I'd like to see areas (that are something like exits) which could transport Jack to some specified location within the mansion. Something like this could be used to create some pretty challenging new puzzles. These could be one-way or two-way portals.

I have a couple of ideas that I think are better than transporters. Transporters are so cliche -- the typical thing to do in a video game. But I don't think they blend into the "Midnight Mansion universe" very well. Somehow the game does feel fairly well grounded in reality, as silly as that may sound, and transporters are "outside of that reality."

Here's what I like better (doing both of these):

1) Doors in the "background layer". You know how you have jail cells and windows in the background tiles? What if, instead of a jail cell, you had a door that Jack could enter? It doesn't require a key. It's much like the exit door at the of the mansion. But when he enters this door, he comes out "behind" the current room. You enter a brand new room with a door in the same location, and when you go back through the door, you go back where you came from.

This could result in some *really* interesting puzzles. Is a wall blocking your progress in the "front" room? Go through the passageway in the *back* rooms.

2) Elevators. Similar to doors, but used for moving vertically through the mansion. And has cool animations for the dial above the elevator (showing what floor you're on), etc.

These both are very similar to transporters, but more grounded in "reality" and I think would also add a lot to the atmosphere of the game.

Just TWO of the many ideas I have for Midnight Mansion 3!

Admittedly, I saw this more in terms of an exit that didn't exit the game.

One of the things about the game is I've felt too trapped by the confines of the surrounding areas. If I wanted a way to move Jack to another area, it could take a lot of planning unless it occurred in an area that was on the edge of a structure. Multi-room platforms help with this a little, as do poles, but they still can have a disruptive impact on surrounding rooms (unless those rooms are empty space).

I've often felt that given the HUGE amount of available space available in the mansion grid, it sure would be great to be able to pop Jack into one of the far corners where you had this sense of flinging him into the unknown.

I realize that transporters are cliche, but so are many things in Jack's world now.

Some of the other ideas you suggest sound pretty intriguing though.

VernJensen wrote on 30.08.2010 at 06:03:49:

1) Doors in the "background layer". You know how you have jail cells and windows in the background tiles? What if, instead of a jail cell, you had a door that Jack could enter? It doesn't require a key. It's much like the exit door at the of the mansion. But when he enters this door, he comes out "behind" the current room. You enter a brand new room with a door in the same location, and when you go back through the door, you go back where you came from.

This would be a very nice addition for a Midnight Mansion game. I believe I first saw this sort of feature in Braid and Mario. What you're talking about is stepping it up a notch altogether, having the rooms 'synced' with rooms behind/in front of it.  Would there be a limit of how far 'behind' or 'in front' you can go? In my opinion stopping at 2 each way would be advisable, just to avoid confusion from the player. You don't want to make the game *too* complicated now, do you. :P

I like this idea on first glance, Vern.

This Topic was moved here from Game Improvements by brell.

VernJensen wrote on 30.08.2010 at 06:03:49:

1) Doors in the "background layer". You know how you have jail cells and windows in the background tiles? What if, instead of a jail cell, you had a door that Jack could enter? It doesn't require a key. It's much like the exit door at the of the mansion. But when he enters this door, he comes out "behind" the current room. You enter a brand new room with a door in the same location, and when you go back through the door, you go back where you came from.

Kind of like the idea involving invisible signs, the implementation or how the mechanism is grounded doesn't particularly matter to me (though I understand why it does to you). The functionality is what matters to me! :)

I like the elevator idea, but focusing on your first idea, I like the idea of a closed door (perhaps a few styles) that Jack can open and go inside and appears in the background, then exit someplace completely different. I'd have to say I differ from Anthony. I'd like for the possibility for this doorway to be able to lead to practically anywhere that I as a designer wish it to go.

Perhaps this could be limited for future included mansions. I could see how something like this could dovetail into smaller mansion subsections to simulate multi-dimensional mansions.
For example, you have a mansion consisting of 20-30 rooms at one level. Perhaps *it* has a few of these doors, each leading to other sub-sections (perhaps another 10-15 rooms? who knows..) It might used to implement other wings of a mansion, and sort of make mansions 3 dimensional, yet still be represented in 2D.

I like both of those ideas Vern. And to Rob's point, it could be a secret passageway that does take you to a different area in the builder that could have as many rooms as the creator wants but to return you use the door. This way it's not obvious to the player when viewing the map.

Oh my.  Doors in the background sounds like a cool idea, it would allow for new "depth" in Mansion designs. 

I think you would have to keep it so that every "room" in a mansion just has a "front" and a "back", and the background doors link the two.  Otherwise, it would get *really* confusing, imo.

I wonder how you would represent a "3d" mansion (even if it was only 2 rooms deep) in the mansion builder or even in the map screen of the game?

Jacob,

As for representing it in the mansion builder, it would behave "like" a transporter, where the designer indicates a room for you to teleport to, and you just bury this room off to the side somewhere. (I'd vote for above or below the main body of your mansion.) Then it's up to the mansion designer to make sure it behaves not like a teleporter, but instead like a door. i.e. you don't move about randomly, but it's like a "room behind the room"

The game could "enforce" this somewhat by ensuring that on the return trip, you go back where you came from. (If I don't enforce this, I know designers will abuse it!!)

hmmm I was thinking of a teleporter not too long ago but instead of the door i was thinking of a little sparkly floating mass of energy that can eather teleport you to another energy mass OR as a oneway teleport it would teleport you to the ID you set (not a mass of enegy) and it would teleport you somewhere without the ability to turn back

Why not a catapult? Jack is just flung through the air across a few dozen screens to a new location with no way to get back.

... or you could hop onto a grey bat platform which can take Jack between many rooms with no way back. ;)

Yes, but unless you can have hidden bat platforms they can't jump off you won't have the same effect :)

Sure, teleporters are always possible... I just always question if they would really make the game *better*. It would be SO easy for designers to abuse them, so that it becomes confusing. Imagine lots of teleporters in one room, and a sort of "teleporter maze" set up. I KNOW someone will do this if they can. And it won't be fun to play for most.

VernJensen wrote on 12.09.2010 at 07:46:58:

Sure, teleporters are always possible... I just always question if they would really make the game *better*. It would be SO easy for designers to abuse them, so that it becomes confusing. Imagine lots of teleporters in one room, and a sort of "teleporter maze" set up. I KNOW someone will do this if they can. And it won't be fun to play for most.

Admittedly, I had originally been thinking of having different land masses across the vast game grid, and using them as means of travel (bidirectional) between areas. However, the more I think about it, the more I like using the idea as a way of creating mansions with a little depth to them.

Nearly all elements to the game could potentially be used to excess and be abused. On the other hand, sometimes existing items get used in new and creative ways that you don't expect, and they end up really adding to the game. Case in point: the idea of the friendly helper/goblin. That's one of my favorite new additions and it had it's roots in something that was experimental.

The thing I did with the platforms and the panels might be another... well, it's not quite in same league, but if nothing else I liked that it showed a design possibility that I didn't see used much in the other included mansions. Also, I greatly prefer the approach than seeing moving platforms pile into each other and stack up.

Every new feature introduces a certain amount of risk, I suppose. Perhaps you place a limit to the number of "teleporters/portals" in a single room. I also think requiring them to be bidirectional makes a lot of sense.

Rob Seegel wrote on 23.05.2010 at 04:26:01:

I'd like to see areas (that are something like exits) which could transport Jack to some specified location within the mansion. Something like this could be used to create some pretty challenging new puzzles. These could be one-way or two-way portals.

I like the idea of portals.  And walls & fireplaces that move to reveal a hidden area.