How to Make a Roguelike

Keep a blog

organize your thoughts
examine your work from a different angle
document the process
becomes a useful long-term reference
get feedback
build a community

Cogmind Returns
Core Concepts
Straight to the Source
Guided Weapons, Salvos & Overloading
Building a Better UI
Options
Multi-tile Robots
Machines
Melee Combat
Large Parts & Non-Parts
Drag & Drop
Introducing... the Intro
GUI Animation
Allies & Factions
Fog of War
Info, Animated
Context Help
Burnout, Momentum & EM Disruption
Hacking, the Concept
Hacking, the Interface
Terminals
Scanalyzers & Fabricators
Recycling Units and Repair Stations
Part Info Visualizatiom Modes
Animation vs. Pacing: A Dilemma of Modern Roguelikes

Ambient Sound
Ally Orders
F1 Help
Message Log
Map Dynamics
Making a Game
Data-driven Development

You, Cogmind
Items: Types & Distribution
Playing Your Own Game
Balance
ASCII Particle Effects
ASCII Art
Cogmind ASCII Art, the Making of
MORE ASCII Particle Effects
Making Particles

Accommodating Color Blindness
Sound in Roguelikes

Weapon SFX
The Audio Engine

Sound Design in Cogmind, a How-to
Options, Revisited

Kickstarter?
Procedural Map Generation
Mapgen: Tunneling Algorithm
Mapgen: Cellular Automata
Dungeon Metrics

Dungeon Prefabs
Furnishing a Dungeon

Non-Interactive Machines
Projectile Penetration
Cogmind Roadmap: Year 1 and Beyond
Consumables
Robots
Fonts in Roguelikes
Font Creation
Cogmind Fonts
From Prototype to Full Game
The Player is Always Right: An Existential Approach to Game AI
New Cogmind Website
Anatomy of an ASCII Title Screen
UI Feedback: Map Dynamics 2.0
Information Warfare
Inventory Management
Cogmind ASCII Art Gallery

The Importance of Roguelike Food Clocks
ASCII Wallpapers
Robot Hacking

Wanted: Pixel Artist

Tileset Concepts, an Open Poll
Web Support in Single-Player Roguelikes
ASCII vs. Tiles
Map Intel: Information Warfare Revisited

Tileset 1.0
Cogmind Release Schedule
Alpha Release State
Cogmind the Roguelike
A World of Robots
The Living Dungeon
Map Composition
Cogmind Alpha Access LAUNCHED!
The Making of Cogmind's Alpha Trailer
Releasing a Commercial ASCII Roguelike, a Post-Mortem
Readable Fonts for Roguelikes
Roguelike Development with REXPaint
Traps
Player Metrics (Alpha Challenge 2015)
Morgue Files
Garrison Access
Garrisons
Unauthorized Hacks
Year 2 of the Cogmind

REXPaint 1.0
An Alternative UI?
Designing Cogmind's World Map
Dialogue UI
Generating and Populating Caves
FOV Aesthetics

Fabrication
Cogmind, 1 Year of Alphas
Iterative UI Design
Inventory Management, Revisited
Tutorials and Help: Easing Players into the Game
The Alpha Release Cycle: Running a Successful EA Program

Ability/Effect Systems and Scripted Content
Roguelike Celebration 2016, the Experience
Weaving Narratives into Procedural Worlds, Part 1: Value
Weaving Narratives into Procedural Worlds, Part 2: Characteristics
Weaving Narratives into Procedural Worlds, Part 3: Methods
Improving the Hacking Experience
Year 3 of the Cogmind
Map Prefabs, in Depth
Pricing a Roguelike
Adjustable Difficulty
Dissecting a Cogmind Changelog
Music for Cogmind?
Working with Seeds
Versioning Schemes
Cogmind's Two-Year-Old New Logo
Cogmind Alpha Year 2 Sales Data (Pre-Steam)
Beyond the Design Doc: Unplanned Cogmind Features
Data and Thoughts from a Month on Steam
Year 4 of the Cogmind
Player Metrics: Stats and Preferences on and off Steam
Color Customization
POLYBOT-7, a 2018 7DRL
2018 7DRL Postmortem, Part 1: Preparation
2018 7DRL Postmortem, Part 2: First Days with UI, Aesthetics, and Mechanics
2018 7DRL Postmortem, Part 3: Spending Too Long on Map Generation and Content
2018 7DRL Postmortem, Part 4: Finishing Touches
Achievements
Achievements UI: Design and Implementation
Robot Hacking, Take 2
65 Robot Hacks