Incidentally, I seem to recall a game that you could use a toilet in. Well, a RPG, at any rate. Laura Bow could use the toilet, or even take a shower, in The Colonel's BeQuest.

Of course in Dungeons it should be rather a Latrine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latrine than a toilet …

Re the use of toilets in shooters:

I still prefer the system in Duke 3d, see here.

Dugeons including few parts of real world like area is often great.

The key of dungeon is to allow manage much more easily obstacles than outside world. That's why tricky exploration is dungeon kingdoms and in comparison outside exploration is rather pathetic and obvious.

If you don't like dungeons, use towers, it's same usage with one exception, it's hole design. In a dungeon it makes you fall further where you didn't explored, in a tower it makes you fall in a level already explored but possibly not a part already explored in the level.

Here some design elements to possibly make dungeons better:

• Multiple links between levels, through holes, rivers, stairs, elevators. You can setup many interesting progression with such stuff and even more with games allowing party splitting.
• Let nature invade many dungeon parts this will tune down a lot any claustrophobic feeling dungeons can involve.
• Don't forget add some amazing, surprising and stunning large cave, if well achieved the good effect is guaranty.
• No true maze, more than outside, repetitions should be avoided in dungeons.
• Use complex structures and forget old flat dungeon levels, think more like Ultima Underworld did.
• Give previews of next level further through open view to lower levels.
• The great game design tool of dungeons is to use walls for obstacle but don't limit your obstacles design to walls. Use holes, water, lava, force field. All have different usages.

There's a lot to do and not really done in more modern games and dungeons that's why it's an excellent thematic goal.

I love them both, but when the rubber hits the road I'm all about dungeons. It really takes me back to the basic d&d ideal that started the whole thing for me. Dungeons are horror, and harken back to old school horror cinema. Theyre just scary, and bad things happen there. In reality, you wouldnt want to go anywhere near one. That turns me on, Ive always been really into ruins and off-limits dangerous places that youre not supposed to mess around in. Makes it all the more satisfying to be able to go outside my comfortable life for a little while and into a dungeon w/ a big weapon and ultimately conquer it.

Not that they dont get boring or frustrating if theyre not designed well or dont fit well within the programming of the game. Firewine dungeon comes to mind as a terribly infuriating experience at times. As JDR once so eloquently put it - "firewine builds character", LOL that it does…

Dungeons designers make me happy who:
- have good yet not overpowering ambient noise like, water dripping, skittering and screeching vermin.
- make you provide your own light, whether it's lighting a torch on the wall or make you carry one. Flickering torchlight rocks
- an abundance of varied traps that keep you on your toes.
- Undead. They just go together so well
- dont load the place w/ insane puzzles, easy to progress thru
- torture chamber
- some nice treasure of course
- have a quick n convenient way to instantly gtfo when everythings said and done.
-varied rooms 'n corridors (temples, workshop, torture chamber, lair, etc) varying brickwork, fungus n stuff on the walls

Dungeon Keeper & sequel were landmark games for me (particularly the first one), some of the most memorable games of my career.