I know not how to add spoiler tags and couldn't find info on how to do it when searching the forums, so newcomers please do tread carefully!

As pointed out in the score concerning its Priority, I feel this is something that could be tackled with only after the Steam release has proved successful, being of a 'feature request' kind of nature. Attention again, as slight spoilers now follow.

IMHO, one level that feels particularly underused is the Animated Forest level. I reckon it has a place in Bridge Building and Fletchery (... and that in the past it was highly abusable for looting), but I'd like you to consider just how much more of a thrilling level it could be!

I say this for a few reasons, those being:

1 - though room for disagreement exists here, it is possible to ascertain that it's an important level on its own;

If such wasn't so, a quest wouldn't revolve around it. A rather significant one, if we consider how game-changing the mere fact of proceeding with the following quests given by Thundrarr might be.

2 - it definitely has that "wow, I've reached a new stage in the [meta-]game!" effect for new players;

For all of us who've been there in the past, just try and remember how excited you were upon seeing that gigantic level, that multitude of unique monsters and those messages accompanying it all, stating that you were in fact beholding the sight of a living forest!

3 - it simply brims with potential;

Huge level, unique monsters - might there not be an NPC with whom the PC may speak with, maybe this one providing his/her own unique quests? Might there not be branching rooms leading the PC to more loot and further forest/nature-oriented monsters (dryads, druids and elementals come to mind, just to name a few)? Perhaps the trees are a bit more powerful outside of their own level, being enraged should the PC slaughter many innocent beings? Perhaps the PC can set certain events in motion, thus making some of the trees leave the forest on their own (raising their likelihood of being found in other places outside of the Animated Forest)? Perhaps going there and slaying dozens upon dozens of trees just so one can inform Thundrarr of "what's beyond" the forest makes them behold the Dwarves as enemies, a possibility which, if tied together with one already alluded to (a quest-giver per part of the trees), could provide players with an interesting decision: disregard the trees or become their allies and fight the Dwarves? Even the Ogre Tribe could have a part in this, as they're also the Dwarves' enemies (and plausibly, they're also much more at peace with nature than Dwarves themselves).

In short, there are many possibilities!


And yet, "underused" is a term that so well describes how the Animated Forest feels that the player is able to complete the quest regarding it without ever setting foot in there! Moreover, point 2 comes to mind when one thinks of just how swiftly the excitement of finding such level for the first time is replaced by the disconcerting idea that "there isn't so much to this level, after all", this one in turn replaced by the morose feeling of "having to go through that drag of a level" yet again or risk losing a PC through the (purposefully more challenging) alternate route.

So what are your thoughts on this, my fellows? Hopefuly you can provide significant feedback concerning these matters so that together we can help The Creator make ADOM better than it has ever been!

Cheers!