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Dungeon Gameplay


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#1 Joelmacool

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Posted 24 March 2015 - 11:46 AM

I just want to know what kind of gameplay you like during dungeons.
So this could mean you could like a key hunt or other things. I'm just doing this because i kinda ran out of dungeon ideas (I know the themes).


Also just so you know this game includes NO SCRIPTS! So don't get a little bit crazy, ok?
Help out!


Edited by Joelmacool12, 24 March 2015 - 11:54 AM.


#2 Eddy

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Posted 24 March 2015 - 11:51 AM

I usually like a balance of length, combat and puzzles. IMO a perfect kind of dungeon gameplay would be if the dungeons are not too long but not too short, if there is enough combat and if there aren't too many puzzles but enough to keep you going.

 

As for a key hunt, it could work but it would be neat to have twists along the way where you need to unlock certain things through puzzles or boss rooms to open paths to keys.


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#3 LinkFan212

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Posted 24 March 2015 - 12:14 PM

(I'm not just purposely being opposite of Eddy btw)

 

I like long dungeons. :P I like dungeons that it's more relaxed pace and there long and you just go through rooms and kill things and find keys and solve puzzles...but in a relaxing manner. If that makes any sort of sense. xD


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#4 TheLegend_njf

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Posted 24 March 2015 - 12:26 PM

I like dungeons where you unlock shortcuts as you go. Not only does it make a large dungeon seem smaller as you progress, It shows a kind of professionalism in your design. Be it a ladder you drop or a bridge you create, I like to give players that feeling of "earning progress".
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#5 Avaro

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Posted 24 March 2015 - 02:51 PM

Make something you would personally enjoy to do in dungeons. You can for example try to get inspired by your favourite Zelda games or quests.
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#6 KingPridenia

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Posted 24 March 2015 - 03:15 PM

Personally, I'm more of a combat type, but that's just me. I like having a bunch of crap to mow down. As for size, moderate size. Not something you can clear out in 5 minutes, but not a dungeon that is a 5 hour long project either. Shortcuts are nice, as is making the dungeon item actually required to complete the dungeon and possibly the boss's weakness.


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#7 Limebeer

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Posted 24 March 2015 - 05:14 PM

While key hunts can be fun, they can be overly tedious at times as well. I more prefer having to find the proper pathway, so more maze-like for me. Not so much having a huge puzzle happy way (some puzzles are always good) but more needing to find out where you have to go through secrets and not so obvious triggers and such.

I also enjoy dungeons when there are multiple pathways and ways of doing something or making progress, though not being too obvious about it. For instance, on one screen it looks like you have to go through a gauntlet of traps and enemies on a somewhat narrow path that is doable but will be hard, but if you did some other exploration in a previous screen you could find a hidden pathway that allowed you to either bypass it or take an easier alternative rout.
Or you could do something like have a barrier that you could either find and hit the trigger that allows you to pass through, or if you found a certain item you could just use it on it and break through.
So basically, stuff like that where you can do it one way, but alternatives are available for those thinking outside the box and experimenting.


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#8 Shane

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Posted 25 March 2015 - 02:47 AM

Well, I know I am not the only one to have the following philosophy, nor am I the one that has done it first or perhaps even best. There very well may be many quests that have done this before, but I will illustrate it anyway. So without further rambling...

 

XBXAOGA.png

 

...It's pretty basic, but as you can see, the portion of this test dungeon here looks pretty flexible. It has a fixed path, sure, but exploration is a little more interesting with a sense of progression and discovery at every turn. As you can see, the key (no pun intended) here is to abuse the hell out of keys, optional rooms and multiple locks. Now, I ain't saying there should be a key and locked door on every screen, but rather you should focus on using keys and doors to make flexible paths. The room with the chest is purely optional, but it's a part of the big picture nonetheless. You can access it with the very first key or the very last key, it doesn't matter as you get a spare key (and a chest) within at the cost of beating up some enemies or doing a puzzle.

 

Again, don't put a key and lock in every room. But rather space them out, and keep keys and locked doors (and optional rooms) as your tool to make a dungeon feel less linear and more complex.

 

tl;dr forget about making a dungeon screen by screen, shape the entire map. Do the walls and floors first, gameplay next and detail last. And let me tell you, no amount of scripting will make a dungeon feel this non-linear without resorting to feeling gimmicky.

 

Edit: 

 

Your dungeon could also have a theme. I am not talking about the more conventional definition. I am talking about if your dungeon will focus more on combat, puzzles, exploration, etc. Will players being earning more progress by beating enemies or solving puzzles or finding secrets? It won't hurt to throw in a puzzle within a combat-based dungeon, but bashing up enemies, finding and exploiting weaknesses should be your primary goals within a combat-themed dungeon.

 

Of course, that leads to the dungeon item. You should foreshadow what the dungeon item all over the dungeon. If you have selected a theme, it should reflect such a theme. For example, let's say you have a ball and chain. You can now destroy armored enemies that were once impossible to kill, and access rooms they were guarding. That would work best for a combat-focused dungeon. Or now you have the magnet gloves, and now you can push or even pull blocks that were once far out of reach within a puzzle-based dungeon.


Edited by Shane, 25 March 2015 - 04:27 AM.

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#9 TheLegend_njf

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Posted 25 March 2015 - 07:28 AM

Keys are good, but can be poorly executed. Some people place keys without any rhyme or reason. Others tend to place keys just to extend their dungeon by creating something for the player to "fetch". I'll be the first to say, if you're making a player fetch a key just for the sake of fetching, you're doing it wrong! Also, I believe that key block paths or key door paths are lazy design. If your design encourages people navigating your dungeon for keys to get them through A path of 3 - 6 locked doors, you are certainly doing it wrong.

I believe it is crucial before placing a key in your dungeon to ask yourself "Does this key add any real gameplay value to my quest?", if not, I wouldn't bother adding it, it'll more than likely be another "fetch" key or something like that anyways.

Don't get me wrong, fetching for keys is not horrible, but it is when the player starts to realizing they are just playing fetch.

Before somebody bring it up, I am aware that I'm quite guilty of this type of design in Souls of Wisdom, therefore, I'll say sorry for the bad dungeon design.

Edited by NewJourneysFire, 25 March 2015 - 07:30 AM.

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#10 Shane

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Posted 25 March 2015 - 09:43 AM

As I said, it's not the keys that should matter, it's the big picture and the meaning behind those keys. I mentioned twice that I exaggerated the example map, but it was to show in a small number of rooms how keys (or at least tools to open a path) can help give a depth of exploration and freedom of choice. It is more exciting to get to choose which door to unlock than to be railroaded on a singular path. A part of what you said was the pure truth, it can easily be done poorly, I won't deny that and I can't. But if done well, your dungeons can have so much depth and exploration involved. It's all about using keys, locks and optional rooms in moderation, but enough to make it feel like the player can have the freedom of choice and find his or her own way through the dungeon.

 

So pretty much, the image presented was outright poorly executed, but the concept in mind can work. It's certainly a dungeon design style I'm taking.


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