So @Jerle and me had some discussion that got a bit off-topic here:
But i feel like the topic is worth talking about, so i didn’t want to stop the discussion.
So general question is: “Are Maps in LE to narrow/small for Multiplayer?”
I would say, some maps could end up being very small, but we also have some more open wider spaces.
Jerle said that it could be problematic if you pull too many mobs, but pulling so many mobs is a usually not a thing in LE that happens accidentally. If you want to pull alot of mobs, that is a player decision and if you don’t have enough clear for that, even in MP/Party play, that’s your fault.
Possibly yea. But you have to know in public groups, alot of people act like leeroy jenkins, so getting trapped all the time seems almost inevitable to me given how many of the LE areas are so narrow
So i would agree, that possibly some areas could get an overhaul, once MP drops.
But generally i don’t see a problem. Mob density in LE already is not THAT high and each and every mob(most of them at least) matter.
If you have some Leroy Jenkins Type Player in your group that can’t handle stuff he pulls… well that’s bad luck but i don’t think a game should be designed around that.
On the other side very narrow map are possibly even better for kiting on some builds. Especially if you have range piercing dmg or very concentrated AoE dmg.
I dont think that the maps tightness in general is good or bad.
When I mentioned the small maps in the first place I meant the overall size of the area. If maps are too small you’ll just get a loading screen simulator with multiplayer. If you enter a map it should provide enough content to justify sitting on the loading screen.
Having tight areas in a map can be a nice challenge. Just remember the worm holes in D2 where you had to move in a line. If you ever walked in front of the group as a sorc without teleport, you learned to not do it again.
I miss tight dungeon like areas as well. Rooms with small doors where you can block the path of your foes and use it as a tactical advantage (Diablo 1 sais 'ello).
Now, where you mention that, i really miss “Dungeons” in LE.
I mean generally underground/indoor areas. Only thing that comes close to this is The Colleage, Abandoned Tunnels and Ice Caverns. And maybe to an extend the Imperial Dreadnaught.
This is not a MP specific thing, but i hope we get more dungeon type maps. Maybe even make alot of them optional areas for exploration.
I don’t know if the relatively small zones represent an intentional design decision to attract the speed runners or just an unfortunate resource constraint. But in either case, I think the current zone sizes are more than large enough to model a proper dungeon crawl where you’d descend deeper and deeper for each consecutive floor (or alternatively, some sort of fortress where you’d ascend higher and higher).
There are a few areas in the game that could generously be described as dungeons-lite. But I’m really missing something with a much clearer sense of discovery and progression than what is currently on offer. For instance, the Necropolis section could be envisioned as a climb from the bottom of the sewers to the upper reaches of the castle, but when I played through it I never really felt like I was exploring a single coherent structure. It was just one zone after another, same as most other areas.
Don’t get me wrong; I have nothing really against the tighter zone layouts that form the foundation of the game. But I do think that adding some proper dungeon crawls (perhaps as optional side areas) could add some much needed flavor to the “chase the quest marker” routine. In PoE they at least made you discover the world map and zone connections on your own. In LE the game world is basically served to you on a platter from the outset, with little to no exploration to speak of.
Truly open world exploration may be out of the question for the forseeable future. But a proper dungeon with hidden passageways, bosses, loot, etc. should be well within EHG’s reach.
