Mega-dungeons. I want one. With tunnels.

[Monte Carlo]

Right, load up your rucksacks with iron rations, spikes, rope, flasks of oil and holy water. Oi, you at the back? Have you got a 10' pole. No? Oh, you've been eaten by a giant spider.

 

If you don't get this then don't worry. There is always time.

 

Getting to the point, folks have discussed the influence of Planescape (or 'Wordscape' as we call it here at The Schloss Monte) and BG2. Not so much about the shimmering palantir of win that is Icewind Dale. The influence of this game should be obvious: Dungeons.

 

Can we please have a massive, just-for-the-sake-of-it mega-dungeon? One that makes Durlag's Tower look like a 10x10 room with an orc in it. And a pie. Like romances, the role-plaeyers that hate such things can ignore it (ha! see what I did there?).

 

Icewind Dale showed how dungeon-crawling can go hand-in-hand with great atmosphere and story-telling. I'm also getting a sort of Conquistador vibe from this game, a party ship-wrecked and confronted by a terrifying maze on an island or something. Like the Maztican dungeon in IWD2 but with MOAR STUFF in it. I want slimes, rust monsters, traps, caves, underground rivers and demon statues with hobbit-sized rubies for eyes

 

I think a stretch-goal that includes a special mega-dungeon, referencing Durlag's, almost EVERYTHING in IWD (and maybe Watcher's Keep, which doesn't get much loving) might get more old-skoolers out of their basements. I also think the majority of folks would dig it, what's not to love?

 

Many thanks for reading.

 

MC

[Volourn]

I agree. One mega dungeon ala WK or DT would be sweet.

[nikolokolus]

Mega Dungeons are fun. I still have fond memories of Ultima Underworld and even nethack with a the Falcon's Eye front-end I still play on my laptop on flights and long trips.

 

Somebody help me, what was it, Tomb of Horrors in AD&D from the 1st edition game that was so brutal? Wow that thing killed the hell out of adventuring parties.

[Cantousent]

Okay, in this one case I can agree with you, you dirt grubbing ground pounding army puke. Maybe it's just the vino talkin', but I would like at least one mega-dungeon. NO, I don't want the whole game to be shaft crawling (get your mind out of the gutter), but one really *big* complex would be sweet.

[Monte Carlo]

Tomb of Horrors, Module S1. It had the infamous Sphere of Annihilation (I think that's what it was called) trap in the first corridor. You'd lose half the party by the first room.

[Deraldin]

Mega Dungeons are fun. I still have fond memories of Ultima Underworld and even nethack with a the Falcon's Eye front-end I still play on my laptop on flights and long trips.

 

Somebody help me, what was it, Tomb of Horrors in AD&D from the 1st edition game that was so brutal? Wow that thing killed the hell out of adventuring parties.

 

Yup, Tomb of Horrors. Didn't that thing have a sphere of annihilation right near the beginning? Instant death, no resistance, no save, just dead.

 

Damn you Monte!

Edited September 21, 2012 by Deraldin

[Monte Carlo]

I know. The spirit of Gygax courses through me.

[Chunkyman]

There must be a dragon at the end.

 

It is known.

[Cantousent]

I liked the one... what was it...? White Plume Mountain where you found the spaceship and lasers? Geez, I have it somewhere around here.

[Ieo]

I did love Durlag's Tower. The story, puzzles... <3 It was also optional and not required for the storyline but did enhance the last stretch of BG1's main questline (damn doppelgangers - I was rather distressed ). I'm for it.

[Cantousent]

I did love Durlag's Tower. The story, puzzles... <3 It was also optional and not required for the storyline but did enhance the last stretch of BG1's main questline (damn doppelgangers - I was rather distressed ). I'm for it.

No, that was definitely my favorite experience from BG1. In fact, that's really what made the game for me. I prefered it to the main story line. That and it gave my sneaky assed theief something to do.

[Bobby Null]

I can't say this topic hasn't come up in meetings. Why don't you guys turn this into a user poll and see if there is serious interest in a mega-dungeon. The things I would be curious about are...

 

1. How mega is your idea of a mega dungeon? 5 levels?10 levels? 20? More?

2. How important do you think story is in said mega dungeon?

3. Would you still support a mega dungeon if it diverted resources from the main plot/game? My guess is no, but I had to ask.

4. Is this something you would like to see as a high end stretch goal or set of stretch goals?

[Monte Carlo]

I liked the one... what was it...? White Plume Mountain where you found the spaceship and lasers? Geez, I have it somewhere around here.

 

You are indeed drunk, old bean. That was Expedition to the Barrier Peaks.

[Monte Carlo]

I can't say this topic hasn't come up in meetings. Why don't you guys turn this into a user poll and see if there is serious interest in a mega-dungeon. The things I would be curious about are...

 

1. How mega is your idea of a mega dungeon? 5 levels?10 levels? 20? More?

2. How important do you think story is in said mega dungeon?

3. Would you still support a mega dungeon if it diverted resources from the main plot/game? My guess is no, but I had to ask.

4. Is this something you would like to see as a high end stretch goal or set of stretch goals?

 

Hi Bobby.

 

1. Bigger than Durlag's, maybe 50% bigger. The point is that old-skool dungeons are eco-systems... once you clear it out the monsters re-populate. So if it initially had loads of undead and you kill them all, maybe some humanoids move in. I'm not afraid to admit that I'd revisit and farm / grind such a locale as long as different monster sets repopulated it, and maybe a new level appeared occasionally.

 

2. Story on a mega-dungeon is like icing on a cake. That is to say very important. Look at IWD - it was a dungeon crawl with such a great story that it felt like a really classy dungeon crawl. The dungeon needs (a) a back-story, i.e. why is it there and (b) a current story i.e. why am I exploring it?

 

3. Hell yes. But that's just me. Why can't the player clear out and settle their own level, like a stronghold? Then use it to delve deeper, invite merchants to move in, maybe a shrine, deal with rival adventuring / exploring parties...

 

4. I'm not sure I'm qualified to comment. But making the mega-dungeon even more... mega, or promising the ability to re-populate as above, or for new levels to appear or be revealed... I think that might be a neat offer. The dungeon adventure is the quintessence of the old-skool experience and to make it bigger and better than ever in stretch goals strikes me as being worthy of consideration.

[Cantousent]

Can you edit it to make it a poll, Monte?

[Veca]

I really like the idea.

 

Maybe OP can put up a poll to see how the rest of the community feels about it ?

[Monte Carlo]

I'll give it a go, if not I'll start a fresh post and cut and paste some of this in. Have to go to work now though.

[Cantousent]

I'd like a dungeon and I think it would add to the game. I trust that Obsidz qouldn't do it unless it would work well.

Edited September 21, 2012 by Cantousent

[Deraldin]

3. Hell yes. But that's just me. Why can't the player clear out and settle their own level, like a stronghold? Then use it to delve deeper, invite merchants to move in, maybe a shrine, deal with rival adventuring / exploring parties...

 

[Playgu]

I'd really like to see a NwN:HotU style mega-dungeon, with lots of variety and where stuff just gets weirder the further down you travel.

[LadySpace]

It doesn't look like this is going to transform into a poll yet, so I'll just add my voice to the booming chorus and say that YES a massive dungeon would be FANTASTIC.

 

That said, if the rest of the game is shaping up in such a way that a mega-dungeon would be out of place or an unnecessary strain on resources, then don't worry about it. Quality first.

[Oerwinde]

I can't say this topic hasn't come up in meetings. Why don't you guys turn this into a user poll and see if there is serious interest in a mega-dungeon. The things I would be curious about are...

 

1. How mega is your idea of a mega dungeon? 5 levels?10 levels? 20? More?

2. How important do you think story is in said mega dungeon?

3. Would you still support a mega dungeon if it diverted resources from the main plot/game? My guess is no, but I had to ask.

4. Is this something you would like to see as a high end stretch goal or set of stretch goals?

 

If it was something like Dorns Deep (upper an lower combined), something that was a little more interesting than a simple dungeon, but with the same level of history and story woven into it, I'd be all over that. Especially if the reward is something more than just epic treasure. If it was like a quest to clear the dungeon out so a faction could take up residence (Mithril Hall style), and the result is a new faction that gives out missions (possibly related to rebuilding said dungeon) and such, that would be kickass.

[True_Spike]

I can't say this topic hasn't come up in meetings. Why don't you guys turn this into a user poll and see if there is serious interest in a mega-dungeon. The things I would be curious about are...

 

1. How mega is your idea of a mega dungeon? 5 levels?10 levels? 20? More?

2. How important do you think story is in said mega dungeon?

3. Would you still support a mega dungeon if it diverted resources from the main plot/game? My guess is no, but I had to ask.

4. Is this something you would like to see as a high end stretch goal or set of stretch goals?

 

1. I'd say twice the size of the Watcher's Keep in BG2. It would be swell if you could combine a smiliar level design to WK (where every next level was just something completely different), but at the same time maintain a focused story, much like it was in Durlag's Tower (with a few smaller storylines in-between).

 

2. It is crucial. The mega dungeon only adds to the feel and the atmosphere of the plot, but in a way that is hard to replicate in a different setting. The feeling of impending doom, a long-forgotten mystery, the curiosity that drives you to go deeper and uncover more of its secrets - that's what I associate with a WK / DT-like level.

 

3. No.

 

4. OH YES. A set of stretch goals - one big, that sort of concentrates on creating it and a bunch of smaller ones (additions to bigger stretch goals?) that expand it further in every dimension.

Edited September 21, 2012 by True_Spike

[eimatshya]

Sorry, but I'm not a huge fan of dungeon crawling. It can be fun in pen and paper games or MMOs because you are doing it with other people, but in a single player game I find it to be pretty dull. Even with diablo's great atmosphere, I was only able to get about as far as the Butcher before I got bored and quit. A 10 or 20 level dungeon would probably be shear drudgery for me, and I'm not sure I would be able to get through it, even if it meant not being able to continue with the rest of the game. If it was an optional dungeon like the one from Tales of the Sword Coast, then I guess it wouldn't be an issue since I could skip it, but I still would prefer to have development resources spent on other things. I'd rather have fewer fights but have them be unique, challenging, and memorable.

[curryinahurry]

Yes to a megadungeon in the IWD Dragon's Eye style or a larger version of Watcher's Keep (2x at least). Maybe as a stretch goal, but this is a lot of what I personally miss in recent CRPGs