Hallways to Nowhere

[TechSY730]

One thing that is bugging me is that in buildings, there are frequently long hallways in rooms that dead end with nothing. No collectibles, doors, notable props, or anything. This is quite jarring, as in real life no one would build such a thing, so artificial man-made buildings in the game having such seems strange. OK, some of them you can write off as a hallway that used to have something at the end that got destroyed when whatever happened to the world happened, but that seems like it should be the exception, not the rule.

Please note I am talking about "hallways" in a single room, not multi room passages. Also, I am only talking about in man-made buildings. Naturally made caves and underground passages having such paths to nowhere makes sense, as these were not built with practicality in mind (in fact, they generally weren't built at all)

[Itchykobu]

I've seen some of these hallways you're talking about. It would probably feel less artificial if the procedural generator could be coded to guarantee a 'collapsed room' at the ends of long hallways. Sure, nobody likes running down the hall only to find a worthless room, but I think it would certainly add a sense of realism - the hall ended somewhere at some point, before the building caved on itself.

Maybe enter this one into Mantis? I'm sure you'd get a few votes, as people like their worlds to feel 'real'.....with magic...and monsters....

[TechSY730]

I've seen some of these hallways you're talking about. It would probably feel less artificial if the procedural generator could be coded to guarantee a 'collapsed room' at the ends of long hallways. Sure, nobody likes running down the hall only to find a worthless room, but I think it would certainly add a sense of realism - the hall ended somewhere at some point, before the building caved on itself.

Yea, if there is to be nothing at the end of a hallway, a prop or background texture or something indicating signs of severe destruction would help alleviate this. As it is now, long hallways with nothing in them seem to indicate that the architects in this universe are insane. However, empty hallways would hopefully be the exception, not the rule. More often they should have a door or something. Hallways to a prop of something you would expect someone to show off or to be a focal point of the room would be acceptable as well, though still annoying.

Maybe enter this one into Mantis?

I'd like to gather a few more opinions and ideas on this before submitting it to Mantis. Especially given that buildings are procedurally generated and preserving "sensibility" on top of that is no easy task.

I'm sure you'd get a few votes, as people like their worlds to feel 'real'.....with magic...and monsters....

Even if it is not realistic, people still expect things to be reasonable, sensible, and logically consistent. It is established in this universe, humans are reasonable and rational, and as such long hallways to nowhere and nothing conflict with that.

See Magic A Is Magic A and Willing Suspension of Disbelief for better descriptions about why sensibility and consistency should be maintained even in non-realistic settings.

[x4000]

I'm not sure if you're referring to maze rooms or not, but if so that's a rather dead horse at the moment -- we're already planning little minor EXP drops in those end areas.  In terms of a lot of the other kinds of rooms, furniture is something we're just now really working on and that has an impact.

But in general: I can never guarantee there's always going to be something down any segment of an interior.  It's kind of like with AI War, never guaranteeing that you won't start next to a mark IV planet.  Maze rooms aside.

That said, the likelihood of stuff in little extra halls and such is going to be going way up with time, and really in the pretty short term since Josh is now on the case with the furniture.

[Mánagarmr]

Sounds excellent. Just keep in mind Chris that while we appreciate your work and come with suggestions and the occasional whine, you have a very unique perspective that we lack. You see the complete game, you know how it's GOING to be, how you envision it. We can only act and speak upon what we see and offer suggestions. So don't take our nagging the wrong way.

[x4000]

I completely understand, and try to be sensitive to that -- it's always a tough situation when one party has a more complete mental picture and the other only has the actual concrete implementation-so-far to go on.  No worries from my end.

[TechSY730]

I'm not sure if you're referring to maze rooms or not, but if so that's a rather dead horse at the moment

Never seen a maze room, (never made it very far in the game, only civ level 3) but if they are anything like what their name implies them to be, a maze, then empty passages are fine. Part of the challenge of a maze dealing with unrewarding dead ends.

-- we're already planning little minor EXP drops in those end areas.  In terms of a lot of the other kinds of rooms, furniture is something we're just now really working on and that has an impact.
...
That said, the likelihood of stuff in little extra halls and such is going to be going way up with time, and really in the pretty short term since Josh is now on the case with the furniture.

Ahh, good to know. It seems this "problem" is more due to a lack of extra "fluff" available to the room generator than an oversight, which makes sense as this is still a pre-release beta and all. Though having the generator be a little more likely to place a door at the end of a hallway when it generates one seems worthwhile.

But in general: I can never guarantee there's always going to be something down any segment of an interior.  It's kind of like with AI War, never guaranteeing that you won't start next to a mark IV planet.  Maze rooms aside.

And as I said, having them occasionally is fine, as there are a few circumstances where I can see long passageways to nothing being valid using in universe logic (and more importantly, because these are generated rooms). But they should be the exception, not the rule.

[Nalgas]

Even if it is not realistic, people still expect things to be reasonable, sensible, and logically consistent. It is established in this universe, humans are reasonable and rational, and as such long hallways to nowhere and nothing conflict with that.

See Magic A Is Magic A and Willing Suspension of Disbelief for better descriptions about why sensibility and consistency should be maintained even in non-realistic settings.

See A Wizard Did It and MST3K Mantra in the meantime for placeholder excuses to tide you over until the rest of the game finishes getting implemented and fixes that for you.  Heh.

[TechSY730]

Even if it is not realistic, people still expect things to be reasonable, sensible, and logically consistent. It is established in this universe, humans are reasonable and rational, and as such long hallways to nowhere and nothing conflict with that.

See Magic A Is Magic A and Willing Suspension of Disbelief for better descriptions about why sensibility and consistency should be maintained even in non-realistic settings.

See A Wizard Did It and MST3K Mantra in the meantime for placeholder excuses to tide you over until the rest of the game finishes getting implemented and fixes that for you.  Heh.

Seems like I'm not the only one who's brushed up on their TVTropes-fu.