Sunday, July 12, 2009

It's going to be DARK.

Go underground and it will be dark. I mean pitch black. In dungeons and caves you'll be glad if there happen to be some glowstones or a brazier. A cave entrance will be lit with the outside light, but venture further in and you better hope you can see in the dark.


Here's three screenshots from the toolset. In the first, a few glowstones light your path. In the second it's welcome back to the light of the cave entrance. And the third.... the view from the cave entrance, off into the darkness you go.




You might want a torch or some other form of light. Official campaigns have to be nice about lighting up underground interiors for players so people don't complain about not being able to see. I don't. Naturally lit caves and dungeons for all! :-)






6 comments:

  1. Excellent! This is the route I'm going, too, and find it makes the areas much more immersive(anyways, any wizard worth his--or her--salt has the light spell ready).

    ReplyDelete
  2. I want to make things like "glittering amulets" and darkvision useful. And like you said, it ups the immersion. Plus it's fun to make you battle some shadows in pitch black, I think I'm going to try scripting it so they put out the players torch before attacking :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am not fond of dark areas, they give me the impression that I am always missing something. I am not good at playing spellcasters. Darkvision makes me dizzy. Torches imply unequipping something (unacceptable compromise!). Glittering amulets never glitter enough.

    I am doomed to play aasimars for their free racial light spell!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. @nacaal: I'm actually trying to make you "compromise". I'm going for the immersion/tension of being in the dark in some areas. That said there are two wizard type companions that will be available for "light" needs, plus any glowing magic items you might find/buy.

    Personally, I tend to play fighter or thief types as my pc. Occaisionally a cleric, and almost never a pure arcane class.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I really applaud this. A surfacer should *have* to compromise to enter an environment like this -- and losing your light source should be a terrifying concept, especially when you're around folks who don't need it and know you're there from a mile off b/c of it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love these concepts. While, as a gamer I may find myself very frustrated at times, I think they lend an 'air' of verisimilitude to the process of adventuring. It's not always about 'seeing' everything there is to see. I'll admit openly that going into dark and unexplored caves is something I like to do in real life -- but only so far and I would never, I think, spelunk a cave that I didn't already know was well explored -- the idea of being underground, in the dark and stuck in a place I didn't know -- oh man, not for me.

    Still, an adventure, even a gaming one, should be able to tighten up your gut, make you wonder what's around the next corner or cause you to wonder, "Should I do that?"

    Great idea, kamal.

    ReplyDelete