The Labyrinth of Chaos

#1

Alrighty. I, Chaosmark, have developed quite a liking unto this idea of a randomly generated labyrinth. I've begun to collect together the bare bones of an interface and what I wish to do with it. My eventual goal is to have a stand-alone maze that every time you play is different. A true Labyrinth of Chaos(tm). Below is my thoughts as to what this game will include in the final version, though to start I'd like to stick to the first and second one if possible.

1) Randomly generated rooms, to create a new maze each time played.
2) Puzzles chosen randomly from a list of them.
3) Randomly generated monsters.
4) A simple combat system for battling monsters.
5) Non-combat skills/spells for solving puzzles and defeating traps and such.
6) Items and equipment for both combat and non.

Now, considering the almost certain lack of role-playing in this concept due to it being single player, why should I even bother posting it here? For two simple reasons. The first is that this is the place which gave me the idea, and thus should be where I present the idea of it.

And secondly, I'd much appreciate the help of those here who have the knack for creating rooms, traps, puzzles, monsters, the works. To make the game, okay, not a problem for myself and perhaps Manfred or some other. However, to populate all of it by ourselves? That's just not in the same zone. In effect, this is me asking you guys to help come up with random rooms and such to put in here, thus increasing the depth of it.

Now, my thoughts were divided as I was developing the concept of this, due to some issues. I have two options before me: 1) an array of premade rooms, complete with traps, puzzles, monsters, ect; or 2) a way of randomly making such rooms, then populating them with the aforementioned items. Each idea has it's flaws and merits, and while the concept of the Labyrinth, both mine and the concept of it originally, was to have a completely new one each time you entered, I don't know that it'd be feasible to do.

I also find that perhaps if there was introduced a multiplayer option later on, roleplaying could be incorporated into the system once more than a single user is playing it at a time.

In the back corners of my mind I find the thought that perhaps this might not be something that should be posted here, but in the hope of future RPing with it, and in some small burst of Cthulhic insanity it actually becomes an online RPG, might someone be willing to help? If not, feel free to delete this and I'll never bring it up again, save as a random rambling in the chat.

The Labyrinth of Chaos

#2

After coming back to this after working on it more and more, I realized that with my request, I didn't give you exact criteria for what was needed/wanted.

First, to give you a concept of what this is going to be, I'm starting by making it just a random maze generator that changes every time you enter it. Rock on, other stuff can be added later.

If any of you ever played Realm of Kaos, you can get a rough concept of what this game is going to look like, though I only made the connection of interface looks after designing this one. Anyways, what I'm going for currently is a room, with a name and description. Description is flavor text, but also can be game notes like secret walls and such. Make note of such special things. Also, due to how I'm organizing them, I need to know where the exits are in the room. eg. North, south, east and west. Some rooms might even be a dead end, with no exits other than the entrance.

As a final note, keep in mind that some rooms can be created with the sole intent of having a monster/trap/puzzle/item in them. That's perfectly alright, and makes things easier later; the specials just won't be put in the maze version.
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Format I'm using for rooms is as follows:

Room Name: -------
Category: North/south/east/west; most will overlap into more than one.
Display text: What the players read about the room.
Image: This is where I'll place the image address for the game to pull said image for the room.
Chosen: Has it already been picked from the list? If so, this will be marked and it won't be picked twice.
Special notes: Put anything else here.

Later on I'll add in other categories, such as threat ratings, traps/puzzles/monsters available, ect.

The Labyrinth of Chaos

#3

As a quick update while I still have time left unto me, this project IS still active, and I've made some decent progress on it, though my current snag has to do with the most vital part of the game: the random generator.

However, once I get that working properly, everything else will fall into place quite nicely. And even better, I just thought of a good GM utility once this is finished.

Using the same random generator code, I could add options for it to make any sort of labyrinth the GM desired, then make up a map of it for the GM, with notes as well. *likes this idea immensely* Then the GM could print off the map, make notes on it, whatever.

Questions, comments? For some reason I get the feeling this labyrinth isn't of much interest to all of you save two or three.

The Labyrinth of Chaos

#4

Two or three? There are only two people on this site, Chaosmark: You and me. (I am all the other nicks)

a random generator ought not to be very difficult. Just use a random() function and the CPU cycles as seed.

Good luck!

The Labyrinth of Chaos

#5

That thought is very disturbing unto me AG, for the sheer fact of me having seen someone else do roughly the same thing on another site. He wasn't quite everybody, but he was close...And he did it too!