Tips about dungeons...

[dcsant]

Do you have any tips about designing dungeons?

If you are making a dungeon, what kind of perspective will you choose: Those classic dungeons where all you need to do is going from point A to Z (find the "exit" ~as in old Phantasy Star style), or those where you need to push a lot of switches and solve puzzles to keep opening your path?

Also, what's your recommendation for mapping dungeons? Put a lot of details or just focus in the complexity of the labyrinth? Make a huge map or divide it with small fragments?

 

[HotfireLegend]

I have a lot of A to B dungeons, but it's too far in dev to change them all now. Ideally, dungeons should be an interactive experience through either avoiding monsters, performing puzzles, finding secret areas and/or evading traps etc.

I focus on putting a lot of details personally, but you can do the layout however you like. Oblivion has some good dungeons, using quite a few of the same assets over again in different ways. (Before you ask; Skyrim's are boring with very similar layouts)

 

[dcsant]

Thanks. Guess I should take a look of your games.

 

[HotfireLegend]

Beyond Reality follows that principle closest, as does Zendir 2.

 

[Rise Evil]

I believe each dungeon should have its own theme and sets. Puzzle, things that can test what you have, maze etc. But gosh it's hard to be that creative. ^^"

 

[EraYachi]

Basic cave or ruin dungeons that are basically just a set of corridors and hallways leading to non-sensically placed rooms and stairways....it just ain't my thing. It aggravates me to see that kind of simplicity in most advanced JRPGs these days (*cough*TALESOFZESTIRIA*cough*), so I'm a groupie of puzzle-based dungeons. Especially ones that aren't laid out stupidly. Ever be travelling through ancient ruins of a city and go, "Geez, who was the moron who designed these ruins? There's literally three dead-end hallways with no doors over there!"

Mixing character interaction with puzzles is the best, IMHO. Like the original Wild Arms games, each character had a set of Tools they could use on different things in the dungeons, and they were unique to the characters (like a grappling hook).

 

[Storytailor]

I'll readily admit I'm no expert, however like most other components of a game, I believe it takes some serious planning. Plot your general course (are you going up or down levels, in a particular direction, up a mountain..?), parse up your areas by accessibility or by puzzle (if interactive), make some general connecting doors/stairs/holes to link each piece together, and then fill in the ground and walls, followed by the details! That's my current approach.

Also, I would say that I lean more toward interactive dungeons. While I'm not clever enough for a Legend of Zelda-style puzzle-laden dungeon, I have some tricks that make it at least more engaging than an old-time FF monster-grinder. Keeps the player from dressing dungeons too much. >:3

 

[dcsant]

The dungeon generator of MV is quite good.

 

[James Richardson]

Where is the dungeon generator at? I need it's help!!

 

[PandaMaru]

The dungeon generator can be activated if you rightclick in the maptree in the lower left place of the editor, like when you make a new map.
Help (F1) > How to Use Aid Tools > Dungeon Generator

 

[James Richardson]

Awesome, thank you panda! It does generate pretty well. I wish I could choose the room number though.
I'll just add extras to it.

 

[David FoxFire]

Well, in Baldur's Gate Investigations, there would be a bit of both. One of them (Undercellar) would be a transition-based dungeon, while the others would be a combination of find-the-endpoint and puzzle.

 

[cav_dan]

Two tips I can think of that will make players less troubled by your dungeon design.
1. Never put a dead end that makes the player lose a lot of time back tracking, especially with random encounters.
2. A closed door that needs a key is not a puzzle. You can make exploration fun with good writing (giving a story to the place you're visiting) and rewards (that cool sword that shoots lasers). If you need the barrier, there should be a puzzle to get the key, and you should try to make it obvious to the player why he is trying to solve it.

A pessimal preference regarding puzzles: don't make me write stuff down. There's plenty of resources in computers that make it possible to have the information available anytime. Writing down a number for a door is an old trick that only tests my memory or frustrates me because I didn't think to write it down.