Difference between revisions of "Valley 1:Why Being A "Completionist" Is Both Futile And Boring Here"

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Destroyed rooms, which some players refer to as "bombed out" rooms (because of the little bomb icon on their door), are something that exist -- thematically speaking -- because of the cataclysm that shook up the world prior to the start of the game.  There are destroyed rooms for the same reason there are chunks out of the moon.
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=== What's With All The Destroyed Rooms? ===
  
From a gameplay standpoint, what purpose do they serve? Three things:
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Destroyed rooms, which some players refer to as "bombed out" rooms (because of the little bomb icon that used to be on the door), are something that exist -- thematically speaking -- because of the cataclysm that shook up the world prior to the start of the game.  There are destroyed rooms for the same reason there are chunks out of the moon, or clocks that have fallen down to the floor.
  
1. They make the buildings smaller.  Having to always explore enormous buildings is annoying.  Most players also hate locked doors that you can't go into for mysterious reasons.  So we let you go into any room, although the ones that are destroyed have nothing of interest at all.  Repeat: there is never anything of interest to find in destroyed rooms, which means you can safely ignore them as you explore around.
 
  
2. Destroyed rooms also make buildings non-linear.  In real life, buildings are constructed to make it as EASY as possible for people to get around in.  There are often big loops, multiple ways to get to any spot in a building, and so on.  The only barriers we really put up in ''most'' buildings are locked doors, but it's expected that anyone with a key will have quick access to any part of the building.  For a game, of course, this is terrible: there's no sense of progression, there's no secret passages, etc.  Having destroyed rooms in AVWW means that sometimes you find a room that is only accessible through, say, the vent ducts.  Or sometimes part of the building is only accessible through the back door of the building, while the front door just leads to a few rooms that are collapsed-in.  Etc.
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From a gameplay standpoint, what purpose do they serve?
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1. They make the buildings '''smaller'''.  Having to always explore enormous buildings in any game is annoying.  Most players also hate locked doors that you can't go into for mysterious reasons (unless the game you're playing is survival horror, in which case it's a relief every time; but that's a very different genre).  Our solution was to let you go into any room, but destroy some of them.  We make them obviously destroyed just from looking at their entrance, and make it so that they never have nothing of interest at all inside them.  Repeat: there is never anything of interest to find in destroyed rooms, which means you can safely ignore them as you explore around.
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2. Destroyed rooms also make buildings '''non-linear'''.  In real life, buildings are constructed to make it as EASY as possible for people to get around in.  There are often big loops, multiple ways to get to any spot in a building, and so on.  The only barriers we really put up in ''most'' buildings are locked doors, but it's expected that anyone with a key will have quick access to any part of the building.  For a game, of course, this is terrible: there's no sense of exploration, there's no secret passages, etc.  Having destroyed rooms in AVWW means that sometimes you find a room BEHIND that destroyed room that is only accessible through, say, the vent ducts.  Or sometimes part of the building is only accessible through the back door of the building, while the front door just leads to a few rooms that are collapsed-in.  Etc.  A lot of games use this trick; you'll see it everywhere if you know to look for it.
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3. Destroyed rooms also do '''provide a little hidey-hole''' for your character to step into and safely let their mana recharge, reorganize inventory, wait out enemies, or whatever.
  
3. Destroyed rooms also do provide a little hidey-hole for your character to step into and safely cast some healing spells or wait out enemies or whatever.  Mostly this is a happy byproduct, not the core intent of the design of the destroyed rooms, but given the narrow, claustrophobic nature of building interiors (compared to surface exteriors, or underground caverns), sometimes having a spot like this is really helpful in buildings.
 
  
 
[[A Valley Without Wind]]
 
[[A Valley Without Wind]]

Revision as of 15:54, 13 March 2012

What's With All The Destroyed Rooms?

Destroyed rooms, which some players refer to as "bombed out" rooms (because of the little bomb icon that used to be on the door), are something that exist -- thematically speaking -- because of the cataclysm that shook up the world prior to the start of the game. There are destroyed rooms for the same reason there are chunks out of the moon, or clocks that have fallen down to the floor.


From a gameplay standpoint, what purpose do they serve?

1. They make the buildings smaller. Having to always explore enormous buildings in any game is annoying. Most players also hate locked doors that you can't go into for mysterious reasons (unless the game you're playing is survival horror, in which case it's a relief every time; but that's a very different genre). Our solution was to let you go into any room, but destroy some of them. We make them obviously destroyed just from looking at their entrance, and make it so that they never have nothing of interest at all inside them. Repeat: there is never anything of interest to find in destroyed rooms, which means you can safely ignore them as you explore around.

2. Destroyed rooms also make buildings non-linear. In real life, buildings are constructed to make it as EASY as possible for people to get around in. There are often big loops, multiple ways to get to any spot in a building, and so on. The only barriers we really put up in most buildings are locked doors, but it's expected that anyone with a key will have quick access to any part of the building. For a game, of course, this is terrible: there's no sense of exploration, there's no secret passages, etc. Having destroyed rooms in AVWW means that sometimes you find a room BEHIND that destroyed room that is only accessible through, say, the vent ducts. Or sometimes part of the building is only accessible through the back door of the building, while the front door just leads to a few rooms that are collapsed-in. Etc. A lot of games use this trick; you'll see it everywhere if you know to look for it.

3. Destroyed rooms also do provide a little hidey-hole for your character to step into and safely let their mana recharge, reorganize inventory, wait out enemies, or whatever.


A Valley Without Wind