Question /r/GameDev, what makes a rouge game fun?

The idea of permadeath adds weight and consequence. It's important that it has to feel like you aren't just getting shafted repeatedly.

The, usually, procedural generation, if done right, can keep you on your toes - you can't just default to the same template of actions every time. You have to think about what you're doing, or just 'git gud'. Whether this is terrain/level, items, enemies, or any other piece of the game. It ties into the above point about not being futile, despite the risk of permadeath. It is always a possibility that you'll find a futile run. That's sort of a contract you make with a rogue like - every now and then the procedural generation will give you something that is more or less impossible. It speaks to the skill with which the procedural content is made, as to how often you are caught in a situation that is futile. As a side note, I often wonder if a skill based shooter, like Unreal Tournament or Quake, would actually benefit from procedural generated levels. I think there's a very strong argument that the really good players think on their toes and adapted to new situations, whereas the good players just learn every nook and cranny of a premade level, and exploit their knowledge.

As a further note on keeping things interesting - theoretically, depending on how broad we're going here, you're only limited to what you can get the maths/code to describe. if you were to build some procedural terrain and just leave it at 'undulating hills' your players will get bored. Because everything turns out, for all intents and purposes, the same. If you're doing 2D, hallways and boxes are a start... but look at something like Ultima Ratio Regum's architectural generation. It's incredible.

You also have the option to do really interesting things with your mechanics. 3D stuff is often limited by all sort of factors, art being no small part of that. Think about the best damage system you can find in your average 3D game, and then compare that to Dwarf Fortress's model. I'm going for the high end of the genre here purely because these are the best illustrations of my point. Though they undoubtedly took a lot of work. But Dwarf Fortress also didn't need 30,000 art assets - just a lot of text.

/r/gamedev Thread