Rate my dungeon

[gRaViJa]

I've been busy with creating my game (it's called Ascension, game topic will be posted in a week or two). I want the game to be really enjoyable so i add a lot of attention to atmopshere and playability. That's why i'm posting this demo. It's sort of a dungeon. it's the sewer system of a metro complex (not modern). I want to know from you people if you liked the atmospere and the puzzles. it's not really a big dungeon. I like quality over quantity :p
There are two secret keys in it and one secret boss. Did you care to search for them or where you bored? Where they to hard to find or not? Did you like the mapping, music and all?
About the boss battle: did you like the idea with the barrels? I know that the boss might be inbalanced and that the hero has OP moves, but i'm working on that. please let me now what you think about all of this!

note:
It's not to show-off but to get feedback. I will not discuss the story, plot or characters here yet.

screenshots:

(that's Atoa's tankentai CBS)

here is the updated download link (its a little bigger then usual because of some mp3's and all, but not really big either, don't worry):
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NYT22PET

 

[pandemikk]

SCREENSHOTS!

 

[Æ№∞₧]

Yes, if you would just supply screenshots, people could rate your maps/dungeons

 

[regi]

While I understand you're not trying to advertise anything, this still belongs in Projects. It's fine even if it's a simple little dungeon; you'll still get feedback there. Just include a note explaining you won't discuss the plot, add a few screenshots, and I can move this to the right forum.

 

[gRaViJa]

I updated the topic.
@teengamer: the reason why i wanted to add a demo instead of just screenshots is that I want have feedback not only on the mapping, but on the atmosphere, playability, music, SE's and all to.

 

[ebhz.Ash.4rm]

It's all been done before, what you should do is either have a much more interactive environment so that you can have a more in depth experience out of battle, in doing this you should also shorten battles to 30 - 45 seconds so that the interactivity with environment isn't broken for too long (you could forget the middle of the action you're in and it could be annoying when you finally work something out and want to do it).

You should look at Golden Sun as they have a lot of item based puzzles and interactivity outside of battle which I found was one of the most appealing features, If you can integrate similar features and make it work then it should work. Try not to keep it monotonous like having to push one barrel 13 steps onto a switch to open the door and then doing 2 barrels for the next one and so on, multiple boxes and having to push them in a certain pattern to get through or having colours or different sides in the puzzle to get through would make it more interesting.

Look at what's been done and make it better or apply it to your own game and it should work, also it should be environmental, in a sewer I wouldn't expect to see barrels, why would they be storing sundries where all the towns crap flows through? I'd expect to see rusty gates, rats, stone slabs and water flow altering gates and switches in a sewer.

The water in the screenshot is too clear too, why is the town sending out clean water? Or is it something to do with the story? Some sewer cleaner or mechanic has decided to sell the clean water the town's wasting back to them at 3 times the price!? The area's far too clean and wtf!? Stalagmite/Stalactite coming out of paved groud? You should look are real sewers from the time that you're games set in, they'd be so much more scummy than they are now because they are so much less developed. The bags I can allow because there could be sand bags to stop scummy water flooding the town above but it's so clean it would probably just clean the ground. And they're so thinly scattered it's really not believable anyhow.

You should go to the mapping improvement thread and I've rambled a bit too much.

 

[gRaViJa]

okay, those are some good tips.

things i'll change:
* remove the barrels and sandbags
* add real junk, spiderwebs and dirt
* add some rats
* make the water look dirtier (i can't believe i didnt thought about that earlier :p)

But, as far as i know there isn't one stalagmite in the entire sewer system o.O the battles aren't balanced yet, so that's true. it's true that the puzzles are a bit negeric, but i wasn't planning on making an enormous dungeon with really cool/difficult puzzles anyway. it was a good practise though.
I know that i can make good maps, but they are almost always eye-candy maps. now i know that there is difference between mapping an eye-candy map and an interative dungeon map. i'll have to work a li'l more on interactive maps. thx for the help.

ow yeah btw: did you fight the octopus boss?

other opinions are appriciated to.

 

[Flickayy]

This is pretty good.

I think you need to add some more stuff rather than just boxs and weat bags..
Mabye a better Fog may look better.
And if you Put a few NPC's mabye people who are lost, or criminals.

The Edits you have done to Atoa's CBS looks nice.

And your second screenshot looks rather good too.
If your not allready using this script i advise you to do so

http://www.rmxp.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=63866

i think this would look nice in a dungeon.

but overall i'd rate it a 9/10... Far better than anything i can do :thumb:

 

[gRaViJa]

Thank for the reply again. All take note of your advice. i'm not sure if i'll use that script. it looks a little to pixelated imo. i have a shadow script i might use though.

 

[ebhz.Ash.4rm]

 

[gRaViJa]

it's a switch that controls bridges. I'm beginning to think you didn't really play it :s

 

[ebhz.Ash.4rm]

Nah, I didn't play it, I rarely play anything. I might now though if Office ever installs.

 

[gRaViJa]

then how could you know this:
"It's all been done before, what you should do is either have a much more interactive environment"

you were right about the mapping, but imo the environment is interactive and you can only experience that if you'd play it through.

 

[ebhz.Ash.4rm]

then how could you know this:
"It's all been done before, what you should do is either have a much more interactive environment"

Cos from my experience every rmxp game has the same amount of world interaction outside of battle, almost none. Other than picking up items, talking to people and perhaps pressing the odd switch or two I rarely see any decent puzzles or anything engaging whilst you're wandering between plot points. The battle usually isn't strong enough to cover this either, why I find a lot of ARPGs boring at times not to mention RPGs.

 

[gRaViJa]

that is true but i tried to step above it. I tried to make a short dungeon with an original setting and fun some fun small puzzles like the alternating bridges. I'm not saying my puzzles are top level yet, but at least you should play it before commenting :s

 

[ebhz.Ash.4rm]

Fair enough lemme download then.

EDIT: Dloaded and it says Fog-001 is missing:

My RTP is there so I dunno what it is.

 

[Kain Nobel]

Its because the RTP isn't listed in the Game.ini file, you can open it (as a text document) and put...

"RTP1=Standard"

...Another important problem is that this game requires a custom font, you're going to have to post the font file because nobody is going to be able to see your text Grajiva. There is no text in message boxes or menus (meaning you can't read dialog and item descriptions.) Please post the font and people will be able to give you some feedback.

 

[ebhz.Ash.4rm]

Its because the RTP isn't listed in the Game.ini file, you can open it (as a text document) and put...

"RTP1=Standard"

...Another important problem is that this game requires a custom font, you're going to have to post the font file because nobody is going to be able to see your text Grajiva. There is no text in message boxes or menus (meaning you can't read dialog and item descriptions.) Please post the font and people will be able to give you some feedback.

Thanks, he can also use the auto-font install script that's somewhere.

EDIT:

Okay you can walk behind bags and vases, like as in a bug.

I started the battle and it couldn't find the shadow character picture.

 

[gRaViJa]

i'm gonna work on the font, the passabilIty error and the missing shadow character. I'll add a new demo later today. In the new demo i'll use your mapping tips to.

 

[Æ№∞₧]

Not too shabby... at least on the mapping...