Lately I could experience first hand how a Shadow Lair works and Unknown Passage. Now that I know better without theories, wiki infos or even videos (it is not the same watching them) I decided to tackle again this concept I thought of a while ago. Original suggestion is here: http://forums.spiralknights.com/es/node/30645 I decided to make this second topic instead of necroing the old one... because I find it better to make a clean topic here and not create a wall of text. Well then, now I will begin typing:
Shadow Distortion concept
Anyone that has played Shadow Lair and beaten Rabid Snarbolax (for the first boss he is sure the hardest) has stepped into Unknown Passage: A place that has been invaded by the Swarm, what seems to be the main, real enemy in the game. An entity with seemingly a hive mind, bound to assimilate into it whatever comes across it. The Echo Stones warn us that it is expanding, and this is what just would happen with the Shadow Distortion concept: The Swarm begins corrupting Arcade.
How and where?
There is two ways that the Swarm may manifest itself into Arcade, both with high payout due to the "high risk" content:
1 - Shadow Danger Room:
Do you know the "trapped" points in Unknown Passage? Where do you have to fight many Swarm enemies until the gate opens? Well, this is what would happen.
You could find it only on the last strata of Tier 3 Arcade, on ANY level type, not only Clockwork type levels. They would feature a energy gate as a normal Danger Room, though instead of only having a "trap" being shown in the gate, you would begin to see the ground shake a bit and the road and gate have the small black particle effects. The sign would read something like "CORRUPTED AREA. PLEASE DECONSTRUCT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.". Similar gates would be at Wolver Dens, Lichenous Lairs, etc.
Inside them, there would be a Danger Room like usual, but the enemies would be all Swarm, and you would fight a endless stream of them until the gates opened. There isn't much to say, there could be spike and elemental traps mixed in.
Clearing it would net you access to a high number of treasure chests, and there would be a device which would trigger a "self-destruct". Once all players leave the Shadow Danger Room area, the road to it would explode. Then there would be a big screen shaking effect around it, showing that the part of the level will fall off of the level sphere.
2 - Unknown passage maze levels in Arcade:
No, not exactly like them. The actual idea of it would be a "wicked Treasure Vault". Do you know the "running" part of the Unknown Passage? Where you have to avoid or defeat Swarm enemies, while avoiding Swarm turret bullets and crossing or stunning Swarm Seeds? This is what it would be, mixed with a Treasure Vault.
You could find these levels also only on the last strata of tier 3. Level icon would be the Eye, as Unknown Passage. It could appear in ANY gate generation. Also it will appear 100% ALWAYS in ? levels along with Graveyard and Treasure Vault on that strata. More than one Unknown Passage could appear in the same strata, it would even be possible to get a "road" of only Unknown Passage levels. Visually, the elevator would begin to spawn the black particles if you are in an elevator that COULD lead to an Unknown Passage level.
Once you enter, you would be at the start of what seems to be the start of an Unknown Passage level. And it most certainly is, but it is a big maze to the exit, and along the way there would be many Crowns and Treasure Chests scattered around. This one doesn't have "fight areas" though, you could run from start to finish without taking a single Crown if you so wished, but the "fun" of the level would be getting to every little space of the big multiple branching level getting all the big treasure that there would be.
This would be the premise of it, after having cleaned it up a bit from the original idea. Now, along with normal comments and critic, I would like to ask some things to you commenters:
1- Would you like to see new enemies in them, as there are missing types like Devilites and Grievers in there, or you would think they are viable? (As the Swarm seems not to assimilate other Shadow type monsters, a funny thing - The Curse zombies of UFSC aren't Swarm.)
2- Would you like a "exclusive" reward? I thought of a "Shadow chest" that may contain a exclusive Token to craft some Swarm related equip (like the Axe of the Swarm Lumbers) or a Shadow Key (at a really really low rate), but I don't know if it would make them "too" attractive.
3- Would you like the inclusion of a timer in the "Unknown Passage/Treasure Room"? Once it would end, all chests would despawns and Swarm spawn rate would double.
4- Would you like to see those levels in earlier strata or even Tier 2 or 1, with health and damage adjustments to the Swarm enemies. It could be both good and bad lore wise: The Core powers more things near it, which would explain the high damage the Swarm does, but at the same time it may feel premature that the Swarm would have expanded that high at Cradle underground level.
I hope you like it. I think this could revive Arcade in a good way... see you until a possible next time or when I answer comments!
Expanding Shadow Lairs means previewing the content without throwing it to the community, meaning users in general will want more, which means more keys are being bought by the curious and inquisitive.
Shadow Danger Room:
This would give our existing "danger" rooms which cost energy to open more of a challenge rather than just more of the same. The giant explosions and destruction following clearance of the room and exiting the hallway to it may be overdoing it, but it gives reason to believe the Swarm is a real threat to the Clockworks.
Unknown Passages in the Arcade:
Our current treasure floors/Treasure Vault floors are somewhat of a waste considering the somewhat low payouts with little to do other than running around in a derp maze and break all the stuff in a big room ahead. This floor is supposed to be a reward for "hard work" of previous floors, yet offers little in reward nor entertainment other than pretty colors and happy music. However, having a sudden change to random Swarm floors would annoy users in general; the most likely way for this to work would be to only happen in the sixth stratum or if the core of the planet opened to an inner planet, possibly with further tiers. The problem with this is what would be inside other than Swarm enemies.
To answer your questions:
I - New enemies are always nice, but the main issue with this is determining what the new enemies are.
II - New equipment is also always nice, but shares a similar issue: how weapons work and what stats are on armor. I have axe mechanic notes.
III - Timing floors would be amusing, though there are many who enjoy taking their time and rolling around on the floor for a while before continuing.
IV - Lower tiers are meant to be tutorials for later tiers, somewhat "easing" users into higher difficulty as they continue. It would probably be easier to have T4+ instead of making the whole game more difficult as it would whip less experienced users while veterans are apathetic.
To answer issues in this response, I know T4+ has been discussed and defeated in the past; it would headbutt the tier and equipment ranking system. Adding 6*+ equipment would further issues seeing as 5* equipment is supposed to be the highest possible. Considering how each tier is supposed to be twice as difficult as the last, this would mean enemies would essentially slaughter someone in a resistant loadout in one or two hits regardless (T4 Retrode swipes twice on someone with the Volcanic Demo set, dies in two/one hit(s)). It would force users to learn how to evade better, though not necessarily how to work in a team together; which is one of our objectives for a better concept.