Revamp the Maze 1 - Maze 2 transition

[Ploppy]

I really like the new changes to the Maze, but the fact that the transition between the two areas is a glowing circle in a predetermined but arbitrary corner still bothers me a bit.

The area could potentially gain a lot of atmosphere based on how the approach to the Minotaur's area is framed. Some options:

- craft a special room for the entrance festooned with mild gore and a few statues (possibly in the center of the maze for tradition's sake)

- make the minotaur's appearance an ambush; task the player with getting an item from the center of the labyrinth (maybe a guaranteed piece of confusion resist gear?), then remove the entrance, disable recall options, and force them to move forward as soon as they pick it up.

- even more punishing: put the whole maze in one area and have the minotaur's appearance triggered by one specific action, then randomly place the boss on the map (announced by a roar or somesuch), shut off the old entrance, place a ton of new traps, and spawn a new exit in a random (?) corner

Besides these boss-specific ideas, I'd generally prefer if trying to exit to the world map after entering the maze would cause at least some minor complications at some point (e.g.: no recall, 50% chance for the exit to randomly teleport you inside the maze instead); otherwise, the area is nothing but a clump of corridors arranged in a square.

[PureQuestion]

The maze never really struck me as a particularly important dungeon, so I'm not sure it merits something like making it especially difficult to leave. And besides, fleeing should always be an option.

[Grey]

The terrain is very boring in the Maze. I don't know why so many roguelike devs feel the need to throw in the obligatory maze + minotaurs zone into their games - it's always dull :P Nethack, Crawl and ADOM all have this same boring zone too. I'd be happy if it were removed entirely.

[PureQuestion]

I will not, however, argue with that. At the very least make the walls diggable.

[Ploppy]

The terrain is very boring in the Maze. I don't know why so many roguelike devs feel the need to throw in the obligatory maze + minotaurs zone into their games - it's always dull Nethack, Crawl and ADOM all have this same boring zone too. I'd be happy if it were removed entirely.

I don't much like the current maze either; the endless samey corridors are more aggravating than the Sandworm Lair, where you at least have to apply some logical thinking. I think the dungeon is urgently in need of an overhaul - either by scrapping it altogether (the boring option) or by coming up with ways to make it more exciting.

[bricks]

Haaaaaate the Maze. Especially the 1-wide corridors and the unavoidable, pointless traps. It would be cool if the zone had a feeling of pursuit to it, though I'm not sure how to develop that.