I'm not a fan of grinding levels so i've been working on some maps and quests. I've had some fun making mazes and they fit into my quest line. The maze is difficult but not overly frustrating. This is all above ground.
I'm wanting feedback though on whether making a large underground maze, with lots of different levels, would be appealing to players. I want something where people feel lost, hopeless and trapped without feeling frustrated. I need an idea though on how to stop from feeling that frustration.
I know peoples tastes are always different just want some opinions on if i spend the time doing it. The current map and quests i'm working on take a lot longer than i thought and i don't even know if Oskar will like them but it's my first try and i've enjoyed doing it.
If people spend an hour figuring out how to get to the end is that too long?
Is it best to make a quick way back too? (teleporter, escape hatch). Or is that not realistic?
I know i can break the maze up to give people pit stops. Does that appeal to people?
etc etc
I'm sure there's points i've missed but got to go to work.....................
I am a fan of large underground maze, with lots of different levels. Cant wait when it is ready.
Here are some feedback for your question:
1) If people spend an hour figuring out how to get to the end is that too long?
- Absolutely not, i like challenges.
2) Is it best to make a quick way back too? (teleporter, escape hatch). Or is that not realistic?
-If its take an hour to get in and another to gey out...I suggest you put some teleport (samekind are already in BWM) in the end.
3) I know i can break the maze up to give people pit stops. Does that appeal to people?
-Yes in long quest I like to meet some merchant, unique monsters and beds.
4) etc etc
- Can this be first resetable quest ? Its star ewery time when you enter the cave and ends when you slay The monster in te end..
Yeah, I love a good dungeon crawl. Considering I just spent several hundred small rocks crawling through a three room dungeon, 1 hour is not too long, perhaps too short? Will you build a single route maze or a complex route? Consider this, can you navigate the entire maze simply by folowing the left or right wall?
I was thinking of pit stops even before you mentioned it, and Sarumar was on target when he sugested variety. In addition to the occasional bedroll in a corner and a thief or goblin? merchant, I would like to see a wealthy underground village, maybe a slave camp? heaps of rest but a quest in itself to escape and save the others, there's so many options for a cave, please don't restrict it to one theme
Remember it's always fun seeking your way to a destination, but it shouldn't be a challenge to get home. Another way home could be signs that give cryptic mesages until you read the last one. This doesn't require extra code if you make it a kind of riddle with the answer at the end. ie a sign that says "the way of the tiger" would have no connection to another that says "the best thing for mice is a kitten", until you reach the final sign that reads: "follow the cats home". (of course this would require misdirection as well). Of course there's hundreds of other methods using a map change.
To give the illusion of grandness, a truely epic cavern should span several different terrains (like BWM does). Although I haven't built one in AT yet, I have GMed many a good dungeon and I base my designs on real life. Thanks to my great job back in the real world, I have traversed more than a few caves, caverns, canyons, and cliffs.
Keep up the good work kerasi, I'm looking forward to seeing it!
Commander of the Archer's of the Frog
Level: 50, Gold: 65269 WA 1 D 1 BS 1 CS 2 QL 1 IF 3 R 2 MF 1 Level: 25, Gold: 7940 QL 2 IF 2 MF 2
One possible way to make a quit "exit" would be a simple cliff with the spot next to the top of the cliff acting like a door in that it automagically moves you to the bottom of the cliff but there's no door to get back up. If one way doors don't work then simple make two maps that look similar, one with the door at the top and one with no door at the bottom. The idea being that you can slide down the steep embankment to get back to home territory but you can't climb back up to start the maze from the backside.
Yes, I too like a good dungeon but I'm not a big fan of the style of the ones currently found over near Prim. For a completely dark area I don't even bother to try to find my way because I know I'll be frustrated in about .5 seconds. I much prefer a visible maze which is just large enough that you can never see the end so you don't know which path to take.
As for being repeatable, I don't see how you can make a maze repeatable because once you beat it the first time you'll know how it works and will be able to just breeze thru it the next 500 times. So no, don't make the quest repeatable. The maze could certainly be repeatable but don't make the quest repeatable.
Pit stops are always wanted in mazes. You could go fancy like others have suggested with villages or even little caves with a simple boss and some mediocre loot just to break up the pattern of the maze or you could simply throw in a little empty room or open grassy area with nothing in it.
I like a maze, but an hour strikes me as too long for most people. I would be careful of "a bedroll in the corner" to avoid a situation similar to the cabin on the slope of the mountain at BWM. We would not want people stuck in the middle of the maze because it was the last bed they used and two weeks later from some other area entirely they get killed and are suddenly back in the maze. I am also in favor of a quick way back, rather than another hour to get out.
LVL 108; XP 23,138,749; Gold 1,827,209; 4/23/12 HP 130; AP 4/12; AC 328; AD 55-66; CC 9; CM 0; BC 127; DR 2 RoLS 4; RoL 2; ElyR 4; ChaR 11; GoLF 4; ShaF 4 S Rgn, SP: 1:CE,Ev,SM,EB,PB; 2:WA,HH,Cl,BS,MC,BC,CS,QL,IF,Rgn,MF
- I'd like to see a room that has no monsters but all accessible areas are respawn areas. In the beginning the player just walks through, but once the first monster spawns, the player is in trouble.
- in the center of the map there's is a huge mountain. There is no map there yet, neither in there nor on top.
I don't want to spoil anything but from what i have been reading here i am sure that you guys are going to enjoy the new quests that are being written and mapped out now.
PK17 wrote:There should be a volvanoe somewhere. We already have red tiles/walls. We would just need some lava tiles, probably aimilar to water, juat red.
I would absolutely love this idea to be implemented! As far as I know this maze idea never got into AT? A real big dungeon crawl would be superb I think one hour is way too short, I would love something to spend multiple hours on. So you can decide whether or not you have the time to take on such a thing; there is always small things to do like grinding for a couple of rooms then log off.
but it's my first try and i've enjoyed doing it.
