[Custom dungeon] Villain Pit [RTC] [Zed5Duke]

[Zed5Duke]

Version: 1 for RTC V0.49
Platform: RTC
Author: Zed5Duke
Date published: 2009, October 24
Date last updated: 2009, October 24

Mostly i focus on puzzles, and this is probably my most difficulty dungeon.

Aim:
Another dungeon with some original funny ideas, with new items yet all in DM1 graphical style (read item descriptions).
There is only one game ending.

Notes:
There are 10 short levels (12x12 map size) and the game contains many interesting and innovative puzzles. This includes several challenging fights, good development of the champions, some very good engine mechanics, and some "story" behind. It is well balanced (water, food, fights, puzzles etc.), it has a very good atmosphere and the game is over all playable and addictive.

Download:
Download this dungeon from this Shared OneDrive (in the 'Custom Dungeons' folder)

[Gambit37]

Wow! I can't believe how quickly you create new dungeons. Do you ever sleep?

[Lord_BoNes]

Do you ever sleep?

ROFL!

You definately have a knack for creating dungeons. I wouldn't mind seeing some your source-files some time (if, of course, you'd agree to it)... With my knack for mechanics, and your ability for creating the actual dungeon itself, you and I could possibly make a dungeon together? I feel that there's a whole lot of potential...

[Jan]

OMG! This is one dungeon per week!

And Zed's dungeons are harder and harder!

Is it possible to get the rotten bread on level 2 (1 - HoC), or is it just a "carrot and stick"? I've been trying to get it for 10 minutes, and I'm still not fast enough!

EDIT a few seconds later: OK, ignore me, got it! Let's move on!

[Trantor]

I have to say I am impressed as well. I only went home to sleep the whole last week (this is the first time I even checked my emails in that whole week), and you come up with another dungeon. Wow.

[PaulH]

Interesting stuff. Very short levels and hard puzzles - maybe a little too hard and ambiguous in parts. One step, dead. One hit from monster, dead.

I think you need to integrate your puzzles into a longer adventure, and stage them at the correct time. This would give some sense of story, time to train and advance and get a feel for a game.

[Jan]

OK, I'm stuck - it's on the level with the deadly "fog" and four alcoves. I understand that it has something to do with the alcoves, but I don't know what.

Spoiler

If I put an obsidian arrow on one alcove, it gives me a sound, but putting remaining three arrows in other alcoves doesn't change anything.

What am I supposed to do here?

EDIT: OK, got it! I'm a idiot. But it wasn't an easy puzzle! OK, let's go on!

[Jan]

And - finished!

Finished in 1 hour and 24 minutes, 5 mushrooms consumed, walls bumped into 22.

OK, so this was very short and not so difficult, and the ending was a bit "trivial". BUT the game contains many interesting and innovative puzzles (I got stuck a few times, but the solution can always be found after a while, and the puzzles are logical), several challenging fights, good development of the character, very good mechanics, and some "story" behind. It is well balanced (water, food, fights, puzzles etc.), it has a very good atmosphere and the game is overally very playable and addictive. I wish it was longer.

Thank you, Zed! I'm looking forward to your next dungeon!

The game crashed at one place a few times (at the fireballs at "melt your possessions" in one of the deepest levels).

[the master]

Can someone give me a suttle clue as how to get out of the door by the rotten bread on level 2. I think this door has to be closed before you attempt to get the key opposite otherwise you get something nasty in the neck. Its just that I am not quick enough to get past the door.

[beowuuf]

check everything in that room...

[Jan]

Spoiler

push

everything in that room...

[Oxman]

Why you make dungeons so hastily Zed5duke? Only speedrunners can complete one before next comes out if this continues!

[Jan]

Duckman from Ostrobothnia, Oxman from Ostrobothnia... ummm.... what an interesting coincidence! Erm... Hello! And welcome to the forums! I mean... you are someone else, aren't you?

[the master]

Do you mean

Spoiler

push

in the large room or the small room with the rotten bread. I think I may be missing something by the pipe fire as every time I touch it I get killed.

[beowuuf]

The room with the rotten bread. It's the one sneaky place you might not think to check. As long as you have sound, you'll tell something different is happening. If you are injured and have a low health character, you might find it best to restart the game...

[Trantor]

If you are injured and have a low health character, you might find it best to restart the game...

[Gambit37]

I gave this a quick blast, but couldn't really get into to it to be honest. No story, no motivation, it's just a few rooms linked together and I don't really like dungeons like this. I prefer something with a bit more purpose to it.

It might be a little more enjoyable if the characters were slightly stronger. They are just a bit too weak...

[Oxman]

You're right, Jan. I`m not duckman. I have played lots of dungeons, but I have not used these forums yet.

[beowuuf]

If you are injured and have a low health character, you might find it best to restart the game...

No, what I mean is it's right at the start of the game so it's easy to restart.

If you've take a low health character (it's liek a difficulty mode) you will need a fast character - so can't have damage to your limbs

If you have a high health character, or haven't got damge to your limbs, you should be fine. The game is well designed (so far) in terms of stamina and food drain.

[the master]

I have placed 3 of the 4 objects in the alcoves on the fog level but can't figure out what the 4th one is. So far I have

Spoiler

arrow, boulder and torch

. I just hope it isn't a

Spoiler

flask of water

[Jan]

No, it isn't. But its one part looks like water (blue). You have it, but it may be "hidden" in your inventory. It's the

Spoiler

tourquoise key

(I think...).

[the master]

I haven't got a

Spoiler

tourquoise key

. There however is a gate I haven't opened yet with a sword behind it in an alcove. There doesn't appear anyway to open the gate. Have I missed a switch somewhere or do I just hack/blast through it?

[beowuuf]

Hmm, I know how to get to that sword, but I worry I've stuffed the game for myself.

You will have the key, master, can I suggest

Spoiler

placing the key bag in your hand! It's a mini-sack not a set of lockpicks!

[Jan]

There however is a gate I haven't opened yet with a sword behind it in an alcove.

It's interesting that I've entered this level from this small chamber (with the sword in the alcove) - through the trap door behind a force field on the level above. So you have entered the level through the other pit? That one behind the gate on the level above? I wasn't able to open this gate. How did you do it? I'm just curious.

[beowuuf]

You probably ran through the damager room then - there's a message on the wall opposite the closed pit that hints to how you'd open the gate, and closeby is a small recess in the wall that has some nice mushrooms

Just restarted to check out if getting the sword was bad, and seems better route, so no clue (yet?) how to get that chest, so continuing onwards hoping I'm not stuffed.

And is there a way to get rid of the thing that happens when you go for the throwing star or

Spoiler

go down to that level the other way

[Jan]

so no clue (yet?) how to get that chest,

Is it a question? If yes, then you open it

Spoiler

with a gem from the demon (one or two levels above)

. I can't remember what's in that chest, however.

And is there a way to get rid of the thing that happens when you go for the throwing star or go down to that level the other way

And is this a question? If yes, again, then you have to

Spoiler

kill it

. But I don't remember using the throwing star anywhere.

And now I'll just shut up and wait for the others and the end of the game. Come on, I've been waiting here for the whole day, there's a lot of beer around (the last who comes pays it).

[beowuuf]

Won't click on the spoilers, because it's moot - i have the

Spoiler

WAR GRAPPLE!

. So yeah, can check out the chest later, and more importantly I have a wacky way to deal with those

Spoiler

materialising buggers.

Just found another one once I figured out that the melting possessions puzzle

Spoiler

wasn't the way to stop the fireballs firing!

Oh, and

Spoiler

this spoiler space is here for no reason

[beowuuf]

Hmm, so I'm not sure if the game has multiple endings. I fought

Spoiler

death

t properly gain my character's freedom, not sure if this was the only ending since I retreated from

Spoiler

the giggler level with the odd word pillar and hidden DROW message

Anyway, as Jan said, again some nice puzzles, definitely the balance is great, and nice to see another piece of Zed5duke style happening - the demon face of the last few games!

My only niggle would be the

Spoiler

hellhound and death

seemed similar in nature, and aside from their speed seemed easy fights, just arduous. Though I did like the

Spoiler

push attack of the hellhound.

Especially since I wasn't expecting the creature in the first place, it was just a great little jump scare that was made literal.

[Jan]

I

Spoiler

hope

I

Spoiler

won't

spoil

Spoiler

anything

for

Spoiler

the

others

Spoiler

if

I

Spoiler

say

that

Spoiler

I

finished

Spoiler

the

game

Spoiler

in

the

Spoiler

same

way.

I think that the giggler part was there only to collect some useless things (as well as the area behind the fireballs at "melt your possessions").

[beowuuf]

Went back for the chest, since I avoided the 'trap' before, and it's interesting but I don't think necessary. Blowing up gigglers now so I can move around better to see if there is an alternate ending

Spoiler

There was an atlas and a shocking bio in the fountain