Procedurally Generated Dungeons?

andreasv · December 2017

The Division has something similar in their Underground DLC. It's basically the same huge map but each run will lead you on different routes with different enemies (only 3 factions I believe) and bosses. Certain smaller things can happen as well, like skill jammers in some rooms or fog to decrease visibility. And they recently added the chance that some tough enemies can spawn that give great loot.

Taking into account the different possibilities as well as the option to add up to 3 stages (3 consecutive runs) and other choices (disable mini map or health draining at constant rate), this is an amazing way to grind for loot.

Ajaxandriel · December 2017

Would be great and more immersive than the "time loops" we have now

TES:Arena performed Generated maps from the very begingin of the franchise

jakeedmundson · December 2017

Calsifer wrote: »

(personally I am too stupid to do puzzles on the fly)

I gave you an "awesome" for the idea because it sounds fun... but this line was really funny to me.
Gotta love an honest person.

Addition:
The only issue i see some people having with this is possible interference with the lore/quests. Say you go into spindleclutch 1 and assume there will be spiders everywhere because, hey, its a spider cave. And then finding a bunch of daedroth or something instead.

Personally i have no issue with this because variety is the spice of life. Games are no different.

ol_BANK_lo · December 2017

Calsifer wrote: »

Hey Dev Team,

I was just curious, but has any thought been put into a procedurally generated dungeon to shake things up as it were? Much like how in the early days of a game with a certain "El Diablo" in which the levels were always different each time you played them?

This would break up the monotonous nature of running random (seen it, been there, done that) dungeons.

My thoughs would be along the lines of a dungeon that has random map layouts, and bosses (with random abilities). This would blind side every group each time the dungeon is run. You would never know what to expect each run and could never anticipate exactly what skills would need to be brought to the table.

Well balanced characters might take a bit longer to get through the dungeon, but so called "glass cannons" might not have the tool sets necessary to just BLAST their way through it. Perhaps skills based on the class/role you chose would make suitable obstacles/objectives possible, i.e. doors that require the highest level of lockpicking, or bottomless pits that require streak to get across, to then lower a bridge for non teleporting characters to get across.

Not necessarily making things puzzles. (personally I am too stupid to do puzzles on the fly) But adding new content constantly without the need for a DLC or at least something to truly hold us over and give us an ADVENTURE rather than simply the normal dungeon thrashing that happens now.

Individual mechanics could be learned, but not anticipated for each run. The fire runes on the floor the first time you run around the 3rd corder may be a boss next time or trash the following time, or even a dead end. (as the map should be constantly changing with each new run) Not many new textures would be required, as with Skyrim, while many caves look to have exactly the same textures and a few similar rooms, they had different layouts using the same "tool set" so to speak.

I believe this proposition would allow the dev team more time to bring QUALITY DLCs and chapters.

I don't know if I have an opinion on this idea in and of itself....but holy crap would doing these dungeons with randoms in Group Finder be awful. It's bad enough now, but it would be impossible running with pugs.

badmojo · December 2017

I just dont think these dungeons would be on par with the art style and attention to detail seen in this game. There are many different places in this game that use all the same assets, but they almost always feel different because of how the artist laid them out with so much care and detail. I cant see that look and feel translating very well into procedural generation, not without a massive amount of work from the design team.

I could forgive a drop in quality, but this is their baby and I doubt they will.

VaranisArano · December 2017

BANK_IT_HERE wrote: »

Calsifer wrote: »

Hey Dev Team,

I was just curious, but has any thought been put into a procedurally generated dungeon to shake things up as it were? Much like how in the early days of a game with a certain "El Diablo" in which the levels were always different each time you played them?

This would break up the monotonous nature of running random (seen it, been there, done that) dungeons.

My thoughs would be along the lines of a dungeon that has random map layouts, and bosses (with random abilities). This would blind side every group each time the dungeon is run. You would never know what to expect each run and could never anticipate exactly what skills would need to be brought to the table.

Well balanced characters might take a bit longer to get through the dungeon, but so called "glass cannons" might not have the tool sets necessary to just BLAST their way through it. Perhaps skills based on the class/role you chose would make suitable obstacles/objectives possible, i.e. doors that require the highest level of lockpicking, or bottomless pits that require streak to get across, to then lower a bridge for non teleporting characters to get across.

Not necessarily making things puzzles. (personally I am too stupid to do puzzles on the fly) But adding new content constantly without the need for a DLC or at least something to truly hold us over and give us an ADVENTURE rather than simply the normal dungeon thrashing that happens now.

Individual mechanics could be learned, but not anticipated for each run. The fire runes on the floor the first time you run around the 3rd corder may be a boss next time or trash the following time, or even a dead end. (as the map should be constantly changing with each new run) Not many new textures would be required, as with Skyrim, while many caves look to have exactly the same textures and a few similar rooms, they had different layouts using the same "tool set" so to speak.

I believe this proposition would allow the dev team more time to bring QUALITY DLCs and chapters.

I don't know if I have an opinion on this idea in and of itself....but holy crap would doing these dungeons with randoms in Group Finder be awful. It's bad enough now, but it would be impossible running with pugs.

It sounds like it could awesome doing it with friends in voice chat. For PUGs, who aren't necessarily self-reliant or flexible on the best of days, I agree with you.

Motherball · December 2017

BANK_IT_HERE wrote: »

holy crap would doing these dungeons with randoms in Group Finder be awful. It's bad enough now, but it would be impossible running with pugs.

Not sure how it would be any different. Players would still be as unprepared as they are now. At least everyone would be (almost) equally unprepared in this circumstance.

VaranisArano · December 2017

Motherball wrote: »

BANK_IT_HERE wrote: »

holy crap would doing these dungeons with randoms in Group Finder be awful. It's bad enough now, but it would be impossible running with pugs.

Not sure how it would be any different. Players would still be as unprepared as they are now. At least everyone would be (almost) equally unprepared in this circumstance.

If I get unprepared players in my group in a random dungeon, I can usually carry them through it with sufficient DPS, solid tanking, or good heals/DPS depending on what role I'm in.

If we are all unprepared and I'm having to adapt what I'm doing on the fly to a situation I've never seen before and mechanics I don't know...that's a cluster**** waiting to happen. Its one thing to do that with friends on voice chat, that can be a ton of fun! But with a random group with text in chat, not so much, and it would be worse for those not on PC.