The next section in my Torchlight dungeon is based in the caves tileset.  As the player leaves the crypt they travel through a cave that has some of the crypt architecture incorporated into the environment.  This section has moved along much faster than the first, but has been significantly larger and more complex.

I was also able to put the planning stages to better use during this section of the dungeon.  The cave section started out as an incredibly small sketch, one that I hadn’t given very much thought to when dreaming up the overall dungeon.  I had expected it to not be much longer than the crypt section, mostly just a way to get to the outside areas of the level.  It turned out to be much more.

The original sketch. There is more there than there appears to be.

So starting with the very rough sketch I brought out the graph paper and elaborated on the general shape I had drawn.  I left out the enemy, lights, and sounds details that were shown on the crypt plans.  This allowed me to concentrate on the basic layout and the key moments I already had in mind.  It ended up being split up into three sections; the lower, mid and upper cave.

The entire crypt/cave plan.

After the sections were drawn out and the basic floor and wall tiles had been placed I was left with quite a bit more room than I had originally intended.  So I went through the level and planned out each area in a little more detail in order to keep it interesting all the way through the level.  As I needed to do more planning I went back to the diagrams I had created and sketched in what I wanted to add. (Like secrets!)

The Lower Cave plan overlaid on the actual level.

Details like lights and sounds still haven’t been put on the plans and probably won’t in the future either because there are so many of them.  As the level develops these details are added as I see fit and do not provide any useful information when on the plan.  The crypt/cave section of the level is nearly complete, but needs enemies.  These will be added to the plans because that helps to properly space them and give the level a certain amount of balance.  After that I will be starting the next floor of the dungeon, which takes place outside of the cave.

To see the level in action check out my YouTube page or the player below.  The cave section is spread across three videos.