UI/UX: Do not generate secret doors in the starter dungeon
Secret doors initially are too confusing. One test player entered the dungeon and it consisted of but one room. He didn't know how to 's'earch and when he found out he didn't understand that ADOM might require searching 10 times for a secret door (see also http://www.adom.de/forums/project.php?issueid=5323).
Thus we shouldn't generate any such doors at all in the starter dungeon (or maybe not before the final level).
It might be better to guarantee an obvious secret door (i.e. a dead-end hallway) in the starter dungeon. Then new players will be better prepared for when secret doors are placed in harder-to-find spots.
It might be better to guarantee an obvious secret door (i.e. a dead-end hallway) in the starter dungeon. Then new players will be better prepared for when secret doors are placed in harder-to-find spots.
I would go so far as to add pop-up text or a NPC in the dungeon that explains secret doors.
They're an old roguelike staple, but I would have been *very* confused when I started, had I not been a Nethack player first.
The hard-coded tutorial dungeon has a secret door and teaches you about it but the initial random dungeons don't. Maybe it even would be a good idea to not generate secret doors at all before level 3 or so.
The hard-coded tutorial dungeon has a secret door and teaches you about it but the initial random dungeons don't.
I think the tutorial dungeon's secret door is actually a poor introduction to the concept. It's part of a layout that doesn't resemble anything that will appear in random dungeons and it doesn't block progress through the level.
Originally Posted by adom-admin
Maybe it even would be a good idea to not generate secret doors at all before level 3 or so.
That's actually less lenient than stopping the generation of secret doors in the starter dungeon. Most characters are going to be above level 3 by the time they finish the first two levels of the starter dungeon. But, in general, I think delaying the exposure to secret doors is not going to do new players any favors. Secret doors blocking progress isn't something that gets less problematic as you get further into the game (in some ways it is worse later-on, as new players will have less of an idea of how many levels areas are supposed to have).
The hard-coded tutorial dungeon has a secret door and teaches you about it but the initial random dungeons don't. Maybe it even would be a good idea to not generate secret doors at all before level 3 or so.
Since the tutorial covers it, why feel a need to change it.