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 Subject :Some ideas.. 08-05-2011 10:44:51 
Ubermann
Adventurer
Joined: 08-05-2011 09:45:00
Posts: 23
Location: Europe
 

Hi there. I have been playing this for a while, and found some lack of features that any RPG should have. This is a game with potential so I think the best way to support it is helping the developer to enhance it and building a better game. Ok here we go:
1.- I read somewhere in this forum people asking for game classes (mage, warrior, archer, etc...). But i think the game as is now is the best choice, since the players are not limited to certain classes, but we can mix and test different builds. Using predefined classes will reduce the game re-playability value, that is one of the more valuable things in a randomized RPG game. Well, this is not a feature suggestion, but a "please do not change it".
2.- Derived from previous point, i think the solution to this could be "items requirements". Every item (except potions) need a Strenght, Agility and Intelligence requirement, so a Mage can't wear plate armour in the first level, and a warrior can't use powerful bows that require much agility, so we make the game more customizable and thus, more funny.
3.- Skills requirements: not requirements like the items, but requirements like a skill tree and level requirements. For example, to "learn" fireball, the player needs level 5 and have at least one level into fire arrow.
4.- Coloured magic items inventory and shop cells background. Actually, if i want to find a magical item into may inventory or shop, i have to select each item and see it's description. But if you set a cell background color so i can know what items are magical and what not, it's faster, for example, green-named items, should have greenish cell background.
5.- Ambiance sounds: music is good, providing a nice creeping ambiance, but i miss background sounds like monsters idle sounds, chains sound moving on the floor, sporadic wind, water drops, rats cryes, or whatever.
6.- More different items magics: actually only stats and health/mana can be modified by items magics. It could be interesting to have more possible item's magics. Some good ideas could be "reduce incoming damage by a fixed percentage", "reflect some damage back to enemy", "Better chance to get magic items", "Increase by X a certain skill/spell level", "reduce by x% the mana cost of skills/spells", "reduces attacks damage", etc.
7.- Actually the shop is useless. Why? Because i can get every item i need while killing monsters: from potions to armors and weapons. I don't even need to visit the shop to aid me in the dungeon. And this makes gold coins without any value more like a "points meter". What's the solution? They solution is to lower the item drop chance, and make monsters to drop pickable gold coins. Then i need to collect gold to buy potions, and probably items. With this, gold coins becomes a nice valuable, and items do not lose their value, since they don't drop that much, and they costs more to get. I'm not saying to remove items drop, just lowering it.
8.- Random starting dungeon theme. Each time I start a new game with a new character, i'm always on the cave theme dungeon. How about making the starting theme random? With this, each time i start a new game it's like playing a different dungeon.
9.- Derived from previous point: random theme when going deeper. This is, when i enter a deeper dungeon level, make it's theme random so it's not always the same for every 4 5 or 6 or whatever depth levels until i enter a new theme dungeon. You can see this both features (point 8 and 9) successfully implemented in the game "Dungeon Hack" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon_Hack).
10.- Level bosses. How about very level to have a random chance to spawn a level boss near the downstairs. This is a different monster (different graphic or at least different colored sprite) that is much more stronger monster than common monsters in the map. Of course, it gives more experience and has better chance to drop nice items.
11.- Better AI. AI is in this version is not much good. Monsters simply chase and attack me when they can. They don't even try to move back to avoid my attacks, or strafe left/right. It's not much challenging and after some combats it can be some repetitive. I don't even die because monsters "tricked" me, just because i am surrounded and can't scape, but not because monsters surround me, it's because i moved to the wrong place. Please, improve the monsters AI.
12.- Last one, and as i already read into other topics, please, make some more history line.

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Last Edited On: 08-05-2011 10:46:34 By Ubermann for the Reason
 Subject :Re:Some ideas.. 08-05-2011 23:22:33 
codezombie
Zombie Programmer
Joined: 14-06-2010 21:54:27
Posts: 345
Location

First off, thank you for the detailed feedback.  This is the kind of stuff I need to improve the game.  I'll also state that you can go to 'New Game' and select your character to start over with higher level creatures that have new abilities.

I'll address each of your points:

1.  I won't be adding classes.  I will be adding character portraits and allowing the player to pick two skills at player creation.

2.  I should probably put stat requirements on equipment.  I can follow diablo and have a 1 or 2 state requirement based on equipment type and equipment level.

3.  All games have trees anymore.  I kind of wanted to try something a little different.

4.  I like this idea.  I'm not sure if I would do colored cells, but perhaps I can adjust the lightness/darkness of the item so that it is easy to pick out magic from non-magic items.  This is pretty simple to do in the code.  I could even make magic items pulse a little too.

5.  I can add more sounds.

6.  There are several people asking for more interesting magic items.  Especially for weapons.  I'm currently working on this.

7.  Well, it used to be that you had to sell items to get money, but perhaps I could limit the number of items that drop and replace it with a gold pile instead and get rid of the automatic gold pickup from enemies.  I imagine gold should pickup just by tapping on it.

8 and 9.  I would say the current game is a kind of story mode.  I've been thinking of making an infinite dungeons kind of generator that will totally randomize a new dungeon for players along with branches and puzzles.  Then I can select random boss and such.  This would increase replayablity by quite a bit, and I think many roguelike fans would appreciate that kind of randomness.

10.  Diablo and Dungeon Hack have stronger than normal characters that appear on each level.  Perhaps I could throw these in and give them double hp and an extra level or two and a special name.

11.  I'll likely have to improve ai over time.  Perhaps I can add in an avoidance parameter and a fear level so that creatures will retreat if necessary.  Fear level could be reduced by being near other monsters so they may not run if they outnumber you.

12.  I'm having the designer come up with some journal and tome entries that cover some of the backstory of the game.  Hopefully I can have this in this month.

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 Subject :Re:Re:Some ideas.. 09-05-2011 10:44:14 
Ubermann
Adventurer
Joined: 08-05-2011 09:45:00
Posts: 23
Location: Europe
 

 

 

I hate this HTML forums. How about a bbcode format Forum ? :P

[quote]1.  I won't be adding classes.  I will be adding character portraits and allowing the player to pick two skills at player creation.[/quote]

This sounds good. Character classes could break the replayability and the freedom to experiment with different character builds.

[quote]3.  All games have trees anymore.  I kind of wanted to try something a little different.[/quote]

The problem to allow to choose every skill from the very first levels is that the player loses some of the character progression experience, so I can have access to "end-level" skills/spells too early, losing the sensation that i level up to earn more powerfull skills/spells. Skills tree was just an idea, but if you don't like it (and i can agree with you), you have two possible excellent solutions:

a) Skills/Spells with stat requirement: magic spells require certain amount of Int, Axes and Sword masteries require Str or Agi, and so on.

b) Skill/Spell affinities. This is, in my opinion, the best one: every skill and spell is classified into a skill/spell class. For example, Staves, Axes and Swords masteries belong to "combat type skills". Fire Spells belong to "Fire Magic type skills". Healing Spells belong to "Shamanic" or "Holy" type skills, and so on. Then, when the player levels up it's given a "learning point" that can invest into any skill type. Then, each skill requires a certain skill type level. For example: Fire Arrow requires 1 point into Fire Magic skills school. Fireball requires 3 points into Fire Magic school. But Lightning Strike requires 5 points into Lightning Magic school.

[quote]4.  I like this idea.  I'm not sure if I would do colored cells, but perhaps I can adjust the lightness/darkness of the item so that it is easy to pick out magic from non-magic items.  This is pretty simple to do in the code.  I could even make magic items pulse a little too.[/quote]

Your "pulse" idea sounds even better than colored cells. But you can even go further: make items with a pulsing light and also with a slightly different palette color that depends on the magics imbued. For example, +1 Str will make the item a bit reddish, and +6 Str will make the red ink even stronger. The same could apply for other magics: blue for +int, green for +agi, magenta for +vit, and so on.

[quote]5.  I can add more sounds.[/quote]

Ambiance is really important in a game.

[quote]6.  There are several people asking for more interesting magic items.  Especially for weapons.  I'm currently working on this.[/quote]

Then the next game release sounds quite promising.

[quote]7.  Well, it used to be that you had to sell items to get money, but perhaps I could limit the number of items that drop and replace it with a gold pile instead and get rid of the automatic gold pickup from enemies.  I imagine gold should pickup just by tapping on it.[/quote]

No, I think you didn't understand what i want to say. Probably i explained wrong (my english is not that good): right now, i don't even need to visit the shop to enhance my character since everything i need is dropped from monsters, from potions to armors and weapons. That makes the gold coins useless, but just like a "points" system, not a trading valuable. If you make the item drop chance lower, and the gold to drop from monsters, then we will be using the gold to buy potions, weapons or armor from the shop, so the gold becomes something with relatively high value.

[quote]8 and 9.  I would say the current game is a kind of story mode.  I've been thinking of making an infinite dungeons kind of generator that will totally randomize a new dungeon for players along with branches and puzzles.  Then I can select random boss and such.  This would increase replayablity by quite a bit, and I think many roguelike fans would appreciate that kind of randomness.[/quote]

I love Roguelikes, and they usually do not have a massive history. I like much the Deadly Dungeons "history" and intro (damn i felt into a unknown dungeon. No one was here before and the worst demons lies beneath... Do I will die here? Will this be my end? What forgotten treasures will i find here?). But yes, the diary pages, forgotten manuscripts etc... will give a lot of depth to the game history: why this dungeon is here? who built it in ancient times? what is it's purpose? how could it be forgotten for hundred years?... All of this history evolution makes the game not just a kill-and-levelup game, but also makes the player to advance to learn and understand more. About the infinite depth dungeon. It's an excellent idea. You can make a "History Mode", with 10, 12 or whatever depth levels, where the player plays as an actor in the world, and a "Dungeon Mode", with infinite random dungeon.  

[quote]10.  Diablo and Dungeon Hack have stronger than normal characters that appear on each level.  Perhaps I could throw these in and give them double hp and an extra level or two and a special name.[/quote]

In DHack the level bosses usually have a special skill. Anyway, adding a random stronger boss to the level adds a lot of challenge: attack him to get better reward or just forget about it so i can avoid a possible death?

[quote]11.  I'll likely have to improve ai over time.  Perhaps I can add in an avoidance parameter and a fear level so that creatures will retreat if necessary.  Fear level could be reduced by being near other monsters so they may not run if they outnumber you.[/quote]

Sounds pretty interesting. How about monsters AI that ambush player? This is, instead chase front the player, look for an alternative route to attack the player from behind or from another side.

[quote]12.  I'm having the designer come up with some journal and tome entries that cover some of the backstory of the game.  Hopefully I can have this in this month.[/quote]

Good news those are.

 

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