Do you want minigames to be added in game?

I don't think AE's ever learned from player feedback on these recurring issues. The parkour map being used as a farming area was probably the worst decision they've done so far since you have to run back and forth between monsters on platforms that are just far away from each other.

I can't recall any parkour that was considered fun; there was the cheeseable box parkour that was probably fun for some people, but only because of the unintended shortcut. If not for that shortcut, people wouldn't care as much for it, though it did feature some parkour sections solely for training. But even then, I don't think the training scaled properly in terms of difficulty considering it was too easy compared to actually getting to the top of the tree.

Clocktower wasn't too bad, but my biggest complaint about it is that it just doesn't belong in a dungeon with monsters. Aside from that, I think they could have improved the parkour by removing the spikes and adding a portal to go back to the section before the moving gears. My other issue is the Commendable exploration scroll where you have to reach an isolated platform, and you can't leave that platform without dying to the spikes; would've been better if there was just a scroll for reaching the very top or simply beating the boss at the top. I think the moving gears was the only thing I liked from it, because you don't see that as often... other parkour courses just feature disappearing and "hologram" platforms which are frustrating.

But overall, parkour remains stagnant. I'd like to see features that people would actually enjoy get added to new parkour courses.

 

Side content like parkour has room for improvement. AE could properly combine puzzles and parkour and make a good piece of side content. Makes me wonder when AE is going to release a new parkour course.

 

Well they have tons of puzzle elements to decide on for the next parkour. Puzzles aren't something new to them, especially since they've had several puzzle-like mini-games in their 2D main games. Things like lock picking, Simon (memory game about remembering sequence of lights), Minesweeper, and so on. And with AQ3D being 3D, the possibilities are endless. It usually doesn't feel like AQ3D gets any puzzles in parkour at all, and parkour is one of those things that could benefit from new puzzles, so then each new parkour feels unique rather than simply rearranged.

 

Exactly! AE has experience with puzzles so putting that experience to parkour courses is going to help. I would like to see a proper Darkovia themed parkour course because AE isn't done with Darkovia yet.

 

So much things they could do with Darkovia anyway. I think a cool puzzle-parkour idea would be a dark room (limited view distance) and you have to light up sections of the room to make the path easier to see. Would give a challenge to players who want to do the entire parkour course without lighting up the room, of course, and make it easier for people who do follow such an objective. Parkour that's themed around the saga its based on makes it more purposeful.

 

AE hasn't really used lighting as a core element of a puzzle or a parkour course so I am all up for that. Saga themed parkour courses will definitely work if they're tied to its saga in some way.

 

As long as it's not a story quest requirement to complete a parkour course, and so far, it's really only been like that for Darkovia Clock Tower. I think any mini-game or side activity like parkour should be optional, unless it's something straightforward that anyone can progress through.

 

Most of parkour courses are side-content so I would expect it to be optional as well.

 

I think mini-games like fishing should be a good idea just to help break up the activities.

 

It would be nice if fishing was actually some kind of minigame because now it's just click on a spot and wait.