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Lord British's Castle

September 24, 2020

A view of the front of the castle and the starting point at the hedge maze.

A path along the eastern side of the castle grounds.

A bird's eye view from east of the castle.

Lord British's Castle is a challenge dungeon that Keith created for Shroud of the Avatar's Episode 2. Located near the main access point for the Episode 2 lands, this scene is easily accessible and allows players to test themselves against tougher and tougher enemies.

Entry Highlights

  • Scene creation (includes blockout, final worldbuilding, POI design, compass markers, ambient music, ambient FX, path grid implementation, storycraft, ambient lighting, interactable lighting, swimmable water, etc.)
  • Player spawning design (includes propping for spawn points and resurrection points)
  • Writing and narrative design (includes NPC keyword-and-response dialogue, NPC barks, readable book props, etc.)
  • Quest design (includes plotting, writing, markup-based scripting, NPCs, combat, puzzles, etc.)
  • NPC design (includes creation and placement of enemies, quest contacts, merchants, trainers, tutorial NPCs, and utility NPCs, as well as patrol paths, ambient emotes, and visual variations)
  • Combat design (includes triggered battles, wave battles, boss fights, and quest-related activities, and may include player abilities and NPC abilities)
  • Traps and hazards design (includes implementation of collapsing platforms, explosive objects, lava, poison gas, etc.)
  • Puzzle design (includes physical puzzles [e.g. move through a trapped corridor], mental puzzles [e.g. match 3 symbols], conversational puzzles [e.g. solve an NPC's riddle], Easter eggs, etc.)
  • Utilities design (includes creation and placement of scene exits, teleporters, doors, lights, crafting stations, elevators, etc.)
  • Propping (includes creation and placement of interactables, breakables, secret panels, readable books, player-placeable decorations, flora, rocks, etc.)
  • Rewards and collectables design (includes creation and placement of harvestable resource nodes, incidental gear and treasure, quest collectables, Easter eggs, etc.)
  • Art (includes creation of NPC visual variations and inventory icons)

A "challenge dungeon" is a rare type of scene in Shroud of the Avatar that includes over a dozen rooms, each with one or more waves battles, and each wave battle is tougher than the last. There are two "catch your breath" areas along the way and a special rewards room after the final fight. Such scenes are party-based, so players can play through such endurance tests with their friends. Even friends that arrive late can easily catch up to the latest battle without penalty. The first challenge dungeon is literally an underground dungeon, but this castle was created as an open-sky "dungeon."

Richard Garriott and his Lord British character are integral to the backstory of Shroud of the Avatar. Richard had a few points of guidance for the location of the castle and some of its decorations, but the level design, choice of enemies, gameplay, and fiction-supporting elements were made by Keith.

This scene begins with a few friendly NPCs at the entrance to guide players on the situation and its threats. One of the friendly NPCs grants a simple quest to recover tokens from some of the enemies within the castle. After a player finishes the quest, they may accept a repeatable version that's available once each day.

Players begin this challenge dungeon by fighting enemies as they make their way through a hedge maze which ends in an open-air theater. After catching their breath in the carriage yard, they enter into the kitchen, pass through several utility areas, and loop around to the main entry hall to finish the second stage. The third stage brings players through several more back rooms to eventually in Lord British's throne room, itself. Should the players defeat all the enemies, a vault under the throne room can be accessed for bonus rewards. Also, the castle doors will remain opened until players leave the scene, allowing everyone to leisurely explore the castle and its wonders.

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