There are two separate elements here as I see it:

Procedurally generated dungeon maze: If it made sense for the dungeon, maybe it could be fun to have one with varying layout. I wouldn’t want all dungeons this way and it could make certain achievements harder to get, but for a unique dungeon or two it could potentially be fun.

PvP in dungeon: Definitely against killing group members! It could be a new form of BG in a format rather like IC sewers. More types of PvP could be fun — I personally find straight Deathmatch boring rather quickly — but I think it would take a lot more to bring more people into ESO PvP, such as in my opinion, better match-making (should be based on wins), better reward tracks, and maybe ranked PvP.

Sure. Why not.

FFXIV has one, and it is quite popular. It has its own specific gear, titles, achievements, etc. Very different playstyle as well..more rogue-like, with traps and mechanics that are specific to its depths.

Zuboko wrote: »

I had the idea of a procedurally generated maze cross my mind for a possible break in the normal pattern of group dungeon releases. It could be group or solo ran and you could opt (based on a selection the group picks) to have PVP elements to the dungeon (ie kill your group member to send them back to the start) and then the points at the end are given based on how quickly you were able to get through the maze.

It my experience, randomly generated dungeons or maps are one of those ideas that sound really cool on paper, but once implemented are meh. Having to run right instead of left or having the exit on the west side instead of east doesn't really add much to the gameplay.

I think the idea of letting players create their own dungeon runs (an idea that was floated on here awhile back) using the housing editor would be a better investment of the developer's time if they wanted to pursue something like this.

Zuboko wrote: »

Jeremy wrote: »

Zuboko wrote: »

I had the idea of a procedurally generated maze cross my mind for a possible break in the normal pattern of group dungeon releases. It could be group or solo ran and you could opt (based on a selection the group picks) to have PVP elements to the dungeon (ie kill your group member to send them back to the start) and then the points at the end are given based on how quickly you were able to get through the maze.

It my experience, randomly generated dungeons or maps are one of those ideas that sound really cool on paper, but once implemented are meh. Having to run right instead of left or having the exit on the west side instead of east doesn't really add much to the gameplay.

I think the idea of letting players create their own dungeon runs (an idea that was floated on here awhile back) using the housing editor would be a better investment of the developer's time if they wanted to pursue something like this.

Part of what got me thinking about it is a tidbit I heard that claims that Bethesda is supposedly planning on implementing some form of advanced procedural generation in Starfield.

I see.

Well it's possible if they have some new advanced method it could be more impactful. I've just never been that impressed with "randomly generated" dungeons in the past and it always sounds better than it ends up being.

I'd rather they work on fixing the PVP they have going right now then trying to add something new, due to the technical problems they are having with it.

The idea of procedurally generated dungeons isn't terrible per-se, but like Jeremy, I agree that it's something that always sounds better on paper than it is in practice. I've played several MMOS which used procedural generation in instanced dungeons, and believe it or not, it actually made them more boring and tedious to complete than they would have been had they been predictable due to the various annoyances procedural generation caused.

Visually, they were also very bland and repetitive compared to the more artistic approach used in pre-made dungeons. I have no idea if Bethesda has developed better methods of making such things more aesthetically pleasing, but when I played other games it was like "Oh, yay...a new room that looks just like the last room we left, but with a door on the other side and turned the other way around!...wow."

As for your PVP idea- I wouldn't want to PVP group members. However, Aion Online had a pretty fun PVP/PVE dungeon mechanic called Dredgion, where two groups of 6 fought against each other. The entire thing took place on an enormous air ship full of mobs, and the object of the game was to gain control of the ship and be the first to destroy it's leaders while contending with members of the opposite faction who were trying to do the same. Points were gained for both PVE and PVP kills, and first to reach the goal or have the most points won (To my recollection, the whole thing was timed, but I could be wrong. It's been a while since I've touched Aion due to the devs of that game running it into the ground.) These PVP/PVE instances were pretty fun and well designed, and required some tactical thinking to complete. I wouldn't mind something similar existing in ESO, but I wouldn't want it to be procedurally generated.

I think it would end up like a 3d version of Rogue: procedurally generated but all basically the same feel. It might be kind of fun for a bit, but I don't think you can beat handcrafted content. There are plenty of new and interesting me hsnica they could use though. I like the idea of separation: combining the me hsnica of Hel Ra (half group goes each way) with Spawn of Mephala (random player goes in the portal) could be fun, you could end up with a piece of content where the group got randomly split for a significant portion and you might have to adapt to not having a tank or a healer with you for (which might also require the content to be solvable in different ways).

The idea of a maze based dungeon is not bad. I generally like puzzles and would think that is fun, but I don't think it could be procedure generated. At least not completely...

Maybe if it was more of a hedge maze where parts of it would shift at times, and certain goal areas would have boss encounters that would be fun.

I would also rather it was a trial/arena type dungeon, because it would not be something I would want to do if I was just going to run a "daily" thing.

Nothing about dungeons, PvP, randomly generated content, or points/leadership boards appeals to me, and as others have pointed out this sort of thing when implemented elsewhere has never lived up to the expectations and has tended to get monotonous very quickly.

I don't really have an opinion on procedurally generated dungeons in ESO, but I've long hoped that ES6 would mark a return to the procedurally generated roots of the Elder Scrolls series (i.e. Arena and Daggerfall), along with technological advancements in procedural generation to overcome the generic/samey feel those early games have.

As a navigationally challenged person, I'd have to say no, but for other players, sure, could be an interesting mini game.

The idea's pretty rough, but I'm not sure what exactly the goal is either.

Sounds like some kind of battleground map you're going for?

I'm not opposed inherently to a changing dungeon but am very skeptical the current game and development team would be able to make a satisfactory experience with it.

Current dungeons are designed and implemented in painstaking detail by human beings. And they can still be buggy or don't work as expected. Letting the game engine randomly choose what's behind the next door just screams 'players falling through the void repeatedly' to me.


Aside: It already feels like the 'Vateshran Hollows' arena was a procedurally-generated series of rooms and corridors