I just finished reading this thread on why DK1 is so good, and there were many great ideas of how to make it even better.
Recently I've taken an interest in putting a significant amount of time into KeeperFX development. It's going to be a challenge to get a handle on things, but I don't see any reason why I would desert the task. So I'm interested in considering what improvements could go the farthest in improving the fun.
If in a comment you can make a short list of what you think would be the smallest changes that would go a long way to improving the game, I want to collect a list and prioritize based on the most bang for my buck in effort. I am also interested in making potentially big changes too if they're worthwhile.
I'm most interested in how difficult it would be to add creatures or perhaps even room types.
Here's a collection so far of ideas I have brainstormed, and some I've read on here, in no particular order. Some of them are just tiny silly ideas, some I think would be amazing and fun, at least as options in map-making settings for better maps.
- Warlocks and Wizards can unlock any door including magic doors, or can re-lock it so that the other keepers creatures cannot pass through it (it becomes yours perhaps). They can also disarm traps and redirect boulders with a wave of the hand or staff. And they laugh every time they do since this amuses them so.
- Option to disable wall fortifications on the map, or only during certain times/places.
- Wall re-building possibility (see bile demons for one option).
- Bile demons past level 10 or something, if you don't keep them working or let them eat too much, they become level 11 and when they try to walk through a door or maybe hallway they get stuck and block it. The only way to free them is to dig them free. Until then no one can pass, and if they die or are killed there their corpse never decomposes enough to be able to pass through or over, or at least it takes a very long time to decompose. Good way to block places more permanently than doors. The one way to "re-build" a wall or barrier
- Bile demons try to sit in the temple pool and it ruins the temple (they splashed all the water out).
- Imps cannot carry bile demon bodies, or must team-up to carry them.
- A potions/magic room connected to the library wherein magic creatures (especially Wizards and Warlocks) can do special things. Make potions your imps can carry to splash on other creatures, and they become invisible while caring them after a warlock has cast the spell on them and the potion they carry in the magic room. Maybe this is how portals are connected by converted efforts in this room.
- Spell (perhaps cast with difficulty by a group of Wizards in your potions/magic room) to connect all portals temporarily and the underground glows (red or the keeper's color?) and if you drop your creatures in then, they'll come out another portal (maybe cast invisible on them). Also during this time they might get lost down there and not show up for awhile. It would be cool if you could do that in first person.
- Dark mistress cannot train, but can only level up by being tortured. Like Lord Vader, their increased pain and anger strengthens their power. Loving pain, they like to walk in lava and try to drown themselves in the temple.
- You can only have one vampire at a time, maybe only because if you have two they will immediately fight each other to the death, which you cannot interfere with (can't pick them up while they're fighting. Maybe you can never interrupt (pick up) a vampire while he is fighting (and that's kind of okay because he will resurrect if he dies).
- Ghosts can always pass through any door except magic doors (or magic doors hurt them to pass through)?
- Ability to tune the effectiveness and difficulty in capturing/torturing/turning enemy creatures, on a per-map basis. This might be done in several ways, for example Tentacles love to volunteer to be the torturers. Maybe this is the only way you can torture: your creatures must do it. Some creatures are more effective against certain other creatures.
- Change this if it's true: AI won't create more imps if his are still alive but captured? I wasn't even aware of this by the way. What a noob I am.
- Imps for graveyard carcasses shouldn't be allowed? As in imps disappear when they die and no corpse? If they are tortured they never defect.
- Imp sacrifice doesn't reduce imp spell cost. Maybe increases the level of all other living imps? Or you can only have so many imps before having to sacrifice creatures for them?
- AI improvements: this one is hard but would go a long way in every improvement. Looking for your best ideas. Biggest bang for buck could be crucial here.
- Flies lay eggs and larva grow and hatch on carcasses (which do not decompose otherwise unless this happens or hell hound pisses on them).
- Possible other creatures: Bat, Vader
- Vampires (and maybe all undead) run away from Monks and priestesses?
- Spiders can jump forward or backward quickly like a jumping spider.
- A certain amount of creatures must be guarding the prison or the prisoners can escape on their own. More creatures in prison increase chance of escape. Creatures with certain spells like Invisibility or something can sneak out of prison.
- Certain creatures will try to kill themselves in the prison rather than stay captured. Some will never defect by torture. Some will defect if they see a dark mistress walk by, or if you give them enough gold or if they have line of sight to a full treasure room.
- Keeper Freeze spell?
- Have disease be more effective. Creatures wander blindly. Diseased creatures cannot be healed in the temple. They just have a chance of surviving or not.
- Dungeon heart gets weaker with time? Shrinks when you use magic? Can go into A-fib and if you have creatures with lightning they will try to zap you back into consciousness.
- Dragons can fly anywhere that isn't in a confined space. They constantly sneak your gold and only give it up if tortured.
- Bat creature that only eats insects and will die without doing so. Can hear far away creatures, seeks them out, and give them diseases. Perhaps training to level 10 can become a vampire.
- Spiders can create webs as traps.
- Imps get frustrated if they mine gems for too long (since they never see physical progress!) and begin to dig elsewhere on their own for the satisfaction until you notice. They might even choose to dig through your fortified walls.