View unanswered posts | View active topics * FAQ    * Search
* Login 




Forum locked This topic is locked, you cannot edit posts or make further replies.  [ 3 posts ] 
Dark Immolation
 
PostPosted: Sat, Jun 03 2017, 22:53 PM 

User avatar

Tester

Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Location: The downeaster "Alexa"

The Final Frontier

The Concept

A series of randomly generated dungeons, taking place in the Abyss. The Abyss, being infinite, plays host to an uncountable number of fallen civilizations, ongoing wars, and long-forgotten oases of knowledge and respite. As a PC adventuring through layers of the Abyss, you will be put to tests not only of strength, but of endurance, problem-solving, and cooperation. Each journey is different. And each could easily be your last...

The How

With the Infinite Dungeons expansion, we gained the ability to generate random and procedural dungeons. This dungeon would be using that ability to present the appearance of traveling through the Abyss, a plane said to have infinite, ever-merging and shifting layers. As a Chaotic aligned plane, these layers don't necessarily have to meet the expectations of adventurers; while most of the well-known planes are ruled by demon lords(such as our own Zanshibon), there are countless others which could be badlands, wilderness, hidden cities, or the proxy battlefields for civilizations long forgotten.

Wandering the Abyss would be extremely challenging however. It would be very easy, if not expected, to get lost in or between layers. Exiting the Abyss could not be done so easily as portaling out with ley-powered wands. Instead, there would be specific planes with portals that allowed exit(some for free, some for gold, some that need to be solved via lore, spellcraft, key, or NPC). To that end, choosing to journey the abyss means knowing that escape is not guaranteed within any specific time frame. You must plan accordingly.

Features

The draw of this dungeon is the variety and surprise. Generally speaking, no matter how well-made a dungeon is, it can become routine. You know to prepare for elemental damage. You know to prepare for mind-affecting spells or ability drain. You know where the spawns are and where its safe to rest. You know exactly where the stationary boss in his lair is. You know you can leave at any time. This concept flips the table and says "Screw it! Wildcard, bitches!". While it would be more of an undertaking than a regular dungeon, it would pay huge dividends in offering a limitless amount of mini-dungeons in return.

Layer generation

Layers are the mini-dungeons generated in the Abyss. Each has a set of parameters present in their name at the time of generation. Some of these correspond to environmental damage(like how Jade means Acid on randomly-generated equipment). Some correspond to the inhabitants of the plane and if they are hostile or not. Some correspond to the sort of minigame or puzzle than must be completed to move on to another layer or exit. These names serve as hints to the player upon entering and give them some idea of what to expect. These are examples of parameters that could be in it:

Environmental Damage: Burning, Boiling, Flaming, Seering(Fire), Caustic, Bubbling, Dripping, Acrid(Acid), Freezing, Chilling, Windy, Arctic(Cold), Brilliant, Fulminating, Striking, Bursting(Electric)

Inhabitants and Hostility: You can find any number of creatures in the Abyss, some local, some interlopers. While most will be hostile, every now and then you will find a plane (relatively) peacefully inhabited or abandoned enough to rest and restock without danger. Some of these wayposts will offer merchants you can use to resupply or NPCs you can investigate to give you info about the "road" up ahead(temporary bonuses based on Mental and Social skills).

Mild, Pleasant, Peaceful, Sleeping(non-hostile)

Challenges and Layer Type: Some layers will be straight-forward dungeon crawling, where you journey through to the end by destroying the poor suckers that lie in your path. Others, not so much. Perhaps you stumble onto a battlefield playing host to the Blood War, or some planar incursion of Mindflayers vs Githyanki. Maybe you've crossed paths with a deserted Celestial outpost and the residents have been there for so long you look juuust enough like a demon that warrants smiting. Others hold ancient puzzles and labyrinths devised by fallen civilizations or bored archmages who couldn't cut it on the Prime. Who knows! But the end result are you enter into mini-dungeons like

Layer 3661: Oshtur's Boiling Lake of Monsters

Oshtur = Name of the wandering Boss that must be defeated to leave
Boiling = Environmental Fire Damage
Lake = Underwater Environment
Monsters = Generated enemies are Aberrations

Layer 8989: Peaceful Village of Puzzled Lycans

Peaceful = Non-hostile rest and supply area
Village = Town Tileset
Puzzled = Exit achieved by solving a puzzle
Lycans = NPCs are Werecreatures

Layer 5555: Besieged Battlefield of Orc and Elves

Besieged = Bastion-style dungeon with two fighting parties
Battlefield = Exit is won by defending a post for set amount of time, like in Gibberling nest
Orc and Elves = The two enemy types at war

Benefit

Concluding, the benefit of a dungeon like this having an endgame or capstone epic dungeon that essentially never ends or gets old. It presents a challenge every time because it is random every time. The difficulty is not just in the toughness of the mobs and bosses you face, but that you cannot come and go at your leisure and you do not know when your next safe rest or exit comes. Finding a boss is a double-edged sword in the Abyss. Firstly, they wander; there's as good a chance you find it as it finds you. To that end, you don't have time to chug your 8 potions before you run in like you do a normal, known-area boss. Additionally, who knows when your last rest has been or if you are in any shape to fight it? The Abyss is essentially the "challenge mode" for both old and new PCs, and given how some challenges are not simply whack-a-mob, PCs with social and soft skills can be just as crucial to your party's survival and exit as the min-maxed Ogrillon.

This would be a big undertaking, no doubt. But there are two huge benefits, as far as I see it. One, it's a single dungeon that technically gives you infinite dungeons. And two, it doesn't all have to be implemented at once. We can very easily start basic: 4 versions of the normal Abyss, each with a different environmental damage type, randomly rolled. From there, maybe we throw in another tileset and introduce the first game/puzzle. And so on, and so on, until we eventually end up with many different parameters making many different dungeons. It can be piecemealed, with designers and maybe even players contributing ideas, areas, and mobs as a continuous effort. With each new introduction, you have PCs waiting to hop back in and test the new interactions. It is, in my opinion, much easier to justify something like an infinite endgame dungeon than yet another standard dungeon that may only be run until players find it predictable or "sub-optimal" for regular grinding.

_________________
Image
You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it.
Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.


 
      
Kudark
 
PostPosted: Sun, Jun 04 2017, 0:46 AM 

User avatar

Player

Joined: 14 Dec 2009
Location: The Dark Side of the Moon

It's a cool idea, reminiscent of Halaster's Undermountain, but it sounds like a concept for an entire server. The incredible amount of work needed by many involved, just to initiate, and then maintain, would heavily drain our already overworked Staff.

Damnit, now I want to run through Rappan Athuk again :P

_________________
Image


 
      
Dark Immolation
 
PostPosted: Sun, Jun 04 2017, 0:54 AM 

User avatar

Tester

Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Location: The downeaster "Alexa"

Kudark wrote:
The incredible amount of work needed by many involved, just to initiate, and then maintain, would heavily drain our already overworked Staff.


I mean, to a certain level that's implicit at this point. Every suggestion regarding literally anything has the possibility of "not enough people to work on it." Eventually, you have to suggest things simply to see if it gains enough interest to be worked on. That, or we sit back on our hands and say absolutely nothing new gets done because everything older needs to get done.

That's why I put the disclaimer "I know this might be work" before any suggestion. But the alternative is just not to entertain any new ideas until we completely clear everything that stands to be worked on, you know? At least with this we can start small, as I pointed out. You make a random version of 4 elemental-damage Abysses that we already had. That's 4 layers. You introduce a new tileset. That's 8 layers. It multiplies every time. Starting that small and adding as we go will not be as draining or overworking as doing it all at once.

_________________
Image
You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it.
Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.


 
      
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Forum locked This topic is locked, you cannot edit posts or make further replies.  [ 3 posts ] 


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group