Nathaniel3W
Rockwell Studios
Finishing up a huge system--actually, a combination of several systems--in Septaroad Voyager.
So first you learn a legend, which provides you with a map.
Then you have to fill in the map using clues. Each clue can be used on certain spaces, and each clue modifies the legend's difficulty and treasure. You can learn clues directly from NPCs, but mostly you'll get clues from artifacts that you find.
I think it's important for the player to have interesting choices. So here you have the choice between selling artifacts for money, or using them for clues to find the next dungeon.
When you have enough clues to complete the legend, you unlock a dungeon entrance somewhere in the world. For testing purposes, I put this dungeon in the middle of the path next to a save point. The real dungeon entrances are going to be more remote.
Inside the portal is a procedurally generated dungeon. This one is a 5x5 grid, each tile chosen at random from an array of possible tiles. The tiles are connected as a maze built using a recursive random depth-first search algorithm. The enemies and decorations are chosen from a set of possible themes, for example bandits, cultists, spiders, or necromancers.
The player then explores the dungeon, fights the enemies, defeats the boss, and wins the treasure. And maybe you'll get a map that starts a new legend.
So first you learn a legend, which provides you with a map.
Then you have to fill in the map using clues. Each clue can be used on certain spaces, and each clue modifies the legend's difficulty and treasure. You can learn clues directly from NPCs, but mostly you'll get clues from artifacts that you find.
I think it's important for the player to have interesting choices. So here you have the choice between selling artifacts for money, or using them for clues to find the next dungeon.
When you have enough clues to complete the legend, you unlock a dungeon entrance somewhere in the world. For testing purposes, I put this dungeon in the middle of the path next to a save point. The real dungeon entrances are going to be more remote.
Inside the portal is a procedurally generated dungeon. This one is a 5x5 grid, each tile chosen at random from an array of possible tiles. The tiles are connected as a maze built using a recursive random depth-first search algorithm. The enemies and decorations are chosen from a set of possible themes, for example bandits, cultists, spiders, or necromancers.
The player then explores the dungeon, fights the enemies, defeats the boss, and wins the treasure. And maybe you'll get a map that starts a new legend.