One of the game’s main features is a system called the Labyrinth, and some refer to it as the Infinite Labyrinth and it seemingly has no end. It is based on Greek mythology about an elaborate and often confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete, where the Minotaur dwelt. Much like the legend, it has a single pathway through it. This path will lead to the realm of the gods, but some branches also lead to other areas and domains. It is through the Labyrinth that otherworldly beings can influence the world. The Labyrinth is also a means for adventurers to grow in strength and riches, but with great rewards comes significant risk.
But what does that have to mean when we’re talking game mechanics?
One of the challenges of an MMO is that the main game world stays relatively static. Once you’ve been through a zone or dungeon a few times, it becomes less and less surprising and less interesting. There are ways to address some of that by having a more living-world concept (more on that), but also to have temporary adventuring areas or those that are only accessible when specific requirements are met. That is where the portals to the Labyrinth come in.
For anyone familiar with the Stargate science-fiction franchise, you’ll quickly get the concept of a teleportation device that allows you a shortcut between two locations. One of the aspects of the Stargate (and why I felt like it would have made an excellent MMO feature) is that it allows you to travel to areas entirely different and alien without needing a vehicle. One moment you can be in the desert on earth; next, you could be on the dark side of Ganymede, one of the moons of Jupiter. It was a device that made sense of traveling without having access to a vehicle and the long journey associated with it.
Unlike the stargates from the series, a portal to the Labyrinth doesn’t require a set location that can be permanently and consistently used. There can be set doorways in the main game world, but when they are active or where they transport someone to, that can be adjusted based on anything from the alignment of the stars, the time of day, or the price of using it. Some portals can appear mysteriously in the wild and only be accessible until a set requirement is met. For example, some portals may only allow a single person or a party (group) to enter, then it closes.
Also, these other areas and realms can have different rules. Perhaps you’re in a fire-based realm that makes abilities based on flame more powerful, but many of the residents of that realm are more fire-resistant. It could be a realm that allows faction-infighting (basically a free-for-all) or disallows any PvP.
An example of how this feature can be used is a treasure hunt. It could be an area with temporary access for one week (in the real world). Anyone could enter, but once inside, while you could leave, you could not return. Perhaps experience gains are more significant or a higher quality of loot. Within the hunt, you can vie for rankings such as who’s collected the most stuff or has a higher fighting score; you could even separate ladders for PvE and PvP. The downside is that you are removed from the hunt once killed. You could even make it that the only way to leave with the treasure collected from the hunt is to leave it willingly or survive to the end; should you perish during the hunt, you lose access to the treasure you collected.
As you can see, it is a feature that has multiple uses and benefits. It can be used as a gating mechanism, a way to add unexpected change to an area, and a way to make some “zones” more exciting because they are not always accessible.
