[ dynamic monster generation rate ]
This comes from EvilHack (but may have originated elsewhere?
GruntHack, maybe?) . And is an element that completely
destroys the game, in my opinion.
Yet I haven't enough experience with Hack'EM (and EvilHack is out
for me). From the numbers alone, at least, - a generation factor
of 8 ! - it appears to me that it's just unbalanced and overkill.
If I'd design such a feature from scratch I'd probably start with
a range of 1.5 to 2.5, and/or couple it with _concrete_ events,
say, (e.g.) if you disturb the Orc King orcs start swarming out
(roughly a'la LoTR, but you get the point). But only technically
(not [sort of] "semantically") adding features appears arbitrary.
The same with that shambling horror, which is obviously also only
a technical gimmick to introduce a random imbalance.
I could live with a LOT of what is
in EvilHack if this did not exist or was not so harsh. It gets to be way
too much to the point where simple tasks are overwhelming with way
too many monsters.
Here you addressed something that I had also in my mind; given
all the tons of items and monsters the dungeons appear more to be
a crowded shopping mall than a subterrestrial dungeon adventure.
There's a lot of complexity that partly certainly stems from the
original sources - Slashem was already very overloaded, EvilHack
yet more so, it seems. Hack'EM comprises a lot, probably too much.
I was initially excited for Hack'EM, but interest is severely waning.
A modern port of Slash'EM, with some things to help with balancing
and few added item? Yes, please. It is reading to be anything but. I did
start a vampire wizard, but was immediately off and parked the
character because it seems vampire hunger was removed for some
reason? Was quite a successful character otherwise. Just made it no
fun. That said, I will still be trying it out further.
Some time ago (probably repeatedly) I mentioned that I'd enjoy
to have more emphasis on the dungeon generation. More random
dungeons, less fixed layouts. To have the focus more on dungeon
exploration than increasing the hack'n'slash approach even more.
The worst "enhancement" came (I think) from the Spork line; to
have X-/Y-mirroring of levels (that really add no variety) or
to have two display methods for mazes (that also adds nothing).
Some changes in EvilHack and Hack'EM go the "right" direction,
adding grass, shallow water, sewer's goo, stinking clouds from
creatures or dungeon features, with the associated new variety
this has for game-play. Other things I am still missing here.
For example the Rat King level is an (IMO) excellent new type
of level layout. The same with the Gnome King mines end level
from Slash'em. Both would be excellent level types for random
level generation (as opposed to one static level)! (For the
latter I have test-wise implemented an algorithm, but not yet
for the Rat King sewers. The algorithms are similar, though,
so one could be derived.) I'd also like Slashem's maze types
that you find on the Vibrating Square level; having not only
digable walls but also granite, lava, fog, trees, hedges, etc.
The mazes' dimensions should vary - a suggestion I made that
found its way first (I think) into Spork. But not arbitrarily;
the dx/dy dimensions should be reasonable. (For an own test
implementation I used maze paths of (x,y)-width (1,1), (2,1),
(3,1), (1,2), (2,2), (3,2), only, to give a reasonable layout.)
What I like are the rivers and lava-streams passing through
the cavernous levels. From a style perspective I'd like to
see more cavernous levels in the upper dungeons, less rooms
and corridors which appear quite artificial. Because of that
preference I'm also ambivalent about the new room shapes.
But the inner room structure is a fine variety to the plain
rooms. Last but not least I enjoy the outdoor landscapes; but
here as well I'd prefer occasionally (not generally) a more
dynamic level generation; if you played some time and you
always see the same outdoor layout it gets boring. Finally
a detail; I'd like to see more "dungeon material" - I *don't*
mean all the object material complexity, I mean the dungeon.
In Hack'EM I see colored vaults or special rooms, well, okay.
But I'd rather prefer to know from the color whether a wall
or floor is digable (e.g. clay colored) or undiggable (e.g.
gray colored) so that I get some (for me) practically more
useful information. I also like the blood coloring as style
element; you see where slaughtering took place. Although
having the blood not on the square where the creature got
killed, but on adjacent walls and floor tiles leaves use
with the impression of a splatter movie (which is probably
intended, so fine by itself).
Janis