How do you feel about "lost woods" type areas in games?

[Limecake]

I have watched some of it through a let's play. And it does look pretty good. Perhaps I should consider playing it myself.

I might be a little biased since I grew up playing that game but I truly think it's one of the best Mario games, It's a little expensive to buy now though. a 'used' copy will still cost you about the same as a new game now.

And if you think that's bad Earthbound for SNES goes for around $100-$200 on amazon, retro gaming stores will almost definitely charge you more.

OT: My hatred for 'lost woods' levels aren't the same for a regular maze, just follow one wall and you eventually find your way out. But where you have 4 directions to choose from (including the way you came) it becomes a pain and feels like it's just padding the level out.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Is it random? Answer yes then fuck those hard if it is set then use a walkthrough if you hate them as that mitigates the problem.

 

[malestrithe]

If they are done well, then I do not mind them at all. I'd much prefer a mirror maze situation instead of a forest, but I've always been on the science fiction end of the spectrum.

 

[hazabaza1]

Fuck 'em. Fuck 'em hard. It's what made me stop playing Legend of Grimrock. Shame, I was enjoying it.

As far as I recall there isn't actually a puzzle like this in Grimrock.

The closest thing I can recall is-

Spoiler

A short linear corridor that in two places forces you to do a 180 turn.

There was a section somewhere, I forget what it was called. Essentially it's just a bunch of teleport spaces. There's no clues to tell you where to go, no way to remove any of the teleports, and it's just very disorienting and annoying in general.

 

[Benni88]

Interesting thread. I'm designing puzzles like this at the moment for work. I never really enjoyed doing them when I was a bit younger, but I'm finding them a lot more enjoyable now. I guess its the problem solving aspect of it which is more agreeable to me now.

 

[Tianelm]

There was a section somewhere, I forget what it was called. Essentially it's just a bunch of teleport spaces. There's no clues to tell you where to go, no way to remove any of the teleports, and it's just very disorienting and annoying in general.

Ohh, right, I know what you mean now, think it was called the Maze of Madness or something. Yeah, that was pretty annoying, especially with the loud hum those things make.

 

[Evil Teddie]

In Folklore, the Endless Corridor is like the Lost Woods, execpt you have to follow a clock Folk, NOT any of the clones that come afterward, that SINGLE clock Folk.


Why? Just Why!?

 

[hazabaza1]

There was a section somewhere, I forget what it was called. Essentially it's just a bunch of teleport spaces. There's no clues to tell you where to go, no way to remove any of the teleports, and it's just very disorienting and annoying in general.

Ohh, right, I know what you mean now, think it was called the Maze of Madness or something. Yeah, that was pretty annoying, especially with the loud hum those things make.

That was it.
After about 10 tries I was just like "Fuck this shit" and haven't played it since.

 

[devilofthemist]

if there is some sort of puzzle or hint or riddle that you can work out to find the right way then it is great even if it is vague or hard, but if it is just guessing then it's kinda stupid

 

[kyogen]

Love 'em. I like the gameplay change that it usually involves, but even maze-like design in regular levels keeps things interesting.

 

[Lunar Templar]

i get why they existed in older games, limited space for maps an all, but now, not really sure why an actual maze wouldn't work

 

[Epona]

Interesting thread. I'm designing puzzles like this at the moment for work. I never really enjoyed doing them when I was a bit younger, but I'm finding them a lot more enjoyable now. I guess its the problem solving aspect of it which is more agreeable to me now.

It's probably more fun to create them than to solve them.

 

[Torrasque]

It depends how they are done.
Lost woods is done really well because the first time you go through it, you have to follow Saria's song to find the right door. If you have any kind of patience at all, the "labyrinth" is really not that difficult at all. Even on your second trip through the lost woods, if you are patient and take the time to take in your surroundings and pay attention to where you are, it is not a difficult labyrinth to get through.

Other games tend to do it really lousy, like a trial and error. Zelda games have always been able to do it right.

 

[Ignatz_Zwakh]

I'm not too crazy about them. Now, I've yet to see such a scenario arise in a survival horror game, but I somehow feel like it could be quite unsettling...

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I don't mind 'em, they can be a bit irritating though esp. when the game doesn't provide any clues as to what the correct path is so you just have to keep guessing until you get through (or look it up on GameFAQs).

EDIT: Then again, the same could be said about any combination based puzzles, like the dragon claw combination locks in Skyrim. Man those were irritating. Some clue as to what the combination was would've been nice!!

I'm referring to maze like areas that repeat if you go certain ways and you must figure out a path to take to advance. The earliest area like this that comes to mind is in The Legend of Zelda on NES. I'm not too fond of them and they can get rather frustrating.

Speaking of The Lost Woods in the original NES Legend of Zelda, did you know you can completely bypass them? Yeah, just get the ladder from, I think it's Dungeon 4 and then use it to cross the little river in the screen above where Dungeon 1 is and Voila you're in the area beyond the Lost Woods.

 

[Richardplex]

It depends how they are done.
Lost woods is done really well because the first time you go through it, you have to follow Saria's song to find the right door. If you have any kind of patience at all, the "labyrinth" is really not that difficult at all. Even on your second trip through the lost woods, if you are patient and take the time to take in your surroundings and pay attention to where you are, it is not a difficult labyrinth to get through.

Other games tend to do it really lousy, like a trial and error. Zelda games have always been able to do it right.

You don't even need to do that. Just go the edge of the darkness, if the darkness disappears, then go through, otherwise, go to another piece of darkness. Rinse and repeat, did it before I found the sword when I was a child.

OT: I dislike them. You need atmosphere to pull them off, yet to go through one which pulls off this atmosphere.

 

[Mr.Squishy]

Annoying wastes of time and space and effort.

 

[Yopaz]

Well, in Ocarina of Time there was some pleasant music playing, it also grew louder when you moved towards the right path.

There's a sense of calm and there's logic in Lost Woods. In some games they do it in ways to make you wander around not knowing what the hell you're trying to do and that's just bad design if you ask me. Which you did. So I voice my opinion. Deal with it. Sorry everyone, I'm sleep deprived.

 

[Ryu-Kage]

Annoying, but far from intolerable if there's some of hint as to where you should go (a.k.a. why the Lost Woods in Paper Mario or Ocarina of Time are alright). Of course, if that hint disappears, then I get irritated. (I swear I followed Geno along the path he just walked on. But now, I don't see him at the next intersection. What the hell happened?)

If you don't have any information to go on, though, and you just end up going in random directions until you can get out of that loop, THEN it's just luck-based, horrible, and deserving of a punch to the developer's face (ex: the hedge crossroads in Legend of Zelda).

 

[Torrasque]

It depends how they are done.
Lost woods is done really well because the first time you go through it, you have to follow Saria's song to find the right door. If you have any kind of patience at all, the "labyrinth" is really not that difficult at all. Even on your second trip through the lost woods, if you are patient and take the time to take in your surroundings and pay attention to where you are, it is not a difficult labyrinth to get through.

Other games tend to do it really lousy, like a trial and error. Zelda games have always been able to do it right.

You don't even need to do that. Just go the edge of the darkness, if the darkness disappears, then go through, otherwise, go to another piece of darkness. Rinse and repeat, did it before I found the sword when I was a child.

OT: I dislike them. You need atmosphere to pull them off, yet to go through one which pulls off this atmosphere.

Oh I know that, but the 3DS version doesn't do that, and I feel kind of guilty taking advantage of the game's graphics to get through gameplay.