azb
Level: Disabled
Rank Points: 502
Registered: 03-08-2014
IP: Logged

Hi everyone,

I am thinking my next project can be all 5 DROD holds retold with a totally different story of my own, rather than just retelling the original with only small detail changes like Journey to the Fabled Kingdom does.

For the first hold posting soon:

Beethro will have his hometown infested and need to clear the sewer system to stop the invasion, rather than being tasked to clear a dungeon in the original with no real threat to the town.

The second hold will be like JtRH, but taking place in the caves below the sewer rather than the Rooted Empire's outposts below Dugandy.

The third hold will take place in the equivalent of the underworld, and the grand threat of the world (both under and above) below the lowest point here is lava rather than an endless upside down sky.

The fourth hold will be a prequel taking place in some deserts, and the fifth hold will be about trying to stop the volcano from destroying the world rather than the Turning, but both are forces of nature no one can stop, only learn to deal with.

Someone Else
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2357
Registered: 06-14-2005
IP: Logged

I think - and I think many will agree with me - that the best approach is to write one, architect that one, test that one, and release it. Then you can do a sequel.

I know I'm on the slow end of the spectrum when it comes to building holds, but I do think I know what I'm doing. If I can be allowed a little self-aggrandization, my lowest rated non-compilation hold is at a 7 - and it's a stalwart hold. It takes time to make a quality hold. On that note:

- Don't be afraid to scrap rooms that don't do what you want. I've probably built and deleted three times as many rooms as I've published in any form, and each of my published rooms probably saw an average of one major modification or three small ones after I'm satisfied with it on my first pass. Not counting changes from feedback from other people.

- I play each of my rooms start to finish three times minimum: Once when I build it, once when I'm satisfied I'm done with it (to record a demo), and once just before I publish it to make sure that I'm still happy with it. With your tendency to build faster, I'd recommend replaying every room in a level when you finish building the level, in order to detect if your rooms feel too samey or tedious. If you're unhappy with any part of that playthrough, fix it, even if that means deleting half the rooms.

- Everyone will enjoy an original story better than a rehashed story. Set it in the Eighth; have a story that hits similar beats; sure. Don't write a story that's "X, but different in a small way". The way you've described your story is "it's the Caravel story, but totally different wink, wink, nudge, nudge".

- If you're putting in a story, make the effort to put the story in properly. Two characters sitting in an empty corridor expositing for 5 minutes is boring and lazy. It'd be better to do it the KDD way and just include the story in level entrance messages (which is also a legitimate option).

All of these things take time, and that's okay. You don't need to publish five holds a year, or even two. Make one good one. Then you can make another.

azb
Level: Disabled
Rank Points: 502
Registered: 03-08-2014
IP: Logged

Yeah, I get all your points.

This story is intended to be like the Caravel one, but with different settings and characters, even though the main story is the same.

I get the main story is too similar to be called my own, so I can revise that, as well as your other points like not telling the story in easily skippable dialog but maybe more in the level entrance descriptions.

azb
Level: Disabled
Rank Points: 502
Registered: 03-08-2014
IP: Logged

And to elaborate on different characters:

I know I can simply omit or replace all customly defined characters (like 1st Archivist, Pit Thing) with my own creation that does something else entirely, the same way I can replace the settings easily because it's all in the story's script,

But some things, like Beethro, Halph or the Slayers, rock golems, or goblins I know I cannot change because they are hard-coded in the game and any NPC with a custom name that "turns into monster" using those monster as a template just turns back to those monster upon right clicking them to get their name,

and Beethro says "my name is Beethro" on clicking him and "Halph get the door" when bumping doors, so if I gave them any other names it would contradict what you would hear in the game's built in sounds you can't change unless you hacked DROD.

azb
Level: Disabled
Rank Points: 502
Registered: 03-08-2014
IP: Logged

The order I introduce the elements in will be the same for the 1.0 thru 3.0 era holds as the official holds (so for the 1.0 era start with roaches, then roach queens, etc)

The same concept applies for the 5.0 era hold, so for example introduce roaches and pressure plates and arrows before the other elements like the official TSS hold does, etc

However, for the 4.0 era hold I am going to use all the elements of the engine and not just only the limited selection the original GatEB did, so:

for level 1: basic movement and basic tunnels, roaches, arrows and pressure plates

for level 2: Roach queens, Halph, and arrow rotator tokens

for level 3: Evil eyes, Slayers, hot tiles, and disarm tokens

Levels 4 thru 8 will be in a hub that doesn't force you take the levels in one specific order, just like the official hold does.

for level 4: Mimics, trapdoors and red doors, briar and sister doors of all 3 doors you've encountered up to now

for level 5: Wraithwings, wubbas, and fegundoes

for level 6: Rock golems and mirrors

for level 7: Serpents, invisibility potions, adders and conquer tokens

for level 8: Tar but no mothers yet, orthosquares, and platforms over pits

for level 9: Guards and playing as a disguised/stealthy role

for level 10: Spiders, black doors and their sister counterpart, water skippers and nests, and bridges

Levels 11 thru 16 will be open ended as well and not in a specific order, again like the official hold does it

level 11: Vision tokens, bombs and fuses

level 12: tar mothers, citizens and relay stations

level 13: goblins and clone potions

level 14: mud and mud mothers, and the sentries from the TCB Torture Chambers (but they won't look like mimics to make it more easy to tell them apart from real mimics; this applies to the 3.0 era hold as well)

level 15: decoys and oremites

level 16: rattlesnakes, gel and gel mothers, and shallow water

level 17: Seep, speed potions and the squad horn

level 18 thru 21 will be open ended in the same way as the official hold and not in a specific order.

level 18: Introducing step-to-kill roles

level 19: Brains and Aumtlich

level 20: Stalwarts and Soldiers

level 21: Rock Giants

level 22: tarstuff switch tokens of all kinds the 3.0 engine introduces, now that you are familiar with all 3 tarstuff kinds from earlier in the hold. Also introduces the soldier horn

The original GatEB had only 22 required levels, but I feel it doesn't hurt to include a few extra for a big epic finale sequence.

level 23: introduces build markers for citizens/builders, but no Engineers yet (cause this is from the 4.0 era before TSS was released)

level 24: introducing the commander who changes the build markers depending on what you do in the room (not you-know-who from TCB, because this story is different. It will be someone working from below the world, and not the Empire because this story is different than the official Budkin saga)

level 25: introducing cracked orbs, and a big 'Neather style boss fight against someone from the Pharaoh's tomb now that you've discovered their true secret