Dungeon Master-style game

Mattias, Superb graphics! I did enjoy playing Dungeon Master back in the day. I fondly recall the sounds of doors sliding upwards, of pressure plates and using items like rocks to hold a series of plates down. Of creatures suddenly bursting through an open door, and some great music (I played on the Fujitsu FM-Towns with CDDA tracks). I would include things like the need to find food (that roll on the table in the kitchen), torches (or light spells that eat up magic points), and lots of puzzles if I was going to play a game like that again. Puzzles and these crisp detailed graphics are what would separate it from the many first person RPGs out there that people can create scenarios for, like Oblivion. I don't particularly think that having a party of characters would be key -- having a single character would be fine. Anyway, looks good!

Looks like the ogre has been working out lately :) I can only agree with Robinson on all points. The vast amount of puzzles that seems completely illogical at first is what make those old dungeon crawlers stand out. And small stones on the floor, of course... I would also vote for randomized dungeons/maps a'la Diablo 1 and 2. You would still have your places of interest that remains intact through the game and/or story (like "The Den of Evil" and so on), but their exact place would differ somewhat between sessions. Dungeon Master had a interesting magic system using syllables that I haven't really seen since then (see http://dmweb.free.fr/?q=node/195), that I would like to see again.

Dungeon Master is really one of my all time favorite games, and this looks REALLY (sorry for shouting, but it's in pure joy :) promising. What I specially liked about Dungeon Master was an ingredient most, if not all, modern RPG lacks: Riddles. You could read a mystic message an a wall next to a series of pressure plates or alcoves, and you'll had to figure out what to do to get pass. Mostly involving something from your inventory picked up earlier, or something you would have to look for. This made the game so much interesting than if you just had to bash your way through monsters and avoid traps. Here's an example I still remember: Your party face an open trapdoor in the floor, and beyond that a closed door. You simply can't jump over the trapdoor, and you don't have any fly- or levitate spells. On the wall next to you there is a text reading: “Cast your Influence, Cast your Might”. This wasn't one of the harder riddles in the game but for some reason I remember it. “Cast your Influence” meant you had to cast a Open Door spell on the door beyond the trapdoor. The door then opened but still the trapdoor in the floor blocked your way, and there was too dark to see anything beyond the now open door. “Cast your Might” meant picking the strongest guy in the party to throw whatever really heavy object you carried (in my case a wooden club) over the trapdoor and through the opened door into the darkness beyond and... “Click”, on a pressure plate that closed the trapdoor in front of you. These kind of things I really liked about Dungeon Master. And also the fact that you had to find food and water to survive. The pure joy of finding a fountain after your party was on the verge to die from thirst so you could fill your bellies and waterskinns was often greater than when finding a treasure. Most modern RPG's has removed the food and drink ingredient which I think is a Big mistake, since that takes away an important aspect that makes the game feel more realistic. Certain RPG's dynamically adjust the enemies you face to match your current level. That concept I think is totally lame and should be avoided at any price. I think every creature you face should have his/hers/it's predetermined level, hitpoints, strength etc. If your not ready to face it, go train and come back when you are. But of course monsters should be a little less lethal in the beginning of the dungeon than further on. Just a few thoughts, Good luck with the game, I will certainly buy it, or volunteer as a beta tester if needed.

Oops, seems I posted my comment before reading the previous comments which included about the same thoughts as mine. Well, the more the merrier :-)

I just found a complete list of itmes used in Dungeon Master. Maybe could be of some help or give you some ideas: http://dmweb.free.fr/?q=node/259

Looks great! I'm a huge Dungeon Master fan. Let me know when the game is ready for "beta" test :)

well,emmie here and fond of much games...i like these pics very much and want to know that when will be this game launched?Looks great! I'm a huge Dungeon Master fan. Let me know when the game is ready for "beta" test :)...ok do it complete soon bcoz i am waiting...

Looks simply wonderful. Prerendered graphics will always allow an awesome detail to the image. Would be great to be able to play a dungeon crawling game again. And recently Steam offers many indie games. This one would surely be a great addition in a scarcely crowded area.

If you need help with the engine several people can help you on dungeon-master.com forums. I would gladly help with the dungeon and gameplay designing parts.

A single character works... but make sure you have room for multiple chars... for one simple reason, the 'guide the sorceress/healer through the dungeon' starting quest. The character accompanies you while you learn so you don't die. It's a good way for them to learn.
I'd actually have them leave mid combat as a joke. "Trolls... um... no... AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" *runs screaming*
The troll chases after...
You are left in the dungeon alone.
You hear, "IT'S TRYING TO EAT ME!!! SOMEONE HELP!"
HElP Y/N?
You arrive too late, now fight the troll. (Yeah, sucks don't it!)

Just installed and \"played\" through the demo. Very promising, but still alot of work to be done. I hope you will continue the project, because my nostalgia took over and I would like to play a \"new\" DM-game.

Sorry Beastman666 but where did you find a demo of the DM game? o_O

@McValdemar: it's here: http://bit.ly/4nGYta (also see dungeon-master.com's other clones forum)

Fantastic. Where could I download a demo? I am creating the Eye of the Beholder 4 , and I am looking for a good engine.

Dude! hurry up and write this please. There are 1 bazillion dungeon master fans who keep reloading it and playing it every few years because frankly, its never been beating. If you capture its essence, which was the perfect balance of difficulty and complexity, with your artwork... you can retire. :) Go the route of torchlight (game, google it) and offer for download for $10. It'll pay for itself in a week. :D

Wow i LOVED dungeon master, and this game looks great, i would pay to play. please keep working on it.

I played the walk around demo and for a 2D start it looks OK...but the tables and item views are not correct and in some corridors it looks as though th player is not moving even though you press forwad and back. What we need however is real 3D and not psuedo 2D, with lightiing and physics the only contender so far who is anyway close to this is the game ENTOMBED (google it) The top graphics on this page are good for concept and good use of POSER models which if you kept 100% 2D could work but would need to be 3D for a commercial venture IMHO. Great to see though and I really do not know why anyone has not created a good clone or follow up and released it yet.... I agree with you only need to pick one champion to play this sort of game, as in the original you had x4 characters but you really did not feel you were playing them, only that you were using their skills, eg. magic etc. Maybe an idea taht you go back into the dungeon after all these years as one player and use artefacts from the original characters to aide you on your quest??? Gothmog item could give you magic abilities etc :-) Regards Solo

Hi Mattias, Interesting that you would not do it in 3D....... Would not 3D enhance the movement of the player around the dungeon, instead of the old one step movement? Physics - Would this not help with fireing arrows throwing items, weight puzzles etc? Great to chat with you on this topic, many thanks Solo

well said, mattias :-)

Mattias I see where your coming from, but I may have a go at a 3D version just for fun. Great talking to you! Kind Regards Solo

Dungeon Master was where it all started for me. Then came Lord of Chaos and then Westwood came with EOB series and later Lands of Lore. I miss the dungeonstyle rpg's like the old days. Nowadays it is all about eyecandy and finishing games within 10h as a lot of people can't be bothered to play any game longer than that. I absolutely loved the puzzles. They were truly awesome and one could wander for hours around hitting each wall or playing with every 'out of place' looking pixel hoping it was a button. Graphics looking good but more important, how will the gameplay be? Can we get a 100h+ dungeon master classic in a new graphic coat? Would be awesome, keep up the good work.

Cool graphics! Some fond memories of the original game: Gaining ninja levels just by throwing stuff Poisoning myself with strange potion combinations Worm rounds! The ability to see through walls with the right spell Gaining fighter levels by continually walking into walls Those excellent atmospheric sound effects If you can keep any or all of those features it would be great. Constantly remade, but has it ever actually been bettered?!

Looks impresive! What is the progress in % of the game at this moment, Mathias?

I run in your website looking for a cover for a dungeon module of my pen-and-paper rpg. Your art is quite awesome. I would like to use it, paying you the rights and giving you credit. If you\'re willing to talk about it (and have time to) please mail me.

Looks good from the picture but what's really important is the feel of the game. You need to create a system and atmosphere that feels solid, like everything you've done belongs together and charm is also important. Look at games like Eye of the Beholder and Lands of Lore for an example. Big dungeons can be fun but you need to feel that it's not randomly generated. Something else that would be nice is to make a party system with classes and unique spells and skills, encounters with npcs or monsters that starts with some dialogue to add to the immersion and finally a good music score!

Hej förresten! Lycka till med spelet. Det ska bli kul att testa detta när det blir klart.

Some of the above people suggested having only one character but I think that would make a game like this boring. It isn't exactly oblivion where you can travel all over the world and you control your character more freely. In a dungeon-crawler, having some imaginary company is only nice and it adds to the gameplay by giving you more options for the fights.

Mattias where did you get your POSER models and textures from?

So, it's been about a year since you've posted an update on this -- think it's time for one? ;) Looks cool.

look up a game called stonekeep. That is a great older game.