Posted September 04, 2009
einexile: Edit to Mentalespy: That's pretty much it, except I don't really mind if it's 2D. For instance there are part of Diablo where the illusion of descent is compelling within a given dungeon. Titan Quest (which I realize is 3D but didn't necessarily have to be) has gone without loading screens for as far as I've progressed through it, but it mostly takes place in the outdoors.
If you want a game that is not composed of flat levels connected by teleporters, though, you're largely restricting yourself to 3D games. I can't think of any 2D dungeon crawlers that fit that criteria, Diablo included - if the terrain can't be rendered in three dimensions, it's difficult to construct the dungeon any other way (though it could be faked a bit - the Ultima VIII engine could do quasi-3D, I guess). I'm not saying it can't be done, but I've never seen it.
I'm not sure I've ever played a game that would satisfy all the criteria you've listed, honestly. Ultima Underworld maybe, as has been mentioned, but I haven't played that in a looooong time and can't remember much about it.
At the moment, I can't help but recall Shangri-la in Might and Magic III, a small village located far underground. There's so much rock over your head that just walking around is almost suffocating, but it's just an illusion; it's just a two-dimensional map with no Z coordinate to speak of.
Post edited September 04, 2009 by Mentalepsy