Dungeon "GrandMaster"(old work in progresss)

[dmologist]

sigh alot of real bad news about this... some time ago i lost the dungeon i was working on

I started all over and got near the same place when i sorta mistakely ended up deleting all trace of dm, csb, dm2 from my computer with no backups so i re downloaded that stuff again, i was working on it late novermber(had alot to do) when i had other comitments....I really didn't tihnk i'd have free time this month or the next... however what i never planed on and comes the harshest news: dec 1st running to catch a buss home I slip and Broke my LEG the news gets worse. It turns out i broke a bone that will take about 6 month's to heal. i have limited time off the couch and i've already been online too long right now. once i can get my computer turned on(so i can access my DM stuff from this other computer) I'll see about using my time with htis computer to do more editing. On the plus side it has made me more determined to make it even harder. next time someone is around i'll tell them to turn on my computer re "Grandmaster" details. it is pretty much the same DM game except trying to make it harder and better reward's. example that any monster that have more then 1 in a group(like worms, mummies ect) they are set to max. generally alot more HP for monsters in levels. insane about of HP for specail monsters(just wait for the dragon ^_^), generators set to max, sometimes taking out weak monsters in level to be replaced by something harder. tiggers are pretty much set to everything, meaning level 4 is going to be HELL(if a monster moves over it's own generator it makes another so your sorta looking at fight room after room filled with worms and anything else. but all food will be stakes lots of waterskins, mroe flasks. if it isn't impossable to play with 1 character i'm going to try to make it that way. also early more powerful weapons, magic box's are the more powerful(green not blue). course once the game is over it is unfair to use in csb. levels to be edited mostly to use trigger's and to close off monstershaving the level with chaos those daemon's and those black flames with all generators set to everything is REALLY unfair, so blocking off area's so chaos is in one area, daemon's in another... remember these are monster generators and even if the room is emepty it will regenerate more. so becareful about those triggers those scrolls ect come in handy to mark where they are(umm place around the trigger not on it remember). so this is more like after you know every corner of every level you test your combat skills. level 3 would be a perfect place to level up, i'll have some kind of monster that you can eat there so it will regenerate. it's not like you can go so fast as to stop rooms with monster generators from filling up. ok i tihnk that is a good size warning. i might have made a level 4 dragon generator instead... i know on the last level i did. oh all potions will be Mon to make things more playable.The idea of "GrandMaster" came form the old D&D books for weapon training, they had basic skilled expert master and grandmaster.

[dmologist]

since it will take such a long time to even do level by level altering food, potions, ect i'm not going to tamper with automatic triggers and monster generators. besides i'm not entirely sure even mon mastery of all levels with 4 characters that you can win the game(umm excuse me not 1 not 2 not even 12 daemon's fight you but anywhere form 20+(asuming DM doesn't lag alot wiht all htose monsters ect) or running around with 2 dragon's? or 3 or 8? or... besdies 4 mumies with 2000 hp? ect? even on the deep levels you will be tossing a few mon fireballs. computer still isn't on yet, i expect sometime soon. my room is a hazard to normal people much less someone with a broken leg. my biggest concern with making it(once i check what i have again) is most likely level 4 because the massive worm generation plus the lack of water. atleast you got plenty of place's to level up ^_^next dungeon i think will be for spell casting. of course i will have some phyiscal weapon's but stuff like darts ect almost none(you can toss weapons for ninja levels...) hmm come ot think of it perhaps only special weapons. war cry throwing special weapons for fighter and ninja levels. making more copies of those "wizard\priest" level weapons. maybe take some key's away and replace with doors ect that can be opened by magic(such as activate by zokathra, fireballs ect). is there away to active or unlock things by spell? maybe use a health potion, i forgot what DMute can do.

[Zyx]

Tough luck, I hope you're patient... You look resourceful anyway as you found the good side of your state! I myself started a similar concept as your dungeon a long time ago. The idea was to trick the old worn adventurers into very familiar places with slights modifications. ("Wasn't there a gold key in this alcove for this door?").
I abandonned the project principally because you were doing the same! So if you're interested to have a look at the only level done, give me your email. Or much better, ask the dungeon to Beowuuf, as I won't be able to send it before year 2002!
Get better!

[beowuuf]

np, I can look it out if you want it.
And sorry to hear about the leg! Wishing you sanity over the coming months, and speedy recovery.

While its a shame you lost your dungeon twice, you might find it's a blessing, as there is the possibility of an editor (early next year?) for DM dungeons that isn't restricted to the number limits - and we are talking lots of number limits...even amount of monster types on a level, for example (rather than have to build your harder version of DM using the exact same amount of generators and groups and group types).

One thing I found is that if you have an always activated generator, you can depopulate places and stop other generators from working due to the way DM handles large amounts of objects and events being produced.

Personally I always thought about a backward DM...you know, you select the characters, but then are thrown right into the deep end of level 14...as most things will kill you instantly and you have no real weapons/magic, it would be a case of tactics and skill just to stay alive and rush up through the levels...but then you have actually been operating generators behind you, so when you then go back and play the game properly, you have just set in motions your own restocked harder dungeon...also then having puzzles change after you pass them would be fun (Zyx's same places with slight mods).

Still looking forward to seeing your work when it emerges. <p>
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year one and all

- Michael (Beowuuf)</p>

[dmologist]

well i'm keeping my in\sanity in a good way atleast as for the dungeon, i almost cleared level 3, food and water sohuld be no trouble i have like 3 chests full of dragon stakes. looking at level 4 i alted it abit. appently i put a dragon roaming around before any monster generators. i was worried even if you level up alot you wouldn't be able to kill the dragon before you urn out of food and water. i also had a wodded door that is blocking the dragon i changed it to iron... I don't intend to make it run for your life kind of game and was worried that the dragon might just burn the door down and...so i alted it i moved a monster generator early in hte level before the dragon so you can keep some food suply and go upsztairs for water or something, careful of creature cavern... right now you don't really even need 3rd level f\w\c\n levels. i expect that to change real soon. well i gtg new idea's for "magic dungeon" replacing ALL KEYS, any doors ect must be opened by magic. monsters hurt by magic earlier in the game(ghosts) and generators also. what else... i'll keep you posted, i recomend completing your own dungeon i have a feeling mine is going to be very different then what you intend. my main goal is to make a major hack 'n slash game.

[dmologist]

level 4 bug fixed i guess. right now fighting the dragon.... i had originally put a 4 hp dragon burt i thought hey this should be hard i made the hp go WAY UP! havn't been hurt by dragon so i'm going to give it more hp. because i wan't to keep it a secret and make it harder to defeat it(knowing how many hp a monster has makes the game alot easier) well i'm not saying but i sohuld warn you LOOK OUT and f\n\p\w levels should be VERY VERY HIGH lots of strong fireballs are needed to kill the dragon.

[dmologist]

one thing i should tell you all, not only have i made alot of monsters have way beyond there normal hit points. but early monsters like mummies ect, that do show up later in the game maybe secretly have 10,000 hp. whenever possable i have the area closed off and monsters moved away, so as to deal with the 10k hp monster. I say again becareful, if you find any place with water easilly reached and a monster generator MAKE USE OF IT!!!! if a 10k hp mummie and dragon doesn't make you all archmastery nothing will. remember nothing bad about running away healing coming back and fight more. I can PROMISS the dragon on level 4 will TAKE MORE THEN 6 MON FIREBALLS and the best weapons in the game.

[Gambit37]

What you're doing sounds interesting. But be careful. It may be that *you* like hard dungeons with tough monsters, but not everyone else is the same. I said it before and I'll say it again - 'harder' does not equal 'better'. To me a 10,000 HP mummy sounds boring and I can't imagine playing a game where I have to wait around trying to kill just one monster for a few days.

If you're going to make the game this tough, make sure there are alternative routes or clever ways out for players who may not have your staying power.

[Ian Clark]

I understand what you're saying there. I love bits where you've been going through the dungeon quite easily and then you are faced with a big, hard fight, kind of like in my team dungeon level. You'd probably be able to make your way there quite easily but when you get there, if you haven't prepared, you're @#%$. I reckon a 10,000hp mummy at the end of a level, carrying the key you need to exit would be quite interesting. <p><font face=arial>Ian

Pulp - Styling the pattern for life!</font></p>

[beowuuf]

I think one of the fights that sticks in my memory is the one at the end of Grave of King Milius dungeon (Toni's first). Where you are dropped into the dragon lair of level 14, without means of escape, and three dragons to battle (they have a combined health of about 7500 i think), with one possessing the key for passage back up.

At the time I thought that was the most unfair fight, but I bloodymindedly stuck it out, yelling at the screen, and it was great. It wasn't simply a stamina run for hack and slash, it actually stretched my playing skills, as it needed tactics to pull one away form the rest, awareness to not be trapped and flanked, and player/character stamina as there was no rest from moving around, and rare chances to save without the possibility of being thumped with a fireball for stopping dead.

Any large fight can be great, as long as there is something else added to make it interesting. I think we can all four square dance, so adding something evil ontop of it...pressure pads linked to shooters, occasional reinforcements to the 'boss monster', is probabaly not uncalled for : )



<p>
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year one and all

- Michael (Beowuuf)</p>

[dmologist]

well i'm trying to fine tune the monster parts. i tested characters on a 10,000 hp worm and even with an axe and sword(melee and chop options) and some strong fireballs i'm really hacking away at it. i tihnk 500 hp in less then 5 minutes, mroe tricks ect later on, i just want to try out just hack and slash. not very DM like but still something to try out. I'm more thinking htat "spellcasting dungeon" to be more tricks ect. besides i'm still learning, like chesting and monster carrying items.

[beowuuf]

Lol, kinda unrelated,. but have you tried Amber's first two dungeons? They are hack and slash dungeons, some areas having a cool monster stream you have to fight against. Just playing a similar feel dungeon might gives you a better idea on how you want yours to flow, since, as you say, DM dungeon itself is totally different in that respect. <p>
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year one and all

- Michael (Beowuuf)</p>

[dmologist]

i forget it's been awhile, i will still get idea's as i work on it. I still have lots more to do, besides this is my first dungeon. once i find the normal dungeon.dat again(i made back up's of my own dungeon but not the original [d'oh]) i might start working on the priest\wizard dungeon. perhaps later on make a fighter and ninja type level(lock picking and more "ninja stuff" for ninja, more bashing doors ect for fighter) maybe put an arena in the game for each "class" dungeon. Anyway's mroe details when they come

[sucinum]

when speaking of my dungeons, i think that the spider/giant scorpion level in Bennis Dungeon 1 is a good example for hard but not TOO tough...i think much harder levels would only frustrate the player (like me)...

[ParuNexus]

Recently played some of those dungeons and worked on the RTC enhanced version.
a few details about the dungeon:
I will be including limited CSB and DM2 stuff (like stone pillers from dm2).
Remember in DM\CSB\DM2 sound check the walls, some new area's will be opening up.
SAVE Before touch, I'm testing options like touch a wall ring and a door and items get destroyed.
While there will not be gems growing or selling It's highly likely some post DM1 spells and items etc will be used but VERY LIMITEDLY. "oh 1 out of the ## dragons in the same room will drop some DM2 staff with 2 charged not the typical 6".

Other goodies made for RTC enhanced: 3 class's renamed(warrior, cleric and rogue).

The 16 class levels have been renamed: Level 0 = alpha, craftsman was removed, 8th: Meister, 9+(M means master) master, padawan M, Zeo M, HighM, ArchM, UltraM & GrandM.
Padawan from Star Wars, Meister from Germanic dark ages(and Darklands), Ultra from Greek, zeo is a Kind of a pun on Power symbol, the Japanese letter and super sentai and power rangers.

The other Text displays like gaining levels and meaningless spells have been changed as well.

As always I'm VERY SLOW, so it will be a long time coming.

[beowuuf]

Lol, at least you are still working on it

And belated Happy Birthday btw!

[Trantor]

Cool you are still working on it! And Meister is just the German word for master.

[ParuNexus]

i know Meister was German for master, as an in-joke I was playing darklands and looking up some info in the clue book and noticed for a game set in Germanic dark ages with German names, the when it mentions master its not in German. I might add something before hand but i need to look up some more German words. toying with Oblate.

Compiled test... the floor text epic fail but the touch and destroy works great ^_^

on another side note, another project idea: RTC enhanced wizard and priest game, very limited items for fighter\ninjas. ALL DM\CSB\DM2 spells and a lot of new ones. likely to make it a CSB like sequel for this project.

and thanks for the birthday wish