Fortunately death is not permanent here
Now that I have (more or less) fleshed out the base game mechanics (moving around, area changing, basic combat) its time to focus on one of the most crucial aspects of gameplay: Death.
Nethack had the most simple and clear solution: permadeath: If you die, that’s it, game over. But maybe that is bit too harsh for bit more relaxed gameplay games.
The death should be scaring option, but dying shouldn’t be too disencouraging. Instead of making you totally frustrated it should make you want to try again, with different approach. Yet it must hurt enough so that it is not trivial.
Here is my current design in a nutshell, with a few open alternative details:
Saving
There is no save “slots” of the game situations, except autosave each time you exit an area. And possibly there is possibility of saving when exiting the game. So effectively there is just 1 game “slot”.
Areas, moving
Game consists of ground areas (forest, town, and so on) and dungeons with levels. Each level has one or more “rooms”.
Each dungeon level has starting point, and reaching it will give you a “rune” to that point, e.g. you can always teleport to that spot. You can also always teleport back to the ground level.
The rune can also be obtained other way that reaching the area, for example as loot (so there is diversity in the game progression possibilities).
Obtained runes go to a separate “rune book” that is separate from normal inventory, and is not wiped in any situation (except if “new Game” selected in starting menu)
The rune has short activation period, so it is not automatic escape tool for all situations.
Death
When dying player is teleported to the (different options)
- Current level starting point
- Back to ground level
When dying this happens to the inventory items (different options):
- All items are deleted from inventory, except the ones being used (weapon, shield, armor (if any in the game) – How to deal with possible Quest items/ keys?
- All items in inventory stay as they are. – too easy?
- All items stay, except gold (so quest items, weapons & shields, keys stay)
Any comments ?
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I’d suggest having a set number of lives, which when lost slowly regenerate over time (up to X amount, like 3), and regenerate faster for each monster slain.
Once all lives are lost, only then are gold and items lost upon death.
Indeed I’d even say when the player has max lives, after a time period where he would have gained another life, he instead gets a little bit of gold or something.