Been spending a few days getting a feel for the game and there are a few questions that come to mind.

I singled out a dungeon to explore and map out. From what I understood from other people's experiences, the dungeons tend to go on forever, given the right preparation and tools. However, when I tried to get mapping out floor 4 of the dungeon, there does not seem to be any ladders to descend to floor 5. I searched and found false walls but they lead to nowhere. There was a teleporting 'mat' on floor 2 that could be used to reach the ladder on floor 3 but there are no additional ones to be found in floor 4.

I guess what I'm asking is if I missed something crucial, are magic amulets the only way to descend in cases like this? Do some dungeons just stop at a certain level? If so, is there some way to know in advance which dungeons stop abruptly? How common is this? Or am I missing something?

Thank you in advance!

If the random dungeon generator is anything like U1, and it probably is, then it can indeed generate maps that won't always have a reachable ladder to descend to the next level. In that case, you'll have to descend via magical means or choose a different dungeon.

From some of the FAQs available, there was a mention of probability when it comes to dungeon level generation and the like. In addition, considering how closely tied this game is to the Ultima series, I would not doubt your answer.

Well, I guess I'll just have to check out another dungeon or experiment around with magic when opportunity presents.

Thank you again for your help!

I take it you're playing Akalabeth 1998? Dungeons there sometimes change between visits, but usually only minorly; while dungeons in the "classic" version seem to be much more variable.

(The "classic" version also doesn't seem to be beatable; as discussed here.)

Hey, Document. Yes, my observations, limited as they may be, was based off of playing the 1998 version of Akalabeth. I only briefly played the classic version and did not get very far. Switched over immediately to the 1998 version when I went back to check for additional manuals and the like.

This is all good information to know in case someone else is wondering about the specifics of this. Appreciate it, man.

Some minor additional points: I'd be interested in more details on this. Given the simplicity of the game, I'd be surprised if the deep, nigh-unreachable dungeon levels were handled more solidly than stat levels easily reachable with the lizard man spell. Do you mean a hole in the floor? I'm pretty sure there aren't teleporters.

Please forgive the delay and will try to provide an answer.

With reference to the unending amount of floors, I have not tried this personally. After I defeated the Balrog, I ventured as far as level 10. There were individuals on both gog and other forums that mentioned venturing as far below as possible through the use of the ' ladder down ' options via the amulet. Some mentioned going as far as 100+ floors.

From my experience going past the Balrog level, I would imagine the creatures simply have their stats increased with each descending floor until one is unable to win (either due to lack of HP, food, or weapons, etc). That is just my theory though.

With reference to the teleporting mat, I never knew what to call it as I could not find a formal name for it (or maybe I was not looking at the right places) but checking again, maybe it is best to call it a trap door? It is not a hidden hole trap that one falls through but something that is a 1-way trip to the floor below. Here is a link with another player describing it.

I got to 418, but I'm not eager to try again; and certainly not without taking another crack at the save format to get maximum stats and inventory. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTG3KRGJAjk#t=28s and pause quickly; "X - Go castle / Go hole". The same word is used in the Introduction text of the 1998 version; or you can verify it in the original at Archive.org.

(Edit: fixed Youtube link. Could've sworn the syntax worked when I first posted it.)

If you are playing the version that lets you save, there is a very nice exploit to get your stats up high, one that is easier for a mage than for a warrior. Enter the dungeon, use the amulet (choose the ? option), and save if you get the effect that raises your stats. If your stats decrease, quit and reload; repeat until your stats are as high as desired.

I never would have reached level 418 without doing that (albeit only to a limited extent at the time). It doesn't increase gold or inventory, though, so supply of either food or amulets becomes the limiting factor short of extreme amounts of grinding.

(Also, technically stats can't go "as high as desired"; the game crashes at 8 digits, with 9999792 being the highest Strength, Dexterity and Stamina achievable without save editing, even with strategic use of the Toad spell and Lord British.)

I encountered the same issue on the 1998 version. I'm on level five with no way down. Only half of the level is mappable. There are no secret doors to the rest of the level. Several other floors above were also not able to be fully mapped due to the lack of doors, secret or otherwise. Also, every dungeon within the world that I generated is identical so switching dungeons doesn't help.

That means, playing as a warrior, it's near impossible to finish quests since you are stuck at higher dungeon floors. The only alternative is to get really lucky with an amulet and get a ladder down. But even with that, you'd have to get really lucky again to get a ladder up once you are down there.

Seems to be game-breaking.

At least the game is short; so you (probably) won't lose much progress by starting over with a different lucky number.