red_kangaroo wrote
BTW, will the maze floor generator be included in the next release?
Yes definitely!
red_kangaroo wrote
Thinking about another special floor...
Basically, the player has to fight through a series of rooms, each with a stonger mosnter than the room before. All the doors are locked with an octagonal lock, making it more or less the player's choice when he will tackle each.
Sounds like the tactical level I have planned for the dungeon, probably along the lines of what you suggested. I don't have a design strategy for this, so I will appreciate any input for this.
EDIT 2: (Last one, I swear!)
red_kangaroo wrote
Thinking about the several forms of Xinroch the player will meet, what if we base it a bit on Egyptian concept of body and soul? Basically, everyone has several parts or types of souls and the player could battle all pieces of dead Xinroch.
Skeleton of Xinroch
The current Xinroch, is he didn't appear elsewhere yet. Melee fighter type.
Shadow of Xinroch
His
sheut, could be quite weak, but with huge Dex and Agi, making him quick and capable of criticals. Can also walk through walls.
Spirit of Xinroch
His
ba, probably should be spellcaster for a change. Can walk through walls.
Soul of Xinroch
His
ka and the final boss. Warrior-wizard, because casters in IVAN are powerful and combining magic and melee prowess could be lethal and !!Fun!!. Can walk through walls and might even teleport.
This is a really boss idea. Will take a bit of thinking to make it function properly. I like the idea of fighting different forms of the same boss, a bit like Doukutsu Monogatari.
red_kangaroo wrote
I was also thinking about an artifact cloak "Shadow Veil" found in this dungeon (and non-wishable). It would grant no AV, but ethereal status (as ghosts have), letting the player walk through walls.
This last one is crazy good. I'd never thought of this at all... Will have to run some experiments.
chaostrom wrote
So, I had an idea.
Normally Xinroch uses a sword and shield; red_kangaroo suggested having him dual wield as in the story. Except since the story is based on the game I had one of them become lost.
I also made a suggestion that for additional length we could have another dungeon.
Well, what if the additional dungeon was in pursuit of Xinroch's final form, and the final form has the other flaming sword? We can make it an artifact to reward players for beating Xinroch once and for all.
I like this too. The road to the additional dungeon could be reached by taking a portal which you could, for example, reach only by Ethereal status (meaning you would need to have the Shadow Veil, or be a ghost).
At the moment, my thinking has been to have two forms of boss, normal skeleton Xinroch, and a resurrected Grand Master Dark Knight Xinroch. But this is subject to change, as always. I also have the "Skull of Xinroch" in mind as a kind of artifact. I don't know what it will do. I like the Shadow Veil and the lost flaming sword, and I'd like to incorporate those somehow.
I have the following immediate problem: I haven't got any clear sense of how to arrange the victory types. For example:
SPOILER ALERT. Click here to see text.Avatar of Chaos (score x3) and High Priest (score x5) victories are still the highest victory tiers. Which is okay.
How to substitute Freedom and Knighthood victories?
Could there be a Freedom victory and a Dark Knighthood victory offered by the Tomb of Xinroch?
I'm planning for a necromancer in the jail cells in the Attnamese catacombs to tip the player off about the tomb location, in exchange for the scroll. But I still want Petrus to give out a freedom victory for assailing the Tomb of Xinroch... How to do this mechanic? The reason is because I want the player to have a shot at considering his options to do good or evil in the world.
So I'm thinking the following:
SPOILER ALERT. Click here to see text.(score x2) Freedom: Bring back a Xinroch artifact (Skull or Veil or something, but not Lost Sword?) to Petrus to show you have defeated Xinroch and earn Freedom victory (Lawful victory type)
(score x3) Dark Knighthood: Beat all the Xinroch incarnations and deliver a Xinroch artefact (Lost Sword?) to the Necro dude in the cellars (??) or take over the mausoleum entrance on Level 1 (??) - honestly I have no clue how to do the narrative part to make this fit together properly.
(score x3) Avatar of Chaos
(score x4) Enhanced Avatar of Chaos - this is Dark Knighthood tier with all the Xinroch artefacts (Skull, Veil and Lost flaming Sword), plus conventional Avatar of Chaos victory, involving the nut.
(score x5) High Priest
My plan: Release what I've got in September, and then test things out and get feedback, ready for a final form at Christmas.