currently selected item/monster, and so by pressing ENTER the character will automatically move towards it. Use SPACE to cancel target select mode.
Open inventory by pressing i, cycle through items with UP/DOWN arrow keys. For now it will only speak short item description, but basically further interaction boils down to pressing t to throw, a to apply wand/charm/scroll or food, r to remove weapon/armor or ring, and e to equip weapon/armor or ring.
Monsters that come into character's field of view are announced automatically. If you repe atedly hear that there is a monster present it could be a different monster, but it could also be the same monster which went out and then came back into the field of view. So I suppose TAB function is to be used frequently in order to find out how many monsters are actually around, what are they doing, and where exactly each of them is.
Press s to search surround tiles in order to discover hidden traps or secret doors.
Press z to rest and replenish health. The health gets replenished even when you walk so you don't really want to rest too much, only when the character's health is really low.
Press x to engage auto-explore. Usually first few floors can be cleared just by pressing x and nothing else. Press SPACE to return the cursor back to the character's position.
If a staircase has been revealed on the map, press > "greater than" key for stairs leading down, or < "less than" key for stairs leading up to place the cu rsor on the stairs, then pressing ENTER will automatically make the character move towards it.
Some monsters naturally move faster than your characters. For example jackals move two tiles every time you move one. So if you see a jackal two tiles away, that is one tile in between, move away one tile so in the next turn the jackal will be right next to you and will get to make the first strike.
If you are facing multiple monsters, try to retreat in a doorway or narrow hallway, so you take them on one by one, instead of getting hurt by multiple monsters in a single turn.
I'll be back with the game update and more tips. In the meantime post any suggestions you might have on how to improve accessibility or make the game more enjoyable for you to play in general.
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