Spiral Knights - A Healing Gun

A Healing Gun

10 replies [Last post]

Wed, 02/22/2012 - 20:17

Pokenuevo

I would like to do some brushing up on previous threads that get ignored or flamed. I believe that a healing weapon could actually add a team-aspect to the game.
For now let's calls this the "Love Gun"

Love Gun (4*)
5 ammo in total (can not hurt enemies or destroy construct)
1 bullet heals 3 bars of health (so 15 overall) - No bullets are wasted. If a bullet misses a teammate, it is as if it was never used.
Only one charge can be used per depth, as it uses one bullet, and it can fully revive a fallen teammate from a distance (and it must be aimed close enough). If you use the charge on a living teammate, their health bar will be completely filled.

It would make it a gun for a team, making it meaningless when solo'ing, as it can only heal teammates. It encourages people to work together. By taking one weapon slot, I don't see much harm in such a gun. Depending on how it is used, it could be OP, but I don't think it would ever be too bad. For Lockdown, I don't see an issue with it, as you can heal in your spawn already.

Of course it would be a little difficult for Three Rings to make such a gun, but it isn't out of their abilities. An idea could be that it would be released with an energy pack, binding on purchase. It means less people could get it, less people would spam it, and Three Rings could make some money (because I want Three Rings to get some profit, this game is great!)

I copy and pasted the above sections from my reply in another, recent thread. I believe that people aren't actually considering the idea because lots of people like to go solo and destroy everything in sight. However, this game is meant to be a team game, mainly noted that all crowns or heat picked up go to the entire party (rather than just the one who went to pick it up).

So what do you all think?

Credit: Moonrar, since he got me really thinking about such a gun, and I don't want to feel like I'm stealing his idea. Go check his thread for his idea as well! :D

Wed, 02/22/2012 - 20:24

Severage

@pokenuevo:

Unless they undo all nerfs to SLs and all enemies therein, it doesn't matter how much or how little you heal. You still heal. As it stands, it is absolutely not necessary, not even in SLs, to have healing items, granted you're properly equipped.

4 People could easily take a gun per player, healing a lot more than 15 bars, PLUS, it's only a 4* item, so getting it is twice as easy as getting a 5* item in terms of cost. In other words, everyone would have it.

~Sev

Wed, 02/22/2012 - 20:26

Aemicus

Nonononononononononononononon

Nononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoonononononononononononononononononononononoononononononono

Wed, 02/22/2012 - 20:30

Pokenuevo

@Severage That's why I said

@Severage That's why I said that it should be part of buying a CE package, maybe $20. However, I see where there can be multiple people using it. I see your points :) and that could definitely put a bad spin when it comes to monsters

@Aemicus I'm laughing so much at that (seriously)

Note: I don't really care if it's added. Although, I just thought it would be a good thing to think about, maybe no necessarily implement. I just wanted to see what others had to say.

Wed, 02/22/2012 - 20:38

Severage

@Pokenuevo:

Well, aside from the fact that the Devs said that there wouldn't be any healing weapons themselves...

I'd think it would still be very common from a $20 CE package. Just look at how many people purchased multitudes of Dragon Wings...and they don't even do anything.

They've nerfed the CW plenty, they really don't need to add in anything that can make it easier.

~Sev

Wed, 02/22/2012 - 20:52

Pokenuevo

@Severage

Yeah, I get surprised with how much people spend to get specific items in the game. You're right that they have nerfed plenty, so there really is no need. Thanks for at least thinking about it and not just ignoring it! I liked the idea of the healing gun, never really thought of it in that respect.

Wed, 02/22/2012 - 20:52

Joerach

this idea simply sucks

Wed, 02/22/2012 - 21:36

Psychodestroyer

No.

Why have health caps then, when you have an auto-loading one in your arsenal?

Limiting it won't help, healing weapons would be too easy to use, and kinda pointless, aside from the fact that it's like an extension to your healing abilities (caps, dropped hearts etc.)

Fri, 02/24/2012 - 00:36

Equillora

Too Easy

The combat system in SK is very balanced. Adding too much of any one feature would make the game too easy, or should I say easIER. I think I submitted to the argument that the game is getting too easy when they made monsters stop rotating mid-attack (I personally had a hard time with alpha wolvers) and instead commit to the original direction. Part of the combat is dodging/blocking attacks to stay alive until something drops hearts or caps, adding any form of reliable healing would break the game.

~E=ora

Fri, 02/24/2012 - 11:42

Hexzyle

@Equillora

Umm. Welcome to the forums? Haven't seen you around here. :)

Fri, 02/24/2012 - 13:19

#10

Antistone

Compare to a +max life item. Both increase the amount of damage the party can sustain before they wipe. This adds WAY more hearts than a trinket, but they can't be refilled once used (even by an energy revive), and it arbitrarily doesn't work when you're solo because the OP thinks that anyone who solos is having badwrongfun and should be punished.

So, first point: letting players turn a weapon slot into +max life is stupid. It doesn't make any thematic sense, it's not balanced or even balance-able (due to the way utility normally scales with extra weapon slots), and it obviously puts anyone who doesn't shell out for maximum weapon slots at a direct numerical disadvantage (rather than just a tactical one, as currently). We shouldn't let people sacrifice weapon slots to equip a 3rd and 4th trinket, and we shouldn't allow this for all the same reasons.

Second point: balancing this against "normal" +max life would be difficult and fairly pointless. As far as I can tell, there aren't interesting tactical differences between this and normal +max life, it's just different for the sake of being different, which is a waste of development resources that could be spent adding actual new features.

Third point: This honestly does nothing to facilitate teamwork. No one's going to run around in combat shooting hearts like a medic in TF2, since you have severely limited ammo, and besides, it's just as efficient to do that between combats. In fact, it may very well discourage players from reviving each other, since the charge-revive you propose is clearly better when used on a dead person.

Fourth point: Offering items that can only be obtained with real money and that are NOT purely cosmetic will piss off a LOT of players. If paying players are just flat-out more powerful than free-to-play players, game balance is definitionally out the window, and you're making the free players all feel like second-class citizens. This is bad PR, and it's bad game design. NEVER. DO. THIS.

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A Healing Gun