Need some suggestions in making a good maze

[Nimono]

Okay, I'm not exactly sure if this goes in this forum or not, but I'd like some suggestions/ideas on how to make a good maze WITHOUT the maze path. I'd rather have this maze be kind of like a hedge maze instead of a path maze. However, I have a feeling that if I try to make one without some suggestions, I'll end up making a maze that is too easy to get through...

[Rakki]

My only suggestion would be to make it a couple of screens big, and make the paths go through those screens many times. Most players will be focusing on where they're going at the time, so they won't be able to trace the correct path with their finger simply by taking one or two wrong paths.

[Nimono]

My only suggestion would be to make it a couple of screens big, and make the paths go through those screens many times. Most players will be focusing on where they're going at the time, so they won't be able to trace the correct path with their finger simply by taking one or two wrong paths.
So, I should make multiple screens that are alike?

[firefly]

So, I should make multiple screens that are alike?
Yes, at least that's what I think...

But it will take you a lot of screens, are you sure you don't want to use the maze path?

[Nimono]

Yes, at least that's what I think...

But it will take you a lot of screens, are you sure you don't want to use the maze path?
Yes, because I want something where people CAN get lost. Besides, this maze leads to Dungeon 2, and if it's maze path, you only need to pick 4 correct paths to get there. However, with an old-school maze, you'd need to find a LOT of correct paths (each screen is CRAWLING with monsters (okay, only 5 Moblins and 2 Leevers)) to get to the dungeon. Then you need to continue in the maze to get to the next area. Ha ha.

[Pineconn]

Hopefully you can save in the dungeon. It would get annoying if you'd have to go through the maze every time you decide to save and quit just to get to the dungeon... ;)

[bigboylink]

Have you played "The Wrath and Longing of Nemel"? There's an excellent hedge maze on the way to level 5 (I think it's about 4x4 - 16 screens). It pretty much matches what you are looking to accomplish.

[Rakki]

So, I should make multiple screens that are alike?
Not exactly alike, just, make the maze happen over multiple screens. Like bigboylink suggested, check out The Wrath and Longing of Nemel, if you want.

[Sylph]

What you could also do, to make a big maze with few screens would be use the path maze, and as soon as it ended, it would go to a screen with another path maze, and so on...

[Nyeshet]

What about something like this:

. . . . . ___
. . . __| . |___
. . .| . |Lw| . |
. . . --|___|--

Five screens forming a '+', with the center screen being a Lost Woods screen, the maze worked over all five of them, entering on one screen (say the east) and exitting from the maze on say the north screen. But the paths wander through ALL FIVE screens. Because of the lost woods screen any mistake may potentially require going through the whole maze again. Just make certain that successfully navigating the Lost Woods screen leads to paths on the north screen that loop back into it.

No, no that won't work too well.

Well, what about this:

_______
| . . |. . |
|___|___|

Four screens, the maze spread over all of them. Starting in the SE screen, the maze eventually leads into either the NE or the SW screens - both of which are Lost wood screens that lead either into the NW screen (success) or back into the SE screen (mistake). Also, the maze is built such that the initial path into the NW screen leads into the second Lost Maze screen, requiring navigating them multiple times to finally exit the maze in the NW screen. That might work.

Hmm, what about 2 lost woods screens feeding each other? Once you are in the maze, a mistake or exit leads into the other one. Success in either will lead out of the maze - either into the next region or back into the former region. If the maze is well built through all of them it could make it interesting. Or perhaps four Lost Wood screens in the 4 block pattern I drew above, with a success leading into the next and a failure leading back into the last, perhaps in a clock-wise cycle for success or counter clock cycle for failure?

Anyway, adding in one (or more) lost wood screens to your maze is guaranteed to make it more difficult and - in a way - more complex. But I would strongly encourage you to have a warp on both sides of it. Perhaps have the power bracelet on the far side of the maze and four way path on either side of it (not necessarily near the maze, but close enough to either sides that - after having successfully navigated it once - there is no longer any need to go through it again).

[Freedom]

Yes, because I want something where people CAN get lost. Besides, this maze leads to Dungeon 2, and if it's maze path, you only need to pick 4 correct paths to get there.

you can have the maze path lead into another maze path, and another and another, so 4 becomes 8 becomes 12 becomes 16....... each being different.

[Nimono]

you can have the maze path lead into another maze path, and another and another, so 4 becomes 8 becomes 12 becomes 16....... each being different.
Okay, well, like I said, I want a different kind of maze. As in, one that doesn't use the Maze Path.

[Nyeshet]

What about one with several bridges - effectively a two level maze? Hmm, what about one with several switches where paths open up when a switch on another screen of the maze is hit. Or perhaps one where you have to use the candle, hammer, or bombs multiple times at key locations to get through. Or perhaps you can make a tree maze where some of the trees can be moved as if movable blocks (possible? I think so), but only after something is done elsewhere in the maze?

Hmm, can the Lost Woods bit be turned on / off with a switch? I don't think so, but if so, make a multiple screen maze with lost woods (maybe dual layers or some of the other suggestions above), but the correct path leads to another maze screen that sends one back into the lost woods. If something is done on the second screen, the lost woods bit is turned off, and in the former lost woods screen one simply follows the maze up into a previously impossible direction (ie: would have resulted in being back in the lost woods screen).

Or perhaps the Lost woods path changes after a switch is hit, a bush burned, a bolder moved, a peg hammered, etc, so that the next time you enter it - if you traverse the correct (new) path it finally takes you to the screen that is actually the end of the maze. Ie: the maze cannot be solved / gotten past until after the action is taken in the second / third screen to alter the lost woods path for the former / middle screen.

I'm just brainstorming here. Does any of this help you? Is some of it even possible?

[Nimono]

What about one with several bridges - effectively a two level maze? Hmm, what about one with several switches where paths open up when a switch on another screen of the maze is hit. Or perhaps one where you have to use the candle, hammer, or bombs multiple times at key locations to get through. Or perhaps you can make a tree maze where some of the trees can be moved as if movable blocks (possible? I think so), but only after something is done elsewhere in the maze?

Hmm, can the Lost Woods bit be turned on / off with a switch? I don't think so, but if so, make a multiple screen maze with lost woods (maybe dual layers or some of the other suggestions above), but the correct path leads to another maze screen that sends one back into the lost woods. If something is done on the second screen, the lost woods bit is turned off, and in the former lost woods screen one simply follows the maze up into a previously impossible direction (ie: would have resulted in being back in the lost woods screen).

Or perhaps the Lost woods path changes after a switch is hit, a bush burned, a bolder moved, a peg hammered, etc, so that the next time you enter it - if you traverse the correct (new) path it finally takes you to the screen that is actually the end of the maze. Ie: the maze cannot be solved / gotten past until after the action is taken in the second / third screen to alter the lost woods path for the former / middle screen.

I'm just brainstorming here. Does any of this help you? Is some of it even possible?
I'll just make the first maze (leading to level 2) a normal maze-one with many screens and dead-end paths. Then, I think I'll use your bridge path later in the quest. I might even put it to lead to the sky!