=== PROJECT ASCEND — Phase 1 (test build) ===
Thanks for testing! This is a small C++ console roguelike prototype. There are no graphics:
there are characters with a name, a past and a personality — and a tower that keeps them.
When a unit dies, it is gone for good.
HOW TO RUN (Windows)
- Unzip the whole folder somewhere (keep the files together).
- Double-click "ascend.exe" — or, better, open a terminal in this folder and run: ascend.exe
- Play with the number keys (type a number, press Enter).
Keep "ascend.exe", the "resources" folder and the "sessions" folder side by side — the game
reads its data from "resources/" and writes its logs to "sessions/", both next to the exe.
Note: it is an unsigned hobby build, so Windows SmartScreen may warn about an "unknown
publisher". That is expected — click "More info" -> "Run anyway". No install, nothing is
written outside this folder.
WHAT'S NEW IN PHASE 1 (please focus your feedback here)
- RESIDUAL INCIDENTS: even a floor cleared "with ease" can now wound — or, rarely, kill —
someone. No floor is ever 100% safe. Deaths like this are framed as freak accidents. - PERMANENT INJURIES: some wounds never heal. They show in RED on the roster ({like this})
and permanently lower a unit's stats. A unit can accumulate them over a long life. - TRAINING CAMP (main menu option 3): assign a veteran as a trainer and put recruits in as
trainees; they level up passively between incursions instead of climbing. Buy extra trainer
slots with essence. Idea: keep replacements ready so a death doesn't cripple your team.
WHAT WE'D LOVE TO KNOW
- Every run auto-saves a log to sessions/session_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.log — please send it back.
- When a unit died, what did you feel? Did it sting because of WHO they were (their name,
story, injuries), or just because you lost stats? That distinction is the whole point. - Was the training camp useful/understandable? Did the injuries feel meaningful or annoying?
- Anything confusing, unfair, or that looked like a bug.
Push higher, floor by floor, and decide when courage becomes greed.
Full Changelog: Prototype...Phase1