(reposted because placing it in the Suggestion Rules thread doesn't work out well)

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Here I'll give some tips on how to get a good suggestion.

Before submitting a suggestion, ask yourself these questions:

If the answers to all questions are "yes", then you will probably have a good suggestion.

1. Does it fit in the Dungeon Keeper universe?

This question can really break a suggestion, however good it's formatted or balance. Some major offenders are those that try to fit in guns, blunderbuses and other such weaponry that is way more advanced than what most creatures fight with in the original games. On a side note, trying to historically justify this won't work. If it doesn't fit in the early medieval / magic universe that is Dungeon Keeper, it doesn't fit in, period.

Some borderline cases may depend on user opinion (e.g. the Laboratory room suggestion).

Also, things that are too silly to be taken seriously often also don't work. Sure, the occassional funny mentor quote is funny, but silly things with a significant impact on the game won't be funny.

Also, things that can only exist on the overworld are also improbable to get in. There have been a few giant bird suggestions, that absolutely do not work in Dungeons. Keep things like these in mind.

Also, things that are too happy or legal to fit the Dungeon Keeper mood are also considered bad. Trading or buying wares may seem perfectly acceptable in other RTSes, but not in DK. Rooms made for throwing parties are also considered bad.

2. Is it useful?

If an effect is very small for the amount of programming that needs to be done, it's pointless to add it in in the first place. Bonus spells or terrain that are only available on a select few maps may fall under this problem as well.

3. On the flipside, is it not too useful?

Sure, it's awesome to have something with stats equivalent to a Elite Dark Angel / Avatar hybrid that you can get ten of as soon as you build a Lair or [insert room here], but it breaks the game balance, making any map that has them including multiplayer basically pathetically easy. Your creatures should be useful, and preferably trying to be unique, with unique stat distributions (but not too good, of course) that let it fill one or a few more purposes, but leave quite a few tasks for other creatures.

4. Is the suggestion devoid of tactics that can potentially break the game?

Some suggestions can be simple, but yet not thorougly thought through, which may lead to problems like this breaking a suggestion. Let's for instance take a water/lave equivalent that instantly kills any creature that manages to fall in. Sounds innocent, right? Nope, there's a serious problem here. A simple creature with Wind, like a (DK1) Warlock, can now instantly kill a large number of creatures just by blowing a group of enemies into said instant killing stuff. Because there must be more than just a few spots where it's actually used (see question #2), there will be more than enough cases of this occurring. This breaks the game, as it turns any strategy involved into "Get a creature with Wind as soon as possible".

In short, be sure to think of potential aspects of your suggestion (be it a simple spell, or just one attribute, or option to do with said spell or attribute) that could break all tactics and strategy, and find out how to fix these.

5. Is it unique?

Dungeon Keeper's universe has always been enjoyable due to how creative it was and didn't follow clichés. To maintain this, try to for example not rip off things straight from World of Warcraft with minor alterations.

And now a final tip:

Listen to input, improvements and criticism by other users. If you ignore these, you will make a bad name for yourself on the forum and your suggestion will be less likely to make it in.



If you heed all of this advice nicely, you'll have a good suggestion that with enough support will have a good chance of making it in WftO. Your suggestion may have some minor issues left, but these won't be that much of a problem.