have i mentioned that i loathe clockwork tunnels
Di, 11/30/2010 - 14:32
Benamas
Legacy Username
I've really got the urge to elaborate more on how little I enjoy playing Spiral Knights when I look at all the open gates and see nothing but clockwork tunnels (with a few exceptions of treasure vaults and a very few levels i've already played)
With the increase in difficulty level it's apparent that I can't adventure below Emberlight with the equipment I have now so the composition of those levels is irrelevant. The composition of levels between Haven and Moorcroft is also moot since they don't give enough heat/crowns to be worth the time it takes to go through them (and I kill most everything in a few hits, which is boring), so I'm going to focus on what's available right now from Moorcroft:
Among the 3 open gates right now from Moorcroft, I have the following options to adventure through:
* Coral Rook: 11 clockwork tunnels, 5 treasure vaults, 2 wolvers dens
While Wolvers Den is attractive, both of them are in the bottom set of four layers, and there's no guarantee I'll actually reach them even then due to all the junk dungeons on the same level.
* Diamond Falcon: Shrine of Slumber 1 and 2! Both pretty good levels! :D
Followed immediately by a mix of five clockwork tunnels and a treasure vault. :( I would personally do the first level then quit back to Moorcroft.
* Onyx King looks the best of the currently-open gates since it's got Jade Tangle 1/2, a Wolvers Den, AND four Concrete Jungle levels!
The three GUARANTEED haunted/overgrown passages between the Jade Tangle and Concrete Jungle levels are a pretty huge turnoff, though.
Clockwork tunnels in any capacity are a CHORE to complete since the puzzles are no longer interesting or engaging but merely repetitive. Not in weeks have I seen even one section of one of these levels that was even unfamiliar.
Treasure Vaults are frankly a huge waste of time and gate space since they don't actually offer up any content or action, just a boring walk through a grassy field opening treasure boxes that contain mostly pickups I have no immediate use for (double aggravation when a treasure vault is the last level before a terminal or sub-town).
While there are a few unique levels that I've enjoyed, they're unfortunately rare and far between, giving me no option except to grind through a slog of more clockwork tunnels to reach them.
I have no impetus to blaze through levels I don't enjoy because there's no reward for evading enemies and completing a level in a hurry; I must suffer through fighting the same bland dust zombies in the same bland haunted passage to receive any crowns/heat/items/etc.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, either:
* Modify the gate-creation algorithm to favor interesting levels (did you know I've only even been in TWO spiral court levels? I know there's more than that and I haven't seen them recently besides)
OR
* Expand the library of possible Clockwork Tunnels chunks and monsters by probably an order of magnitude to keep them fresh for more than three levels
PS imo 3 gates is not enough
Di, 11/30/2010 - 19:55
#3
Pupu
Legacy Username
Cliches
Typical stuff missing:
- Volcano level
- Frozen level
- Snowy level
- Water level
- Rainy level
- Mountain level
- Sky/clouds level
- Oil/Waste level
- Factory/heavily mechanized level
- Desert level
- Traps in levels
Currently we have:
- "Forest" -> we need something with more treen in the scenery though
- City
- City on fire
- Arena
- Grassy areas (many) day/night versions
- Graveyard level
- Castle
- Mechanical tunnel stuff (pretty much the default filler)
Mi, 12/01/2010 - 21:02
#4
Cien_Tao
Legacy Username
sorry that i'm pulling a leg
or maybe half a body..but, just saying it lore-wiselly (not that i disagree...i agree with almost anything at your post):
-Volcano in a moving clockwork system would be ratter...strange, as, well...where the lava would be stored (but it could add some nice new features to the game);
-Frozen: hmmmm, i think it is right enough, even lore wiselly;
-Snowy: only if it is less probable to occur at lower levels (lore wiselly), but i would like to see one level with gremlin kids making gremlin snowmans, and some monsters that attack snowballs that freeze.
-Water: could happen to, and, lore wiselly, could be used to explain the rainy levels.
-Rainy: same as now, only if there is no water level (i would love a level with some thunder flashes that turns the screen white for some little time, adding a chalenge tot he level itself, and not to the puzzles and monsters.
-Mountain: enter in the same group as volcanos, in part, but would be quite acceptable.
-Sky/clouds: I would fully agrre with it, if we have, in the future, to have the posibilitty to go upwards to the sky, as a second way, more or less as the run tot he core...Thinking about it under the ground is quite hard to believe.
-Oil/Waste: good one to show the impact caused by knights and goblins afairs in the game earth. also, having a level full of intoxicated monsters, twisted from ther original sefes would be interesting (remebers me frogger, from ps1, at the waste levels)
-Factory/heavy mechanize levels: i see this as an upgrade to the mechanical levels, but would be good, mainly if it shows, at the background, some construct type monsters being constructed in mass.
-Desert: again...i think it would be good to fight some cactus enemies, but i don't see some contest to put it, lore wiselly talking.
-Traps in levels: DOIT!...but, please, balance them to be less damageable then spikes and vines, (because the hit chance of it. You know, if you can't see, you don't know how you will evade). This would be greaty added with an helm that have a skill to see traps, having a chance to jam, from time to time, but still giing an edge to the people.
Mi, 12/01/2010 - 23:18
#5
Pupu
Legacy Username
videogames
Fun > Making sense
And I was thinking of traps like those in Indiana Jones movies.
Like you step on some part of floor and then have to dodge a giant boulder or arrows or something.
Do, 12/02/2010 - 02:11
#6
Evolution
Legacy Username
We do already have traps in
We do already have traps in the form of gun puppies appearing suddenly? I like those, haven't seen them plenty yet though.
I definitely would like to see more traps though, they make it all much more exciting. Or to go along with the rock boulder rolling down, what about a big tortodrone doing a continuous charge attack instead? Or multiple ones, sounds fun to me.
Anyhow, seeing from Cory's post I take it that the devs want to finish up armor and weapons before focussing back on the clockworks and such?
Do, 12/02/2010 - 05:09
#7
Cien_Tao
Legacy Username
Fun > Making sense
Actually, Fun > trying to find a sense in things. I know, i just stated it lore wiselly, but, as you can see, i agreed with your entire post, and would like to have each of these floors, and yet, more if it is possible:
-Island theme: could be considered the part above water theme, if you where talking about underwater back there.
-Monter factory: the insides of those factories in the factory level you suggested.
-Populated city: as we have the abandoned ones, there could be levels wich cities, wich inteligent beings living there, but, under attack of monsters. It would be cool to enter a room, be able to talk some randomish with random NPCs, nd then, when the party switch is pressed, everyone run screaming when the monster spawns.
About the traps, traps based in floor tile switches are a good call, but i would prefer some based to in whire ropes, those that are invisible, and triggered when someone trips on it. Well, at least, these in conjunction with tile pressed traps, rooms that closes, so you need to go fast tot he other side (if you are pressed in one of these room, the room walls reset, and you get teleported to the entrance, where you need to press/hit the switch again to try again. Also, some harmless traps, that only knockback (maybe knockbaking to vines or spikes), and things like this are also good to implement, just to mock with less patient players >_<
+1
CTs need more themes as well as more chunk variety.