@SirDenim
Not really sure what the loot could be. It could be something new, or something already in the game, but that's not really part of this suggestion. Obviously it would have to be something worth risking your neck for, or perhaps the dungeon would just be cool enough you'd want to explore it even if there is no tangible reward. I don't really want to focus on the specific content of the dungeons though, since that's very open ended while this idea is pretty narrow in scope.
@Aumir
The portals would spawn randomly as more world is created when you explore, but they would not be not temporary. Once they spawn they stay in existence, unless you destroy the obsidian door, so you could return to that dungeon later if you wanted, even if you'd already explored it and modified it to be safe. The dungeons although spawning randomly would not be randomly generated: they'd be pre-designed. Just where the dungeon is located and when it appears would be randomized. Perhaps Mojang could design the maps themselves, or they could allow the community to submit maps and add the good ones to the random generation system. Or both.
@Ygdrasel
And there's nothing wrong with adding more content to the nether also. But one of the ideas that inspired the Nether is that it allow fast travel. Why not expand on that?
So you make a portal and go to the nether, and from in there, there are portals that take you back to Earth, but deep underground to a challenge room where you can get random prizes. Is that basicly what you are suggesting?
So you make a portal and go to the nether, and from in there, there are portals that take you back to Earth, but deep underground to a challenge room where you can get random prizes. Is that basicly what you are suggesting?
Yes, that's exactly it. You'd have to explore the nether to find the portals, giving you an incentive to brave the ghasts and lava.
Been doing some more thinking about the dungeons. Obviously anything people can design would work but here are a few types of dungeon challenges that could exist.
-Mob spawners in dangerous situations: Neutralizer the spawner without getting hurt by obstacles like flows of lava, or cracks in the floor leading to a deep pit.
-Labyrinths: A large and complex series of tunnels and rooms designed to get you lost underground. Possibly unlit to generate monsters.
-Impermeable dungeons: You can break the walls, but you won't want to because they might be directly adjacent to flowing lava or water that would flood the dungeon. Or there can simply be massively high pillars of gravel surrounding the dungeon, so that you can't dig your way through without picking up thousands of blocks of gravel. That would force you to navigate whatever the pre-made tunnels are rather than making your own.
-Multiple mob spawners or dark rooms: Deal with many enemies at once.
-Riddles: Signs with riddles you must solve to find the treasure. For example signs might instruct you "Turn the first letter of each answer into a number based on its position in the alphabet. Solve the 3 riddles in sequence, then dig north, down, and west an amount equal to their numbers."
-Engineering challenges: Rebuild the dungeon in a way that allows you to get to your goal. For example, retrieve a the treasure from the depths of an underwater cave that's too large to swim through or from behind a solid ring of lava.
Not really sure what the loot could be. It could be something new, or something already in the game, but that's not really part of this suggestion. Obviously it would have to be something worth risking your neck for, or perhaps the dungeon would just be cool enough you'd want to explore it even if there is no tangible reward. I don't really want to focus on the specific content of the dungeons though, since that's very open ended while this idea is pretty narrow in scope.
@Aumir
The portals would spawn randomly as more world is created when you explore, but they would not be not temporary. Once they spawn they stay in existence, unless you destroy the obsidian door, so you could return to that dungeon later if you wanted, even if you'd already explored it and modified it to be safe. The dungeons although spawning randomly would not be randomly generated: they'd be pre-designed. Just where the dungeon is located and when it appears would be randomized. Perhaps Mojang could design the maps themselves, or they could allow the community to submit maps and add the good ones to the random generation system. Or both.
@Ygdrasel
And there's nothing wrong with adding more content to the nether also. But one of the ideas that inspired the Nether is that it allow fast travel. Why not expand on that?
http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/382258-new-idea-for-vampire-mob/
Yes, that's exactly it. You'd have to explore the nether to find the portals, giving you an incentive to brave the ghasts and lava.
-Mob spawners in dangerous situations: Neutralizer the spawner without getting hurt by obstacles like flows of lava, or cracks in the floor leading to a deep pit.
-Labyrinths: A large and complex series of tunnels and rooms designed to get you lost underground. Possibly unlit to generate monsters.
-Impermeable dungeons: You can break the walls, but you won't want to because they might be directly adjacent to flowing lava or water that would flood the dungeon. Or there can simply be massively high pillars of gravel surrounding the dungeon, so that you can't dig your way through without picking up thousands of blocks of gravel. That would force you to navigate whatever the pre-made tunnels are rather than making your own.
-Multiple mob spawners or dark rooms: Deal with many enemies at once.
-Riddles: Signs with riddles you must solve to find the treasure. For example signs might instruct you "Turn the first letter of each answer into a number based on its position in the alphabet. Solve the 3 riddles in sequence, then dig north, down, and west an amount equal to their numbers."
-Engineering challenges: Rebuild the dungeon in a way that allows you to get to your goal. For example, retrieve a the treasure from the depths of an underwater cave that's too large to swim through or from behind a solid ring of lava.