#Disappearing/Reappearing passages

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

granite crest
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I'll start by saying I love and appreciate that the map is both massive and crafted. I also appreciate that the map can fluidly change from comforting to unsettling. That unsettling sense of dread is more where my idea is targeted and I think it may be a way to make the Dreampools and/or other levels feel procedural while still being crafted.

My thought was that perhaps there could be some trigger that that replaces a passage way in a room with a false wall. This might (perhaps likely) be followed by opening a new passage to a previously inaccessible room or section of the map. But whenever this happens it would have to be when the passageway is not in the player's POV. As for the false wall's appearance, it could blend in naturally, OR... It could be replaced by a drawing of the door. I'm thinking exactly like the false triangle passageway from one of those "abandon mall"-like hubs. I can't grab a screenshot currently for reference but will add later if needed.

My reasoning would be that this would increase the feeling of randomness, disorientation, panic, etc... Feel more procedural, create a way of hiding easter eggs, but above all else... It would encourage exploration.

IOW, if certain areas of the map are inaccessible unless you do something like (hypothetical) enter a room, walk around a corner, then walk back to the entrance you came in from and... 'Hmmmm I though the doorway I came through was in the corner of this room... But the only one here is in the middle of this wall...' You go through it and immediately realize it's not the same room you came from.

This kind of feature could be ratcheted up if perhaps on rare occasions, for max effect, all entrance/exits to a room that you are in disappear... Temporarily of course. Maybe that idea is more of a cinematic moment... Maybe the floor opens up and drops the player into a new level.

At the risk of rambling, I'll stop there. Hopefully that fleshes my thoughts out.

vital hearth
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I have read. And I found it very interesting
Random exploration is something I always wanted to try but I don't have enough knowledge of Unreal to be able to do anything. It's something I plan to do for future levels though

granite crest
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Happy to hear you have interest in the idea, if you think you can figure it out I think it'd be an exciting mechanic.

tranquil ridge
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I don’t like the idea of passages changing while you are playing (it would become much more difficult, and frustrating to explore), but, what I would really love is that there were “corridor spawns” just like there are flashlight spawns, so that the map would change from game to game, but not in the same game. What I enjoy from liminal spaces is the creepy look of the liminal space in itself. If the space changes while you are playing, then you feel fear that “somebody” or “something” is changing it, and thus the creepiness focus is not in the spaces anymore, but in entities or whatever. The atmosphere would change a lot.

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Having “corridor spawns” that change only from game to game would be great. You would potentially have a vast number of different maps. Care must be taken when programming it, so that whole areas don’t become inaccesible in a game.

vital hearth
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I've tried but it's very difficult to programme something like this and I don't feel like it lol

tranquil ridge
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Yes, it’s not straightforward

granite crest