The Mines DevLog - 002

A quick update on The Mines. Progress continues, heavy into play testing mode now and difficulty balancing.

Just from play testing the first 1/2 of the opening dungeon have hit some decisions and choices to make:

1. Random battles- Hmm. Needed if grinding is at all part of the game, but man, they really are annoying when you are actually trying to explore or accomplish something. And last I checked, annoying isn't generally what we're shooting for as game creators! I see 3 or 4 paths forward here:

A) Further increase some thresholds and % chance on how often occurs. So its just less often. This is likely great when exploring, but bad if you're trying to actually get a character or two levelled up. Also impacts overall difficulty curve and balance of the game.

B) Make it easier to run, so you are more likely to be able to evade if you're not in the mood for XP and Gold at the moment. But this also impacts difficulty, so have to consider.

C) Map design - continue to add secret passages and events that once you explore a region, reduces back tracking and journey time to get to next 'area'. Random battles generally are annoying when you have a goal, and the further you have to travel the more random battles occur, so shortening this through map design and shortcuts can really change the feel.

D) Add the good old 'escapipe' concept of teleporting back to base / guild / camp. This eliminates back tracking, usually for a small fee or cost.

Thinking about the experience to date, we think random battles are still needed, grinding is a part of this game, leveling up players is part of the fun of this game, we just have to find ways to make them not get in the way of exploring. Our approach currently is we have tweaked A and B (just slightly), and also added some items and spells that can also make it easier to run. Additionally we have added one shortcut to reduce backtracking and reviewing the map, and are adding a second one that will help for (C). Finally, we are planning to implement an item for a price that teleports you back to base. We want to get the price right so it means you want to use it sparingly. This means you can retain your XP and Gold, any fixed and special combats stay completed, but you avoid back tracking home. (D) feels like a bit of a cheat- especially as the game has a fatigue system- but ultimately if its priced right and rare enough, it can have a place.

If anyone has any thoughts or opinions on random battles and approaches let us know in the comments!