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Preference on Dungeon Length

I've been noticing that the lengthiest process for me in creating my video game are designing and structuring the layouts for dungeons. I've been heavily inspired by the Legend of Zelda series when it comes to creating dungeons, simply because they just have a special charm to them.

I wanted to write this to ask everyone out there on what they think is an appropriate amount of time(for you) to finish a dungeon, gameplay wise of course. The last two dungeons I have recently made, span to at least one hour. I understand that some developers rely on the same puzzles and gimmicks to further increase duration, but this is not the case. I'd like to hear various perspectives from everyone :) thank you!

Posts

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The length of a dungeon isn't an issue. I've played games with relatively short dungeons (30 minutes tops) all the way through, and games with fairly long dungeons (1+ hours or more for each).

What you need to ensure is that:

1. The dungeon is more than just a way to get from point A to point B. These dungeons can lose their charm early, and should be kept short. Adding puzzles and charm to the dungeon keeps them fresh, and can be designed to be lengthier without risk of boring the player.

2. The player has the resources he needs to get through the dungeon. Outside of his own failure to utilize the opportunities given, he shouldn't find his way halfway through the dungeon, with no end in sight, and running on empty for restorative supplies.

3. Regardless of the length of the dungeon, keep the player's time in mind. If you're not going to allow access to menu saves, then you need to ensure there are plenty of save points within the dungeon. Just because it will take the player 1 or 2 hours to navigate the dungeon doesn't mean the player will have the time or the want to play for a straight 2 hours.
Really good feedback! I completely understand what you're saying, and the main
reason why I'm asking on the length is probably because I've noticed
mine are pretty in depth and a good length. I've been careful enough to
implement each dungeon with their own unique mechanics and setting. After all, it really does help if they're engaging and fun.

Thanks for the feedback, there's a lot to learn from that. :)
I wouldn't say any dungeon length, but:

1. There should be a way to save at least every 20 minutes tops (better less).
2. If the dungeons are large, they should have a very "broad" design rather than a "long" one, meaning there are tons of different paths, but the shortest correct way is still pretty short once you know it. A big dungeon with only a linear correct path and a few forks where any wrong path leads to a dead end with a treasure chest is not so much fun and means too much backtracking usually.
3. Shortcuts help a lot for bigger dungeons. Shortcuts can be for example elevators that you can activate after reaching a certain floor that will instantly get your back close to the entrance. That way on the next visit you can shorcut a lot of what you couldn't before. Backtracking through the dungeon is also much easier.
4. Spells! Some spell can make dungeon crawling a lot more comfortable such as a spell to instantly escape the dungeon or a spell that sets up a portal to which you can return to at any time.

If you have all these things then even a dungeon lastest for 30 hours won't become tedious. After all, dungeon crawlers are always like that.
It also makes sense to approach this question with the game's overall pacing in mind. If you have two long dungeons with not much other gameplay/time separating them, the player will probably get overwhelmed in some way during the second one. (Can happen to professionals too -- Chrono Trigger had two complex long dungeons shortly after one another and the latter ended up feeling more of a bleh)

...But if those said two long dungeons have a longer stretch of other gameplay stuff separating them, the dungeons should feel more approachable, even if they're both long and challenging dungeons by themselves. What I'm trying to come at: If there are places a long dungeon length feels like an issue, sacrificing some of the cool stuff inside your dungeons to trim their length might not always be needed, if you can balance the pacing of the game a bit better around that area, for example.
The latest game I played with dungeons is Bravely Default, and the dungeons are just as simple as the routes give. Barely any puzzles, but pretty fun to explore, to the least. Dungeons don't have to be complex.

The length and stuff depends on the feel you want on the game, but as a player myself, I don't want the dungeons to be too similar to one and another. A good variety is very welcome, like one dungeon is very simple, then the next one is filled with poisonous march. Oh, don't forget the enemies that reside in the dungeons. To me, variety is key.
Oh man, really good points from everyone here, this is exactly the type of feedback I'm looking for! :) I'm going to take all this advice into consideration, I heavily agree that some dungeons can become boring when they're simply from point A to point B.

Pacing is also important, the most important thing I had in mind when designing dungeons is to make sure it doesn't feel like you're dungeon hopping, (one after another with little time span)
TBH I think the dungeons are the highlight of your game, at least the two big ones in the latest version. Good length, good pacing, many things to do, puzzles, minibosses...it's all there. In fact, I could go as far as to say that future dungeons should actually be longer (as in, Zelda length).

Many games have piss poor dungeon design because, while the dungeons are long, they're boring. I just can't have fun in a dungeon that's nothing more than a labyrinth with nothing else to do. Final Fantasy does this a lot, random encounters not helping the case.
author=Eliminator
TBH I think the dungeons are the highlight of your game, at least the two big ones in the latest version. Good length, good pacing, many things to do, puzzles, minibosses...it's all there. In fact, I could go as far as to say that future dungeons should actually be longer (as in, Zelda length).

Many games have piss poor dungeon design because, while the dungeons are long, they're boring. I just can't have fun in a dungeon that's nothing more than a labyrinth with nothing else to do. Final Fantasy does this a lot, random encounters not helping the case.

Ah thanks a lot man, I really appreciate that! :) Glad to see you enjoyed the previous dungeons, the ones later actually will increase a bit in length and difficulty(only reasonable right? ha) I hope to not disappoint with what is yet to come, let's just say that the water dungeon will be waiting ;)
Totally agree with everyone's points, just wanted to add that 1) if you haven't played it yet, Kinetic Cipher has some of the most well-designed, craziest dungeons ever, I think you'll really enjoy it! And 2) maybe consider creating some very difficult/secret places to explore and heavily rewarding full exploration, it's always fun and rewarding for those completionists :)
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