A Game Of Dwarves

[zespri]

I mentioned it in another thread, but I'll plug it in here too just in case http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/229423802/death-inc
By the rate it's going right now it's unlikely it will get funded. Even with the demo that they released recently. My problem is, that I can't say from what I've see if this is going to be fun to play or not. I wish they get funded, release and and then I have a chance to look at it at decide if I like it =)

[eRe4s3r]

Yeah I seen that game .. I don't think it could really sustain fun for more than a few levels.... the idea is kinda neat but it focuses too little on stuff to do. And too much on a gimmicky control scheme.

Did anyone else here read that Planescape: Torment 2 is coming?

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Yeah I seen that game .. I don't think it could really sustain fun for more than a few levels.... the idea is kinda neat but it focuses too little on stuff to do. And too much on a gimmicky control scheme.

Did anyone else here read that Planescape: Torment 2 is coming?

Yup, should be interesting to see how they do it.

[zespri]

So yeah, game of Dwarves is mediocre, but Impire is not fun at all. And I had so much hope....

[zespri]

Yeah I seen that game .. I don't think it could really sustain fun for more than a few levels.... the idea is kinda neat but it focuses too little on stuff to do. And too much on a gimmicky control scheme.

Yep, and this has not quite worked out either: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/229423802/death-inc/posts/421196

[zespri]

Two more DK2-like games:
http://www.dungeondwellers.net/
https://wftogame.com/

both are in "funding alpha". With previous attempts (mentioned in this thread) failing, I'd be curious to see if these come to fruition. Or may be it's the same case as with 4x where it's just impossible to create something new and engaging.

[eRe4s3r]

The problem is only when games make something that was already done neither better nor more fun nor more unique nor with any improvement to the basic concept whatsoever. And you could sum a lot of indy games that way.

When I read Dungeon Keeper remake I automatically think of "I hope they do away with that stupid grid lay-out" and see there, not one of these remakes fixes that issue (The grid layout means every dungeon looks the same). It would be a technological challenge maybe to make digging a truly "flowing" thing, ie you dig slightly uneven tunnels, and a room is never perfectly square unless you invest a lot of time and minions to "make it so". Not to mention that uneven layouts would allow for more interesting visuals, breeding pools and chambers could be unique to each minion race with unique form and layout. But noo... everything gotta be 3x3 or 4x4 boxes. Which I don't mind if it's buildings that are solid fortified for a reason.....

But what kills both of these games you linked for me is the lack of a M rating (And basically, Mature content, not sex*, but evil and maybe a bit of perversion ,p). You can't do a game about running an evil dungeon without that. If I don't have the choice to be truly absolutely evil in a sim that is about running an absolute evil dungeon empire then the game fails for me. And while talking about it, dark humor is not enough. Dark humor only works when there is contrast. In a sea of dark there is no such thing as dark humor.. it's just stating the obvious.

Thinking back, Impire failed because it did something to the Dungeon Keeper core idea that ruined and destroyed it utterly, and a game of Dwarfs tried to make an casual Dwarf Fortress and yeah, that can never go well ;p

Dwelvers looks like another failure, and WFTO is a straight up clone of DK2

[Cyborg]

The core dungeon keeper idea is tower defense, which is done all the time. I think the real problem is people think they want Dungeon Keeper, and they really don't. Maybe the idea they are in love with is the imagination that dungeon keeper had; building an evil lair, defending it, and playing the bad guy. I think you can still do that without it degenerating into an easily solvable tower defense optimization problem.

Making the evil lair feel unique is but frosting on the cake in my opinion. Allowing the ability to create a unique, evil lair to do dastardly things, to give creative ways to play with the imagination of the original title, that's what will drive sales here.

[eRe4s3r]

Can you imagine an open world game where you are just dropped as dude or girl and your task is to build a dungeon and take over the world? Add in random events, story, companions that are not all monsters and not all agreeing with you, dynamic settlement and town simulation, kingdoms that respond to threat but can be pressured into agreements if it serves them, various styles and forms of magic and drastically different ways to build your dungeon.

Either way, I guess you are right Cyborg... what I want isn't Dungeon Keeper, what I want is a Open World Dungeon Sim (I don't even care whether it's 3d or not, as long as the dungeon can be constructed by me and looks nice, I could even live with a sideviews view, assuming it's done well.

[chemical_art]

Can you imagine an open world game where you are just dropped as dude or girl and your task is to build a dungeon and take over the world? Add in random events, story, companions that are not all monsters and not all agreeing with you, dynamic settlement and town simulation, kingdoms that respond to threat but can be pressured into agreements if it serves them, various styles and forms of magic and drastically different ways to build your dungeon.

Either way, I guess you are right Cyborg... what I want isn't Dungeon Keeper, what I want is a Open World Dungeon Sim (I don't even care whether it's 3d or not, as long as the dungeon can be constructed by me and looks nice, I could even live with a sideviews view, assuming it's done well.

You see that is a key difference though in your goal. You want to make an original game, not a clone. A downfall of many of these games is that at the start they try to start as a clone, rather then start unique with many similarities.

[eRe4s3r]

Can you imagine an open world game where you are just dropped as dude or girl and your task is to build a dungeon and take over the world? Add in random events, story, companions that are not all monsters and not all agreeing with you, dynamic settlement and town simulation, kingdoms that respond to threat but can be pressured into agreements if it serves them, various styles and forms of magic and drastically different ways to build your dungeon.

Either way, I guess you are right Cyborg... what I want isn't Dungeon Keeper, what I want is a Open World Dungeon Sim (I don't even care whether it's 3d or not, as long as the dungeon can be constructed by me and looks nice, I could even live with a sideviews view, assuming it's done well.

You see that is a key difference though in your goal. You want to make an original game, not a clone. A downfall of many of these games is that at the start they try to start as a clone, rather then start unique with many similarities.

The thing is I would be making a game I want to play myself first and foremost. I would make it 100% modular and moddable. So that I can experience stories other people make inside the sandbox for me to experience. I would also make it mature and I would give modders 100% freedom in what they do as well as a platform to post/rate/discuss both "normal" and "mature" rated content.

Obviously a small dev can not make a huge sandbox with billions of things to do. But when mods can easily integrate and interact, become part of the procedural narrative, add their own companions, scripts, events, dialogs, models textures and even regions or kingdoms..... I guess even as far as changing the gameplay system itself. IN the end, a good game sells because people want to play it, be it because they love the game you made, or they love a mod for that game.

Ehem.. anyway.. yes, These Dungeon Keeper 2 clones are exactly that. Clones of Dungeon Keeper 2. And I liked DK2, but I want NEW games.

[madcow]

Maia is out in steam early access now. It looked like one of the more promising dungeon keeper esque games. I backed it on kickstarter but haven't really looked at it since, I guess I'll get a steam key soon, but probably will hold off for a bit

Anybody else interested or going to give it a try?

[Mick]

It looks interesting, but I'm turned off by version numbers in the .3's.

Greenlight seems to be packed with unfinished games.

[tigersfan]

It looks interesting, but I'm turned off by version numbers in the .3's.

Greenlight seems to be packed with unfinished games.

Greenlight? I didn't think that game was Greenlit. I think it's an Early Access game, which is different from GL

[madcow]

It's both heh. Greenlit to early access. I'm not sure how far along in development it is, but giving it time to simmer is one of the reasons I'm not booting it up just yet.