Gold nanodot matrices made by diffraction mask-projection laser ablation (DiMPLA) are presented. The nanodots are well ordered and can be synthesized on so far not accessible substrates by virtue of intermediate thin AlO(x) layers deposited by pulsed-laser deposition (PLD). Investigations were made on the influence of layer thickness, roughness and type of substrate on the nanodots and their fabrication. It is shown that all of these parameters are crucial for the generation of nanodots on thin AlO(x) layers. The roughness of the layer and the substrate material determine whether the layer cracks upon laser patterning. The layer thickness, on the other hand, influences the size of gold nanodots on top. Extinction spectra show that the particle size is the dominant contribution that shifts the plasmon resonance peak.