Dragost - The Citadel of Chaos (Playtesting phase)

[Mindstone]

Hey folks,

After something like a ten year absence, I started making dungeons again! I have a demo level for Dragost ready to go if anyone is interested in playtesting! Just send me a PM and we can go from there. At the moment the graphics are vanilla but I will eventually get round to re-drawing or importing just about everything!

Key features of this dungeon -

- A story-driven narrative game set in a massive Saga. This is one small part of a huge overarching world and narrative. There will be cut-scenes and plenty of dialogue.

- You will encounter entire sections of dungeon which defy conventional logic. This doesn't mean they are random, they just require adopting a different mindset to get through in one piece.

- Fragments of an 'Elvish' language to discover. It is essential you keep track of what means what, so you can identify the use of your 'Elvish' magic weapons later in the game!

- Anti-grinding, pro-anxiety dungeon! Age has made me an evil bastard There are no screamer + fountain rooms to level grind up in; I don't keep giving people mana heroes and lotsa cool shiny stuff early on anymore. The feel of this dungeon is supposed to be a thriller!

- Reasonably open-ended! Huge interconnected levels with loads to explore. Go and face the 'final boss' whenever you feel you are ready.

I look forward to thine responses, heroes!

Mindstone

p.s. dear playtester, if you complete a demo-level and ping me a screenshot of your inventory, I can custom make you the next level so you bring your character and exact same stuff along.

[jahmiann]

Hi mindstone

Nice to learn that a next dungeon will come. If you need additionnal play-tester i am available.

[Mindstone]

Hey I have a demo ready to go up!

However there is no attachment feature on this forum! Is there a DM host site where I can upload?

[Saumun]

Best to just upload it you your own mediafire (or something similar) and post the link here.

[Mindstone]

Good call Saumun! I will do so in 10 mins!

Is this working? Might get a playtester now




This is just level one! I need to know:

a) If the puzzles are too obscure
b) If you need more light / food
c) What the atmosphere is like!

[Mindstone]

Ok, ere it is!

http://www.mediafire.com/file/x4jteen6k ... t.RTC/file

Hope this works

[jahmiann]

hi mindstone

I started playing your demo there are several things :
1°) I Found a death end, if you fall in the pit near "water citadel" text you are blocked.
2°) I Found a way with rats but they are too strong, i will back to this area later.
3°) I found the keeper which ask me to fallow him but it still bugged he try to take the wrong path, after a while he teleported near a blue haze.
4°) I passed the first fireball area, and i am now stuck in the "shield pads" area i don't find what i need to do.
Maybe dodge lightning without using the shield pads ?
5°) I think some shooter are missing on some walls, it's hard to see where spells come:
- 1 stone shooter is missing in the sewer in the rats area
- 3 lightning shooters are missing in the "shield pads" area

[Mindstone]

Thank you for your feedback Jahmiann!

1) I will fix the dead end!

2) Get ready to run. To run A LOT!

3) The Keeper is a bit annoying, but you can 'Terror Chant' him to get him out the way.

4) The clue is in the dialogue before. 'Beware the walls do not keep evil within the castle'. You can use the shield pads at first to see the nature of the lightning, then work out how to get around it! It is a deceptively simple puzzle Private message me if you would like the solution!

5) Ah sometimes shooters are just random attacks! Could be an assassin after you, or a small trap. I will fix the lightning ones though!

How are you for food and torches?

Onwards Jahmiann, complete your quest!

[jahmiann]

Lack of light is a additionnal difficulty, the torch are not enough filled in my point of view. i found only 3 torchs.

About the food is good for now, same for the water a bota 1/3 and flask of water is enough for now. I hope to find a fountain deeper

The second thinks which illogical, is you starting with 0 point of mana but with a level of novice priest/wizard ...

It's frustrating to see all spell runes available but no mana to cast a simple light spell....

[Mindstone]

Those priest and wizard levels may not be useful for runes, but you may find items which only a mage can use...

The darkness is all part of the experience! As long as it isn't *too hard*, it is all part of the atmosphere. If people keep getting stuck or dying in the darkness I will add more torches!

Glad to see you are still alive

[jahmiann]

I forwarded a few.

2 other death end:
- pit with the ruster
- pit after take the gold key (dragon)

About the riddle room: i found 2/4
I didn't found "The dargon fart"
I didnt' found "i crumble in the hand of time" i tried

Spoiler

ashe

I found 2/3 gold keys, and i have 1 cross key.
I don't know how to use it and i don't know where is the last gold key.

The ghost armoury is just joke, i did'nt find the way to get chest and cheese.

[Mindstone]

Spoiler

The answer to the thousand grains is quite a common thing1 Think about something that breaks down into sand with time

Thanks man, I will fix those dead end pits!

Spoiler

Did the dragon pit catch you out or do you always jump in for playtesting purposes?!

[jahmiann]

Spoiler

The dragon pit is a fake when you enter in gold key room
But when you take the key the pit become real, that why i fell into.

Another thing which frustrating is, you don't have any weapon expect torchs but you don't need to fight any monsters.
You cannot lvl up your character because you cannot cast spell, and cannot fight, just raise ninja skill by throwing item.

I don't know if you plan to introduce some monster fight, but first monster should be weak (not like rats which one shoot you) if we want to survive.

Does it a single character dungeon ? Or do you plan to add others like Underworl Dream does.

About the character portrait, the best way is to to reuse existing portrait from DM/CSB.

[Mindstone]

There will be four characters. I will commission artists to do portraits and add new monster sprites. Also will add sound effects, but for now it is straight up vanilla dungeon master.

The whole point is that there are no fights or easy ways to level up! You are on the run, always anxious, always vulnerable. In this entire game you won't find a room full of screamers and a fountain - I think I said that in the briefing above.

This dungeon is definitely not for anyone who wants to grind up levels, or who wants their characters to be really powerful. It puts you in the place of an underdog - which is how I like it

You are very close to your first fight. Wait and see how it feels.

Spoiler

Have you got through the gold key doors? Is the final puzzle too hard? You really need to think laterally to get through!

[Leslie]

I gave the dungeon a try and am now a little stuck in the hall of ilusions, because I run out of torches...
open tasks at the moment...
...don't know what to do with the ruster and the phantom armory
...found three gold keys and opened some locks, but it seems there are more gold key locks...
...found a cross key, but no place to use it.

[Leslie]

...finished it
Looking forward to the next part! I like the low-power feeling of the dungeon, more please

[Mindstone]

...finished it
Looking forward to the next part! I like the low-power feeling of the dungeon, more please

Hehe nice one Leslie. I have some more motivation to complete it now! Will recommence work soon.

Did you like the 'answer' to the problem of the final gold key in the Halls of Illusion? I'm well chuffed with that piece of dungeon design

[Leslie]

...finished it
Looking forward to the next part! I like the low-power feeling of the dungeon, more please

Did you like the 'answer' to the problem of the final gold key in the Halls of Illusion?

Yes, I liked it. Pretty much "straight forward"
I could not open all doors and solve all puzzles. For example the "barracks" door or that one marked s someone's tomb. And could not solve the phantom armory and the "Dragon fart"" puzzle. Can these one be solved in the demo?

[Mindstone]

Yes, I liked it. Pretty much "straight forward"
I could not open all doors and solve all puzzles. For example the "barracks" door or that one marked s someone's tomb. And could not solve the phantom armory and the "Dragon fart"" puzzle. Can these one be solved in the demo?

Spoiler

I have a twisted sense of humour

The barracks will be the next level pal! After that, it will go from linear dungeon to total freedom.

Explore where you want, when you want. Seek out artefacts of great power. Confront the 'final boss' whenever you feel powerful enough.

[antraxus]

nice one, just wish there was enough Magic to cast a weak light spell from time to time.i found 3 Gold key plus a cross key, now i m missing a 4th Gold key.
also cant solve the Dragon fart riddle.
the chest behind the pit (trust me), is it just a red hering like the ones with the cheese u cant get?

[antraxus]

Just finished it, very nice, really looking Forward

in the beginning the lack of light sucked, but later once u get Magic u can cast light, so ist not that bad.
the lack of water/wells was neglectable and Food was infinite anyway.