Each entry in the Rogue Fable series has really been just an expansion and refinement of the same game and Rogue Fable IV will be no different. I'm not looking to make something radically different or go off in some new direction. Rather Rogue Fable IV will simply continue to build upon the same basic design principles that have guides the series from the beginning. These principles are as follows:
Challenge and Mastery is what this game is all about. At its heart, Rogue Fable is a game about using skill, knowledge, situational awareness and creativity to overcome difficult and unpredictable challenges. This is a game about developing and expressing mastery of a whole bunch of complex systems. Its a game about 'getting good'. I like to think of this as a competitive, almost E-Sports type game that just so happens to be single player. I believe that the 'fun' of the game comes from winning against the odds through cleverness and skill and watching your success improve as you gradually improve as a player.
Tactical Combat as the core gameplay loop in which player ability, not luck or raw stats is the primary factor determining success. While character building and strategically navigating the dungeon are also important these are really just extensions of the core focus on combat. I have no intention of adding a whole bunch of superfluous systems and trying to build an 'everything simulator'.
Elemental Design in which each individual ability, item, monster and environmental feature etc. is actually very simple with complexity arising organically through the various combinations and interactions. I sometimes refer to this as avoiding 'stat squinting' in which the player is encouraged or required to really focus on exact numbers and understand arcane statistical formulas. Most 'things' should do 'something' that can easily be expressed in a simple English sentence and the exact numbers and formulas that are behind this should be easy to understand and not really that important.
Enormous Variety both within a single run and between subsequent runs. Descending through the dungeon the player should constantly be seeing new things, facing new challenges and adapting their play accordingly. Player characters should grow and develop over the course of a run in somewhat unpredictable ways as the player adapts to the resources and challenges at hand leading to constantly changing gameplay. In subsequent runs the dungeon should be wildly different and even when playing the same class/race the player character should develop along a different path. The purpose of all this variety is not just to provide novelty but rather is a big factor in the games emphasis on skill and mastery as good players must learn to deal with all the unpredictable things the game may throw at them.
Intuitive Controls that are immediately understandable by beginners and a focus on no hidden information. Everything the player needs to improve at the game should be present within the game itself. The games complexity and challenge should arise from the gameplay and not the opaqueness of its interface and obscurity of its systems and stats. The player should not have to read a tutorial just to get started or keep a wiki open in a tab just to understand what's going on.
No Busy Work or grinding or optimal but tedious gameplay. The most exciting and interesting way to play the game should also be the most rewarding. Anything repetitive or mindless should be automated, removed entirely or simply discouraged through the games mechanics.
Clean Aesthetics that are appealing but never distract from the underlying mechanics and structure of the game. Readability is really the most important thing so that the player can always tell at a glance exactly what's going on. Animations must be kept short to keep the game feeling snappy and everything should be sort of iconographic. There should never be anything that looks good but detracts from the actual gameplay experience.