As I mentioned in my previous (and first ever) blog, there's a lot of elements to running a Roleplay server that are seldom really thought about, and most likely the most overlooked task in Alluring Realms is that of dungeon design and creation.


You see, In many Roleplay servers, it's fairly standard to recreate elements of RPG's, including level systems and dungeons and the like. and Alluring Realms is no different. For a long time, up until just before we had to close down for a few months, we used a somewhat fairly well known plugin called Heroes, which was a highly configurable and customizable class and skill adding plugin, meant to be used to enhance PVP. However, a large part of the plugin was the addition of third party skillpacks, which were made by individuals who would code the skills and release them to the public for use. however, many of these packs were no longer updated after 1.5. Now, since the system awarded skills and powers based on level, and we didnt want people to simply build a mob grinder and power through their levels with absolutely no risk or investment, we had two plans for people to level up. the first, unfortunately, was never implemented due to simply not having enough players to do so before we had to close down, however the second was implemented from day one. Dungeons.

A staple of almost every RolePlaying Game, Dungeons are often one of the first things people think of when you say video game, and for good reason. for most games, dungeons can make or break them, with the challenge and difficulty of the game's dungeons almost defining the game better than the story itself. however, few people realize the amount of thought and work put into a well conceived dungeon. Take for example a few of Alluring Realms Dungeons.



First up, we have netherend, the delightful location pictured at the top of this blog.

The first dungeon many of us had worked on, at first glance, netherend looks like a fairly safe location, if ominous, and you would be right. for the mostpart, the main area you see of netherend IS fairly safe, with the village being the main area most people in the server leveled their classes. with spawners inside the buildings, and loot chests scattered reasonably with random loot in them, the dungeon was great for first time players and those looking to grind casually in the afternoon after a class or work.



However, the dungeon has hidden depths to it. literally. though now common knowledge, and almost always jammed into the open position, the dungeon had a hidden entrance for a long time into it's lower reaches, a massive cave system stretching inside the mountain far up towards it's peak. with even more chests, dangeorus parkour, and the spirit of the nether truly prevelant, the naturally spawning nether mobs always served to make the place far more challenging to those who dared brave it's inner depths.

However, While Netherend is truly intimidating and impressive a place, especially inside, it was also important to consider the roleplay side of things, namely the lore associated with it, as it is with any other build on the server.

Of course, on the lore side of things, sometimes a bit of mystery is important in setting the mood.

Far to the north, In the frozen mountains north even of Haearn, ruins lie buried, lost for ages to the earth and snow. with their discovery by an intrepid player, the ruins were recently opened, and inside lay more mysteries than ever, with ancient machines clanking and churning, golems long lost to time roaming the halls, and a strange frozen aura to it, speaking of a place locked in a moment of time only just released. with strange rare one of a kind loot hidden in it even today, it is always urgent to set the mood for a dungeon before truly considering it released. after all, there would be no sense of urgency if one were to turn an art gallery into a museum by just cramming spawners inside, and with all dungeons, it's urgent to make sure that no one can find a place to stand where they are forever safe from everything that could approach them.

Of course, this does bring up the last major point, that being the inhabitants of the dungeon. many people seem to think that just cramming any old monster into a dungeon will make it work, yet that's not always the case. take for example the frozen ruins to the north of haearn. locked in the cold mountains, it wouldnt make sense for there to be blazes in the dungeon without good reason, similarly to how it would make little sense in netherend for there to be slimes or a similarly ill suited mob.

but of course, what is a dungeon without loot? In Alluring Realms, there was much consideration put into what could be found in the dungeons, and for the mostpart, it tends to be best to suit the theme, with netherend having things that aid in surviving the heat of the magma, or imbued with the power of fire, while in the frozen ruins, instead, you find strangely enchanted artifacts, infused with traits long since useless in the site, though originally truly useful in a time long past.

All in all, a dungeon can make or break a good roleplay server, if done properly giving players somthing to occupy themselves for quite a while, but if done poorly, discouraging them and resulting in them being driven away.