ARLQ, another rogue-like quest game

ARLQ (Another Rogue-Like Quest) is an experimental rogue-like game created through a collaboration between humans and ChatGPT, who worked together on both the code and the manual.

• The code was generated by ChatGPT based on a rough description of the game, and humans then adjusted and improved the details.
  • ChatGPT also handled tasks beyond code generation, such as creating the maze generation algorithm and explaining how to use the curses library.
  • Type hints and comments were generated by ChatGPT.
  • ChatGPT even helped come up with ideas for new monsters.
• The manual was drafted by humans and later edited and proofread with ChatGPT.

Installation Instructions

Run the following command to install:

pipx install git+https://github.com/tos-kamiya/arlq

Once installed, the arlq command becomes available.

• Without any options, the game will run in a Pygame window.
• To make the game easier, use the -T option (expands the visible area).
• To make the game more challenging, use the -F option (enlarges the field) or the -t option (reduces the visible area).
• With the --curses option, the game will run in the terminal using curses.

To use the --curses option, you need to install the curses package separately:

For Ubuntu 24.04:

sudo apt install python3-curses

For Windows:

pip install windows-curses

Game Description

• Objective
  The goal of the game is to explore a dungeon with uniquely generated corridors every time and locate the treasure chest(s) hidden by the dragon(s). In Stage 1, find the dragon's treasure chest; in Stage 2, find the fire drake's treasure chest.

• Player
  You control the character represented by @ using the arrow keys to move up, down, left, and right.

• Fog System
  The game uses a fog system where only the areas you have walked on are visible. Combined with auto-mapping, areas once visited remain visible on the map.

• Monsters and Companions
  The dungeon is populated with various monsters and companions. At first, monsters are displayed as ? and companions as !. Once you encounter one, its type (e.g., a, b, c, etc.) is revealed, and other creatures of the same kind will be represented by that character.

• Encounters

  • Monsters: Contacting a monster initiates combat. If the monster is at or below your level, you can defeat it, level up, and obtain any items it may be carrying. However, if you lose to a higher-level monster, you will respawn at a random location within the dungeon.
  • Companions: When you come into contact with a companion, it will join you and provide its unique benefit.

  Note: Neither monsters nor companions move on their own; they wait for you to approach.

• Rare Types
  Some monsters have rare variants with special features that differ from the normal ones.
  For example:

  • A (Rare Amoeba): Significantly boosts your level upon defeat.
  • B (Rare Bison): Provides even more food than a normal bison.

• LP System The player has LP (Life Points) that decrease with every move. If LP reaches zero, the game is lost due to starvation. Defeating monsters replenishes food, thereby restoring LP.

• Game End
  The game is cleared when you come into contact with the treasure chest (represented by T). Your objective is to obtain the treasure chest guarded by the dragon.

Monster List

Monster List

Stage 1

Display & Name	Description
a Amoeba	Weak enough to be defeated from the start. Useful for leveling up.
A Rare Amoeba	A rare amoeba that significantly boosts your level upon defeat.
b Bison	The second weakest. Defeating it provides plenty of food. Hunt it when you're hungry.
c Chimera	Moderately strong. It wields a sword, which can be obtained upon defeat. Holding the sword doubles your combat power in the next battle and lets you break walls.
d Komodo Dragon	Powerful but dangerous. Defeating it provides a large amount of food, but you'll be poisoned -- reducing your combat power to one-third in the next battle.
D Dragon	Very strong; defeating it unlocks a treasure chest.

Stage 2

In addition to the monsters from Stage 1 except for Dragon, the following appear:

Display & Name	Description
C Rare Chimera	Wields a cursed sword. Triples combat power, but loses life points upon equipping.
e Erebus	Battling it drains your vitality.
F Fire Drake	A monster that breathes fire when approached. Extremely powerful; defeating it unseals the Fire Drake's treasure chest.
g Golem	When defeated, rocks scatter. It yields no food.
h High Elf	Too powerful to be defeated.
X Caltrop Plant	Contacting it causes caltrops (x) to be scattered around you.

Companion List

Display & Name	Description
n Nomicon	Reveals the type of a monster when the player is adjacent to it.
o Ocular	Slightly extends the player's field of vision.
p Pegasus	Helps the player overcome walls when a collision is imminent.

License

This project is licensed under the BSD-2 license.