Halls Hopper
Posts: 72
Joined: Wednesday, 5th January 2011, 21:48
Variable length branches
So, my idea is that Instead of just straight chopping off floors from branches, what if they were made variable instead? For instance, take Snake: instead of being five floors, including the branch-end, could be made 2+1d3 (average 4) floors, or perhaps, more conservatively, 2+1d4 (average 4.5) floors. The effect would be:
1.) The mid-game, overall, would be slightly shorter. (see the other thread linked above for pros and cons of this)
2.) Magic Mapping scrolls would be now worth a whole lot more in the mid-game, rather than just as a resource to hoard for the end.
3.) The current optimal strategy of skipping branch ends would have a big ole' wrench thrown into its gears, as:
- Exploring only the first two "safe" floors of the post-orc branches would drastically shorten a player's bearings-gaining midgame.
- You might not know if you're in a branch end until you're halfway through it, at which point you'll be more likely to either say, "hey, yeah, I can do this...", or start freaking out because you're sure you're about to die, or maybe one after the other.
A bit of uncertainty in a player's long-term plans seems like the rougelike way to do it, at any rate!