Map-Adventure Red Hat Castle

Feistygandhi

The Destroyer
RHC 1.5 Narrative Sm.png


Red Hat Castle
is a non-linear adventure map inspired by many influences from 80s, 90s and 2000s adventure titles, including Castlevania, Zelda, Metroid, and Dark Souls. You explore a large castle and its surrounding zones on a quest to remove the king's curse. There are 3 built-in difficulty settings, each with unique content and endings. Just download the map and create a softcore character and you're ready to begin!

Download/More Info Link

A few screenshots:
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SpoilerTeaserSmall.png

Features:
  • Designed for 1 or 2 players!
  • 3 to 6-ish hours of gameplay per run
  • Open-world, non-linear progression
  • Unique and varied environments, some completely optional to visit
  • Countless secrets off-the-beaten-path for observant and adventurous players
  • Endless layers of polish since its initial release in September of 2015
  • 3 difficulty levels:
    • Toddler Difficulty - Begin with tons of potions and 5 extra heart crystals; many extra items (start with Horseshoe!); easier platforming; simplest ending
    • Normal Difficulty - Begin with 30 potions and 5 extra heart crystals; hidden extra ending content
    • Metal Difficulty - Begin with nothing; limited access to items; unique items; gargantuan and intricate extra ending content to challenge ambitious players
    • ***If it's too difficult, try an easier difficulty! They're there so that you can appreciate the game at any skill level!

Newest Update Feature:
November 23, 2017: v1.5 is the Narrative Update! Improved aesthetics recently as well.
As usual, also added art, details, and other polish.
Achievement total:
53 including the hidden Metal Difficulty ones.


The first video of a playthrough I did on "Metal Difficulty" (SPOILERS!, to some people):


Feel free to contact me with any questions or feedback you may have. I'm open to any ideas to improve your experience! Thank you so much for checking out Red Hat Castle!

-Feisty G.
 
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This might be really promising, as a huge fan of Metroidvania.

But in a busy state right now, but I'll be looking forward for trying this map out. I've already downloaded it :)
 
Okay, I've played through most of the map at the moment, so far I havn't reached the end yet, but I've to say, I've quite enjoyed it.


So, first a few bits of feedback on various things throughout the map.
I've taken the normal playthrough for the first time, and thus my feedback will be based on that:
  • It's a pretty nice touch on the difficulity settings. It's quite amuzing.
  • All the stairs in the castle seem to be broken, maybe that's because of Tedit?
  • Several times when I was stuck, I had to figure out where I can go, which was exactly what I want to see in a Metroidvania, good job!
  • I saw some cobalt brick wall unlocked somewhere in the underground, that leads to a flask of fire. It looks rather unintential though.
  • When I summoned the EoC, I was like "oh wait, how am I supposed to fight it with this equipment?", I had only around 50 shurikens, thankfully I was able to beat it, but it was a real close call. maybe Is should have bought more shurikens from the merchant, but with what money?
  • I've fought so far the EoC and the BoC with only the current sword available with a 999 stack of shurikens, the lack of weapon variety really makes the bosses quite difficult, but I guess that adds to the challenge.
  • Nice touch on the indicators when switches are switched "on".
  • That one long and underwater tunnel after the EoC fight was almost impossible if it wasn't for the greater healing potions I used, was this intended? Or dit I missed some underwater gear? That road took rather too long to me.
  • Saves in a Terraria world where you can't break anything doesn't seem to be that useful, I would prefer a Money Through.
Right now I'm stuck in the part after the jungle. It's hinted that I should look at the top of the castle, but there's no way I can go inside (assuming those spikes on the wall means that I should not pass them.)

But overall, it does look a bit basic in design, but regardless. You've done a good job.

In case you want to expand your Terraria map design in the future, here is some inspiration from other great adventure maps:
A Link to Terraria (Great overall design, nice level designs, although rather overpowered gear)
Tales of the Terrarian A great map introducing all the new wiring mechanics of 1.3.1 !
Terrastice (Castlevania vibes, hard enemies (start directly at hardmode), nice level design, lack of variety because it's all in a single dungeon.
Starraria, (Great overall design and concept. hard to really hard maps)
 
Wow, thank you for the time you've taken to play and write detailed feedback! I'll try to address your concerns:

All the stairs in the castle seem to be broken, maybe that's because of Tedit?

They're broken?! I just tested the stairs in the Entryway area and they seem 100% normal. Would you be willing to post a screenshot of your issue? If the issue is walking up the stairs without falling through them, you should be able to hold the 'W' key (a.k.a. up) as you move. I may post a sign nearby to state that in any case.

I saw some cobalt brick wall unlocked somewhere in the underground, that leads to a flask of fire. It looks rather unintential though.

That is intentional. The Blue Cobalt represents changes that occur between Toddler and Normal difficulties. In the same manner, Adamantite Beam represents changes between Normal and Metal difficulties. In this case, I wanted that section blocked off for Toddler difficulty for two reasons. 1 - You don't need more DPS on that difficulty, and 2 - I wanted to add bits of intrigue with the blocked-off sections. So a player might think "I wonder what's in THAT chest, only available on X difficulty?"

Does it look bad to you? (Honestly, haha. My passion and familiarity with aesthetics is sort-of back-burner compared to level design.)

  • When I summoned the EoC, I was like "oh wait, how am I supposed to fight it with this equipment?", I had only around 50 shurikens, thankfully I was able to beat it, but it was a real close call. maybe Is should have bought more shurikens from the merchant, but with what money?
  • I've fought so far the EoC and the BoC with only the current sword available with a 999 stack of shurikens, the lack of weapon variety really makes the bosses quite difficult, but I guess that adds to the challenge.

Ha - yeah, I did design it so that the player would have to step out of their comfort zone, and not rely on the usual Ranged crutch. In my own experience, I found it to be a tricky but rewarding new skill to learn. You have to really learn the bosses' patterns, and judge your attacks more carefully. As far as the Brain goes... I know that battle is kind of a gear check compared to the others... and it is possible to have significantly better gear. I might recommend exploring other parts of the castle.

All that being said, the Merchant is a relatively recent addition to the game, and before he was added, money was worthless. I hadn't really thought too much about it, other than "if people run out of Shurikens and Potions, at least they will still have access to new ones." I think I'll add money to chests and barrels, especially near the beginning, before you defeat gold-wielding bosses. This way, the player can spend more money stocking up on preferred resources.

That one long and underwater tunnel after the EoC fight was almost impossible if it wasn't for the greater healing potions I used, was this intended? Or dit I missed some underwater gear? That road took rather too long to me.

The underwater tunnel is actually meant to be crossed after acquiring more underwater gear. Running through and using a potion is kind of the adventurous way, haha. That was intentionally kept in there because I have a strong philosophy that games should be designed in a way that the player can conquer challenges in their own methods. I want to encourage players to do that. It's similar to the fact that you can actually jump the 3 gaps at the edge of the jungle leading up to the Eater of Worlds pit - if someone is brave and skilled enough to try it, then go for it!

Do you think it should still be adjusted, in your opinion?

Saves in a Terraria world where you can't break anything doesn't seem to be that useful, I would prefer a Money Through.

Hmm... I'm not exactly sure what you mean by this. Are you referring to the bedrooms? Those are just meant to be checkpoints in case you die.

Right now I'm stuck in the part after the jungle. It's hinted that I should look at the top of the castle, but there's no way I can go inside (assuming those spikes on the wall means that I should not pass them.)

I think I know what part you're at. After defeating the boss east of the jungle, the map really opens up to you. It's meant to be relatively non-linear, so you can access "main quest" content, as well as tons of additional gear upgrades throughout the castle. The order in which you acquire stuff is really up to you. The optional stuff will help you on your main quest anyway.

But overall, it does look a bit basic in design, but regardless. You've done a good job.

I'm curious to know what you mean by "basic in design." Is this a reference to aesthetic design, or level design, or both? I will say that I hadn't played any custom Terraria maps until last year, so most of the flow of Red Hat Castle is completely original, for better or worse. I wasn't spun up on all the tricks the community has come up with.
  • I have since played Terrastice, which aesthetically looks decent but every corner looks exactly the same (as you stated), and so I got bored with it pretty far in.
  • A Link to Terraria was pretty fun, but I think I got stuck and forgot about it. Maybe I'll try to finish it soon!
  • Tales of the Terrarian I really enjoyed, and the use of the new mechanics was a lot of fun.
  • And Starraria I haven't played. Buuut maybe I should!
In defense of Red Hat Castle, some specific planning philosophies were implemented. For example, I really enjoy atmospheric variety, and I wanted RHC to be full of dramatically different-feeling environments. (Terrastice, to me, sinned against this)

Another philosophy was to have an intimate connectedness between the different zones. I wanted the discovery of new areas and shortcuts to feel like it was reinforcing your understanding of the known layout of the map. A good example of this may be in Dark Souls 1, when you discover something and think, "OH, so THIS leads back HERE, cool!" or you look toward the background and think "HEY, it's THAT place over there!" (A Link to Terraria and Tales of the Terrarian didn't do this as much, which is completely fine. Their value came from different aspects! I'm not saying they failed or anything.)

And lastly, I've seen videos of people creating really cool intricate aesthetics in Terraria. I see that there are many techniques to add more visual detail to an area. It has occurred to me to implement some high-caliber detail to make the game more interesting for people to explore... but maybe I'm too stuck in my NES/SNES platforming ways, haha. I do like detail, but I don't want places to feel crowded. I guess.


Anyway, thank you so much for the feedback! I didn't address the positive comments, but I'm grateful for those too! I really do look forward to reading what you have to say in response. Also, I hope I didn't sound pretentious in any way. The long-winded points up there ^ were only meant to explain my design point-of-view. I love all the creative work people are contributing!

OH and speaking of which, I played Space Siblings for a little while... and I learned that I am pretty bad at it as of yet. I am enjoying it though! I'll keep practicing.
 
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Wow, thank you for the time you've taken to play and write detailed feedback!
Let's say that I'm interested in such maps and I'm used to huge feedback when I got them at my own game :p

They're broken?! I just tested the stairs in the Entryway area and they seem 100% normal. Would you be willing to post a screenshot of your issue? If the issue is walking up the stairs without falling through them, you should be able to hold the 'W' key (a.k.a. up) as you move. I may post a sign nearby to state that in any case.
Yeah, I was falling through them, pressing the 'up' key will surely work, but I'm used to it that I never have to do that.
That is intentional. The Blue Cobalt represents changes that occur between Toddler and Normal difficulties. In the same manner, Adamantite Beam represents changes between Normal and Metal difficulties. In this case, I wanted that section blocked off for Toddler difficulty for two reasons. 1 - You don't need more DPS on that difficulty, and 2 - I wanted to add bits of intrigue with the blocked-off sections. So a player might think "I wonder what's in THAT chest, only available on X difficulty?"
Does it look bad to you? (Honestly, haha. My passion and familiarity with aesthetics is sort-of back-burner compared to level design.)
Ah, I see. I understanded the cobalt/adamantite designs (which were genius). But I didn't thought of blocking off an item for the easiest difficulity. :p

I'm fine with the looks otherwise, if it had the same design as the background, I would get confused with if that section was accessible at the current difficulity.
Ha - yeah, I did design it so that the player would have to step out of their comfort zone, and not rely on the usual Ranged crutch. In my own experience, I found it to be a tricky but rewarding new skill to learn. You have to really learn the bosses' patterns, and judge your attacks more carefully. As far as the Brain goes... I know that battle is kind of a gear check compared to the others... and it is possible to have significantly better gear. I might recommend exploring other parts of the castle.

All that being said, the Merchant is a relatively recent addition to the game, and before he was added, money was worthless. I hadn't really thought too much about it, other than "if people run out of Shurikens and Potions, at least they will still have access to new ones." I think I'll add money to chests and barrels, especially near the beginning, before you defeat gold-wielding bosses. This way, the player can spend more money stocking up on preferred resources.
So that means there were also no shurikens if there wasn't a merchant...I can't imagine doing the battles with just the sword, that's quite hardcore. :p

I havn't really ran out of the greater potions, but it might be, since it was a 2-player game, that it was meant for the other one as well. I did have really needed those potions though to balance out most of the boss battles.
The underwater tunnel is actually meant to be crossed after acquiring more underwater gear. Running through and using a potion is kind of the adventurous way, haha. That was intentionally kept in there because I have a strong philosophy that games should be designed in a way that the player can conquer challenges in their own methods. I want to encourage players to do that. It's similar to the fact that you can actually jump the 3 gaps at the edge of the jungle leading up to the Eater of Worlds pit - if someone is brave and skilled enough to try it, then go for it!

Do you think it should still be adjusted, in your opinion?
hmm, I like the thinking that it's intentional to try the harder way to progress faster, I'll say keep it as is.


Hmm... I'm not exactly sure what you mean by this. Are you referring to the bedrooms? Those are just meant to be checkpoints in case you die.
I meant, you're able to buy a save from the merchant, but it's rather impractical for it's high price and it's single-use placement. Unless it was intentional to use the tiny tin pickaxe (that name tho :p) for it.
I think I know what part you're at. After defeating the boss east of the jungle, the map really opens up to you. It's meant to be relatively non-linear, so you can access "main quest" content, as well as tons of additional gear upgrades throughout the castle. The order in which you acquire stuff is really up to you. The optional stuff will help you on your main quest anyway.
I managed to reach the end this evening, I didn't realised that there was actually a path in the sky, above the trees.
This would have been much harder to discover if some people had a lower screen resolution than mine, But with 1.3.5 zoom functions coming, I don't think you should do much about.

I'm curious to know what you mean by "basic in design." Is this a reference to aesthetic design, or level design, or both? I will say that I hadn't played any custom Terraria maps until last year, so most of the flow of Red Hat Castle is completely original, for better or worse. I wasn't spun up on all the tricks the community has come up with.
  • I have since played Terrastice, which aesthetically looks decent but every corner looks exactly the same (as you stated), and so I got bored with it pretty far in.
  • A Link to Terraria was pretty fun, but I think I got stuck and forgot about it. Maybe I'll try to finish it soon!
  • Tales of the Terrarian I really enjoyed, and the use of the new mechanics was a lot of fun.
  • And Starraria I haven't played. Buuut maybe I should!
In defense of Red Hat Castle, some specific planning philosophies were implemented. For example, I really enjoy atmospheric variety, and I wanted RHC to be full of dramatically different-feeling environments. (Terrastice, to me, sinned against this)
I meant mostly Aesthetic, This might also been because I was spoiled by the maps I've mentioned above. but It's still entertaining to enjoy the design sometimes while walking back and forth through the map.

But my mind changed in the later parts of the map, the sky garden(?) was really well done, I didn't even knew that you could have flowers on vines. they look awesome.

The atmospheric variety is really something that keeps things refreshing. Although it would be even more awesome if you manage to make an unique 'zone'/'biome'. with me having played several adventure maps, I can honestly say that one will get tired of the 'generic' Terraria biomes.
Not a requirement, but it sure will make things more interesting. a few stages in the Starraria map have done that pretty well.

As of level design, I don't have much to complain, I did had expected some 1.3.1 features, but I noticed later that this map was already made in the times of 1.3 release, So I can't really argue about that.
Another philosophy was to have an intimate connectedness between the different zones. I wanted the discovery of new areas and shortcuts to feel like it was reinforcing your understanding of the known layout of the map. A good example of this may be in Dark Souls 1, when you discover something and think, "OH, so THIS leads back HERE, cool!" or you look toward the background and think "HEY, it's THAT place over there!" (A Link to Terraria and Tales of the Terrarian didn't do this as much, which is completely fine. Their value came from different aspects! I'm not saying they failed or anything.)
I've certainely experienced that when I was looking for parts that were accessible for me to explore, I do have enjoyed that aspect.

And lastly, I've seen videos of people creating really cool intricate aesthetics in Terraria. I see that there are many techniques to add more visual detail to an area. It has occurred to me to implement some high-caliber detail to make the game more interesting for people to explore... but maybe I'm too stuck in my NES/SNES platforming ways, haha. I do like detail, but I don't want places to feel crowded. I guess.
mmmhm, I can understand that. Just my opinion on the design.

Anyway, thank you so much for the feedback! I didn't address the positive comments, but I'm grateful for those too! I really do look forward to reading what you have to say in response. Also, I hope I didn't sound pretentious in any way. The long-winded points up there ^ were only meant to explain my design point-of-view. I love all the creative work people are contributing!
It was no problem, giving proper feedback is a good way to move forwards. :)
OH and speaking of which, I played Space Siblings for a little while... and I learned that I am pretty bad at it as of yet. I am enjoying it though! I'll keep practicing.
Glad to hear you're enjoying it as well. :p
At the moment I find the difficulity of my game not too hard, but not too easy either.
Alas, that's my opinion. Thanks for the response, and for making this map as well. :)
 
Oh man I was thinking about your comments about unique biomes (which I totally understand; I love surreal art for that reason!)... and now I have to ask: Did you use the top teleporter in the treasure room after you beat the "last boss"...? It's the one with the chlorophyte blocking it. There is some unique content on the other side... including a teaser for more wild Metal-difficulty-only content.
 
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Oh man I was thinking about your comments about unique biomes (which I totally understand; I love surreal art for that reason!)... and now I have to ask: Did you use the top teleporter in the treasure room after you beat the "last boss"...? It's the one with the chlorophyte blocking it. There is some unique content on the other side... including a teaser for more wild Metal-difficulty-only content.
Yep, I found it :p
It was some neat bonus. and it did entice me to try metal difficulity as well.
 
Yep, I found it :p
It was some neat bonus. and it did entice me to try metal difficulity as well.

:D

I don't expect very many people to find it, but it's exciting when someone who genuinely loves exploring gets to experience it!

Thanks again, ppowersteef! I'm going to get to work implementing a few changes, thanks to your feedback!
 
I may or may not be cheating your map in one of the derpiest ways there is, and still having a considerable amount of fun. Me like.
Capture 2017-04-26 17_54_34.png
Now in all seriousness, that's one good map.
 
Nice map! Did it once on normal, was pretty exciting! Boss fights were ok, but I did need to sell the familiar vanity for enough money to get shurikens for the EoC:p Design was absolutely amazing! Loved all the areas! Then I tried it on Metal and I managed to get to the dark world and just died inside...
 
Thanks a lot, alexzhang05! :D Thanks for playing, and thanks for taking the time to give feedback! :joy:

I'm really happy that you gave Metal a try! I imagine that few people take the time to get very far on it. If you have enjoyed your experience up to this point, then I would strongly encourage you to press on... there is still SO much new stuff to see!

I have a strong game design philosophy that fun is based on pushing yourself reasonably... so I made sure to offer TONS of extra challenges with increasing difficulty - bread crumbs to guide you further and further without ever demanding too much at once.

Man, the EoC seems to be a significant hurdle for people throughout the development process! In your opinion, is there something that I can change to make it more reasonable?

A while back, I made a video to show people that the EoC is pretty doable without shurikens or potions, just for fun. :)


But yeah, thanks again!
 
Man, the EoC seems to be a significant hurdle for people throughout the development process! In your opinion, is there something that I can change to make it more reasonable?
Meh, not really much, maybe add a couple of shurikens here and there, as well as some buff potions on easier difficulties.
 
Absolutely beautiful map.
Combat-wise it's easy and dull, and the parkouring was entertaining but not that difficult either. But the exploration part of the map is 11/10 IGN.

Me and my friend spent like 2 hours beating it on \m/ metal mode \m/ and another 2 hours exploring with the mining drill.
Must've explored almost everywhere on the map, from the bottom left part of hell to the top right part of the sky, drilling through walls and, surprisingly, still finding new art everywhere (Especially loved the little Ghost in the middle of nowhere inside a :red:ton of solid blocks and the bouncy castle for the toddler difficulty users)
 
Absolutely beautiful map.
Combat-wise it's easy and dull, and the parkouring was entertaining but not that difficult either. But the exploration part of the map is 11/10 IGN.

Me and my friend spent like 2 hours beating it on \m/ metal mode \m/ and another 2 hours exploring with the mining drill.
Must've explored almost everywhere on the map, from the bottom left part of hell to the top right part of the sky, drilling through walls and, surprisingly, still finding new art everywhere (Especially loved the little Ghost in the middle of nowhere inside a :red:ton of solid blocks and the bouncy castle for the toddler difficulty users)

Elele,

Thanks a lot for the feedback,! I'm happy that you enjoyed the experience! It's interesting that you said it was easy and dull for you and your friend... You guys must be pretty good at the game. Most of the difficulty feedback I get is "game's ok but hella hard - got to Eye of Cthulhu and gave up." Also, 2 hours is faster than I've ever run through it, I think. :)

Yeah, the joy of exploration was the fuel for RHC's design! I love thoughtfully being rewarded for exploring, and made that a core philosophy. It's tricky to convince players to WANT to explore the entire map. :D

If you're curious, the ghost is from a strange old RPG Maker game called Yume Nikki, where you just wander around in dream worlds. I liked it, but that's really all there is to it.

And I'll just mention it for your sake: I've since made another Terraria map called R'lyeh Nexus that has some exploration too, if you're interested in more. :)

Thanks again!
 
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