Quote: Original post by NeverSayDie
Just an idea that popped into my head on reading the post;
Reasoning behind arbitrary, rat-in-a-maze type dungeons; they're "spell structures". This kind of concept appears in numerous fantasy books/stories - magic of whatever sort is based on architectures, webs/weaves, structures/frameworks, etc. A building could be laid out so as to enhance/implement a spell of some sort.
Likewise for dungeons (in the classic, "constructed underground maze" sense) - they might simply be the leftover (or active) debris of industrial-scale spellcasting.
This device should give you plenty of freedom to explain away arbitrary layouts and complexity in these man-made dungeons that might otherwise impact suspension of disbelief. It might also allow for other interesting effects - eg, random magical effects and conditions in certain parts of a structure, etc. The various guards and hazards contained within might simply be recent squatters, or maybe the owner/constructor placed them so as to protect the integrity of the structure. You could also get into interesting territory if the protagonist can activate and/or destroy the magic of the structure.
Just a suggestion, might go some way to explaining otherwise pointless-seeming "dungeons" scattered around a landscape.
The structure issue is really nice considering how many maze types are highly structured. My favorite maze looks like archaic designs interlaced with each other. It would be perfect for a magically-structured dungeon.
Other games that reason out some dungeons: Final Fantasy VI had the Magitek factory, and since many industrial settings LOOK like mazes already, this was a perfect fit. Depending on the game, above ground natural landscape can be a perfectly well-disguised 'dungeon'. Rocks, cliffs, and flora all work together in most fantasty-based games to create a sort of illusion of being trapped in wide open spaces. Dungeon Siege is annoying about this. Sewer systems are popular catacombs as well, and I've seen at least one good implementation of a city-as-dungeon, with streets blocked off to form a maze-type structure.
