Complete Roguelike Tutorial, using python+libtcod

Short introduction

Welcome!

Welcome to this tutorial! As you probably guessed, the goal is to have a one-stop-shop for all the info you need on how to build a good Roguelike from scratch. We hope you find it useful! But first, some quick Q&A.

This tutorial is in the process of being converted for libtcod 1.6.0. Note that it works fine, with one highlighted problem in the part 1. This involves needing to get the latest libtcodpy directory from the bitbucket repository, rather than using the one in the 1.6.0 release. If you would prefer to do the tutorial for an older version of libtcod, you can get there through one of the links below, or follow at the top of each lesson you can find the link for the older version of the given page. For libtcod version 1.5.1, here is the older version of this tutorial. For libtcod version 1.5.0, here is the older version of this tutorial.

Why Python?

Most people familiar with this language will tell you it's fun! Python aims to be simple but powerful, and very accessible to beginners. This tutorial would probably be much harder without it. We recommend that you install Python 2.7 and go through at least the first parts of the Python Tutorial. (Note for Windows 7 64-bits users: install the 32-bits version, since the 64-bits version of Python seems to cause problems with libtcod.) TODO: Win32 and x64 builds are provided for libtcod, check this is still correct. This tutorial will be much easier if you've experimented with the language first. Remember that the Python Library Reference is your friend -- the standard library has everything you might need and when programming you should be ready to search it for help on any unknown function you might encounter.

The people who contribute Python support prefer Python 2. As there is no-one who has been interested enough to contribute Python 3 support, which would be welcome, Python 2 is the only option at this time. There's also a section on other languages.

Why libtcod?

If you haven't seen it in action yet, check out the features and some projects where it was used successfully. It's extremely easy to use and has tons of useful functions specific to RLs.

If you're using Windows, download either the Win32 or x64 build from bitbucket. Various samples are prebuilt and included, and can be used to both experiment with the various features and see what is possible.

For other platforms, you're going to have to compile them yourself. Maybe someone who owns a MacOS machine might compile builds for the libtcod project?

Other languages

There are no known versions of this tutorial for other programming languages than Python, for libtcod 1.6.0. However, you can hop back to the tutorial for 1.5.1 and find some option there to work from.

Start the tutorial

Follow the first link to get started!

• Part 1: Graphics

  Start your game right away by setting up the screen, printing the stereotypical @ character and moving it around with the arrow keys.

• Part 2: The object and the map

  This introduces two new concepts: the generic object system that will be the basis for the whole game, and a general map object that you'll use to hold your dungeon.

• Part 3: The dungeon

  Learn how to code up a neat little dungeon generator.

• Part 4: Field-of-view and exploration

  Display the player's field-of-view (FOV) and explore the dungeon gradually (also known as fog-of-war).

• Part 5: Preparing for combat

  Place some orcs and trolls around the dungeon (they won't stay there for long!). Also, deal with blocking objects and game states, which are important before coding the next part.

• Part 6: Going Berserk!

  Stalking monsters, fights, splatter -- need we say more?

• Part 7: The GUI

  A juicy Graphical User Interface with status bars and a colored message log for maximum eye-candy. Also, the infamous "look" command, with a twist: you can use the mouse.

• Part 8: Items and Inventory

  The player gets to collect ("borrow") items from the dungeon and use them, with a neat inventory screen. More items added in the next part.

• Part 9: Spells and ranged combat

  The player's strategic choices increase exponentially as we add a few magic scrolls to the mix. Covers damage and mind spells, as well as ranged combat.

• Part 10: Main menu and saving

  A main menu complete with a background image and the ability to save and load the game.

• Part 11: Dungeon levels and character progression

  Let the player venture deeper into the dungeon and grow stronger, including experience gain, levels and raising stats!

• Part 12: Monster and item progression

  Deeper dungeon levels become increasingly more difficult! Here we create tools for dealing with chances and making them vary with level.

• Part 13: Adventure gear

  Swords, shields and other equipment can now help the player by granting hefty bonuses. The bonus system can also be used for all kinds of magics and buffs!

Extras

Some stuff that is entirely optional and didn't make it in; check this out if you finished the tutorial and are looking for some modifications and improvements to your game -- some are easy, others are more advanced.

• A neat Python shortcut for Notepad++

  For Notepad++ users, how to set up a shortcut to help you debugging.

• Old-school wall and floor tiles

  Using characters in tiles, without getting weird graphical glitches. This is actually very simple.

• Real-time combat

  A speed system to change the tutorial's turn-based combat to real-time!

• Mouse-driven menus

  Add basic mouse support to your menus!

• Scrolling maps

  Placeholder page for the scrolling map code. Tutorial text will be written soon.

• Creating a Binary

  Package and deliver your game the nice way!

• A* Pathfinding

  A good pathfinding system

• Using Graphical Tiles

  An alternative to solid colors or ASCII graphics

• BSP Dungeon Generator

  Binary Space Partitioning Dungeon Generator

Credits

Code and tutorial written by João F. Henriques (a.k.a. Jotaf). Thanks go out to George Oliver for helping with the layout, sections rearrangement, and syntax highlighting; Teddy Leach for his text reviews; and all the folks in the libtcod forums for their valuable feedback!

The most active place to discuss this tutorial, or libtcod in general, is the roguelikedev subreddit. Post if you're stuck, to show your own project, or just to say hi. It's always cool to get some feedback on the tutorial, and hear about other roguelikes in development. Also, past discussions can either be found in the old libtcod/Python forum or the old forum on this tutorial.