CW3 Suggestions Redux

[Shrike30]

What makes it "targetable"? All I see is the sprayer making a large pool of AC for an upcoming attack, thus making it "defend/pile-able".

It's like Lurkily says, a force-attack option.  Or another checkbox on it's list of functionality, "continuously emit creeper."

I'm not sure forcing elevation/line-of-sight checks on sprayers is going to accomplish much.  Terps have made elevation irrelevant in a lot of ways, as a brief energy expenditure would let you make a gun tower for any structure at the maximum elevation.  If terps aren't available on every level, of course that'll change things noticeably...

[lurkily]

I  don't think it should be able to cross barriers to line-of-sight.

That said, I have no problem with it firing across voids as broad as it's firing range can reach - every other weapon seems to behave that way, and void isn't a barrier to LoS.

EDIT: In fact, if it can fire across a small void, how would you justify it suddenly performing beneath its capabilities when faced with a broader void?  No other weapon loses function like that.

I missed this:

I'm not sure forcing elevation/line-of-sight checks on sprayers is going to accomplish much.

They already respect LoS.

[Chawe800]

Well Terps had made it easier indeed but Having to brings terps along can cause some difficulties aswell and I think that works out greati n the sense. For example what if there is only a small amount of isolated land surronded by void having to sacrifice room for something else important (say a shield) to place the terp can make all the difference in some situations.

[lurkily]

Well Terps had made it easier indeed but Having to brings terps along can cause some difficulties aswell

Well, Terps have a very long range.  On the other hand, though, they are very expensive to operate, take time to operate, and in areas where creeper exist, they cannot be used - so if you have flat terrain with 'boulders' or 'spires' (1- and 2- increases in terrain) as we saw in Roma Victor, for instance, Terraformers will be nearly useless for extending the range of pulse cannons.  Once you're capable of clearing an area, you can smooth it for further progress, but I don't think they're going to be a mainstay of combat.

I think they're going to be better off used for specific projects like walls or 'bridges', or platforms that you can put a relay and mortar on, to cross energy over low-lying areas.  Things like this require you to saturate an area with bombardment to raise terrain until it can be terraformed freely, but once you're done, provide lasting benefit.  For general combat, you're better off just using better tactical positioning to keep good sight lines.

[Chawe800]

Another really specific comment I have is can terps lower ground or zap a level 4 down to level 1? I think that could be very useful for many cases. Also the potential for unterraformable terrain I think could be a important aspect of Terps and their use in specific maps. I also think every misses the classic decayable terrain but we'll just have to see what V is up to.

[lurkily]

I'm pretty sure terps can zap a level anything to a level anything . . . given time and energy.

EDIT: I'm not sure about decayable myself - we may have to stick with walls.  I can't imagine a way to visualize when a terrain is decayable except through the mouse-over image, or by plastering the map with numbers like the terraforming numbers, which would just be a mess - especially if you also needed to terraform there.

[ShadowDragon7015]

if you terra formed one level onto a decayable terrain would that make the creeper come out in a tunnel underneath the level added by the terp? also wouldn't it be possible, but very annoying to program, a back and forth version of the game so you could switch between above and below ground in the game just to make it interesting?

[Grauniad]

Decayable terrain in a top-down game presents challenges not present in the CW2 aspect. For instance, what should happen to decayable terrain that decays? Should it decay to level 0 or to a void? You can see how that presents a challenge to the game maker and the player.

For now, there is no intent to make CW3 consider a truly 3-dimensional aspect to creeper. So no tunnels.

[ShadowDragon7015]

but could 3D be a possibility for CW4?

[Grauniad]

I'm pretty sure not even Virgil has thought much about what comes after CW3.

[lurkily]

but could 3D be a possibility for CW4?

I seriously doubt it, unless CW vastly changes its format from a fixed perspective.  Even then, showing the full extent of any tunnel system immediately and at a glance would be extremely challenging.

It is a potent idea, but for a casual game I doubt you're going to see spread in more than a two-dimensional plane.

[Chawe800]

Re-watching 'The Marsh' when I came up with another idea.

Enhanced Spores

Spoiler

These are spore that have been improved in various aspects. I am aware that spores can have their speed, health, and payload modified but I think another aspect could be added to them to make them more dangerous. What if spores deployed mini asteroids of creeper that fell dropping creeper on it's path. Almost a creeper bomber in the sense. I think this would make spores more dangerous and apply more weight to eliminating spore cannons halfway across the map that leave a strengthened path of creeper in it's wake. I also think having Digitalis spores would be cool too.

[close]

[Mr.H]

I updated the Original Op and compiled all the suggestions :D http://knucklecracker.com/forums/index.php?topic=10478.msg68734#msg68734
On another note we spent 3 pages, yes 3 pages, discussing the Casual/not casual player issue. Let us not descend to the previous haywire folks ;) . There is only so far a idea can be juiced before it becomes counter-productive.

[Neko187]

but could 3D be a possibility for CW4?

I seriously doubt it, unless CW vastly changes its format from a fixed perspective.  Even then, showing the full extent of any tunnel system immediately and at a glance would be extremely challenging.

It is a potent idea, but for a casual game I doubt you're going to see spread in more than a two-dimensional plane.

I sense 2.5D games in the future... although it would be a pain to program. I think what would work best for this idea would be to either have multiple views of the map, or to have it be slightly transparent. I think three views, one showing only creeper, one showing the land, and one combining the two would be the best approach, although this would lead to a less in-depth experience.  :-\

[lurkily]

2.5D basically refers to 2-D gameplay in a game that uses a 3D rendering engine.  I don't believe this would help represent creeper flow through underground caverns in full, and at a glance, in a straightforward enough manner that a person doesn't have to learn to interpret the results.

In other words, 2.5D doesn't help dismiss any of the limitations mentioned earlier.