An outdoor dungeon layout with restrictions would still be a good thing

[msgnomer]

<p>I could have put this in the suggestion thread like several other posts I've made, but this is in response to comments in the last video chat about the dungeon maker.</p><p>It was stated there wouldn't be outdoor dungeons at this time because of the room restrictions.</p><p>I'd like state that an outdoor dungeon, even with boundaries for artificial outdoor "rooms" would still be a great thing.  I'm currently trying to shoehorn an outdoor dungeon into one of the indoor dungeon layout options and its a major pain.  I don't mind the division into rooms at all, but trying to mask the interiors of each room is a daunting task.  I've spent a lot of time and I'm still not sure I'll be able to make it look right. </p><p>I've seen a few dungeons that tried to decorate as if outdoors and they were quite nice.  However, you do have to suspend your disbelief and constantly ignore all the artifacts telling you it's an indoor layout.  These designers constructed their own buildings within the dungeon interiors, so they could have much more easily have used a plain layout to construct their dungeon.</p><p>If I was desinging an outdoor dungeon layout with restrictions, for starters, I'd pick an existing layout and take away all the building components, maybe leaving something to indicate the rooms on the ground for the designer.  It would be up to the designer to mask this demarcation.  Add a sky and natural looking rock floor and let the dungeon designer take it from there.</p><p>It might not be every designers cup of tea, but then nothing in the game is for everyone. </p><p>My outdoor  layout pack would have:</p><p>(1) rock and grass floor and daylight sky (demarcation could be a slightly different rock color?)</p><p>(2) rock and grass floor with night sky</p><p>(3) canyons with various size areas (day or night)...(easy demarcation with this one)</p><p>(4) water byways - rooms divided up in various ways, but could include rivers and waterfall with the water shallow enough that the swimming issue doesn't come into play (or maybe it could?)</p><p>(5) mountain - various levels, interior dungeons already have various levels but now it's mountain areas with maybe a meadow thrown in</p><p>I'm mostly a monthly fee kind of person, but I will freely admit I'd pay for such a pack of layouts, even better if they were available via dungeon marks, but just to have them would be super duper!  <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" /></p><p>-msgnomer</p>

[Puddlejump]

A group of outdoor layouts would be fantastic! Something similar to the recently released "castle of dread" prestige home would offer plenty of opportunities for interesting designs. Or perhaps versions of the Estate of Unrest or Nektropos Castle.

[Mary the Prophetess]

<p>I think one of the problems with an outdoor dungeon would be the boundries of such an area.  That would mean an outdoor area would need to be set in a valley, or on an island, or perhaps on a sky island, like the Teneruous Isle Refuge Prestige Home.</p><p>Another one of the problems with most of the dungeon layouts we now have is their linear nature, and 'constructed' decor.  Regular, ice, lava, or labarynth caves full of twisty little passages all alike would also be a welcome addition.</p>

[Lempo]

<p>Ever been to EoW?</p><p>That would be the perfect layout for an outdoor area all issues are addressed in it.</p><p>Not going to take the fact that regardless of what they do the thing lost a lot of 'punch' when it was released in the half baked fashion that it was, that has been pointed out by Banditman better than I can do it. In any case they can take eons of time with it now but when you remove the eon from dungeon you end up with dung and that thing is not going to be revivable at this point. There is not enough interest in it, more and more people are getting sick of "ok try it now!", do it right the first time, get it tested listen to and accept the feedback that you get instead of dismissing the people that give it to you as mindless idiots and act on what they say.</p>

[screenid]

<p>outdoor area <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/e8a506dc4ad763aca51bec4ca7dc8560.gif" border="0" /></p><p>caves dungeon<img src="/eq2/images/smilies/e8a506dc4ad763aca51bec4ca7dc8560.gif" border="0" /></p>

[Daisey]

<p>I'd like an outdoor area too.  My elephants look kind of silly in the dungeons.  The badgers are complaining and if I have to hear <strong>one more word</strong> from those darn basilisks, I might have to jump off a cliff.  Oh dang, I don't crunch...  It's just not very dramatic if I float off the cliff.</p><p>I don't decorate.  I'm one of those evil dungeon makers that just plop their critters around.  I just like buying to Tunare packs for the animals.</p>

[dankaro]

<p>I'm all for lot's of options but they need to fix the vitality issue and aggro range etc. Plenty of work to be done to make the thing ready for prime time before they worry about adding more to a broken system (much like many other aspects of the game).</p>

[Gladiolus]

<p>Vitality seems to have been fixed. Aggro range I'd like to be substantially reduced, and then selectively increased with Effects. It really ruins a story when the people from Act III come rushing out in the middle of Act II.</p>

[Eveningsong]

<p>I've been really hoping for a dungeon layout based on Emerald Halls <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  Seems to me perhaps that type of zone might work where a true outdoor environment might have issues, since travel is restricted by paths, mountain sides, etc. which function basically as walls.  Here's hoping anyways!  I have plans for an outdoor dungeon, and I'm too lazy to build it all by scratch inside an existing dungeon <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />. </p>

[msgnomer]

<p>Even something like a string of some of the larger rooms in the current dungeons, stripped of their architectural features down to empty shells might work.  It's easier to build an outdoor area if  you aren't spending all your time and energy on masking obtrusive columns and protruding lights and other details. </p>