Dungeon Master
Posts: 1531
Joined: Saturday, 5th March 2011, 06:29
Tuesday, 28th June 2011, 21:33
Spider Vault WIP - Feedback
Galehar asked for Spiders Nest portal vaults and I started making one. I feel it's far from usable right now but could be quite interesting with some tweaking.
I wanted to create a map that was like a giant spider web. So there's a main spiral path that you can follow to the center, and lateral narrow "spoke" tunnels filled with deep water; so spiders can potentially cling thru those tunnels, but you can't unless you have lev, cling or some other water ability.
Right now I feel the randomisation kind of makes things too messy, and it's not really helped by the slanted corridors. It just ends up a bit annoying and awkward to navigate. Although it looks nice on the minimap.
I haven't spent too long on monster placement, since if I change the layout significantly I'd need to redo them all anyway. There are a couple of little bubble rooms off the main corridor and I'll add more of these, having some rooms open up based on triggers.
What I want to create are a few points on the junctions where spiders can swarm out of the spokes and have a chance of surrounding you; you can't back up against many walls or into hollows since there's mostly deep water on both sides of the tunnel. But the randomness will hopefully create the odd tactical position you can use.
I think the hard bit to balance is that I want a few monsters to wake up when you hit a junction, especially if you're using noisy weapons; but not have the danger of everything from the whole level rushing in at those points.
So if anyone has any tips or ideas on any of this, I'd love some pointers. What I'm thinking about first of all is just making most of the corridors straight lines, and having more patches of non-water in the middle regions of corridors so you're not wading the entire way, and offering some more tactical retreat space. Also it's probably too big, and changing to straight corridors would let me make it a bit smaller.
Something else I thought it'd be nice to use in general in Spiders Nest would be a "spider web" tile - basically a blocking tile that only spiders can walk through and you have to clear out of your way at times. You could have some nice traps where you get penned in by webbing and spiders are released.
I wanted to create a map that was like a giant spider web. So there's a main spiral path that you can follow to the center, and lateral narrow "spoke" tunnels filled with deep water; so spiders can potentially cling thru those tunnels, but you can't unless you have lev, cling or some other water ability.
Right now I feel the randomisation kind of makes things too messy, and it's not really helped by the slanted corridors. It just ends up a bit annoying and awkward to navigate. Although it looks nice on the minimap.
I haven't spent too long on monster placement, since if I change the layout significantly I'd need to redo them all anyway. There are a couple of little bubble rooms off the main corridor and I'll add more of these, having some rooms open up based on triggers.
What I want to create are a few points on the junctions where spiders can swarm out of the spokes and have a chance of surrounding you; you can't back up against many walls or into hollows since there's mostly deep water on both sides of the tunnel. But the randomness will hopefully create the odd tactical position you can use.
I think the hard bit to balance is that I want a few monsters to wake up when you hit a junction, especially if you're using noisy weapons; but not have the danger of everything from the whole level rushing in at those points.
So if anyone has any tips or ideas on any of this, I'd love some pointers. What I'm thinking about first of all is just making most of the corridors straight lines, and having more patches of non-water in the middle regions of corridors so you're not wading the entire way, and offering some more tactical retreat space. Also it's probably too big, and changing to straight corridors would let me make it a bit smaller.
Something else I thought it'd be nice to use in general in Spiders Nest would be a "spider web" tile - basically a blocking tile that only spiders can walk through and you have to clear out of your way at times. You could have some nice traps where you get penned in by webbing and spiders are released.
- Code:
####################################################################
# Spider Web layout by Mumra
# A main spiral path to follow with randomised walls and pools / deep water.
# Narrow deep water channels (Z) run laterally into the center; hopefully spiders can pathfind these and keep jumping out at the player.
# The player could use them to head straight for the center with levitate or cling, but it could be dangerous getting blocked in.
#
#--|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NAME: mumra_spider_spiderweb
TAGS: spiders_nest no_item_gen no_monster_gen no_pool_fixup no_rotate
ORIENT: encompass
: spiders_nest_colours(_G)
: spiders_nest_random_monster_set(_G)
epilogue{{
spiders_nest_milestone(_G)
}}
SUBST: . = W w:15 x:4
SUBST: 7 = 7 B:5
SUBST: B = .:6 W
SUBST: D = .
SUBST: Z = W w:35 .:2
NSUBST: s = 2:. / *:*
KMONS: 1 = tarantella
KMONS: 2 = redback
KMONS: 3 = jumping spider
KMONS: 4 = jumping spider / wolf spider
KMONS: 5 = wolf spider
KMONS: 6 = spider
KMONS: 7 = trapdoor spider
KITEM: t = piece of ambrosia
MAP
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.........6.....................6xxxxxxxxx..xx
xxxxxxxxDDDDBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB........BBBBBBBBB..xxxxxx.5*.x
xxxxxxxDDxDZxxxxxxxxxx.......BBBBBBBB6........BB.xxxxx.B4.x
xxxxxxDDxxZxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxZ..B.xxx.Z5B.x
xxxxxxDxxxxZxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxZZxx.B.xZxZx.xxx
xxxxxDDxxxxZxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx3xxxxxxxxxxZxxxxx.BZxZxxxxxx
xxxxxDxxxxxxZBB....BBBBBB7B........BBB....Zxxxxx.B.xxxxxxxx
xxxxDxxxx..BBxBBBBB3.......BBBBBBBB...BBB..xxxxxx.B.xxxxxxx
xxxDxxxx..B..B...xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx...Z.BB.xxxxx.7.xxxxxxx
xxDxxxxx.B.xxxZxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxZxxx.B.xxxxx.B.xxxxxx
xxDxxxx.B.xxxxxZxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxZxxxx.B.xxxxx.B.xxxxxx
xAxxxxx.B.xxxxxxZZZxxxxxx..BB.xxxxxxxZxxxxx2B.xxxxx5B.xxxxx
x<xxxx.B.xxxxxxxxxxZx..BBBB..BB7B.x.xxZxxxxx.B.xxxx.B.xxxxx
xxxxxx.B.xxxxxxxxxZ.BBB...xxxxxx.BBBBZxxxxxx.B.xxxxx.B.xxxx
xxxxx.B.xxxxxxxxxx.B.Zxxxxxxxxxxxxx.ZB.xxxxxx.B.xxxx6B.xxxx
xxxxx.B.xxxxxxxxx.B.xxZZx.BBBBB.xxxxZxB.xxxxxx.B5xxxx.B5xxx
xxxx3B.xxxxxxxxx.B2xxxx.BBxx..xB.xxZxxxB.xxxxxx.B.xxx.B.xxx
xxxx.B.xxxxxxxx.B.xxxx.BxxZxxxxxBxZxxxxxB.xxxZZ.B.Zxxx.B.xx
xxxx.Bxxxxxxxx.B.xxxx.BxxxxZxxs327BBxxxxxBZZZx5x.BxZxZZB.xx
xxx.B.xxxxxxx.B.xxxx.Bxx2xZwwwZZZwwwBZZZZ.Bxxxxx.BxxZxx.B.x
xxxB.xxxxxxx.B.xxxx.BxxxxtBwxwwwwwxwBZxxxx.Bxxx.B.xxxxx.B.x
xx.B.xxxxxx.B.xxxx.B.xxxxxBwwwwx1wwwBZ3xxx.Bxxx.B.xxxxx.B.x
xx.Bxxxxxx.B.xxxxxx.BBxxZZZsBBwwwxwBwwwwxxB.xxxB.xxxxxx.B.x
xxB.xZZxx.B.xxxxxxZZZZBBxxx4xtBswwwBwx1wxxB.xx.B3xxxxx5B.xx
x.BZZxxZx.B..xxxZZxxxxx.BB.xxx5xBBBZwwwwxB.xxx.Bxxxxxx.B.xx
xB.xxxxxZZ.BB..ZxxxxxxxxxxBBxxxxxxxZZxxxxB.xx.B.xxxxx.B.xxx
x.B.xxxxxx...BBB...xxxxxxxx.BB.xxxxxZxxxB.xxxB.xxxxxx.B.xxx
xx.Bxxxxxxxxx...BBB...xxxxxxxxBBxxxxxZxxB.xx.B.xxxxx.B.xxxx
x3x.Bxxxxxxxxxxx...BBB...xxxxxx.BB.xxZxB.xxxB..xxxxx.B.xxxx
xxxx.B.xxxxxxxxxxxx...BBB...xxxxx.B7BBB.xxx4B.xxxxx.B.xxxxx
xxxxxxB7Bxxxxxxxxxxxxx...BBB...xxxxxx..Zxxx.B4xxxxx.B.xxxxx
xxxxxxxx.BB.xxxxxxxxxxxxx...BBBB.xxxxxxZxx.B.xxxxx.B.xxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxx.B7B.xxxxxxxxxxxxx3...BB.xxxxxZx.B.xxxxx.B4xxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxx..BB.4xxxxxxxxxxxxx...BB.xxxZx.B.xxxx.B.xxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.BB...xxxxxxxxxxxxx..BB.xZ.B.xxxxx.B.xxxxxxx
xxxxxx..xxxxxxxxZZBBB...xxxxxxxxxxxxx.BBBB..xxx4.B.xxxxxxxx
xxxxx..5.xxxxxxxZxx..BBB...xxxxxxxxxxxxx...xxxxx.B.xxxxxxxx
xxxx..BB.xxxxxxZxxxxx...BBB...xxxxxxxxxxxxZxxxx.B.xxxxxxxxx
xxx..5BB3..xxxxZxxxxxxxx5..BBB...xxxxxxxxxxZxxx.7.xxxxxxxxx
xxx.BBBB*B...xxxZxxxxxxxxxx...BBB...xxxxxxxZxx.B.xxxxxxxxxx
xxx.B2B3BBBB7ZxxZxxxxxxxxxxxxx...BBB...xxxxxZx.B.xxxxxxxxxx
xx...BB*B4BB.xZZxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx...BBB...xxxZB.xxxxxxxxxxx
xx....BBBB..xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx...BBB....B.xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxx..4BB.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx...BBBB.xxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxx..B.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.....xxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxx..xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ENDMAP
