the bigger issue i've been dealing with is a total overhaul of the bowmaster's crypt mini-dungeon. i was very, very close to finishing it, but on second thought it didn't seem right.
the dungeon shares a map with the other mini dungeons, which automatically limits how much space i can use. i liked that restriction initially because i didn't want each mini-dungeon to be a sprawling mess. however, looking at all of the oracle dungeon layouts made me realise there was method to the madness; how the name of the dungeon came from the dungeon's layout on the map. this design kind of looks like a bow, but it also looks a bowl, or a squashed shield.
the purpose of this dungeon, aside from containing the bow, is also about showing the player the importance of exploring the world. the two rooms towards the lower right hand side of the map (the chest room with conveyers, and the one with the torches and pits), were to contain the compass and map respectively; both only obtainable once the player had acquired the feather and the candle/possibly ember seeds (if i can figure out why moosh's ember seeds weren't triggering flag 4 lol). the majority of the dungeon was also dark; the player would need to acquire a lantern item to help them navigate the darkness.
another issue that bothered me was that i'd only used two rooms as the basement level - the two top right screens, the top of which contained the boss key. these don't line up to my idea for the dungeon either, as the grave room was to have a secret in there; it wouldn't work up if the boss key room is directly underneath (immersion blah blah). the immersion is probably ruined more by the fact that the bottom left set of stairs leads to a cave.
so in essence, the lack of a true basement level, the picking and choosing of what rooms on the ground level would be dark, plus what i felt was overall a very linear dungeon design, made me decide to start fresh.
this is the new layout so far.
there is a vague arrow shape to this map, and i prefer it.
the left hand side is the ground level, the right hand is the b-1. it's obviously very early days but the benefit of having an already finished version means i can pick and choose what parts of the old one come across. i still want to have the map and compass gated off until the player can find the appropriate items to reach them, and i think the bulk of the bottom floor will be dark, while the ground level will stay nice and lit.
