/vr/ - Retro Games

>>3604665
>Personally I think that if the biggest challenge of your FPS is the convoluted keycard/door system, then you're developing the wrong games. If you can't admit that it's a weak point in said FPS, you're defending the wrong game.

How exactly is level design convoluted in DN3D?
I'm asking this because behind that statement, the real problem isn't the doors or keycards themeselves, as those are only a consequence, a tool, of the level design.

If you're so keen on comparing it to Doom, if anything Duke's layout are less convoluted, a lot less "pure conceptual maze like" design. Especially compared to Doom's episode 2, which can be a mess of optional and senseless mazes.

In Duke, in the vast majority of cases you'll find the locked door before finding the key. So you only have to remember where the door is, or check the auto map if you suck at drawing a mental picture of the level (which you shouldn't suck at if you really play retro FPS).
Then once you find the key, quite often you'll find an optional or secondary path leading you on the right track of finding (back) the locked door.
Outside of some exceptions, which can be the occasional puzzle or hidden thing to break the pace a little on purpose, it's all very intuitive.

That's without mentionning the times when you're given several ways to reach the next area; the times when the next locked areas has two locked doors from two different sides for instance, meaning that EVEN if you don't remember where to go, it doesn't boil down to finding that one spot earlier in the level, but instead are more likely to stumble upon a way to advance.

I'm honestly baffled by your claim, as DN3D is the epitome of classic FPS level design and many issues of Doom like maze like design are overcome, to the point that I'm inclined to think that if you don't like DN3D level design, you don't like pre-HL level design.