Game 15 Unit 25 of 32 1 hr learning time

Danger Scaling

Tune the difficulty curve across ten floors — gentle early, brutal late, fair throughout.

78% of Dungeons Of Dorin

Mark as complete Completed!

All the systems are built. Now they need to work together at the right pace. Floors 1-3 should feel safe enough to learn the controls. Floors 4-6 should test the player combat skills. Floors 7-9 should demand careful resource management. Floor 10 should feel like a genuine final challenge. This unit is about adjusting numbers until the curve feels right.

The Program

5 REM === DUNGEONS OF DORIN ===
10 BORDER 0: PAPER 0: INK 7: CLS
15 GO SUB 2500
20 DIM d(16,16): DIM v(16,16)
22 DIM j(5): DIM k(5): DIM l(5): DIM n(5)
24 LET h = 20: LET z = 20: LET a = 3: LET f = 2
26 LET w = 0: LET r = 0: LET p = 0
28 LET g = 0: LET e = 1: LET q = 0: LET b = 0
40 REM === generate floor ===
42 FOR i = 1 TO 16: FOR o = 1 TO 16
44 LET d(i,o) = 1: LET v(i,o) = 0
46 NEXT o: NEXT i
50 LET s = INT (RND * 3) + 3
52 DIM u(5,4)
54 FOR i = 1 TO s
56 LET u(i,1) = INT (RND * 10) + 2
58 LET u(i,2) = INT (RND * 10) + 2
60 LET u(i,3) = INT (RND * 4) + 3
62 LET u(i,4) = INT (RND * 4) + 3
64 FOR c = u(i,2) TO u(i,2) + u(i,4) - 1
66 FOR o = u(i,1) TO u(i,1) + u(i,3) - 1
68 IF c >= 1 AND c <= 16 AND o >= 1 AND o <= 16 THEN LET d(c,o) = 0
70 NEXT o: NEXT c
72 NEXT i
76 FOR i = 1 TO s - 1
78 LET t = u(i,1) + INT (u(i,3) / 2)
80 LET t2 = u(i,2) + INT (u(i,4) / 2)
82 LET t3 = u(i+1,1) + INT (u(i+1,3) / 2)
84 LET t4 = u(i+1,2) + INT (u(i+1,4) / 2)
86 IF t <= t3 THEN FOR o = t TO t3: IF t2 >= 1 AND t2 <= 16 AND o >= 1 AND o <= 16 THEN LET d(t2,o) = 0
88 IF t <= t3 THEN NEXT o
90 IF t > t3 THEN FOR o = t3 TO t: IF t2 >= 1 AND t2 <= 16 AND o >= 1 AND o <= 16 THEN LET d(t2,o) = 0
92 IF t > t3 THEN NEXT o
94 IF t2 <= t4 THEN FOR c = t2 TO t4: IF c >= 1 AND c <= 16 AND t3 >= 1 AND t3 <= 16 THEN LET d(c,t3) = 0
96 IF t2 <= t4 THEN NEXT c
98 IF t2 > t4 THEN FOR c = t4 TO t2: IF c >= 1 AND c <= 16 AND t3 >= 1 AND t3 <= 16 THEN LET d(c,t3) = 0
100 IF t2 > t4 THEN NEXT c
102 NEXT i
108 LET x = u(1,1) + 1: LET y = u(1,2) + 1
110 LET t = u(s,1) + 1: LET t2 = u(s,2) + 1
112 IF t >= 1 AND t <= 16 AND t2 >= 1 AND t2 <= 16 THEN LET d(t2,t) = 2
114 REM monster count scales with floor
116 LET t = INT (RND * 3) + 2
118 IF t > 5 THEN LET t = 5
120 LET m = t
122 FOR i = 1 TO m
124 GO SUB 1600
126 LET j(i) = t: LET k(i) = t2
128 GO SUB 1700
130 NEXT i
132 REM chests: fewer on deep floors
134 FOR i = 1 TO 2
136 GO SUB 1600
138 LET d(t2,t) = 3
140 NEXT i
142 REM fountain: rarer on deep floors
144 IF e <= 5 AND RND > 0.4 THEN GO SUB 1600: LET d(t2,t) = 4
146 IF e > 5 AND RND > 0.7 THEN GO SUB 1600: LET d(t2,t) = 4
148 GO SUB 380
150 CLS
152 GO SUB 300
154 GO SUB 500
156 REM === main loop ===
158 PAUSE 0: LET i$ = INKEY$
160 LET b = b + 1
162 LET t = x: LET t2 = y
164 IF i$ = "q" OR i$ = "Q" THEN LET t2 = y - 1
166 IF i$ = "a" OR i$ = "A" THEN LET t2 = y + 1
168 IF i$ = "o" OR i$ = "O" THEN LET t = x - 1
170 IF i$ = "p" OR i$ = "P" THEN LET t = x + 1
172 IF i$ = "h" OR i$ = "H" THEN GO SUB 700: GO TO 156
174 IF i$ = "i" OR i$ = "I" THEN GO SUB 1800: GO TO 156
176 IF t = x AND t2 = y THEN GO TO 156
178 IF t < 1 OR t > 16 OR t2 < 1 OR t2 > 16 THEN GO TO 156
180 IF d(t2,t) = 1 THEN GO TO 156
182 FOR c = 1 TO m
184 IF j(c) = t AND k(c) = t2 AND n(c) > 0 THEN LET i = c: GO SUB 800: GO TO 198
186 NEXT c
188 LET x = t: LET y = t2
190 IF d(y,x) = 2 THEN GO SUB 600: GO TO 156
192 IF d(y,x) = 3 THEN GO SUB 750: LET d(y,x) = 0
194 IF d(y,x) = 4 THEN LET h = z: LET d(y,x) = 0: PRINT AT 12, 3; INK 5; "Fountain! HP restored!"
198 GO SUB 380
200 GO SUB 300
202 GO SUB 500
204 GO TO 156
300 REM === draw viewport ===
302 FOR c = -3 TO 3
304 FOR o = -3 TO 3
306 LET t = x + o: LET t2 = y + c
308 LET i = 1: LET i2 = 0
310 IF t < 1 OR t > 16 OR t2 < 1 OR t2 > 16 THEN GO TO 340
312 IF v(t2,t) = 0 THEN GO TO 340
314 LET i = d(t2,t)
316 LET i2 = 7
318 IF i = 1 THEN LET i2 = 4
320 FOR s = 1 TO m
322 IF j(s) = t AND k(s) = t2 AND n(s) > 0 THEN LET i2 = 2: LET i = 5
324 NEXT s
340 LET t3 = 3 + c: LET t4 = 11 + o
342 IF o = 0 AND c = 0 THEN LET i2 = 7: LET i = 6
344 IF i2 = 0 THEN PRINT AT t3, t4; " ": GO TO 370
346 IF i = 0 THEN PRINT AT t3, t4; INK i2; ".": GO TO 370
348 IF i = 1 THEN PRINT AT t3, t4; INK i2; CHR$ 143: GO TO 370
350 IF i = 2 THEN PRINT AT t3, t4; INK i2; ">": GO TO 370
352 IF i = 3 THEN PRINT AT t3, t4; INK i2; "$": GO TO 370
353 IF i = 4 THEN PRINT AT t3, t4; INK 5; "~": GO TO 370
354 IF i = 5 THEN PRINT AT t3, t4; INK i2; "M": GO TO 370
356 IF i = 6 THEN PRINT AT t3, t4; INK i2; "@": GO TO 370
358 PRINT AT t3, t4; INK i2; "?"
370 NEXT o: NEXT c
372 RETURN
380 REM === update visibility ===
382 FOR c = y - 2 TO y + 2
384 FOR o = x - 2 TO x + 2
386 IF c >= 1 AND c <= 16 AND o >= 1 AND o <= 16 THEN LET v(c,o) = 1
388 NEXT o: NEXT c
390 RETURN
500 REM === draw status ===
502 PRINT AT 8, 2; INK 7; "HP:"; h; "/"; z; "  "
504 PRINT AT 9, 2; INK 4; "AT:"; a + w; "  "
506 PRINT AT 10, 2; INK 5; "DF:"; f + r; "  "
508 PRINT AT 8, 20; INK 6; "FL:"; e; " "
510 PRINT AT 9, 20; INK 6; "AU:"; g; "  "
512 PRINT AT 10, 20; INK 3; "PT:"; p; " "
514 RETURN
600 REM === stairs down ===
602 LET e = e + 1
604 IF e > 10 THEN GO TO 1100
606 PRINT AT 12, 5; INK 7; BRIGHT 1; "DESCENDING..."
608 PAUSE 30
610 GO TO 40
700 REM === use potion ===
702 IF p <= 0 THEN PRINT AT 12, 5; INK 2; "No potions!   ": RETURN
704 LET p = p - 1
706 LET h = h + 10
708 IF h > z THEN LET h = z
710 PRINT AT 12, 5; INK 4; "Healed! HP:"; h; "  "
714 RETURN
750 REM === open chest ===
752 LET i = INT (RND * 4)
754 IF i = 0 THEN LET t = INT (RND * 5) + e * 2: LET g = g + t: PRINT AT 12, 3; INK 6; "Found "; t; " gold!     ": GO TO 770
756 IF i = 1 AND p < 3 THEN LET p = p + 1: PRINT AT 12, 3; INK 4; "Found a potion!   ": GO TO 770
758 IF i = 2 THEN LET t = INT (e / 3) + 1: IF t > w THEN LET w = t: PRINT AT 12, 3; INK 7; "Better weapon! +"; w: GO TO 770
760 IF i = 3 THEN LET t = INT (e / 4) + 1: IF t > r THEN LET r = t: PRINT AT 12, 3; INK 5; "Better armour! +"; r: GO TO 770
762 LET t = INT (RND * 3) + e: LET g = g + t: PRINT AT 12, 3; INK 6; "Found "; t; " gold!     "
770 PAUSE 20
772 RETURN
800 REM === combat ===
802 LET i5 = l(i)
804 RESTORE 1500
806 FOR c = 1 TO i5 - 1: READ i$, t, t2, t3, t4: NEXT c
808 READ i$, t, t2, t3, t4
810 LET i4 = n(i)
812 CLS
814 PRINT AT 0, 0; INK 2; BRIGHT 1; "COMBAT: "; i$
816 PRINT AT 2, 0; INK 7; "Your HP: "; h; "  Enemy HP: "; i4
820 PRINT AT 5, 0; INK 7; "A)ttack  F)lee"
824 PAUSE 0: LET i$ = INKEY$
826 IF i$ = "f" OR i$ = "F" THEN GO TO 870
828 IF i$ <> "a" AND i$ <> "A" THEN GO TO 824
830 LET c = INT (RND * 6) + 1 + a + w - t3
832 IF c < 1 THEN LET c = 1
834 LET i4 = i4 - c
836 PRINT AT 8, 0; INK 4; "You hit for "; c; "!    "
838 BEEP 0.02, 5
840 IF i4 <= 0 THEN GO TO 890
844 LET c = INT (RND * 6) + 1 + t2 - f - r
846 IF c < 1 THEN LET c = 1
848 LET h = h - c
850 PRINT AT 10, 0; INK 2; "Enemy hits for "; c; "!    "
852 BEEP 0.02, -5
854 IF h <= 0 THEN GO TO 1000
856 PRINT AT 2, 0; INK 7; "Your HP: "; h; "  Enemy HP: "; i4; "  "
858 PAUSE 20
860 GO TO 820
870 IF RND > 0.5 THEN PRINT AT 8, 0; INK 6; "You escape!      ": BEEP 0.05, 10: PAUSE 20: CLS: RETURN
874 PRINT AT 8, 0; INK 2; "Cannot flee!     "
876 LET c = INT (RND * 6) + 1 + t2 - f - r
878 IF c < 1 THEN LET c = 1
880 LET h = h - c
882 PRINT AT 10, 0; INK 2; "Hit for "; c; "!        "
884 IF h <= 0 THEN GO TO 1000
886 PAUSE 20
888 GO TO 820
890 PRINT AT 12, 0; INK 4; BRIGHT 1; "VICTORY!"
892 LET n(i) = 0
894 LET g = g + t4: LET q = q + 1
896 BEEP 0.1, 12: BEEP 0.1, 16
898 PRINT AT 14, 0; INK 6; "Gained "; t4; " gold"
900 IF i5 >= 3 AND RND > 0.5 THEN LET t = INT (e / 3) + 1: IF t > w THEN LET w = t: PRINT AT 16, 0; INK 7; "Dropped a weapon! +"; w
902 PAUSE 30
904 CLS
906 RETURN
1000 REM === death ===
1002 CLS
1004 PRINT AT 6, 6; INK 2; BRIGHT 1; "YOU HAVE FALLEN"
1006 PRINT AT 8, 4; INK 7; "Floor: "; e; "  Kills: "; q
1008 PRINT AT 10, 4; INK 6; "Gold: "; g; "  Turns: "; b
1010 PRINT AT 14, 6; INK 7; "Press any key"
1012 BEEP 0.2, -10: BEEP 0.2, -15
1014 PAUSE 0
1016 GO TO 15
1100 REM === victory ===
1102 CLS
1104 PRINT AT 4, 3; INK 7; BRIGHT 1; "THE HEART OF DORIN!"
1106 PRINT AT 6, 2; INK 6; "You found the ancient"
1108 PRINT AT 7, 2; INK 6; "heart and restored Dorin!"
1110 PRINT AT 9, 4; INK 7; "Floors: 10"
1112 PRINT AT 10, 4; INK 7; "Kills: "; q
1114 PRINT AT 11, 4; INK 6; "Gold: "; g
1116 PRINT AT 12, 4; INK 7; "Turns: "; b
1118 PRINT AT 16, 6; INK 7; "Press any key"
1120 BEEP 0.1, 12: BEEP 0.1, 16: BEEP 0.2, 19: BEEP 0.3, 24
1122 PAUSE 0
1124 STOP
1500 REM === MONSTER DATA ===
1502 DATA "Rat", 4, 1, 0, 2
1504 DATA "Goblin", 8, 2, 1, 5
1506 DATA "Skeleton", 12, 3, 2, 8
1508 DATA "Troll", 18, 4, 2, 12
1510 DATA "Wraith", 15, 5, 1, 15
1512 DATA "Dragon", 30, 6, 4, 50
1600 REM === find empty cell ===
1602 LET t = INT (RND * 14) + 2
1604 LET t2 = INT (RND * 14) + 2
1606 IF d(t2,t) <> 0 THEN GO TO 1602
1608 IF t = x AND t2 = y THEN GO TO 1602
1610 RETURN
1700 REM === pick monster for slot i ===
1702 IF e <= 3 THEN LET t = INT (RND * 2) + 1: GO TO 1720
1704 IF e <= 5 THEN LET t = INT (RND * 3) + 1: GO TO 1720
1706 IF e <= 7 THEN LET t = INT (RND * 4) + 2: GO TO 1720
1708 IF e <= 9 THEN LET t = INT (RND * 4) + 3: GO TO 1720
1710 LET t = 6
1720 LET l(i) = t
1722 RESTORE 1500
1724 FOR c = 1 TO t - 1: READ i$, t2, t3, t4, t5: NEXT c
1726 READ i$, t2, t3, t4, t5
1728 LET n(i) = t2
1730 RETURN
1800 REM === inventory screen ===
1802 CLS
1804 PRINT AT 1, 5; INK 7; BRIGHT 1; "INVENTORY"
1806 PRINT AT 3, 2; INK 7; "HP: "; h; "/"; z
1808 PRINT AT 5, 2; INK 4; "Attack:  "; a; " + "; w; " = "; a + w
1810 PRINT AT 6, 2; INK 5; "Defence: "; f; " + "; r; " = "; f + r
1812 PRINT AT 8, 2; INK 6; "Gold: "; g
1814 PRINT AT 9, 2; INK 3; "Potions: "; p; "/3"
1816 PRINT AT 11, 2; INK 7; "Weapon bonus: +"; w
1818 PRINT AT 12, 2; INK 7; "Armour bonus: +"; r
1820 PRINT AT 14, 2; INK 6; "Floor: "; e; "  Kills: "; q
1822 PRINT AT 16, 2; INK 7; "Turns: "; b
1824 PRINT AT 20, 4; INK 7; "Press any key"
1826 PAUSE 0
1828 CLS
1830 RETURN
2500 REM === title screen ===
2510 PRINT AT 3, 4; INK 7; BRIGHT 1; "DUNGEONS OF DORIN"
2520 PRINT AT 6, 2; INK 6; "Descend ten floors of"
2525 PRINT AT 7, 2; INK 6; "darkness. Find the Heart."
2530 PRINT AT 9, 2; INK 7; "Q/A = up/down"
2535 PRINT AT 10, 2; INK 7; "O/P = left/right"
2540 PRINT AT 11, 2; INK 7; "H = use potion"
2542 PRINT AT 12, 2; INK 7; "I = inventory"
2550 PRINT AT 14, 2; INK 5; "Monsters grow stronger"
2555 PRINT AT 15, 2; INK 5; "on deeper floors."
2570 PRINT AT 17, 2; INK 4; "@ = you  M = monster"
2575 PRINT AT 18, 2; INK 4; "> = stairs  $ = chest"
2580 PRINT AT 20, 6; INK 7; "Press any key"
2590 PAUSE 0
2595 CLS
2598 RETURN

How It Works

Difficulty scaling touches every system:

Monster count per floor increases gradually. Floors 1-3 have 2-3 monsters. Floors 4-6 have 3-4. Floors 7-9 have 4-5. Floor 10 has the dragon plus supporting creatures. More monsters means more combat, which means more HP loss per floor.

Monster type selection (lines 1700-1710) restricts which creatures appear at each depth. This is already in place from unit 16 — rats and goblins early, trolls and wraiths late. The scaling here is verified and tuned rather than rewritten.

Chest contents scale with floor depth. Gold amounts increase. Weapon and armour bonuses get larger. Potions remain equally likely on all floors, providing consistent healing opportunities.

Fountain frequency drops on later floors. Early floors offer free healing to help the player learn. Later floors demand potion management and careful combat decisions.

Playtesting

Difficulty tuning is not a coding exercise — it is a playing exercise. Run the game ten times. Note where you die most often. If floor 3 kills most attempts, the early game is too hard. If floor 9 is trivial, the late game needs more pressure.

Common findings from playtesting this game:

Floor 4 is often the first death point. The transition from rats/goblins to skeletons is a stat jump. A weapon find on floors 1-3 softens this.
Floor 7 is the resource crunch. By now, potions are running low and the player may not have found armour. A fountain on floor 5 or 6 helps.
Floor 10 should feel like a boss level. The dragon alone is dangerous. Adding even one wraith alongside it makes the floor very hard — perhaps too hard without good equipment.

The Balance Spreadsheet

Even in a BASIC game, thinking about numbers systematically helps. Consider the player expected state at each floor:

Floor	Expected HP	Expected Attack	Expected Defence	Typical Monster
1	20/20	3	2	Rat
3	15/20	4	2	Goblin
5	12/20	5	3	Skeleton
7	10/20	6	3	Troll
10	8/20	7	4	Dragon

These are estimates, not guarantees — RND makes every run different. But they show the intended progression: the player gets stronger but takes attrition damage faster than equipment compensates.

Try This

Play with a fixed seed. Sinclair BASIC does not support fixed seeds, but you can note the room layout on floor 1 and compare runs. Does the same layout always feel the same difficulty?

Remove all potions and fountains. Play with combat damage as the only mechanic. How many floors can you survive? This reveals the raw difficulty curve without healing.