That First DnD Map...but Updated.

As much as I loved the first iteration of the map I made more than a week ago, there were some changes that needed to be made. Changes that helped keep the map alive and enjoyable.

Originally, my map only contained one battle, only one chance to earn some loot, and was filled with tons of boring ol' WALKING. I even considered my own map after the initial playtest as a walking simulator (patent pending) and most of the playtesters agreed with me. So, that's exactly the points I wanted to work on for this second iteration. I felt like I didn't need to change the actual design of the map since I felt that the flow was nice for a starter level and there weren't too many branching paths or blockades that would probably either confuse or infuriate players.

So, I decided to start from the beginning. Originally, I had nothing to really run into up until the first crossroad, so there wasn't really a point in going through and taking the time of taking turns to move in-between the start point and the two roads, so, I decided to add a battle before the crossroad as a way to introduce the players to combat sooner so they could have a better idea of how it works towards the second battle in the map towards the end. However, as the picture shows, there's a potential battle that could happen if the players decide to take Path A when choosing a way to go. I thought this could be a good idea since it added more of a challenge of gaining the items from the hut instead of it being a simple snatch and grab. Also, it allowed the players to gain a better understanding of how to use the items they gained during battle or after the battle. Along with this change, I also added a loot system that allowed the players to search the bodies of defeated enemies at a chance of finding some loot. Some enemies had loot, some enemies didn't. I added this so the players had more chances at gaining some items that could help them along their journey.

Now we come to the final part: the bridge. I didn't really anything new to this part as the playtesters very much enjoyed this part the first time they played through this map and they felt it didn't need any changes. However, in the story I placed a secret event that could happen if you chose an earlier choice correctly, and that earlier choice didn't seem like something that should've been in the story of the map (you have to play to figure out this secret, but I'm telling you, it's really hilarious). With the new loot system in place, this was another chance for players to earn some more loot for the rest of their journey and was also a good way of introducing the players to the jump mechanic. I didn't add fall damage for missing the jump because I felt like that was kinda cheesy and annoying for the players, and I didn't want them to stress about a lower HP, especially if they were on the verge of death. I also added more health and defense to this final encounter so there could be a feeling of tension and also accomplishment, especially since the end was so near.

The playtesters that I played this with were the same ones for the most part, and they felt that even these small changes really helped the map feel more enjoyable and they had a really good time playing through it (and they also got a huge laugh at the end). Overall, I still feel like there could be plenty of improvement regarding this map and if I do happen to go back to it, I'll have to consider possibly putting in a new area or some different combat scenarios, varying up the gameplay and making it much more enjoyable.