Your preferred Order of Operations (OoO) when exploring a corridor

[King Crispy]

SCENARIO:

Your party is exploring a dark dank dungeon and is standing in a corridor which leads ahead into the unknown. Ahead, you can see a door to your right at about 10 feet distance. Another ten feet beyond that is another corridor which branches off to your left. Near the end of the main corridor it looks like there may be a large open space.

Which do you explore first? Which last? And, most importantly, why?

Discuss!

 

[rusty_shackleford]

I send my party ahead while I stay behind and offer moral support.

 

[King Crispy]

Personally, I hate opening doors right away. For some reason, I like to check as much of the "perimeter" of the dungeon as I can, so as (I guess) not to get outflanked or bum-rushed by monsters just waiting in ambush.

I am the ambusher. Not you.

Edit: I also tend to do this when exploring villages or other small establishments when playing RPGs. But not necessarily in large towns and cities.

 

[Neanderthal]

Use infra vision, detect traps, search floor, walls and roof for secret doors, then send stealthed scout ahead to listen at the door etc. Operate on information received.

 

[King Crispy]

Just to be clear, we're talking about computer RPGs here. Not PnP. Duh.

 

[mondblut]

1. save game
2. corridor
3. large open space (bound to have a set piece battle)
4. door

Just to be clear, we're talking about computer RPGs here. Not PnP. Duh.

Oh, also bump into walls at every step then, who knows where the fake wall is.

 

[Neanderthal]

Just to be clear, we're talking about computer RPGs here. Not PnP. Duh.

Oh it doesn't matter then, hoover up all xp and loot in whatever order.

 

[V_K]

Follow either left wall or right wall, whichever I feel like at the moment.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Rinslin Merwind]

If real time combat:
1) Saving game
2) Setting up traps in corridor where my party stands (magical and mechanical) and my party buff up with spells and/or potions. Casters prepare their AOE spells, sharpshooters reload their guns (if setting includes technology ofc)
3) Sending stealthy character to check out door on traps and whats beyond door
4) Checking whats beyond door, if there any enemies - lure them into "warm" welcome from main party. If there not - next step.
5) Sending stealthy character into corridor with large space at the end to lure enemies again into ambush.
6) Checking secret doors and loot after all enemies are dead.
If turn based combat:
1) Saving
2) Sending stealth master in corridor with open space.
3) Checking on enemies and traps in place (and disable traps if possible)
4) Casters prepare their AOE spells, sharpshooters reload their guns (if setting includes technology ofc).
5) Marsh into open space in specific formation. If possible someone should stay behind to watch backs of others.
6) Kill everything and discovering secret doors. After go back into corridor with door.
7) One member of party opens door, others staying behind in ambush. If combat starts - guy who opens door QUICKLY retreat to rest of party. Enemies rushing into door and getting killed.
8) Looting place and finding secret doors.

 

[Swigen]

I just use my witcher senses and follow the red mist ‘cause I really can’t be arsed to carry any more bullshit “ingredients” and just wanna get this shit over with as fast as possible.

 

[King Crispy]

Rinslin, you forgot a step:

7) Reload game from step 1 after discovering there was nothing there.

 

[DalekFlay]

Really don't think I have any kind of standard process. Just kind of pick a direction. That said I'd probably do the small areas before the big one.

 

[mushaden]

establish a perimeter of the dungeon, then go into the middle

 

[hivemind]

i just walk into the first door I see because I'm not autsitic

 

[Whiny-Butthurt-Liberal]

I put on my robe and wizard's hat.

 

[Shadowfang]

I always go to the nearest door unless it ends up leading to the exit/next level

 

[octavius]

In order to minimize chance of random encounters, the party will try to take as few steps as possible.
So definitely check door first, since it's likely to be a single room.
Then check out the large space in case it's just a big cave. If it is, explore. If there are more than one additional exit, backtrack and explore the corridor to the left (now right) of the main corridor first.

 

[buffalo bill]

This is an unrealistic situation: they don't make cRPGs with that many choices anymore.

 

[Deleted Member 16721]

It depends. If I see the door is heading to another 'area', I will explore this level fully first. If it's 50/50, I'd probably still explore the whole level and then open the door, but who knows. It's whatever I'm feeling at the time, really.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

I grew up on old RPGs where maps weren't available, so right hand rule.

 

[Deleted Member 16721]

Anyone who has an Order of Operations probably is a bit of an RPG Control Freak and needs to chill a bit. No offense meant, RPG Control Freakism is a common thing with gamers.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[King Crispy]

I assume by "opening all of them" you mean that you'd open the furthest door, gain aggro (sorry for the MMO terminology) (assuming there is something beyond said door), flee towards next farthest door, open that, grab aggro there (assuming again), flee towards next door, repeat, until all monsters are in a nice train hounding your ass then you somehow time the fireball to engulf them all in one big group.

No wonder you're so obsessed with the perfect character build. You have some of the worst dungeoneering strategy I can think of.

---

Now, if you had said you'd use a combination of Entangle, Grease, Blade Barrier, etc., THEN a fireball, assuming you can somehow time all this perfectly with the awaiting spellcasters so as not to catch your own fleeing party members in the various areas-of-effect...

Nah. No one's that good.

 

[deuxhero]

Doors wait till I've checked the rest of the "room". Either they have a boss in them or the dungeon continues past them, especially so in games where doors are loading areas. Both possibilities go against fully maping the dungeon.