Editing Roguelike (section)

===Key features===
{{anchor|Berlin Interpretation}}
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Rogue Unix Screenshot CAR.PNG|thumb|right|The interface of the original ''[[Rogue (computer game)|Rogue]]'' as it looked on an ASCII [[computer terminal]]]] -->
[[File:Vultures-2.1.0 screenshot.jpg|thumb|[[Isometric graphics in video games and pixel art|Isometric]] "Vulture" sprite-based interface for the roguelike game ''[[NetHack]]'']]

What gameplay elements explicitly define a "roguelike" game remains a point of debate within the video game community.<ref name="arstech 2020">{{cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/03/ascii-art-permadeath-the-history-of-roguelike-games/ | title = ASCII art + permadeath: The history of roguelike games | first = Richard C. | last = Moss | date = March 19, 2020 | access-date = March 19, 2020 | work = [[Ars Technica]] | archive-date = March 19, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200319161905/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/03/ascii-art-permadeath-the-history-of-roguelike-games/ | url-status = live }}</ref> There is broad agreement that roguelike games incorporate gameplay elements popularized by the [[text-based game]] ''[[Rogue (computer game)|Rogue]]'' (1980), which bore out many variations due to its success;<ref name="newyorker"/><ref name="pcgamer 50"/> As of 2015, several hundred games claiming to be roguelikes were available through the [[Steam (service)|Steam]] game catalog,<ref name="craddock intro">Craddock 2015, Introduction: "Rodney and Friends".</ref> and the user-run [[wiki]] RogueBasin tracks hundreds of roguelikes and their development.<ref name="makeuseof spin"/>

Some players and developers sought a more narrow definition for "roguelike" as variations on ''Rogue'' introduced new concepts or eschewed other principles that they felt moved the games away from the flavor of what ''Rogue'' was.<ref name="arstech 2020"/> At the International Roguelike Development Conference 2008 held in Berlin, Germany, players and developers established a definition for roguelikes known as the "'''Berlin Interpretation'''".<ref name="bi text">{{cite web | url = http://www.roguebasin.com/index.php?title=Berlin_Interpretation | title = Berlin Interpretation (definition of a "Roguelike") | work = RogueBasin | access-date = November 17, 2015 | archive-date = November 6, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151106174603/http://www.roguebasin.com/index.php?title=Berlin_Interpretation | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="gamespy roguelikes">{{cite web | url = http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/ftl-faster-than-light/1227287p1.html | title = Rise Of The Roguelikes: A Genre Evolves | first = Tom | last = Hatfield | date = January 29, 2013 | access-date = April 24, 2013 | work = [[GameSpy]] | archive-date = October 13, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181013192444/http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/ftl-faster-than-light/1227287p1.html | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="gsw berlin">{{cite web | url = http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/12/column_play_the_berlin_interpr.php | title = COLUMN: @Play: The Berlin Interpretation | work = [[Game Set Watch]] | date = December 18, 2009 | first = John | last = Harris | access-date = November 17, 2015 | archive-date = September 20, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150920054535/http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/12/column_play_the_berlin_interpr.php | url-status = dead }}</ref> The Berlin Interpretation set out a set of high-value and low-value factors, basing these lists on five canon roguelike games: ''ADOM'', ''Angband'', ''Linley's Dungeon Crawl'', ''NetHack'', and ''Rogue''. The Interpretation was designed to determine "how roguelike a game is", noting that missing a factor does not eliminate a game from being a roguelike, nor does possessing the features make a game roguelike.<ref name="bi text"/><ref name="gsw berlin"/> John Harris of ''[[Game Set Watch]]'' exemplified this by using these criteria to numerically score some seemingly roguelike games; ''Linley's Dungeon Crawl'' and ''NetHack'' scored highest, earning 57.5 points of 60 available based on the Interpretation, while ''Toe Jam & Earl'' and ''Diablo'', games commonly compared to roguelikes, earned only about half of the points.<ref name="gsw berlin"/>

The Berlin Interpretation defined nine high-value factors:<ref name="gsw berlin"/>
* The game uses [[random dungeon]] generation to increase replayability.<ref name="1up essential">{{cite web | url = http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-rogue | title = Essential 50: Part 12. Rogue | work = [[1UP.com]] | access-date = March 29, 2010 | first = Jeremy | last = Parish | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130228092550/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-rogue | archive-date = February 28, 2013 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> Games may include pre-determined levels such as a town level common to the ''[[Moria (1983 video game)|Moria]]'' family where the player can buy and sell equipment, but these are considered to reduce the randomness set by the Berlin Interpretation.<ref name="gsw berlin"/> This "random generation" is nearly always based on some [[procedural generation]] approach rather than true randomness. Procedural generation uses a set of rules defined by the game developers to seed the generation of the dungeon generally to assure that each level of the dungeon can be completed by the player without special equipment, and also can generate more aesthetically pleasing levels.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/procedural-vs-randomly-generated-content-in-game-design | title = Procedural vs. Randomly Generated Content in Game Design | first = Josh | last = Bycer | date = August 7, 2015 | access-date = March 19, 2020 | work = [[Game Developer (website)|Game Developer]] | archive-date = March 20, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200320045659/https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshBycer/20150807/250760/Procedural_vs_Randomly_Generated_Content_in_Game_Design.php | url-status = live }}</ref> In addition, the appearances of [[Magic (gaming)|magical]] items may vary from run to run. For example, a "bubbly" potion might heal wounds one game, then poison the player character in the next.
* The game uses [[permadeath]]. Once a character dies, the player must begin a new game, known as a "run", which will regenerate the game's levels anew due to procedural generation. A "save game" feature will only provide suspension of gameplay and not a limitlessly recoverable state; the [[Saved game|stored session]] is deleted upon resumption or character death. Players can circumvent this by backing up stored game data ("save scumming"), an act that is usually considered [[Cheating (video games)|cheating]]; the developers of ''Rogue'' introduced the permadeath feature after introducing a save function, finding that players were repeatedly loading saved games to achieve the best results.<ref name="craddock chp2"/> According to ''Rogue''{{'}}s Michael Toy, they saw their approach to permadeath not as a means to make the game painful or difficult but to put weight on every decision the player made as to create a more immersive experience.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/-i-rogue-i-co-creator-permadeath-was-never-supposed-to-be-about-pain- | title = Rogue co-creator: permadeath was never supposed to be 'about pain' | first = Bryant | last = Francis | date = September 19, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016 | work=[[Game Developer (website)|Game Developer]] | archive-date = September 24, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160924024511/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/281688/Rogue_cocreator_permadeath_was_never_supposed_to_be_about_pain.php | url-status = live }}</ref>
* The game is [[Turn-based strategy|turn-based]], giving the player as much time as needed to make a decision. Gameplay is usually step-based, where player actions are performed serially and take a variable measure of in-game time to complete. Game processes (e.g., monster movement and interaction, progressive effects such as poisoning or starvation) advance based on the passage of time dictated by these actions.<ref name="gsw berlin"/>
* The game is [[Tile-based video game|grid-based]]. Gameplay takes place on a uniform grid of tiles. This is usually presented in an [[ASCII]] representation of the dungeon.
* The game is [[Mode (user interface)|non-modal]], in that every action should be available to the player regardless of where they are in the game. The Interpretation notes that shops like in ''Angband'' do break this non-modality.
* The game has a degree of complexity due to the number of different game systems in place that allow the player to complete certain goals in multiple ways, creating [[emergent gameplay]].<ref name="gsw berlin"/><ref name="gd heart"/> For example, to get through a locked door, the player may attempt to pick the lock, kick it down, burn down the door, or even tunnel around it, depending on their current situation and inventory. A common phrase associated with ''NetHack'' is "The Dev Team Thinks of Everything" in that the developers seem to have anticipated every possible combination of actions that a player may attempt to try in their gameplay strategy, such as using gloves to protect one's character while wielding the corpse of a [[cockatrice]] as a weapon to petrify enemies by its touch.<ref name="craddock chp6"/>
* The player must use resource management to survive.<ref name="gsw berlin"/> Items that help sustain the player, such as food and healing items, are in limited supply, and the player must figure out how to use these most advantageously to survive in the dungeon. ''[[USGamer]]'' further considers "stamina decay" as another feature related to resource management. The player's character constantly needs to find food to avoid starvation, which prevents the player from exploiting health regeneration by simply either passing turns for a long period of time or fighting very weak monsters at low level dungeons.<ref name="usgamer guide">{{cite web|url=http://www.usgamer.net/articles/the-gateway-guide-to-roguelikes|title=The Gateway Guide to Roguelikes|date=April 6, 2015|work=[[USGamer]]|author=Jeremy Parish|access-date=May 4, 2015|archive-date=May 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509104607/http://www.usgamer.net/articles/the-gateway-guide-to-roguelikes|url-status=live}}</ref> Rich Carlson, one of the creators of an early roguelike-like ''[[Strange Adventures in Infinite Space]]'', called this aspect a sort of "clock", imposing some type of deadline or limitation on how much the player can explore and creating tension in the game.<ref name="digitaleel interview">{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/audio/-play-85-a-talk-with-digital-eel-makers-of-the-infinite-space-games | title = @Play 85: A Talk with Digital Eel, Makers of the Infinite Space Games | first = John | last = Harris | work=[[Game Developer (website)|Game Developer]] | date = March 22, 2016 | access-date = March 22, 2016 | archive-date = March 23, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160323032114/http://gamasutra.com/blogs/JohnHarris/20160321/268520/Play_85_A_Talk_with_Digital_Eel_Makers_of_the_Infinite_Space_Games.php | url-status = live }}</ref>
* The game is focused on [[hack and slash]]-based gameplay, where the goal is to kill many monsters, and where other peaceful options do not exist.<ref name="gsw berlin"/>
* The game requires the player to explore the world, and discover the purpose of unidentified items. In games featuring random generation, this must be done again every playthrough, as both the map and the appearances of items change.<ref name="gsw berlin"/>

Low-value factors from the Berlin Interpretation are:<ref name="gsw berlin"/>
* The game is based on controlling only a single character throughout one playthrough.
* Monsters have behavior that is similar to the player-character, such as the ability to pick up items and use them, or cast spells.
* The game aimed to provide a tactical challenge that may require players to play through several times to learn the appropriate tactics for survival.<ref name="gsw berlin"/>
* The game involves exploring dungeons which are made up of rooms and interconnecting corridors. Some games may have open areas or natural features, such as rivers, though these are considered against the Berlin Interpretation.<ref name="gsw berlin"/>
* The game presents the status of the player and the game through numbers on the game's screen/interface.

Though this is not addressed by the Berlin Interpretation, roguelikes are generally single-player games. On [[multi-user]] systems, [[High score|leaderboards]] are often shared between players. Some roguelikes allow traces of former player characters to appear in later game sessions in the form of [[ghost]]s or [[Headstone|grave markings]]. Some games such as NetHack even have the player's former characters reappear as enemies within the dungeon. Multi-player turn-based derivatives such as ''TomeNET'', ''MAngband'', and ''[[Crossfire (computer game)|Crossfire]]'' do exist and are playable [[On-line and off-line|online]].<ref name="craddock bonus 7day">Craddock 2015, Bonus Round: "Excerpt from One Week Dungeons: Diaries of a Seven-Day Roguelike Challenge"</ref>