Platforming and puzzles in an MMO...

[razz]

Hey,

i think they should add instances/puzzles like the temples in FF X! Maybe add some Quests in these instances for DoHs or DoLs. Like you have to cut off a tree to get over a river (or break down a wall). Maybe get a special item at place A, go to place B, where u can do a special craft and then go to place C to unlock the next stage. Of course put many traps in it.

[Nakiamiie]

It's vaguely been done but it's a shame that we have MMOs in 3D environments these days and nobody really adds in platforming and puzzles to get through dungeons.

I'd like to see dungeons that don't have time restraints and allow for players to solve through finding clues in the world and in the dungeons themselves.

Figure out how to pass through a dungeon whether it be use special classes and skills, popping the right switches...triggering traps. Heck that big round rock rolling down to sandwich you chase is sorta fun. Should totally see more of that sort of stuff.

I think the tendency is for many games to focus in on just enter area find big boss and kill but you can create a great story line just through puzzled areas that require some thought and exploration.

*gives you a big hug*

If this were done, I would agree that jumping and swimming would rock.

I, too, would truly enjoy playing in those dungeons rather than the simple kill-run style of dungeon we currently have.
Hopefully we will see some of those in the future content as well as gathering/crafting dungeons (as mentioned in another thread).

[Jinko]

FF7 had platform elements, climbing up ladders and ropes, opening switches in caves etc.

FF11 also had the Garliage doors which required 4 people to open, also the mage door in the Horunto ruins where you had to have one red mage one white mage and one black mage to open the door.

I would love to see puzzles added to dungeons.

[Seif]

FFXI had a several instances of this.

The earliest one was probably the "three-mage gate" where you needed one of each of the color mages to stand on a glyph to open it. The Eldieme Necropolis had levers that controlled gates, requiring more than one person to work together to progress. Beadeaux had a fairly unique system where you could voluntarily silence yourself at some machines in order to avoid being cursed (greatly reduced HP/MP and movement speed) when passing by other machines. Castle Zvahl also had a lot of drops to platforms at different levels, as well as teleporters. Many areas, mostly dungeons, had one-way drops and holes in the floor to other maps.

With Zilart the Quicksand Caves had pressure plates that required the weights of different races in combination to open doors, as well as one entrance that could only be used after activating several pillars around the entire desert. The Temple of Uggalepih had one-way drops and keys that were required to access certain areas. Ifrit's Cauldron had you avoiding flame spouts and carefully planning routes down one-way drops. And of course all of Tu'Lia, especially the Shrine of Ru'Avitau, had several key/switch areas and tons of teleporters.

In the Promathia expansion most level-capped story areas had some sort of classic dungeon progression gimmick. The areas of Promyvion under the crags required you defeat gates and use teleporters to continue to the end. Phomiuna Aqueducts had multiple levels, one-way doors, and keys, and there is an area that requires players to flip switches in a certain pattern to open a door for a story mission. Riverne used teleports and keys. The Sacrarium had a maze that shifted to different patterns with each game day. Fei'Yin was nothing but various kinds of different puzzles. Attohwa Chasm had a large mountain with a very confusing method of climbing that must be conquered under a time limit for a story mission and some other quests. Movalpolos required people to use furnaces to rotate gates. Ulegeurand Range had very strict paths and drops you had to take to get anywhere, and IIRC one even required you moving your character mid-air to hit a landing. And of course Lumoria had crazy teleports and was confusing like Tu'Lia before it.

In Aht Urhgan areas returned to a larger scale, and all of the dungeons had their own gimmick. Arrapago Reef had one-way drops and keyed doors. Halvung had many separate entrances and lever-controlled gates. Mamook got the multiple levels and one-way drops. Eventually they added something more unique with Alzadaal Undersea Ruins, which connected to many of the other areas with a series of teleporters.

The entire game had things like strategic placement of enemies you had to wait to turn their backs to avoid, hidden areas of maps you had to figure out how to traverse, and multiple maps to figure out how they connected to each other.

I don't know if any of the same area designers are working on XIV, but I'd love to see that same kind of classic dungeon crawling experience in it. Promathia in particular often felt like you were one member in an old-school FF game, while you worked with your party to figure out how to get through an area together.

Honestly as much as I love XI I really hated those bits that were impossible to solo. That's not to say the member minimums for XIV dungeons are even more arbitary and only limit the gameplay experience instead of enhancing it.

[AdvancedWind]

Puzzles?


[SIZE="5"]PUZZLES?[/SIZE]

did someone say puzzles.

Ugh, not this thing again.....D:

[grandm]

puzzles yes yhy not. but i think they have started to introduce this, find the right colour key for the right chest in the new low lv dungeon (true a very simple puzzle) but this could be the start. platform no. leave that blue hedgehog or that fat plumber to jump from platform to platform

[Jennestia]

Puzzles have always existed in some level and always will, but platforming is more towards action based games (and platformers), so it's not really surprising when platforming isn't included in MMOs, but it is when puzzles aren't.

[Jinko]

MMO do have platforming, WoW has had several instances of platforming during boss encounters.

[Aldarin]

PUZZLES!!!!
I love a good puzzle, and they could definitely be made.
I do agree somewhat with the lack of platform jumping and pits, way too overdone. But I would totally be into having jump and swim added for puzzles, as well as having ladders in the game that actually work. The puzzles in FFX we're some of my favorite parts of the game, including finding the secret treasure chests in the temples.

[Forerunner]

FFXI had a several instances of this.

The earliest one was probably the "three-mage gate" where you needed one of each of the color mages to stand on a glyph to open it. The Eldieme Necropolis had levers that controlled gates, requiring more than one person to work together to progress. Beadeaux had a fairly unique system where you could voluntarily silence yourself at some machines in order to avoid being cursed (greatly reduced HP/MP and movement speed) when passing by other machines. Castle Zvahl also had a lot of drops to platforms at different levels, as well as teleporters. Many areas, mostly dungeons, had one-way drops and holes in the floor to other maps.

With Zilart the Quicksand Caves had pressure plates that required the weights of different races in combination to open doors, as well as one entrance that could only be used after activating several pillars around the entire desert. The Temple of Uggalepih had one-way drops and keys that were required to access certain areas. Ifrit's Cauldron had you avoiding flame spouts and carefully planning routes down one-way drops. And of course all of Tu'Lia, especially the Shrine of Ru'Avitau, had several key/switch areas and tons of teleporters.

In the Promathia expansion most level-capped story areas had some sort of classic dungeon progression gimmick. The areas of Promyvion under the crags required you defeat gates and use teleporters to continue to the end. Phomiuna Aqueducts had multiple levels, one-way doors, and keys, and there is an area that requires players to flip switches in a certain pattern to open a door for a story mission. Riverne used teleports and keys. The Sacrarium had a maze that shifted to different patterns with each game day. Fei'Yin was nothing but various kinds of different puzzles. Attohwa Chasm had a large mountain with a very confusing method of climbing that must be conquered under a time limit for a story mission and some other quests. Movalpolos required people to use furnaces to rotate gates. Ulegeurand Range had very strict paths and drops you had to take to get anywhere, and IIRC one even required you moving your character mid-air to hit a landing. And of course Lumoria had crazy teleports and was confusing like Tu'Lia before it.

In Aht Urhgan areas returned to a larger scale, and all of the dungeons had their own gimmick. Arrapago Reef had one-way drops and keyed doors. Halvung had many separate entrances and lever-controlled gates. Mamook got the multiple levels and one-way drops. Eventually they added something more unique with Alzadaal Undersea Ruins, which connected to many of the other areas with a series of teleporters.

The entire game had things like strategic placement of enemies you had to wait to turn their backs to avoid, hidden areas of maps you had to figure out how to traverse, and multiple maps to figure out how they connected to each other.

I don't know if any of the same area designers are working on XIV, but I'd love to see that same kind of classic dungeon crawling experience in it. Promathia in particular often felt like you were one member in an old-school FF game, while you worked with your party to figure out how to get through an area together.

Epic post is epic.