I made a game: Rescue at Grizzly Gulch

[Andi]

I wrote this RPG in Qbasic over the past couple of months. I'm a hobbyist programmer so it's relatively simple game. It's entirely text-based and you play a Wild West sheriff sent into a haunted valley populated with demonic creatures to rescue the mayor's daughter. You can download it here: www.spacebabes.org/gulch.exe

You must have DOS or a DOS emulator (i.e. DosBox) to play. Any comments, especially noting bugs or typos would be great. If anyone is curious, I'll be happy to provide the source code as well.

Since this isn't a shmup, I'm pretty sure it shouldn't go in the "development" forum, right?

[captpain]

So is this a roguelike without graphics?

[worstplayer]

It's a goddamn minefield
Do I have to scan entire map square by square to find a key to the cage?

[Andi]

It's a goddamn minefield
Do I have to scan entire map square by square to find a key to the cage?

That's why the valley is cursed.

The map is 20 by 20, so usually in the process of grinding levels to fight the final boss, you'll stumble upon the key. As for surviving the traps, there is a certain technique to it. Leave food behind that you don't need and then explore in a path away from it, that way, when you get annihilated by traps, you can backtrack and snag that food that you know where it is. Also, finding either of the shrines that raise your maximum health is super-useful. There's still some luck involved, but I can win about 1 out of 5 games. Occasionally you'll get one of those games where the key is in the 300th area you explore (kill the creatures to mark the one's you've seen already), but still the game should only take 20 minutes.

So is this a roguelike without graphics?

I suppose so. Although it doesn't have nearly the complexity of Rogue, but yes, the world generated randomly each game.

[Ed Oscuro]

Lol, I deleted this game out of spite when a certain somebody showed up with 20 health (I had a weapon strength of 9 goddamnit). And now the website isn't active anymore.

Anyway, the game seems to run perfectly fine in Windows XP, either by double clicking it or dropping it into a command window.

Typo alert: "Gatling" gun has Gs at both ends. The punny enemy / item names and the description of each map square was golden.

[incognoscente]

I don't know if that's a request in disguise, but here is an upload if you want it.

[Ed Oscuro]

No need to disguise my thanks. I just wanted to see the ending to this great game, so thanks for taking pity on me!

[Andi]

Oh shit. Thanks for hosting the file for me.

And thanks for noting the typo Ed. It's good to know that you are still playing Grisly Gulch.

I may have slightly rebalanced the traps since the version you are playing. I'll see if I can track down the new version after I get home from work today.

[Ed Oscuro]

Should have mentioned it earlier, but the text for the curse trap didn't clear from the screen with the next action if I couldn't move out of the square that turn (in that specific case it was by going south). Cleared up by the next square (or so) though.

[Andi]

Should have mentioned it earlier, but the text for the curse trap didn't clear from the screen with the next action if I couldn't move out of the square that turn (in that specific case it was by going south). Cleared up by the next square (or so) though.

Oh shit. Thanks for that. I just fixed it. Actually the curse trap is supposed to disappear after you hit it one time, but it wasn't doing that (and it's annoying enough already).

Where is a good place to host files where I can upload the new version too? Megaupload.com makes me download a stupid file manager (and I'm on a Mac).

[Ed Oscuro]

Hmm, haven't needed to use Megaupload's manager, but you could use http://www.mediafire.com/

[Andi]

http://www.mediafire.com/?e0jjjjogcym

You should be able to download the newest version from the above link. This will fix the Gatling Gun typo, the Evil Curse Trap bug, and the traps should be (slightly) less deadly.

If you beat the game Ed, you can be the first person besides me to ever have done so.

[Ed Oscuro]

For a quick bugfix I'm already noticing some changes. On my second play I just found my first altar, for example. Not getting knocked down to 5 health by sawblade traps is nice too.

[Ed Oscuro]

And continuing on that second play...I managed to lose the crucifix to thirst but hey, life is good.





Yeah it's outrageous to fight two chupacabra-level enemies and not lose a single health point.

My basic strategy from the earlier version (only attack after getting a weapon and only start attacking blue enemies) probably wasn't even needed. I even wasted a couple meal points! Also didn't run into any curse traps which helped a bit.

[Andi]

And continuing on that second play...I managed to lose the crucifix to thirst but hey, life is good.





Yeah it's outrageous to fight two chupacabra-level enemies and not lose a single health point.

My basic strategy from the earlier version (only attack after getting a weapon and only start attacking blue enemies) probably wasn't even needed. I even wasted a couple meal points! Also didn't run into any curse traps which helped a bit.

Nice work! I'll give a credit in the "special thanks". What name should I use?

Since you've won, I'll share some spoilers. There are 2 altars. One raises your max health by 10. The other randomly lowers/raises by 5. There is one of each on the map.

There is only 1 evil curse trap on the whole map. And 1 of each 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 level weapons scattered through the map.

As you've seen, the gold nuggets allow you to get the special ending where you're rich enough to build a house (but serve no other purpose).

The only real difference in the old version and the new version (the one that you beat) is that traps were made less frequent and the worst trap caused 4 damage instead of 5. The altars have always been there.

[Ed Oscuro]

Ed Herdman is the name...the game has gotten too easy though, IMO (it was literally my second try on the new version that I beat it in). Although, some of the aggravation of being completely reliant on the whims of fate was rather more annoying. I was just going back and forth to the well and looking for any enemies I had missed (out of the maximum possible of 400 but some squares were empty already). Somehow I managed not to hit the curse trap this time, I don't think.