Guild Wars 2

Anybody else remember Dungeon Runners?

I’ve played a few roguelikes over the years, and enjoyed every single one. From Gauntlet 2 to Mabinogi, from Fatal Labyrinth to Desktop Dungeons.

So i was thinking, given Anet’s past experience with roguelike dungeon creation, it would be interesting to add a pocket zone outside the normal world area (like the Mists or Hall of Memories), reachable by Asura Gate or something. On the other side of the gate would be a jump puzzle, and beyond that is a teensy-tiny village.

Not a fully fleshed out area, but more of an extra mini-game. Something that would reward players for coming back multiple times solely because the labyrinth wouldn’t be the same each time.

This village has lived at the foot of a tower for ages, secluded from the outside world, intent on keeping the evil power within the tower sealed away.

Agents of the dragon have found the tower and broken inside, and are now attempting to unleash what should have been left dormant.

Now, the heroes must climb the magical tower to disrupt the ceremony at the top floor. Due to it’s magical nature, the tower’s floors reconfigure their layout each time a group enters it.

The first few levels start out easy, but get progressively harder toward the top. I was thinking one floor would span 5 Character Levels (1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21-25, 26-30, 31-35, 36-40, 41-45, 46-50, 51-55, 56-60, 61-65, 66-70, 71-75, 76-80) And every 2 floors (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80) there would be a boss fight.

Perhaps as a fun gimmick/nostalgia the music could be composed of chip tune versions of music already in the game.

The final boss fight would involve disrupting the ceremony.

If the players succeed, the ceremony fails to revive the evil power at full strength, but it is revived and must be fought.

If the players fail to disrupt the ceremony, then the evil is revived at full strength and provides a tougher boss battle (i.e. multiple forms, more AoE attacks and crowd control, more immunities, etc…)

The reward for completing the tower could be a chest of armor/weapon skins unique to the tower, a mini-pet of each boss, special currency for items from the village (like the Dungeon vendors in Lion’s Arch).

EDIT: Watch Tower of Druaga for inspiration. Some areas look like dungeons, other areas look like out doors. It’s winter on one floor, an open meadow on the next. You can see the sky above, but wait! there’s a staircase going up into a hole in the sky. Some corridors would be booby trapped, not with spikes and pit falls, but magic explosions that transform you into a deer or rabbit for a short period of time, or even change your gender momentarily. Things like this are funny and distracting, but could be debilitating if they happen mid combat (who wants to be a rabbit when fighting a horde of skritt?)

Each time you enter the tower is an instance, same as Dungeons, so if your party can’t make it, nobody’s coming along to help you. There should be a Way Point at the village though. If the going gets tough, retreat, sell junk, relax for a bit, and then go back at it.

i just pictured this and i find it AMAZING +1 totally supporting this idea.

Thanks! hopefully we can get some more support.

I talked to a friend of mine in game and he liked the idea, so i know it’s not just me.

I was thinking of that one Personal Story, where you go into a dreamlike flash forward to a possible future with Trahearne and he gets that sword from the Pale Tree. The final ascent up the many flights of stairs, the golden glow of the atmosphere, the exciting music, and seeing that big bad evil guy at the top just waiting for you…. EPIC! That’s the kind of feel i’m hoping for with this, especially near the top.

I think it is an awesome idea. Those 100-floor dungeons could be really fun if but only if they are challenging/hard enough.

Something like this would be a great addition.

So we should get the think tank rolling!

I was originally planning on a round tower, but i think for this to work it needs to be a modular design, and modules work best with squares to my knowledge.

Additionally, there should be sufficient rewards for those who lack the time/Level to finish the tower in its entirety, but not as great as the rewards for reaching the top.

Each floor should have a Haven room. Some place where monsters will not go, maybe have a closed door or something. Players will need someplace to sit and rest up, recover, eat boon food, talk strategy, go to the bathroom, etc.

I think it would be great if even the bosses were randomized, but appropriately themed.

For instance, if the first couple floors appear to be just another dungeon, then the monsters and boss should look like they fit in with that environment (ghosts, gargoyles, a Boss Troll), the next couple floors might look like a grassy meadow with trees and ruins (hey, it’s a magical tower, it doesn’t have to all look like the indoors) and there you’d fight skritt, scale, drakes, etc.

I was thinking the final boss might be the only steady element, but even that could be randomized perhaps…

Earlier i stated that there should be two possible final boss fights: Ceremony interrupted, and uninterrupted.

The interrupted ceremony might, for instance, result in a magic cauldron becoming the vessel for the dark force, its essence billowing out, casting spells, defending itself as best it can. The players would have to navigate through magic barriers, Elemental attacks, and more cultists, to attack the vessel itself. Destroying it would of course bring an end to the evil… for now.

The uninterrupted ceremony would result in one of the remaining cultists becoming the vessel him/herself, and perhaps the appearance of the evil would change depending on the sex/species of the vessel.

Human Male: warrior like, greatsword and hammer. lots of health
2nd form: a brute beast, similar to a troll or destroyer troll, flaming aoe.

Human Female: mesmer like, lots of copies, teleports around.
2nd form: a wolf like beast with female features, similar to a wolf-norn, leaping attacks, lightning attunement.

It’s late and i’m running out of ideas.

There would of course be a final, 3rd form, consistent across all the permutations of its previous forms, that would be its true form. Defeating this would end the battle and let the heroes go back to the village victors.

100 floor dungeons like in SAO , (sword art online) would be cool with a boss room , jumping area’s and if possible adjusted to how many players are in a party so you can also solo it.

BlakThornArrow.2389:

100 floor dungeons like in SAO , (sword art online) would be cool with a boss room , jumping area’s and if possible adjusted to how many players are in a party so you can also solo it.

Ability to solo content makes it walk in a park for party so it is a bad idea overall.

I was thinking a soloable instance would be fun as well, but not if it sacrificed the challenge for parties. If they could make it appropriately challenging for both, then it’s not a bad idea, just a difficult proposition.

EDIT: perhaps the first few levels could be soloable, but then reach a point at which you’d need a party. Kinda like how i can solo a group of 4-6 ettins and a veteran in Queensdale on my lv 80 warrior, but if i tried that in Sparkfly Fen or down near Fort Trinity i could very well be in trouble unless i stay on my toes.

BlakThornArrow.2389:

100 floor dungeons like in SAO , (sword art online) would be cool with a boss room , jumping area’s and if possible adjusted to how many players are in a party so you can also solo it.

I’ve been watching that recently, didn’t realize they made a game of it.

Sword Art Online, Tower of Druaga, Ys, Lufia, Fatal Labyrinth, Gauntlet 4, Krull, Conan the Destroyer, Castlevania, Legend of Zelda. So many sources to pull ideas from.

A jump puzzle room, if you fall, you get impaled on spikes.

A mirror room, enemies spawn that are replicas of the player’s own characters.

Also, there could be harvest nodes that yield items that create bundles. Things like exploding ice crystals, or a flaming brand, something any profession could use against enemies with elemental weaknesses.

I was also thinking of having the levels rendered one floor at a time, but some floors could have more height to them, so you’d start on one floor, go up a flight of stairs, and find holes in the ground to the floor below. Makes it tricky that way. In fact, holes in the floor could be part of the puzzle. Work your way to the stairs, go up a floor, fall down a hole, find the exit.

Fractals of the Mists is out now. I have to say this is pretty close to what was discussed in some ways, but lacking the sense of intent i was hoping for.

It’s more of a wild excursion, rather than a pointed enterprise.

What are your thoughts? How could Fractals be made better?