Dungeons.

[Duel]

No matter what RPG Maker I'm using, I can't make a nice and complicated dungeon. I always seem to make a dungeon thats just too straight-forward.

Anyone have any tips for a good dungeon?

[lil_das]

Re: Dungeons.

Have it cut off a lot and have a bunch of different paths.
Use the trap door trick.
Hard to find chests with keys to unlock certain doors...secret walls and what not

[Seraph]

Re: Dungeons.

Keep in mind that more does not = better.

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

Re: Dungeons.

i start with an idea first, then i find where i want the town entrance to be and build outward from there. i layer as i go so start with the absolute basics such as area, then houses, then custom stuff. you can always go back later and tweek it or use what you learned and and make a new one. be creative, thats the cardinal rule here.

[Stormy]

Re: Dungeons.

??? Houses? You realize Karr, that Duelexpert asked about dungeons, right?

I'd like to help, but I have a similar problem. The most original dungeon idea i've had is for my final one. You fight mini-bosses (lieutenants of the final boss) to get the keys that let you reach higher levels until you get to the 3rd floor. There you find a save point and two teleports, one takes you to the town, and one takes you to B1. From B1 you must fight to the bottom, and the only way out is by defeating the final boss.

[orius]

Re: Dungeons.

Well, this might not help with the PS2 makers, but with RPGM 1, I find it helpful to design a dungeon on some graph paper. The paper is use is a standard 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper that's divided into one inch squares, and the big squares are further divided into 10 .1 in squares. The local Staples stocks the stuff, they sell a bundle of 6 50-page pads for like $10-12. I just block out a 65x65 grid on the paper, mark off coordinates every 5 tiles, and I'm good to go.

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

Re: Dungeons.

??? Houses? You realize Karr, that Duelexpert asked about dungeons, right?

I'd like to help, but I have a similar problem. The most original dungeon idea i've had is for my final one. You fight mini-bosses (lieutenants of the final boss) to get the keys that let you reach higher levels until you get to the 3rd floor. There you find a save point and two teleports, one takes you to the town, and one takes you to B1. From B1 you must fight to the bottom, and the only way out is by defeating the final boss.

in rpg maker 1 every map was considered a dungeon, i also consider them as such. its the same principles behind towns or any map that you traverse, has to serve a purpose, has to be interesting or non generic, and has to make sense. lose any of the 3 elements and people will skip it if they can, be board to tears if they cant, and go wtf while going through it.

[Stormy]

Re: Dungeons.

True enough.

In addition to what Karr said, I suggest that each of your dungeons present a unique challenge, they should make the player think about it, but never let them become confused. With confusion comes frustration, with frustration comes rage. A good game shouldn't make the player angry, unless it is because their favorite sidekick died, or the bad guy killed the dog (I hate it when they do that!).

[Ryner]

Re: Dungeons.

Have it cut off a lot and have a bunch of different paths.

No no no, unless the dungeon is very specifically meant to be a maze, never should you have a path that is just a dead end. Doing that will just waste your players time and annoy them. This is doubly true is you have random battles.

That said, my advice for dungeons is the same as my advice for battles: think outside the box. Dungeons can have more than just a bunch of monsters, a few treasure chests, and one boss. You could have several different ways of making it through the dungeon, each with it's own challenge. Multiple paths are fine as long as they all lead somewhere.

Beyond that, just brainstorm on things that you'd think would be interesting to put into a dungeon. How about a crazy hermit living amongst the monsters that will trade you a magic sword for a nice rock? Or a secret door that will only open if you can answer a riddle? That mouse you see scampering around is actually as wizard, who was transformed from a experiment that went bad. Battles are fine of course, but you could give them a story. Just why is that giant troll guarding the exit?

The idea is to put enough interesting things between the entrance and the exit to keep your player entertained while at the same time not overwhelming them.

Again, think outside the box. Brainstorm. Experiment.

[Dusk Raven]

Re: Dungeons.

In one of my dungeons I decided to give the player a choice: They can either head to the basement and make their way through a maze, or head upstairs and go through a series of riddles (including one that you'll know the answer to if you like Greek mythology ).

[Vonwert]

Re: Dungeons.

If we are talking about RPGM3, then I have found that using the melding trick of using an invisible event and putting it inside another object makes for a more unique dungeon.

[Mintobrandybuck]

Re: Dungeons.

Honestly, the best thing I can say is to make it different. Different is good. Different is entertaining.

Put in puzzles. The game may seem to hold you back, but if you think outside the box you can make some really entertaining puzzles and such with what tools you have.

So, someday just find some time to sit down and think, How can I make this more interesting? What I've founf that helps to to examine what the dungeon is for and branch off of there. If it's the hideout of a Renegade Sorceror, put in some magic traps and puzzles that make you think. Things like that.