So, tell us about yourself...

[Ameena]

Yeah, I've got the Gor coin, and the "map". I brought them along when we had the DM's-20th-anniversary forum meet.

[Balthus]

Jan, I'd like to finish the dungeon. Unfortunately, my computer literacy is very limited. Half of the things I'd like to do for the dungeon I have no idea how to. Sure, I can muck about and change the basics of the game, but anything more in depth than that and I'm lost.

Have there ever been any multi-developer dungeon?

[ian_scho]

Have there ever been any multi-developer dungeon?

The only one I know is called... "Team Dugeon"!

[beowuuf]

That's true. The limit of DMute at the time and the difficulty of co-ordinating people meant it was never properly finished, but it has some interesting stuff in there!

[Balthus]

I didn't like DMute much. The game seemed too sloppy, for me, in both look and gameplay.

The way I had envisioned a multi-developer dungeon was like this.
The story is basic. Go in and kill the bad guy.

One person would develop levels 1-3, the hall of champions would remain untouched.
A second person would develop levels 4-7.
A third 8-11.
The fourth would do 12 and 13.

Developers are allowed as much freedom as they desire for their levels. There would only be three absolute requirements.
1st. The main staircases leading down would stay in the same position as the original game.
2nd. The wallsets must be the same throughout the entire dungeon.
3rd. Unless there are going to be multi-level puzzles or a set of specific items needed for deeper levels, there is to be no communication between developers about what their levels look like and what they have in placed inside.

[beowuuf]

Dmute was a method of altering the basic PC DM files - but you couldn't add more creatures/items/mechanical objects, only by mutating existing ones (or deleting ones to create new ones). Not sure which clone you are thinking of.


For your point 3, if no one knows what's on the previous levels, you don't know the power level of the party. I guess clue objects, etc don't need to be a gotcha four or more levels deeper, but it does help to know in general how the progression of weapons/armour flasks, and also how many consumeables (such as bombs and charged items) the party have at theier disposal.

[Balthus]

RTC is the clone I would consider using. I think it would be best to use the same progression, in skill level, armor and weapons, as the original game. Yes, knowing a little ahead of time would help, but that defeats the purpose. It is meant to be a challenge to the player, not easy.
Remember the first time you entered the purple worm level? The first time I went through it my party was in the red for thirst, by the end, and not a single fountain anywhere on the level. I didn't stock up on water before hand. I didn't know that was what was going to happen. Hell, I almost ran out of food before I met the pain rats.
Consumables are just that, consumables. If you use them up then they are gone, simple as that. Developers would have to carefully decide on what consumables they would put in.

[Gambit37]

Just a reminder that this thread is for general welcome chat. If you want to discuss a team dungeon, please start a thread for it in the custom dungeons forum, it would make more sense there, thanks.

[Balthus]

That would be my fault. Sorry.

[Gambit37]

No problem, it just makes more sense to have things in the right place, or interesting discussions can get lost. I can move the start of the Multi Author Dungeon idea to a new thread if you like?

[Balthus]

No, I'll start the thread and see where it goes from there.

[lavalevel]

Hey guys! My name is Eric Kinkead. I am of course a long time fan of Dungeon Master with an interesting history. I got involved in games early, pre Atari ST Amiga days. released my first game on an Atari ST actually. Then I went of the work in the arcade coin-op industry. There I worked a lot with Joe Linoff and -briefly- with David Simon both of DM2 fame.

Needless to say I have been lurking, and lurking hard before I started working on my own CRPG for mobile devices. However I have been reluctant to look at much as I get -easily- distracted and especially thrown off if I see others working on something similar to what I am working on. Call it writers paranoia or what have you... but yea. Now that what I am working on is at the stage that I can show it off, I feel more comfortable about hanging around and talking DM! I plan on playing through DM again when my game releases to blow off steam. I will be coming back here much and plan to contribute actively to the DM community.

More about the games I worked on can be found at my interactive portfolio site in my signature.

Thanks guys!

[beowuuf]

Welcome to the forums! A friend of Selie's then?

[Jan]

Hello, LavaLevel, welcome on board, it's excellent to have someone like you here!

QuestLord certainly looks pretty impressive! Good luck with that project!

And, come on, tell us something about your experiences with DM / CSB.

[Ameena]

Hey, welcome Lava . Nice that you decided to join our little corner of the Internet and hopefully you can tell us all your silly stories about DM and stuff .

[lavalevel]

Beowulf, yes! On Facebook she suggested that I share my game here actually and suggested that I would get a warm welcome! And she was right!

Jan, ok! This thread is 614 deep so I will make a new one under DM! I have a question to ask on there too...

[lavalevel]

Hey thanks Flippy (missed that one!)

[Ameena]

Hehe, it's "Fippy" (named after the most famous gnoll on Norrath), but that's just who my avatar is a picture of - I altered Wuuf's pic from DM and for some reason felt like labelling it with his name in massive green blobby letters above his head, lol.

[lavalevel]

haha! That's awesome. Inspired me to change my avatar to something more appropriate. Not sure why I thought there was an L in there! It's in my dyslexic nature!

[Sasha]

Hello everyone ! I stumbled across this thread, which I found really pleasant to read ! So here's my contribution :

My name is Lucas (damn, that's the worst introduction phrase ever), I'm french. Anyway, both Suzanne Vega and FTL released their major title the year I was born. By that time, my father owned an Atari ST (provided by the company he worked at, I think, although that really doesn't matter at all) . We got the game a few years later ; I remember watching my older brothers playing it, both fascinated and really scared (I couldn't even touch the keyboard while the game was running ). I really started playing it when I was 7-8, but couldn't get really far yet ; then, a few tears later, on the PC version (or emulated ST, can't remember), I finally fused the bad guy. Needless to say It became one of my favourite game ever.

Now for something completely different (well not-DM related things) :
I love :
-60's-70's music (mostly). ; I play guitar and bass. Mark Knopfler is probably my favourite musician (a list would be too long...)
-Computer games , mostly RPG's, and RT/turn based strategy games. (I'm especially fond of the Baldur's Gate and the HOM&M series)
-Cats (no concession about that - most of my girlfriends have actually been jealous, at some point, of my cat )

I studied literature for a bunch of years, then made a U-turn three years ago. I'll officialy be a nurse in a few months (therefore I should have a lot of work to do at the moment, that's why I'm spending all my time on DSB .) !

[beowuuf]

Cool to get to know the person behind the dungeon releaser!: )

Edit: And congratulations on nursehood!

[Jan]

Wow about that U-turn, sounds very practical, useful and kind of... fulfilling personally. I'm an "academic" but recently I've been thinking of a similar U-turn too.

I couldn't even touch the keyboard while the game was running

LOL, I'm so happy that I was born as the elder brother.

then, a few tears later

Was it a typo or not?

[Sasha]

then, a few tears later

Was it a typo or not?

Damn, didn't even notice this one. I won't edit it, it makes sense too

Wow about that U-turn, sounds very practical, useful and kind of... fulfilling personally. I'm an "academic" but recently I've been thinking of a similar U-turn too.

I certainly do not regret it. Well some days are harder than others.

Cool to get to know the person behind the dungeon releaser!: )

Edit: And congratulations on nursehood!

Thank you

[vazkor7]

Hi,

I am Alex, I am 33 years old, from Eastern France.

I have been a fan of Dungeon Master since long time, I first discovered the game in 1988. I was then 9 years old, and I will always remember the day I discovered DM :

My father had bought a brand new AtariST, including 2 games (Test Drive and Winter Olympics), but had to send it back to shop for some problem.
He did not notice when he got it back that the seller from the shop had forgotten a floppy in the drive... a simple little floppy disk, with a blank sticker and nothing written on it.
At this time, I used to come back early from elementary school, and each afternoon I had to spend 1 hours alone at home, waiting that my parents come back from work.
This was a stormy day, some of this days when the light is so dark that you think night is coming at noon time. I switched on the computer, thinking the Test Drive disk was in it, but it was the floppy from the shop.

As you might guess, the blank floppy from the shop seller was Dungeon Master...

black door
click click enter
walk through the maze... huh? what s that? labyrinth game?
oh some nice paintings...
wait i can click them...
mmmh
oh, a door!
oh, some stairs going down....
huh, it's dark in there...
oh, another door...
*typical DM door sound*
oh something is moving...
*typical DM mummy sound*
!!!

I remember switching off the computer because I was so scared!!

I remember this very moment was my first video game thrill and it opened a complete unknown world to me. Adding the fact that I did not speak english at that time, DM had a kind of mystical aura, like the first Europeans reading hieroglyph

You might think this is a weird introduction, but DM is a part of me, like a good book that you have read and that you always think of.
I still play it, like a "pelerinage" each year, and each time it is an infinite pleasure. The same pleasure I have when I read Lord of the rings for another time.

I am so happy now to see that so much people are enjoying the game as much as I did and do.

Sincerely,
Alex

[ian_scho]

Great imagery. Thanks for sharing Alex!

[Ameena]

Hey cool, that's a really cool way to first discover DM, lol . Welcome to the forum!

[beowuuf]

Welcome to the forums! That is a fantastic way to discover Dungeon Master, I can see why it left an impression

[Jan]

Wow, that's perhaps the best introduction to DM - a very good story!

Welcome to the forums!

I still play it, like a "pelerinage" each year, and each time it is an infinite pleasure. The same pleasure I have when I read Lord of the rings for another time.

Yeah, it's the same with me. DM and the LotR - well, perhaps not every year, but usually on holidays - a great pleasure and kind of "return to my childhood"!

[vazkor7]

Thanks all for your warm welcome!

[Torham Zed]

My name is Mark, I've been an on/off lurker for..... who knows. Long time. Always found answers so I never needed to post.

I played Dungeon Master(series) games years ago, along with EOB and a few others. From time to time I've gone back to play again.

Now that I'm in college learning how to create my own software it seems like a good idea to pickup a side project to work on, to practice and learn coding and something DM related ranks pretty high on my list. It's easier to learn when you have an interest in what you're coding, eh?