Arcade Redux? Well, while you're at it...
Fri, 09/20/2013 - 16:58
Sk idea- add more Special Monster Levels, and small suggestions for elevator symbols.
I figure now is a great time to suggest this, with that Arcade Redux talk.
Apologies if this has already been suggested elsewhere. I always do a decent search. We all make mistakes.
I love running the arcade, usually. But sometimes have trouble reading elevators. Is that a deconstruction zone, or tunnels? I have to spare few moments to look at the gate map…and in those seconds, the gates could rotate into an unfavorable orientation… But this suggestion is for Special Monster Levels. On the side, I will also suggest different elevator icons (using the same coloration system of course. I love that).
Zombies, Slimes, Wolvers, Gremlins, Devilites…they all have their super special levels: graveyards, lichen lairs, wolver dens, decon zones, and Devilish Drudgery, respectively. And of course spookats with Candlestick Keeps. A few monsters may spawn in these that are not directly that monster type, of course. But it’s obviously that monster species' home-habitat place. These all show up in the arcade pretty frequently, and I like the variety they provide. If you consider a few rank/prestige missions, chromalisks have a special level (In Cold Blood - Lizard Lounge), Silent Legion for Trojans… constructs share a machine-space in Ghosts in the Machine. But I would like to see some elaborate, special levels for Greavers, Chromalisks, scuttles, mechaknights and so on in the arcade-style clockworks.
Jiggsaw valley is very construct-homey, but has too many gremlins in it to be an obvious construct habitat (lol, construct habitat...) – partially because many constructs are managed by gremlins, of course. But then you consider Ghosts in the Machine…and start thinking differently about constructs. This makes Jiggsaw Valleys feel more like…Scarlett Fortress or Concrete Jungle, levels that dominantly feature two monster types.
Having more levels opens up more content - at least in a small way- for players to enjoy, as well as more lore opportunities, enriching the game. It’s something I would certainly enjoy – everything has a story, and a place they come from, and a place that they now live. It would make the game feel more…full.
These could also feature in new, two-depth minor prestige missions.
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Elevator Symbol Suggestions:
Lichen Lairs/Devilish Drudgery/Wolver Dens:
These really aren’t that confusing if you pay attention to colors, but the symbol is the same for entirely different types of monsters, which doesn’t help with the Atmosphere of things, imo. I mean they all go >: ( at knights I suppose.
-For Lichen Lairs, have the three lumpy monsters have spikes/spines around the top
curves of their heads and around their bodies.
-For Devilish Drudgery, just two curved horns on top of each of the three monster faces.
-For wolver dens, make them look furry, sort of like Lisa or Bart Simpson hair (minus
color limitation of course).
This way, the symbol keeps its basic shape, but is specialized to special levels.
Imo, this symbol is fine as it is, but it’s worth suggesting anyway. Would help with quick glances.
For Deconstruction Zones: gremlin symbol instead of the clockworks tunnels gear. Something I've seen suggested many times in-game.
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A brief summary of my personal ideas about what each special level could look like:
-Monster: Fiend: Greaver
-Special Monster Level: Gusty Greavings (a play on the word “grieving”)
-Symbol: A greaver. Basically a horned, sideways oval with an X (for the wings) behind it.
-Characteristics: the level mostly consists of bridges, and bridge-like walkways of stone, surrounded by tall spires of rock, similar to certain areas in wolver dens, but there’s lots of floaty, swaying bits of rock and things that make it feel very lofty and home to flying species. Maybe a few gust animations…not too windy…nothing with wings likes huge, violent gusts of air. Hanging from the bottom of some walkable pathways, stalactites (not dripping) can be seen, giving is a high-mountain crevice/cave feel, walking in and out of floating caves stuck in the clockworks, super fun. Treasure boxes occur in rocky, cave-like alcoves. With stalagmites/stalactites! Greaver battles are special here – they will appear to fly out from under bridges when you walk over the top, for some minor battles, or dislodge themselves from hidden crevices/caves for party button areas. Background: night sky.
-Preceding Status-words for levels:
Fire: Ruby Rage/Road
Freeze: Pearly Plight/Path (a scenario room could feature a Winterfest Greaver? :O)
Poison: Jade Joust/Jaunt
Shock: Beryl Booms/Bridges
“Normal” (stun): Good Grief
-Other Monsters that spawn in the minority: Silkwings, gorgos, spookats (cause they kind of float…). Howlitzers? Need fiend turrets…or no turrets.
Note: This tileset could be used with Daytime background for future flying monsters, that may or may not be fiends. Minus the stalactites for a more open feel.
-Monster: Beast: Chromalisk
-Special Monster Level: Lizard Lounge
-Elevator Symbol: A curled tail
-Characteristics: wide, flat spaces great for sunbathing on. Background: daytime clouds. Lots of rocks, tall swaying grass, and so on for these areas. It would feel, basically, like a less-populated “In Cold Blood-Lizard Lounge”, but with more rocks. For the sunbathing. And maybe for the throwing. (This level could feature rocks knights can pick up and throw, vs. jugs).
-Preceding Status-words for levels:
Fire: Sala Salon
Freeze: Tundra Tranquility
Poison: Virile Virtues
Shock: Electric Eccentrics
“Normal” (stun): Lounging Lizards
-Other Monsters that spawn in the minority:
Silkwings, lumbers.
You get the idea. Please suggest your own thoughts for habitats/battle patterns/fun names for other special levels in comments below.
Predictable Problems: people tend to avoid levels they don't like. I imagine that a level packed with greavers would make many players cringe. Groups I run with will wait for a long time for a compound to clear out. It's all a matter of opinion, really. Other groups I play with love compounds. As long as there's shinies to be had, I think someone will enjoy it.
Sat, 09/21/2013 - 08:12
#2
1+ to new places, -1 to
1+ to new places, -1 to changes in icon, you can tell the diffrence clearly already, unless someone is color blind, 2 bad for them :(
I don't think throwable rocks or greavers comeing out of bridges will happen though
-Monster: Undead: Bombie
-Special Monster Level: What is this
-Elevator Symbol: a skull with a fuse on it
-Characteristics: ground is like a graveyard, except for blast lines everywhere, (as in something exploded) ocasional broken gravestone.
-Preceding Status-words for levels:
Fire:
Freeze:
Poison:
Shock: Shocking Boom
“Normal” (stun): Bombie boyage
-Other Monsters that spawn in the minority:
zombies, silkwings, howlitzers, blast cubes
This one is pretty much a excuse to put bombies in the arcade, I'll work on it more later
Fri, 09/20/2013 - 20:03
#3
Bombies
Yes, bombies in arcade please. Would a special aspect of that level be a more top-down view for the main battle, as seen in Legion of Almire, or would it be regular clockworks view?
Sat, 09/21/2013 - 08:05
#4
most likely regular
we can't
most likely regular
we can't forget to add ghostmane stalkers and other non arcade enemys to the arcade
Sat, 09/21/2013 - 11:14
#5
Another Level Idea- "Construct Habitat"
Some lore opportunities here! For this habitat, we get to see where "baby" constructs come from...a sort of assembly line, like you see in the edges of Roar Twins, but more detailed.
Please Note: not all construct are of gremlin make. Some of these factories were built by constructs to make more of themselves, or taken over by constructs to, again, make more of themselves. This could be how some constructs are made, anyway. We need more lore on constructs. A few scenario rooms below hint at very strange things...
-Monster: Construct: scuttles/mechaknights/retrodes/lumbers
-Special Monster Level Title: Mass X Production. The main title is different, with X naming the construct type.
Example: Mass Scuttle Production: Danger! High Voltage!
-Elevator Symbol: two interlocking gears inside a pill-shaped outline (conveyor belt). On top of the belt are different symbols for the different constructs. For scuttles, an eye is on top of the belt, for mechas, a sword, for retrodes, 3 eyes, for turrets, a miniature briar bone barrage face, with not-so-angry eyes, for lumbers, a branch with leaves (similar to nightshade/blazepepper etc. material art). All four of these could line up in one depth, rotating quickly like Aurora Isles, but being locked to the status theme of the arcade channel of course.
-Characteristics: this level is very linear, rather small/short, going either entirely east/west OR north/south. This is because it is a giant mass production line - a conveyor belt. The only walkable area is an observing walkway type of place. It is littered with finished constructs and spare parts in treasure boxes scattered around (similar to some decon zones). Beneath it is the construct factory - a constantly moving conveyor belt has bits and pieces of constructs on it. At 25% intervals under the length of the walkway, the belt is seen to go through a large, shuddering, smoking box, and out the other side constructs come out slightly more finished. Near the elevator, the belt dumps very completed-looking constructs into some bins that are constantly going up/down parallel to the elevator, heading to other levels to release the pain. The factory seems largely automated.
On the floor of the walkway, depending on the kind of construct, are bits and pieces of rejected construct parts special to the construct of the level. For lumbers, there are full, chopped-down trees lying in piles for inspection...but they seem to have been there for awhile...
Elsewhere in the background, pounding pistons and grinding gears are constantly moving. Occasionally forge fires flare up, as slag is poured carelessly into the depths. (not that eco friendly are they?) The slag matches the color of the level's status, with a reddish side tint.
For the factories, NO OTHER constructs will spawn except the ones the factory makes, unless there is a scenario room.
All spawn patterns are random along the walkway. The factory is in a bit of a mess. These shocking sentient sentries (lol) have tried to take things into their own metal hands, but they are limited by their basic programming...for now. Lore opportunity: a continuation of the Rank Missions such as "Rescues and Recycling (Supply Yard)" in a minor prestige.
-Preceding Status-words for levels:
Fire: Danger! High Temperatures!
Freeze: Danger! Subzero!
Poison: Danger! High Toxicity!
Shock: Danger! High Voltage! (yes, the song)
“Normal” (stun): Danger! Heavy Equipment!
-Other Monsters that spawn in the minority:
none.
Scenario rooms:
Occasionally a section of the walkway will contain many more spare parts lying around than usual. Some of these will sparkle. Interacting with the sparkle piles will cause minor construct materials to fall onto the ground (like you see with some wish fountains in other scenarios, or that big sword). Harvest the junk!
A small jammed conveyor belt in an alcove in a wall. Jiggling the stop/go lever will cause either a decent construct material to appear, a few crowns, some heat, some forge crystals, or a fully operational construct to pop out. Yikes!
An eerie platform laced with...tentacle-like wire bundles. Piles of dust cover the floor. Several screens appear to be...watching you. They light up when you go near them, and a frankenzom will rise out of the dust to fight you. Oh no! This is way too similar to Ghosts in the Machine for comfort! (This is inspired by the candlestick keep carnavon spawn - hinting at more terrible things).
A sad platform with a constantly shuttering mechaknight hooked up to glowing monitors, with pi being calculated over and over again. Interacting with the monitor reveals a "How to stop constructs becoming sentient: Logics and Impossibilites - a Preoccupied Construct is a Useful Construct" dialogue. There are a few deactivated mechaknights that you can revive for energy around the room.
(very rare) - A clean, white platform with two love puppies on either side of a monitor. They spawn facing it. (This scenario is more rare than any others and is a lore opportunity). The monitor reads "Processing: What is love? Don't hurt me, no more." If you kill either of the love puppies, six mechaknights will spawn and be very mad at you. Perhaps these could be pink mechaknights, guardians of love.
(rare) - A small platform that was clearly subjected to a violent explosion. A dented mecha-knight head sparkles off to the side. Interacting with it will cause a spark of life to fall on the ground. A data disk on the other side of the platform reads: "What is life? What is induced? Does it have to be willing?"
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Problematic: all constructs drop construct-y materials now. So why bother with the level variety? Well, it is more content. Any excuse for more content, more things to search for, be surprised by. Sure, you could smush all constructs into one assembly line, but that would be even more of a mess for them and too easy. And what if you just want to fight a bunch of turrets, or lumbers? This way you have a chance at a choice, a very special opportunity to fight with a single species in a depth, each with their own attack patterns. Honing skills without distraction.
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Thoughts on battle pods? Or other weird construct habitat ideas?
And yes, very much yes to ghostmane stalkers. Might they be having ninja-tea in a break room complaining about Seerus?
Tue, 09/24/2013 - 15:34
#6
3 day necro. So sue me.
Very nice. I like this :3
+1 for those Construct scenario rooms. Especially those last 3. Dem Constructs trying to learn how to live, think, and love like 'real' people, huh?
Tue, 11/04/2014 - 16:24
#7
Dracora, did you necro this through editing?
Funneh, because it appeared first on the list for me.
Tue, 11/04/2014 - 12:37
#8
? I don't do dark necromancer magics
Nu, just linked to it for someone to read from another place. It didn't show up for me in the front page until I saw comment#7 ;P
Devilite levels should have a magic symbol like one on the ground, lich lair should be a group of cores, wolver den can stay the same.