Learning VB.NET Through Text Game Development - The Concept
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Now let's take a look at what we'll be creating in this series of articles. We'll be creating a role playing game with a text interface, similar to Rogue or NetHack, but, of course, much simpler (sorry, but NetHack, for example, has had a few decades to develop into what it is today). Here's a screenshot of NetHack in action:
The dungeon and its inhabitants, items, etc. are represented by various characters so that the game can be played in a standard terminal. The player is represented by the @ symbol and is in a room. The walls of the room can easily be made out, and each of the periods represents a regular floor tile. The “d” in the room represents a dog, and the “%” represents a corpse. Messages are displayed on a single line at the top of the screen, and information about the player can be found at the bottom.
The player is shown in a single room, but there are multiple rooms linked by corridors. The player progresses by going down staircases (“<” and “>” represent staircases). When the player moves, he uses a turn, and then the various creatures in the dungeon take their turns.
Fancy? No, but it does have its own special charm, and something similar to this is within reach. Besides, this is a language learning exercise. We'll be shooting for something similar to this, but with our own variations, and, as noted earlier, with significantly less features. In order to get a better idea of what we're creating here, you should go play a little bit of NetHack (which runs on multiple platforms) or something similar.
So, we need to create a player with a few attributes, such as strength and agility, that can be used for combat. The player also needs to have an inventory. Next, we need to create a dungeon for the player. Then, we need to populate the dungeon with monsters for the player to fight with and items for the player to pick up. All of this needs to be wrapped in an attractive and functional interface.
Next: Getting Started >>
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