I'm a bit confused by this part of the rules "You can even start your game from an existing game if you are planning to turn it into something unique. "
And then this portion earlier "Do NOT submit your game (roguelike or not) if you developed it outside the time frame and are just trying to get some exposure. "
I have in the past started and gave up on a few projects that aren't roguelikes/lites, but could be turned into one. Would that be allowed?
As long as you develop what makes your game unique (and a roguelike) in the 7 days frame, that works.
In the past, I've taken existing games, removed all their core gameplay aspects, and then implemented the new game on top of the empty cask, just taking advantage of engine infrastructure. Eventually, that code that was reused over and over was turned into an engine.
This may seem unfair to devs starting from scratch but OTOH, taking something existing and turning it into something different enough may be a great challenge in itself (harder than starting from scratch). It all depends on what you want to reuse.
It's trickier when the game you used that codebase from is not public because it'll make it harder to judge how much of the original made it to the 7drl; in these cases, it's best to be super clear and, if possible, have that other part be accessible somehow if only for reference.
Got it. Makes sense. I just wouldn't want to upset other participants by taking, say a platformer that already has several levels made, and then add in roguelike elements like randomizing the levels, persistent character stats, procedural loot, etc. Since it's the honor system I guess hard to know either way.
