Capturing That Old-School RPG Flavor
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"Old School" computer RPGs means different things to different people. For some people, it means going back 10+ years to games like Baldur's Gate and Fallout. For others, they think of the 16-bit Japanese console classics that didn't always make it to western shores. Still others might invoke names like Ultima, Wizardry, and even Apshai.One such link leads to Psychochild's brainstorming puzzles in dungeons, where you'll find an entertaining list of typical dungeon-crawling puzzles. A sampling:
But then there are others who think of the early days of dice-and-paper gaming - when Dungeons & Dragons was new and gaining steam, and of the very early (often non-commercial) computer games that attempted to capture the excitement, enthusiasm, and off-the-wall creativity of the hobby when it was new. While some may lift their noses in derision of such primitive sport, saying that RPGs have evolved to a higher form of gaming since then, some of us feel that the efforts to streamline, mainstream, and - yes, improve - on the computer / console role-playing experience have made collateral damage of some really cool and entertaining ideas.
But it's never too late to bring 'em back.
'¢ Switches - Levers, buttons, or other features have to be put in a certain configuration to produce an effect.To me, the original Bard's Tale was the most infuriating game I've ever had to navigate dungeons in. Darkness! Anti-magic! What were those Apport Arcane coordinates, again?
- Commonly, this can open a door or stop some other hindrance.
- Levers can be all in location, or spread out over the entire dungeon.
- Random level combinations without any hints can be frustrating.
- Could use a Bejewelled-like or sliding puzzle concept here for moving objects around to form patterns.
'¢ Pressure plate - Something happens when the character enters an area and stands on the plate.
- Perhaps the plate is reset if the player leaves. An object (or monster) needs to be on the plate.
'¢ Darkness - No reliable game-generated map of the area.
- Can be annoying without some sort of cues to guide the player through the area.
- Could also be used just to hide monster movement in the area, like a fog effect.
'¢ Disorientation - Character is turned and not moving in the same way they were before.
- Only works without a reliable map or compass heading.
'¢ Teleportation - Character is suddenly moved to another part of the dungeon, perhaps even another level.
- Having a series of teleporters that lead to smaller rooms with multiple teleporters in them can form a sort of mini-maze.
