I have been thinking of creating a new drop that us players could find after we defeat each boss, and search their base and find these drops lying around. We would usually always find these drops after defeating a boss, and they would be found around the bosses’ lair. Something like inspecting the area where the boss fight happened, or inspecting the area where the mission sent us to investigate like the broken computer/monitor device that is found after defeating the jelly king and vanaduke and roamulus twin bosses. Or inspecting a new created area that shows the den of the snarby and where he lived. These drops can be mechanical parts, or other random items like a tooth’s, etc.
The purpose of these drops is to be able to head to the lab room, and use them to create new reskin, but better performance knight summoning kit, better performance turret, better performance recon knight, etc. that we would be able to use once we got into the clockworks.
I know where only supposed to find drops in the clockworks, but I feel an experienced adventurer is one that prepares for the battle. So the devs should give us the ability to bring utilities with us to the clockworks that would help us better in dire situations then just bringing the right armor, shield and weapons. This way, we would be able to feel we can do other things to help us as we go on our adventurers.
Also, for these drops to be already available at basil in the rest room, or towards the beginning of each tier also makes perfect sense. Like why not place each one of these drops as buyables for a certain amount of crowns. We could make new merchants for each kind of drop. Like making a merchant for remedy and healing drops, a merchant for utility drops like mechaknights and turrets and a merchant for military support drops like calling in a npc knight and air missile support and almost forgot, the chemist for all your flavorful vial drops. This way, whenever a new drop is created, they would be added to their specific category.
Now for some new drops I am coming up with at the top of my head:
1:- Personal radar pulse (Type: Utility drop)
1A: This drop will deal with areas where the map is not functioning and the area is confusing. The drop would emit a short wave pulse for every 2 seconds showing the player a clear picture of the radar. The drop expirers after 10 minutes after use and disappears.
2A: Also, we could create a new monster or monster tool object that messes with our radar. This way, players who rely on radar in maps like the deconstruction, or maps like the apocrea, or maps like the core or newly created maps that affect with our radar and is also confusing to navigate would make the drop come in handy in those times.
3A: If it is a monster tool/object, please let it be able to be destroyed by players. And also please let there be a newly created monster that is designated for the construct family that not only revive/repair dead constructs, but also repair mechanical monster tools like this one that lets the monster be able to repair their tools so that they can regain their field advantage.
2:- Conqueror’s Heart Beat (Type: Remedy drop)
2A: This drop is a buff that was suggested somewhat in another thread, but this is me putting a spin on that idea and increasing its usefulness. Here is a link to the thread if you are interested: http://forums.spiralknights.com/en/node/109695#comment-997874
2B: My spin on this drop would be that as long as the player keeps moving and does not stop moving for longer than 5 seconds, then that player would be completely immune to any status for a total of 2 minutes and 30 seconds. This way, this drop has a condition in order for it to be fully used and the player would have to pay attention to this condition in order for them to be able to take full advantage.
2C: This kind of condition is very similar to all of our existing drops where for us to be able to use them, we must still have at least one pip of health left, meaning we can't use a drop unless were alive and kicking.
3:- Tactical Insect Ranger (Type: Military Support)
3A: This drop will call in an npc recon ranger that acts very similar to the mechaknight where it sticks to the knight who summoned him, but will also act like the gremlin stalker where he reappears and disappears momentarily.
3B: This recon ranger when he appears will summon temporary insect swarm that acts like a status on one opposing monster near the player that summoned him. This insect swarm will fly around the target bothering it and making it lose agro where it will not be able to target any player near it. The insects swarm will also inflict the target with one random status except the curse status.
3C: The length of this insect swarm status will last for as long as the status that is inflicted on the monster last. This insect swarm status does not affect the slime family.
3D: The recon ranger would do the appearing and inflicting the monster swarm status, then disappearing into the thin air.
3E: Similar to the ranger signal flare, the recon ranger can also be knocked out and caused to instantly leave the field. Also I suggest a new animation be created for both rangers that show them when they die. Like creating an animation of them dying like the gremlin after they are killed, and them leaving a dead knight body on the floor similar to the gremlins.
4:- Reactive Plasma (Type: Chemical Vial)
4A: It's a very simple status that last forever as long as the target is alive.
4B: This status can also be considered hazardous or not even a status at all sense it does not hinder any kind of movement, not give damage over time.
4C: This status's mechanic is very similar to some existing weapon mechanics like the catalyzer, but it can be found as a pickup.
4D: This status tags a monster after the monster has been hit with the Reactive Plasma vial. After that monster has been killed, instead of its body disappearing and dying, its body will glow bright blue-ish white, then explode in a magnificent boom filled with light and topped off with the mushroom could :P.
4E: This explosion though is hazardous cause not only does it hurt the monsters, but it will also hurt the knight cause in the explosion. The area of the explosion takes up 4 squares around the monster, and is more of a highly concentrated explosion that goes upwards in an electrical storm cloud then an explosion that expands outwards like the ones we have now.
4F: Pure normal damage is inflicted on whoever the plasma bomb is near.
And here is a link to the existing drops: http://wiki.spiralknights.com/Pickup
Well this is all I have for today, hope you guys like my ideas and hope to get some constructive comments.
Your subject title needs to be changed to a more revealing for such a large idea. "To Be Prepared" doesn't tell us much!
I never liked the idea of purchasing pickups in general. The fact that cheesy Basil or those floating skulls have few for us to buy with crowns makes me frown. Once a player understands what crowns are for, they'd never in their right mind buy a pickup from these npcs. They're supposed to be tools we find in the clockworks, check out Nick's #6 - but learning how to use these tools better, via some sort of research/training, is an interesting idea that makes sense. I've suggested that we find them in different places alltogether - similar to your boss fight area idea, we would find them in places that make sense, but we'd have to go slightly out of our way to "investigate." Investigating sparkly areas, such as a suspicious table like this for vials and so on, would be cool. The thread is here if anyone is interested in reading - please don't necrobump! The world isn't ready for dark magic like necromancy! EDIT: Anyway, finding pickup-related items in a boss area seems redundant with tokens.
Instead of drops to take, why not just have us trade your extra boss/spark tokens for research on pickup use? Boss tokens can really represent...anything...if you think about it. I know I have a ton of extra tokens after playing for so long, and it would be something for new players to work up to (besides equipment, spare crowns, and boss trophy furniture). Your pickup belt could gradually be upgraded (using interfaces and items that don't necessarily show up in your inventory, like battle sprites and their harnesses etc.) This would be an individual endeavor for each knight. We would still have tier specific pickup items (smaller --> bigger vials etc.), but their intensity and how we use them would be influenced by the belt. The belt could have slotted program chips (like harnesses) that determine the type of improvement - speed, dmg, range, etc. This is just by solution for the parts of your idea I don't like - I like your idea in general, otherwise I wouldn't babble on like this! :)
Intensity variables knights are enabled to do via pickup belt upgrades could be things like more orbs for barriers, faster orbiting speed, more damage from throwing a vial extra hard, and...lo and behold...the ability...to...drop pickups and vitapods out of your belt for other players to pick up! WOW! (We used to be able to do this -.-). Back to your idea:
1) Radar Pulse. I would have this be something that reveals the entire map for 5 seconds, zoomed out (some areas are huge!). Better versions could reveal the map for longer duration, or even permanently for an experienced tool user. I would use the heck out of this during events like Caketastrophe to find nests in the clockworks. For your radar jamming idea, that's very interesting. I would have two different entities be able to do this - a gremlin mechanic (with a wrench, who woulda thunk) that is more likely to run away behind the nearest construct and max its attack power than it is to actually fight you. Its attack patterns would probably match the thwacker, minus the throwing ability + a radar jamming ability (if it smacks you with its wrench), when you finally corner it after being slashed at by mecha knights on steroids. The other monster could be a sort of turret - it looks like a constantly barking gun puppy with a voltaic headset, but the sound is too high pitched for you to hear. There is a radius of rippling airwaves around it, stepping into this radius will jam your radar AND pickup belt for the duration of the floor. I would just shoot it from far away. Yeah, that tactic sounds like a good idea. Both this Gremlin Mechanic and Radar Pup could always drop the beloved Radar Pickup when defeated in addition to cr/heat/mats.
2) It seems interesting but a little demanding for tight fight areas (shielding, shielding, oh darn I lost it). I think it would sync up with bombers wanting to avoid shock stutter interrupts though!
3) You could give the NPC a dread venom striker and a strong aggro pull, if programming an insect swarm takes too much effort/doesn't fit in the eyes of the devs/feedbackers. I think it's a bit odd, unless they are like, nanobot bugs. And the NPC is a nerd from the Lab with huge round shades etc. I am all for death animations for these NPCs.
4) Reminds me of Molecular Prime, the 4th move of the Nova frame in another game called Warframe. I would not appreciate this hurting fellow knights or myself, having my silly laggy team mates bust blocks on my face is enough thanks. But the mushroom cloud would be amusing and lead to some tactical shield bumping. My suggestion for this is to not have it hurt knights, but it could jam everyone's radar for a minute or two - even make us go deaf, unable to hear enemy movements (warning, high pitched annoying sound) - assuming knights have ears. Idk, why not just simulate it. Psh. It would actually be hilarious if this disabled anyone using a Real Life mic for a minute. I would have it look a bit different than a vial. Perhaps a glass sphere that looks like the classic blast bomb?
Okay, I probably got carried away, but I really like pickups and this idea deserved a response!