ISRIERI'S PROFILE

author=Lucidstillness
Digressions like these are designed to pad out a game's length, as many RPGs typically advertise their longevity as a selling point. I am usually invested enough in an RPG by the time the first one of these areas rolls around that I am willing to press on, but if the busywork keeps piling up I have on occasion stopped an RPG for good.

He hit the nail on the head there. I don't usually mind dungeons that are on the long side or gimmicky, but the moment I start to feel my nerves being grated is if I feel like I'm there for arbitrary reasons. No one likes getting railroaded. I say a good dungeon is one that lets you go in, accomplish your goal, and get back out again. On the fundamental level anyway.

I want to add that the unique events/backstories/puzzles Lucid suggested would work the best if they were optional: and by that all I mean is that you make the player trigger them, and not be forced upon the player. Once again, railroading.

Depending on the dungeon you choose, don't add things to it that bar the player's progression any more than you'd need. Like putting a door that needs to opened by 3 keys in 3 chests, in a dungeon that's only there to impede you from getting to a new area. That sucks.

That used to be my desktop for a long while. Good choice.

author=seiromem
So anyway, thank you for not spoiling world 8!

I wouldn't want to spoil the pretzel.

Is it more important to meet a deadline, or to wait until you actually have a bare-bones vision for the next part of your game. The latter is the correct answer.

I've been thinking. A lot of people will spend countless hours pouring over the numbers, thinking of enemy strategies, plotting out the awesome cutscenes, etc. As they meticulously craft their game with utmost precision. Sound familiar? No?

Well anyway, having a design in mind and a plan for what you want the players to do and experience is one thing. But is there a point where your personal vision gets in the way of the fun the players may have?

I bring this up because of terms like "overpowered" and "game-breaking." Not bugs, mind you. Actual in-game stuff. Like weapons or special abilities. I work with SMBX a lot so this is more a question for action games than RPGs. But how much do you really want to limit the player? Is it truly an element of bad design if you give them a way to skip over almost an entire dungeon? Or to have a power-up that can just wreck everything?

I realize that this topic is very situational. But I still feel it's a good thing to discuss.