Dual Wielded 8* CE powered Mist Generating Two Handed Max MSI Sleep Sniper Rifle (Just kidding, it's a trap suggestion thread)
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 09:11
I scared you, didn't I?
One way to start making the game tougher is to add traps. Tricky traps. And continuing to add more traps will keep the players on their toes.
So, here goes! Traps!
Smash Swings
Smash Swings are large pendulums, mounted on Clockworks paths by small mechanisms. They swing back and forth perpendicular to the path, covering two or three rows of blocks, and swinging by every three to five seconds. Knights hit by the Smash Swings will be slammed for heavy Normal damage and Stun.
Wait a minute! Why would Gremlins put THESE in the Clockworks? Think of IMF- they have live ammunition firing nearly constantly in their own weapons factory. Besides, the pendulums could double as emergency power generators or something.
Alert Towers
An Alert Tower has one to four spotlights slowly patrolling the tower in a circle, usually near a generous amount of spikes or other trap floors. If a Knight steps into one, the Alert Tower turns on an alarm, and all trap floors in the level stay on constantly for the ten seconds the alarm lasts. Usually, this will have trap floors near the entrances to the Alert Tower's area. Also, turret spawners near the tower will activate while the alarm is active; usually the turrets will be protected by trap floors as well. Avoid the spotlights at all costs.
Wind Tunnels
Stepping into a Wind Tunnel is dangerous. You'll automatically be blown down the tunnel; running against the wind will only slow down this forced movement. You have to move perpendicular to the wind and shield to avoid various traps, such as Shankles, Wisps, trap floors, and if the game is feeling like a jerk, Alert Towers.
At the end of the Wind Tunnel, there's a switch that deactivates the Wind effect, in case you need to get back.
Magma Flows
A Magma Flow appears only in Fire stages. These are rivers of magma coming out of either pipes (in Clockworks-style areas) or holes in the wall (elsewhere) with rocks going across them. It's much like a deadly game of Frogger; cross the rocks to avoid heavy damage.
Ice Walls
An Ice Wall appears only in Freeze stages. These massive blockades can only be destroyed with Fire Pots, but normally have ice-themed turrets mounted on them. You can't even approach them safely; they're covered in ice spikes! And the most dangerous part? Ice Walls have little spotlights, like Alert Towers; if they detect a Knight coming in, they'll lock the area before and after them with Ice grates, leaving you alone with the turrets. You may cry now.
Combat Coils
A Combat Coil appears only in Shock stages. These enormous Tesla Coils strike the high areas of the ground, frying Knights that get too close. To avoid them, you need to toss Weighted Statues toward them. Doing that might be difficult; while the statues respawn in groups of however many you need, they'll usually come with respawning guards!
Toxic Fields
A Toxic Field appears only in Poison stages. To pass the noxious gasses here, one has to get a Bubble Helmet, which fits on over your own helmet and respawns at a handy spot. As you pass through the Toxic Field, your breath meter is shown below your vials. If it reaches 0, you start taking constant damage and are immediately poisoned until you die or find fresh air. Don't stick around too long!
Sinister Steam Vent
Just a mist vent that appears in areas like Graveyards. The crimson mist emanating from it will Curse knights that cross it and cause Shadow damage.
Compliments? Complaints?
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 10:04
#2
Game needs more traps and other adventurey things to make it less MMOey.
Traps should guard treasures so people don't feel cheated for going on adventures instead of always hunting for the areas with the most enemies that drop the most loot.
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 10:10
#3
+1 to most.
A couple of months back, someone suggested Treasure Box Trap Monster. a monster that resembles a Treasure Box. you dont know it till you hit the box.
maybe add that to your list?
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 10:41
#4
awww yeeaaaah +1
Treasure Box Mimic would be cool as well. Or Treasure Box Tortodrone, which would explain where they all went.
But more traps are also cool.
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 15:17
#5
O_O
How does a Tortodrone fit in that little box?
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 15:22
#6
They are bigger on the inside.
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 15:59
#7
about wind tunnels...
another way to make the game "look like a jerk" is to put some way to make the spiral knight "fall" off the map, though there should be a excuse for the spiral knight to not fall to his/her final grave (no pun intended)
example i came up with : the wind tunnel blows the brave knight, Sir Vancerio off a broken bridge, seemingly leaving the knight nothing to do but let his life flash before his eyes, when suddenly, a fan blowing wind upward propels the knight back up to where he entered the wind tunnel from to safety.... after he suffered 2-7 1/2 bars of damage from the fall
ho yeah....
"Dual Wielded 8* CE powered Mist Generating Two Handed Max MSI Sleep Sniper Rifle"
...WT*
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 22:17
#8
kinda +1
this is cool and all, but that would mean making some more heart boxes or raising the chance of a heart dropping by 0.5-2%.
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 23:28
#9
-1
i though the sniper rifle was a good idea XD
Fri, 02/22/2013 - 11:43
#10
You are experiencing a PICNIC ERROR!
Me like much!
All of it is good but a few things:
The swings/pendulums should push enemies but not injure them. Also, what about a horizontal version or something? Or maybe a big sideways blade that spins slowly? :P (Or do we already have that?)
The light thing sounds perfect for rescuing knights. Imagine you and a NPC knight is sneaking along and then the NPC is too slow. Woops... :3
Would make it feel more like you are escaping.
Sat, 02/23/2013 - 06:46
#11
Yes and No
You know, there is a very thin line between "challenging" and "frustrating".
It would have to be planned and implemented very, very carefully, otherwise it would be just a nuisance.
Mon, 03/04/2013 - 12:49
#12
Feedback is credit to
Feedback is credit to team!
@Lug: Good feedback as always. Although I still don't understand why curse pads are silly. Really. They fit well enough in Graveyards and the like, and it's not like you can keep stepping on them to change your cursed weapon since they hit you for heavy Shadow damage. And now that you mentioned Wind Waker, I'm humming that march that plays in Forsaken Fortress. Quite possibly the best stealth mission music ever. Okay, maybe MGS gives it a run for its money... okay, now I'm humming MGS. Dum-dum da dum dum...
@Zed: Of course! Surviving something like a Wind Tunnel with two Alert Towers and a respawning Rocket Puppy with a gauntlet of explosive blocks and spikes should be rewarded handsomely.
@Treasure Box Mimic idea: I like.
@Yuki: That actually is a pretty good idea! A little "pitfall" at the end of the tunnel that causes damage if you miss the wrong block... and yeah, I'm such a jerk, that title, heh heh.
@EBI: Not increasing the spawn rate of heart boxes, but plopping a few in after particularly difficult trap gauntlets would be acceptable.
@Auto: Sounds good.
@Kat: True, true. We don't want them to be too difficult or too easy.
Now, here's a few more traps I thought of.
PITFALLS
See that empty-looking room? Watch your step; select parts of it will turn into spike pits a second or two after a Knight steps on it. You can walk out of them after they've triggered, but by then you probably got hit by the spikes. To evade pitfalls, be vigilant! Watch out for little dust clouds or floor cracks.
SPRAY JETS
Classic trap, spews X dangerous energy form/substance/whatever and does damage with it. We kind of already have these, at least a fire variant (see the new Tutorial and Compound 42), but poison and ice jets and shock... uh... zappers aren't out of the question. Sonic Boom cannons might suffice for a Stunning variant. And other things for the trap to spew may include burning acid (Fire/Poison, most likely), paperwork (straight Shadow damage, or maybe Curse), or a spray of needles (Poison on them is completely optional). There can be intermittent-spraying jets, or constant jets that you have to turn off or go around. And there can be moving and rotating jets you have to avoid by running with their rotation, or running into little alcoves to avoid them.
FAKE PARTY BUTTONS
The gate connected to this is a hologram; you can walk right past it. But if you don't go around it, the fake party button will count down from 2 (without sound) and then explode in a huge radius for huge damage. To catch you on your instinct to run through party buttons, explosions occur after the false gate, too! Check every party button you see to avoid these... if they're added at all.
Tue, 04/30/2013 - 08:05
#13
Node 53120 is credit to team
This thread wants reviews for the new spike pits.
And while we're at it...
MAGNET TRAINS
Ever wonder what would happen if you included a hazard that practically caused instant death if players weren't watching out for obvious signals? My friends, the Magnet Train. An advanced Gremlin contraption used for transporting minerals, troops, and other things across the clockworks... at a really freaking high speed. Knights will walk over high-tech electromagnetic train tracks, where trains cross in through and out of tunnels that cross the path. If nearby lights are blinking and you hear "DING DING DING DING DING DING" then stay off the tracks because that Magnet Train is coming, and when it hits something for the five seconds it runs through, it causes crazy high Normal damage and Strong Shock. We're talking something Full Ancient Plate with Normal Max and Shock Max might not be able to live through.
What's more, the Train might stop. And then send enemies at you before leaving. These enemies can be based on the level theme or completely unrelated to the level theme. They don't drop anything except maybe Hearts, because they technically are respawning enemies.
Another variant could have you running along the train tracks, getting off to the side when the train comes and running across when it's not coming. Not sure what the effects on enemies should be...
SWARM ZONES
Swarm spread throughout the Clockworks has resulted in some dangerous portals. They'll appear without warning, looking like a strange black hole, and sucking Knights that stray too close into the Swarm Zone!
The Swarm Zone is parallel to the level you're in, but with a differen background and some key changes. You'll see different, Swarm-infected enemies respawning inside; regular enemies will not be directly affected by your actions in the Swarm Zone. The layout of obstacles like blocks, traps, switches and gates will be different; the elevator will also be completely invisible in the Swarm Zone. To get out of the Swarm Zone, find spots of light; these are rifts in the Swarm Zone that'll get you back to the main level. You might need to enter the Swarm Zone to get past certain obstacles, maybe even requiring a switch in the Swarm Zone to open a door in the main level. But other times, the Swarm Zone will be meant as a trap that'll set you back- or even force you to cross a maze of traps.
Beware the new Void Devilites and Void Mecha Knights!
Tue, 04/30/2013 - 08:35
#14
I would love for Swarm Zones to be a regular thing in the clockworks.
I've come to think that maybe there should be family-specific traps. On undead levels there might be arms poking out of the ground that grab you and hold you back, while gremlin zones might have mines out (these already exist in OCH, but maybe some tripwire-activated ones?) Beast levels would have wolvers pouncing out of bushes attacking you as you break them.
It would be nice for further distinguishing enemy families.
Tue, 04/30/2013 - 12:02
#15
just a quick question
Why is MSI considered OP? Since it's in the title....
Tue, 04/30/2013 - 15:12
#16
+1
Make it that wearing heavy armor makes you immune to the wind tunnel wind because the player's armor is too much for it to be pushed back. Also possibly make it that the volcanic plate male is immune to lava flows and that the normal plate male is immune to the smash swings.
Tue, 04/30/2013 - 16:21
#17
Node 53120 is credit to team
@Zeddy: Oh yes.
@Klipik: It's not MSI per se, it's MSI Max being on a weapon (a Dual Wielded 8* CE Powered Mist Generating Sleep Sniper Rifle, no less).
@Waffle: Hmm. Heavy armor weighing down the player so that the Wind Tunnel pushes them more slowly is a great idea, but the point of the Wind Tunnel is to force Knights to go to the end of it.
However, the Smash Swings and Lava Flows are meant to be avoided; just making an armor set immune to them wouldn't be right. Also, it's 'mail' in this case.
Tue, 04/30/2013 - 16:36
#18
+1
~
Tue, 04/30/2013 - 17:48
#19
+1
+1
Wed, 05/01/2013 - 00:51
#20
+1
I really like the ideas of : Smash Swings, Allert Towers and Wind Tunnels.
To my opinion the Ice Walls are a little to much overpoweered.
And Magma Flows since they have no repositioning mechanics should slow (like the swarms) as long as you stand INSIDE magma (no you can't walk ON it !)
BTW all nice ideas for future content.
Wed, 05/01/2013 - 07:18
#21
+1
It would add a whole new twist to the game. :) All though some are OP.
Wed, 05/01/2013 - 09:19
#22
Node 53120 is credit to team
They're OP? Good, that's what I'm going for. Make players have to have awesome reflexes in PvE again, what with all these monsters getting nerfed. And those PvP jocks can't claim "PvE is too easy" with all these hazards.
Although, they might want to have an NPC warning people about the fake Party Buttons. Maybe.
But what's overpowered about the Ice Walls? Just avoid the spotlights and boolits and pick up fire pots to chuck at 'em. The wall's a pretty big target, so you have some leeway when throwing the fire pot.
Next up is probably going to be Zeddy's idea of monster-family-specific traps.
Wed, 05/01/2013 - 16:27
#23
This.
This is pure gold.
+1
Thu, 05/02/2013 - 08:05
#24
Node 53120 is credit to team
Thanks, Necro.
Anyway...
AM-BUSHES
Ever looked at the Clockwork Tunnels and said, "This place needs some interior decorating!" Of course you have. Which is why the Gremlins are putting bushes in the Clockwork Tunnels.
But I digress. When Beasts are lurking about (that means, in Beast AND Slime levels) then you'll have some beasts hiding in bushes, just waiting to attack. They won't be visible, but will use their attacks from inside the bush; Chromalisks will stay there after their attack, but Wolvers and Dust Bunnies will jump out.
The bush itself will take one hit for the beast, so don't use your Magnus charge to reveal them.
SPIKED VINES
Strange plants have shown up in even slightly Slime-infested areas. The Slimes manipulate these plants to move their spiked vines toward Knights. Hitting the vines will cause them to retreat a little, but they'll grow back in short order, so run past while they're weakened!
SECURITY SWITCHES
Gremlins like to protect their holdings with code locks. Finding ten switches with numbers painted under them means you've got to find the code numbers on a computer terminal somewhere in the level to pass through a gate. Hitting the wrong switch will cause a short laser pulse to rip through the area, so stay off the switches unless you know the code!
EXHAUST CLOUDS
One side effect of too many Constructs in one area is the large clouds of exhaust that gather where certain air motion vectors in the Clockworks push the exhaust back down. Exhaust Clouds will impede visibility, preventing you from seeing anything more than six spaces away, and also lowers the attack power of anything that's not a Construct or Gremlin by 10%. (Gremlins are used to this kind of thing.)
HAUNTED SHELVES
It might be a bookshelf. It might be a shelf full of paperwork or staples. It might be a shelf of spare level parts. Whatever it is, if it's in an Undead area, or even a Fiend area, it's probably haunted and is most likely going to fling stuff across the hall you're in. Don't linger too long and be ready to shield, but take comfort; the restless spirits of the dead are really predictable, and will only fling objects perpendicular to the shelves, so staying in the center of the hallway should allow you to dodge in time.
DOOM ZONES
You ever wonder what those weird-looking runes on the ground in Fiend levels did? Well, these things will create a field of darkness that only allows you to see ten spaces ahead inside it. Its area of effect is somewhat wider than the Exhaust Cloud and it also lowers the defense and status resistance of non-Fiend or Undead targets by 20%.
HOMING ROCKET BATTERIES
A Homing Rocket Battery will send one group of five to ten Rocket Puppy Rockets flying at you. Make sure you move slowly enough to identify any cover before you trigger the rocket launch!
MINERAL GRINDERS
Sometimes a path will be out of commission, forcing you to cross a Mineral Grinder. This is where enormous Mineral samples are ground into powder for use in advanced Gremlin weaponry. The whole thing is a conveyor belt with large crystals on it; these will block your path, but will slowly get damaged as they go through the grinder until they're nothing more than a fine powder.
The grinding mechanisms are large crushers. Horizontal crushers will cause nasty Normal damage to anything they hit, so time them correctly to avoid them. Vertical crushers cause over-energized shards of the minerals to fly off the mineral; these act like Shard Bomb shards, but they damage both Knights instead of monsters, are significantly more powerful, and have a larger radius. The damage type of each mineral's shards corresponds to the matching Shard Bomb, with the blue shards and green shards both matching the Crystal Bomb. Beware the Luminite shards, as those can stun you! Rocket Launchers are also used in the grinding process, and these are the same as any IMF rockets, except they also have the level's status theme. (How ice rockets break mineral samples is beyond me, but they do the job.)
Once you reach the hoppers that the ground mineral dust go into, catwalks will lead back to the main path.
Change the title to be about traps. I like traps. Not the kind that involve what appears to be female but is proven otherwise later that night.
The pendulums could be part of some kind of ancient-in-a-Mayan-temple-place like all the Draugr dungeons in Skyrim, some of which include small and narrow hallways which have pendulums with blades swinging by. Always a jolly good time. Crouch roll crouch roll. It would be weird if enemies were damaged by it but if it stuns them that would be fine since you would have to lure/push them into it first.
Spotlights are gudd. There would have to be a pretty big area they watch over and a recognizable pattern to keep it fair but to maximize the effects of what it does there should also be cover points where something is hanging overhead that blocks the light in some areas (there would still be spikes/potential turret spawn pads that can hurt you while under these covers) so if someone in your party gets caught you still have to move. Anyone else remember the first time in Wind Waker you see Ganon, where you lose your sword and have to sneak around the island? That was amazing. Except in our case the spotlight towers would be indestructible and the turrets/whatever enemies appear (Mecha guards that only activate when the spotlight sees you, etc.) are the only things weapons would be useful for. I can go on for a few paragraphs longer on this but I am going to save that for later when the discussion here starts kicking up.
I remember seeing this in a couple older threads and obviously in a few Legend of Zelda games. We need more of those games in this one. You have to go down a specific path, but there are huge air currents that would blow you away if you try to walk through it head on. Having movement speed bonuses helps get through it quicker, resists the wind better than without, and can even give you more time while directly facing the gust to get to cover before it blasts you back to the start of the hall. Along these windy trails there are the occasional blocks (destructible and otherwise) which can be used to take shelter behind while the weather outside is frightful. But the fire is so delightful. Who said that?
Not that I have ever done anything like this nor anyone else in the past, but lava is another common feature in games which allows many puzzles and thought provoking shenanigans which the normal knight would be too impatient and frustrated to bother with and instead wade through the lava and die in a few seconds. I would say stuff about three dimensional areas with bridges and a few too many puzzles for a lava area but that is a lecture for another day.
Spotlights could also be attracted to attacks that hit things in general. Mecha guards being hit with sword swings? Better take a look while turning very slowly. Oh, look, a knight is still standing there slashing away. Better activate all the trap pads around them. Now they are dead. Spy is dead, sooprise big not. But wait, somewhere else something is exploding. Better turn slowly again to see. I see a bomb with its fuse almost at detonation but no knight. Well solids. Better get back to the routine search pattern before the boss finds out and I get demoted again. Wh- No, this is about the doors that are frozen. Something threw one of those pretty pots that makes funny faces, better look at that while again turning very slowly. It looks like the spikes of ice melted but there are no knights, may as well send some guards so I can go back to my normal search pattern again herp derp.
I would go as far as to make another object for this trap, some sort of lightning rod or conductive battery. Plop that metal stick next to something vomiting electricity and you got an electrically charged stick. Bring that to a machine which needs to be powered and it scientifically powers it because science and it does something. Opens a door. Moves around stuff like switches would. Powers the strobe lights. Microwaves some snipe nuggets.
This sounds earily similar to some of the all-too-many water threads except the thing that helps you stay alive while submerged is part of the map like respawning pots instead of equipment you would have to build and/or buy.
Curse pads are silly.