This is just my first post using this forum to mention some of the work i’m up to, I guess anyone reading this would be helpful commenting on from it to mention the kind of issues and such they might see in the design and so on.
To begin with, I am currently working on a project that will involve making a dungeon crawler game, using Infinity blade assets for a rogue/ trap style dungeon. The aim is to have a level that uses traps in the scene to help the player progress and to fight enemies and thus becomes the core mechanic. Initial research shows Dragon Age being good for this but that places a trap down anywhere based on resources, this might be alittle better but I’m looking to involve more use of disarming/ re-activating traps in the dungeon to help the player progress on.
The reason this title mentions me hating dungeon crawlers is because my experience with diablo 3 felt as though these dungeon crawlers were tediously boring and endless, and it’s most likely that’s some of the key components that makes a dungeon crawler feel like a challenge. This is just an opinion that I need to research to confirm or deny as it’s really not a topic I go into that much.
An overall idea i’m looking to have in this game is to have traps that while hazardous to the player, also are part of the way to proceed. For example:
The way ahead is blocked by overhanging spiked huge clubs. The ends of these clubs are filling up the walkway ahead so, the player cannot walk around them, due to a pit on either side. This trap is impossible to pass while inactive so, the player will activate it to get the clubs moving. Now that the clubs are moving/swinging, the player can dash through one club, wait, and dash through the next and then repeat until they have crossed across the ledge.
The key to these ideas is that while the trap is hazardous, the player uses it to their advantage. Further ideas include using the trap to hurt enemies. Using the above as an example, What if once the player crosses, they were able to once again, trigger the trap to deactivate so that enemies couldn’t follow behind them?
My main worries and corncerns with this is while I’ve done things like “activate X by being close to object and pressing “E” button to interact with it” But i’m looking to actually have the trap be obvious but the point to find the trap alittle less obvious. I could do this with an invisible actor with no mesh and assign each to a specif trap but I’m not sure how I would rely it’s location to the player. I might like something along the line of a “?” that fades in and out and as the player gets warmer to the invisible actor, the “?” fades in and out faster until it turns into a blatant “!” that hangs above the player’s head to show the player is right over it if not beside it.
Small little story to help give the idea context is the PC is a rogue as part of an adventuring party that gets separated from the rest of the team and must utilize their more stealthier abilities and their knowledge for dungeon traps to navigate through and come back to the rest of the party. The PC won’t be alone as they will have to escort a non-attacking friendly, NPC gnome that will act as a shop-companion that the PC must guide to the end with them to re-unite with the party-members on the higher levels.
A link to the document i’ve been working on for the game.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vO71POzVQPnC4bYUV_4MFnONsuPIQk5PSWh9kZtN-wM/edit?usp=sharing