t1k:designer:systems:roguelike

Field	Value
Module	`systems`
Version	`1.7.2`
Effort	`high`
Tools	—

Keywords: design, permadeath, roguelike, roguelite

How to invoke

/t1k:designer:systems:roguelike

Game Roguelike Design

When This Skill Triggers

Designing roguelike or roguelite run structure
Calibrating encounter pacing or run length
Scaling difficulty across floors/depth
Balancing permanent vs temporary (run-scoped) progression
Designing risk/recovery mechanics (rest sites, shops, events)
Tuning permadeath feel or permadeath alternatives (lives, curses)
Implementing procedural encounter sequencing

Run Structure Model

Encounter Arc Template (10-15 encounters per run)

Floor 1-2:   Easy (50-70% of endgame difficulty) — teach mechanics
Floor 3-5:   Medium (80-90%) — build tension
Floor 6:     Spike (110%) — first real challenge
Floor 7:     Rest (shop/event) — recovery opportunity
Floor 8-10:  Hard (100-120%) — sustained pressure
Floor 11:    Boss (140%) — climax

→ See references/run-pacing-templates.md for arc variants (short/mobile, long/PC, endless)

Run Length Targets

Platform	Target Duration	Encounter Count	Boss Count
Mobile	15-25 min	8-12	1
Casual PC	25-40 min	10-15	2
Core PC	45-90 min	15-25	3-5

Difficulty Scaling Formulas

Depth-Based Enemy Stats

enemy_hp    = base_hp   * (1 + depth * 0.15)
enemy_atk   = base_atk  * (1 + depth * 0.12)
enemy_count = base_count + floor(depth / 3)

Stepped scaling (every 3 floors) feels more natural than linear
Player power must grow faster than enemy scaling: target 1.1-1.2x advantage

Power Curve Alignment

player_effective_power = base_stats * item_multiplier * synergy_bonus
required_power(depth)  = base_required * 1.15^depth
target_ratio           = player_effective_power / required_power = 1.1 - 1.2

If ratio < 1.0: encounters feel unfair; above 1.5: game too easy

→ See references/difficulty-scaling-formulas.md for full tables, item power formulas, run modifiers

Meta-Progression Design

Run-Scoped vs Account-Scoped

Mechanic	Run-Scoped (resets)	Account-Scoped (permanent)
Items	All items found during run	Unlock item pool only
Stats	Temporary buffs	Starter stat bonuses (small, <15%)
Gold	Spent within run	Meta currency earned per run
Progress	Floor reached	Persistent story unlocks, characters

Rule: permanent bonuses cap at +15% base stats — preserves run challenge
Meta loop: run → fail → gain meta currency → unlock new start conditions

Risk/Recovery Balance

Recovery Opportunities

Place rest/shop after every spike encounter (floor 6 spike → floor 7 shop)
Rest site heals 30% max HP (enough to survive next floor, not full recovery)
Shop pricing: items cost 10-20% of expected gold-per-run at that depth
Event sites: 40% positive / 40% neutral / 20% negative — always show icon type

Permadeath Alternatives (mobile-friendly)

Soft permadeath: lose run but keep meta currency, unlock remembrance
Lives system: 3 lives per run, lose one on death instead of full reset
Curse mechanic: survive death once but gain permanent debuff for rest of run

→ See references/run-pacing-templates.md for risk/recovery placement by arc type

Anti-Patterns

#	Anti-Pattern	Problem	Fix
1	Linear difficulty slope	No tension peaks	Use spike-rest-spike pattern
2	Underpowered early items	Boring early game	Scale early item value up slightly
3	Luck-only outcomes	Player skill irrelevant	Always provide at least 1 good choice
4	Runs >60 min on mobile	Players won’t finish	Cap at 25 min; add suspend/resume
5	Permanent bonuses >30%	Trivializes new runs	Hard cap at 15% base stat bonus
6	No recovery after spike	Frustration snowball	Mandatory rest/shop post-spike

→ See references/roguelike-anti-patterns.md for full anti-pattern catalog

Cross-References

rpg-game-design — base stat formulas and item power budgets used in scaling
game-balance-tools — TTK validation and difficulty spike detection
game-economy-design — meta currency sinks/faucets (run rewards → meta shop)
game-shop-offering — shop placement within run arc, gold budgets per floor
puzzle-game-design — run-scoped puzzle inventory mechanics (BackpackCrawler)

Reference Files

File	Coverage
`references/run-pacing-templates.md`	Arc templates (mobile/PC/endless), rest placement
`references/difficulty-scaling-formulas.md`	Depth scaling tables, power curve math, modifiers
`references/roguelike-anti-patterns.md`	Full anti-pattern catalog with fixes

Gotchas

Risk vs recovery loops break if recovery becomes mandatory — heal-after-every-fight design erases risk; force genuine choice.
Meta-progression rewards must matter without trivializing runs — power creep through meta is the slowest poison in roguelikes.
Mobile run length cap is ~25 minutes — past that, drop-off compounds; design escape valves (pause-with-state, save-and-quit).
Hardcoded deterministic seed is a silent roguelite-killer — _rewardSeed = 42 (or any compile-time constant) makes every run identical, breaking the genre’s core promise. Reward seeds MUST derive from a runtime source: UnityEngine.Random.state, system timestamp, or player-input hash. Only use a fixed seed for automated testing (gated behind #if UNITY_EDITOR or a test flag). Source: DOTS-AI 260520 production audit §R3S.