What is ORCS!? Ok, so... ORCS!? What is it? What does it mean??The ORCS! acronym technically stands for Object-oriented Roguelike-game Compiling System (even if we actually liked that name and modeled the acronym definition over it...). The exclamation mark is part of its name, and has a long history... Some suggest that the 'R' should instead stand for 'Rolegame' making ORCS! even more 'open'. Choose the one you like most.
The goal of ORCS! is to create a complete environment for both writing and playing intriguing computer adventure games of the so-called roguelike genre (Rogue, Moria, Angband, NetHack, ADOM...), just, in a new, even more complex, intriguing and exciting way.
Unlike unsuccessful or trivial previous attemps to create all sorts of "blank" roguelike game in which to customize just the names and properties of the various creatures and objects, we have put our maximum efforts in studying a completely new system to allow the highest detail and plot complexity, and to preserve the unique peculiarities that made rogue-derived games the most exciting and played adventure games of the planet.
We slowly modified our initial plans (...YARG) until ORCS! became rather a complete programming environment more than a game. We discussed and setup a complete new object-oriented language, and a compiler for it. At the same time, we studied and started working on a complex game-running engine, based on a server-client scheme, consisting of a low-level kernel simulating the game stages, and textual or graphic frontends for it.
ORCS! initially started as a project which should have been developed by a team of experienced programmers. Unluckily, the lack of free time and the difficulty to coordinate the work of so many good contributors brought to a lot of good technical discussions, but nothing else.
So, now, the public project has been stopped, and the kernel of the ORCS! system is being developed by a single programmer. Once the kernel of the system and the first libraries will be ready (and working), the programming team will be formed back, with the purpose to carry the work on.
The main page of this site will contain updated information about the progress of the work.
The ORCS! Homepage is being hosted by the CIV Webserver, Department of Biology, University of Padua, Italy.