I logged in after a few months (...year...) and found myself enjoying the game again. I liked trying to relearn the game, fight my way around some unfamiliar missions with unfamiliar gear. Until we hit a treasure room. Most players are overjoyed when they realize it's an entire level with nothing but green and purple boxes, but I found myself bored. Even with the Kleptolisks running around, it felt too easy. There was no threat to it. Story wise, if the levels are all full of dangerous monsters, why is this one floor type safe?
So, I thought about ways we could make treasure more fun. Traps were a no-go, since players could just shoot them from afar and activate them, or shoot it and forget, later walking over that spot and falling over dead. But, what about things that come to you? Creatures that would disguise themselves as treasure boxes (Like Rock Jellies do rocks) and pop out when you try to open it, even if you shoot it.
As far as drops go, it could drop accessories at a small, small chance and a small spawn rate. Given that, these things would have a large defense, slightly less than a Lumber.
Given the help of the more artistic members of our community, this could easily be fleshed out, and implemented in-game.
Mimic Mob
As much as I absolutely love mimics in games (and trust me, I really love mimics), I can't see it happening and honestly don't like the sound of it. Treasure Vaults are usually a one-in-four chance of happening anyway; if you get one, just enjoy it! Regardless, I don't really like the idea of a mimic in Spiral Knights from a personal standpoint. We already have one sort-of mimic in the game (the trap in Ghosts in the Machine), and it's great being surprised by that the first time, but really even that set trap only fits because of the area. Sure, there could be mechanical mimics created by gremlins to spook knights or something, but it just doesn't fit. I don't know how to explain it. Mind you, I specifically mean random blocks being turned in to mimics; I'd love for an actual mimic Construct/Slime-type enemy to be added.
"For some reason, most people that I journey with in the arcade don't like the Treasure Vaults and are more interested in Graveyards for some dumb reason."
Probably because graveyards can net you like three or four times MORE crowns than even the best Treasure Vaults ever could; graveyards net more heat along with allowing you to choose to heat something at the beginning of the level (which Treasure Vaults lack despite having EXTREMELY high drop chances for heat, and significantly lower drop chances for rarities and tokens); graveyards generally don't have Energy gates and if they do, there's a significantly higher chance you're getting an Orb or Spark from one of those two or four boxes then you could ever hope to get from five straight Treasure Vaults. Really, Graveyards are in all ways better than Treasure Vaults from an economic standpoint. The greedy are just blind.
I'm not sure that this is true but doesn't the Uncommon Rock Jelly Cube still count as some sort of mimic?
Stone blocks sometimes do turn into Rock Jelly 'cubes'.
It can even happen in Lockdown on any map with Stone Blocks.
http://wiki.spiralknights.com/Jelly_Cube#Jelly_Cube
the rock jellies still happen, even in lockdown
For some reason, most people that I journey with in the arcade don't like the Treasure Vaults and are more interested in Graveyards for some dumb reason.
I like the idea of a mimic but it shouldn't be overdone. Mimics should be a rare monster that randomly appear in the clockworks like the Impostocube and Mewkat. In the Treasure Vaults they should have a higher spawn rate but lower accessory chance.