Random Dungeons

I am arriving a little late to the party, but I recently purchased Torchlight (the original version, not Torchlight II: the sequel is not yet available for the Mac, at least not on Steam).  I have been playing it for some while now, and I enjoy it.

I am not obsessed with it as I was with Diablo II, even though the two games have similar game play and goals (fight monsters, get loot).  The 3D graphics are gorgeous, and the interface is simple.  I don't quite see the point of pets, but I find it entertaining to teach them spells.  There are plenty of quests to do, but it did not take long for me to grow bored by their repetitiveness ("kill a boss", and "return an item" are the two more common quests types).  A little more variety in quests would have been nice.

However it has been the randomized dungeons which has me thinking back to a project which I had started over two years ago: random instances, which would allow multiple groups to enter the same dungeon and not encounter each other.  I have given this subject a little thought, and want to apply it to my current major project.  Or should I say projects.

With our player base shrinking, instances are becoming less necessary.  But for me, it's a challenge in making it happen.  And making it happen – or making any of my projects happen – is a challenge!