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Why do people like dungeons so much?

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  • smoothpete 16 Apr 2012 11:27:28 29,449 posts
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    I've never really got this about gaming. So many dungeons. Dungeons are inherently unpleasant places to be, yet you want to crawl around them?

    Like Zelda games, full of dungeons. Dark Souls - dungeontastic. Legend of Grimrock, I've seen the videos, that is the most dungeony thing ever.

    Is it from D&D? Is that the appeal?

    Take Skyrim for example, not sure whether to buy that or not if I'm going to spend so much time underground. It definitely put me off Oblivion.

    I am, admittedly, a huge fan of the Portal games which I suppose you could very loosely call "dungeon" games in that they're puzzle games in a controlled, enclosed environment.

    /spelunks

    edit:

    /Fritzl

    Edited by smoothpete at 11:30:52 16-04-2012
  • nickthegun 16 Apr 2012 11:31:27 45,269 posts
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    I prefer sewers

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  • darkmorgado 16 Apr 2012 11:34:30 22,945 posts
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    They lend themselves to traps and puzzles, and they have an inherent exploration appeal to them.

    They're great if done right - i.e Zelda. Very often though, admittedly, they are done very lazily - i.e Oblivion.

    And if you didn't like Oblivion for its dungeons, you sure as hell won't like Skyrim. They might be hand-crafted instead of randomly generated, but they still suffer from massive asset reuse which makes them all feel very identikit.

    Edited by darkmorgado at 11:36:00 16-04-2012

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  • Whizzo 16 Apr 2012 11:35:10 41,254 posts
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    It's not a proper dungeon unless it's got a gelatinous cube lurking in it.

    This space left intentionally blank.

  • darkmorgado 16 Apr 2012 11:36:26 22,945 posts
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    Or giant rats.

    Don't forget the giant rats.

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  • oceanmotion 16 Apr 2012 11:36:35 13,385 posts
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    Vents and elevator shafts. Oh yea.

    Exploring I suppose and the game designers have a nice separate area to play with like a sandbox which you can do over and over!

    Edited by oceanmotion at 11:37:21 16-04-2012
  • darkmorgado 16 Apr 2012 11:38:04 22,945 posts
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    Dungeons just don't feel right unless you have to use graph paper, IMO.

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  • Lexx87 16 Apr 2012 11:40:00 20,873 posts
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    Where else am I going to keep my sex slaves?

    Speak the truth hussy!

  • smoothpete 16 Apr 2012 11:41:45 29,449 posts
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    I'd quite happily play the same kind of game, but set it some other (enclosed) environment. Like, I dunno, skyscraper or something. So you're still doing the same stuff but it's less oppressive and there are windows

    ... Maybe I'm just not a fan of torches and lanterns?
  • mrpon 16 Apr 2012 11:43:56 24,432 posts
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    I love a nice corridor me.

    Give yourself ½ gig or a £, you're worth it.

  • Razz 16 Apr 2012 11:44:12 58,182 posts
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    Always seen it as a hangover from the first generation of videogames when all dungeons were easier to render than the outdoors.

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  • quadfather 16 Apr 2012 11:45:15 4,926 posts
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    Exploration
    Finding loot!
    The more ancient and 'forgotten' the dungeon is, the more atmosphere you (can)get
    atmosphere in general
    tension
    running away
    running away in the wrong direction and finding even more horror
    It's also partly the levelling up of the characters to be able to handle harder dungeons
    Puzzle solving
    And the often felt feeling of finding the next set of stairs that contains more lurking horrors.

    I think I got into it from reading fighting fantasy books as a kid, and then general fantasy - just twigged for me.

    I love dungeons, me!

    psn = quaddy456

  • MrWonderstuff 16 Apr 2012 11:48:46 1,749 posts
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    It really a harks back to the pen and paper RPGS such as D&D and Runequest. Many an adventure would take place in a dungeon (as well as outdoors). I love nice brick textures ;-) The oppressive nature of dungeons also lends to a certain atmosphere you cannot capture above ground.
  • senso-ji 16 Apr 2012 11:51:51 4,686 posts
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    It's easier for developers to design and code puzzles in an enclosed space than in an open world.
  • dominalien 16 Apr 2012 11:52:25 5,737 posts
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    Dungeons in Oblivion weren't so bad. You should take a look at the ones in Daggerfall.

    All in all, out of all my years in gaming, I liked the dungeons in Ultima games the most. Short, tight, with a very clear purpose. I suppose Zelda's dungeons would be similar to those.

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  • Razz 16 Apr 2012 11:54:53 58,182 posts
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    Yeah, I wish there were more games with realistic caves in them. In fact I'd love a good Cave Explorer game set in South America! :)

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  • Ka-blamo 16 Apr 2012 11:55:56 6,506 posts
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    You need dungeons, as without them you won't get the feeling of leaving a defeated dungeon into the sunshine being stronger and wealthier, walk to the nearest tavern or inn, rest up...buy new shit, then bring on the next dungeon!

    Might be just me though :)

    Edited by Ka-blamo at 12:06:28 16-04-2012
  • MrWonderstuff 16 Apr 2012 11:57:38 1,749 posts
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    Caves are not dungeons ;-) Dungeons are man-made undeground complexes built to house prisoners. I like a good cave me, but dungeons are something else.
  • jakuande 16 Apr 2012 12:00:11 190 posts
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    Dungeons are great but it's usually the places you get to after the dungeon bit that are the most mysterious and fun to explore.

    Take Ash lake for instance: you have to go down through layer after layer of dungeony undertown, sewer, and swamp before finding a hole in the bottom of a hollow tree and descending further still before you finally emerge into this wierd open space underneath everything (the cool music helps too.)
  • MrWonderstuff 16 Apr 2012 12:00:35 1,749 posts
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    @Ka-blamo No, not just you. However, the biggest problem with current generation RPGs is the fact that the transition between a dungeon and the world above is preceeded by "loading...". Shame Bethesda hasn't sorted this out yet.
  • Dragul 16 Apr 2012 12:01:01 5,478 posts
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    MrWonderstuff wrote:
    It really a harks back to the pen and paper RPGS such as D&D and Runequest. Many an adventure would take place in a dungeon (as well as outdoors). I love nice brick textures ;-) The oppressive nature of dungeons also lends to a certain atmosphere you cannot capture above ground.
    Quite right, and also it would be quite difficult to play a dungeon crawler with out the dungeon part...

    It also goes back to the mythology, remember the Minotaur and that some of the most famous classic tales of heroism take you to a dungeon at some point.


    Lexx87 wrote:
    Where else am I going to keep my sex slaves?
    Such a good joke not getting appreciated... :(

    Edited by Dragul at 12:01:32 16-04-2012
  • RedSparrows 16 Apr 2012 12:02:26 17,491 posts
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    I only like them for being a shit place to be before I find good loot at the end.

    Dungeons as raids, like in WoW, however, I like because they offer a real sense of challenge and danger, as well as awe at times: they're just easily controlled, but still mysterious, game spaces.
  • mal 16 Apr 2012 12:03:46 20,710 posts
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    Razz wrote:
    Always seen it as a hangover from the first generation of videogames when all dungeons were easier to render than the outdoors.
    This. Enclosed spaces stop the player wandering off and not completing your carefully designed puzzle. Back in the 2D games, any room would do, but caves have the benefit of not being a boring rectangle.

    In 3D enclosed spaces with lots of twists and turns reduce your rendering distance, so limit the number of objects and walls you need to display. Also, you can get away with using the same brown texture for all the walls. Why they're *still* popular these days is undoubtedly a D&D/tolkein hangover, but there are plenty of games out there with enclosed levels/arenas that aren't gothic dungeons.

    Cubby didn't know how to turn off sigs!

  • quadfather 16 Apr 2012 12:04:30 4,926 posts
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    I also like the mystery of them - I love it when there's secret areas, and deadly traps that you have to negotiate.

    I can't put my finger on exactly why I like them, but there you go

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  • Murbal 16 Apr 2012 12:05:29 19,655 posts
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    I feel I should let you all know that I read the thread title as 'dungarees'. Turns out Pete may be a fan after all.

    Carry on.
  • Ka-blamo 16 Apr 2012 12:05:41 6,506 posts
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    Dragul wrote:
    Lexx87 wrote:
    Where else am I going to keep my sex slaves?
    Such a good joke not getting appreciated... :(
    Not really, I was expecting a Jospeh Fritzel incest dungeon joke when I clicked on the thread, so I had my expectations high so that joke didn't cut it :)
  • StarchildHypocrethes 16 Apr 2012 12:11:30 22,692 posts
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    .

    Edited by StarchildHypocrethes at 12:15:19 16-04-2012
  • StarchildHypocrethes 16 Apr 2012 12:12:48 22,692 posts
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    Can you imagine the fuss there'd be if I didn't have my dungeon to sling Maddy in?

    I'd never hear the bloody end of it.
  • jakuande 16 Apr 2012 12:23:30 190 posts
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    Dungeons are really just a fancy kind of maze and mazes have been in games since long before computers. Like Dragul mentions the Cretan Labyrinth is proably a big inspiration for game dungeons and that makes the minotaur the original boss fight. Trash mobs came later :p

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