This is the first of a series of ideas I have for the game. I realize that my ideas are complex and mostly likely will not be implemented, but I hope that at least some of my ideas influence the game to go in a better, less traditional route. Thank you in advance for reading.
The world itself should be hazardous! Cars are not your friend, do not try and shake hands with them! Falling off of buildings is not the best way to start your day. Flying too high can get you struck by lightning- which would then result in a nasty fall. A villain's lair is laced with traps for you to stumble into and devices for his henchman to use. Players shouldn't stare at cool downs at the bottom of the screen. They should scrutinize the next spot they are going to step on for landmines or pressure plates. They should study each dark corner for ambushes. If a player sees a spider web in the beginning of an area, they'll be weary of spiders lunging at them from each crack in the wall. Characters with flame aura will avoid submerging themselves in water. And whatever you do, don't play chicken with the trains.
These hazards are not only dangerous for the players, but can be used for their benefit. Players can push mobs into a speeding semi, or cut down power lines to charge up their power armor. A solider for an evil paramilitary organization may be running toward a heavy mech, but if you get their first, you can use it instead.
As you may have picked up, the world isn't the same for everyone. Power armor character can use electricity to power up, but for other players- particularly water based characters- it's lethal. A druid may look for lurking spiders because she would be able to charm them into her service. Those with ice armor will go out of their way to bust fire hydrants and jump in ponds for extra layers of armor. Telekinetics absolutely must have junk to throw at wrong doers.
And this brings us to the most interesting conclusion of this kind of player-world interaction; players can augment the environment to benefit each other. A sorcerer would conjure a thunder storm and a frost blaster would fire through it to not only increase damage and knock back but also visibly increase the size of blasts. In that same thunder storm a time traveler uses the lightning to charge his plasma rifle. A trickster might throw a grease grenade that makes all enemies in the area slip and slide around, and then another gadgeteer throws an incendiary bomb that makes all the grease, and those covered in grease, light up like the Fourth of July.
Here is a starting list of element interactions:
Fire- ignites incendiary objects, melts ice, evaporates water, spreads
Ice- put out fire, creates solid objects, solidifies liquid water,
Electricity- charges chargeable objects, ignites incendiary objects, shorts out electrical objects, becomes AoE in water
Water- puts out fire, melts ice, turns into AoE with electricity
Please tell me your thoughts.
This may limit some powers and cause unbalance. Good idea though, and it'd be great to see implemented, even a little. Gravity (please bring back gravity control) - miscellaneous junk follows gravity Earth - can collapse tunnels on foes (temporarily), cause landslides and avalanches. - What would dark and energy do, as well as most physical based sets like SS, weapons, or guns.
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Avatar by MikeNovember
Much like the conversation going on elsewhere about weaknesses, I think that a tip of the hat to this idea in the game would ad flavor, and it could be done without making the effect significant enough to unbalance the game. And it makes gameplay more strategic and interesting.
Just as a significant but mild weakness that can be partially compensated for is nice for flavor but not likely to be game-breaking even when min/maxing, these "environmental" effects being just enough to matter, but barely, would allow the flavor without the drawbacks.
FIGHT EVIL! (or go cause trouble so the Heroes have something to do.)
add Perfect Imbalance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e31OSVZF77w ?
whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster and when you look into the abyss, the abyss also look into you, -Friedrich
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As a casual player I would love for the game to be focused on maintaining a good balance of risk vs reward for my skill level. However, as one of those that likes to be rewarded for occasionally thinking things out, I'd also like to see the occasional benefit for being clever. I love the idea of hazardous vehicles, both because it adds a new dimension to the battlefield and because I'd love to see my opponent get run over by a bus because I happened to have Gale.
I would NOT want this to become the norm because then every player would be searching the area for the optimum attack position and it would get dull. However something cool once in a while would add flavor and fun to the game IMHO.
I remember when Star Wars was cool...a long, long time ago...
If the rules are balanced (every damage type has use of them) and consistent I have no issue with them in gameplay. PvE to me is BASED on the concept of playing not just against the enemy but also strategically against the map as well. Games that do this well are "wow!" games that do not however do not seem to suffer too greatly.
Crowd Control Enthusiast
I have no problems with OCCASIONAL hazardous environments. One quickly learns not to stand in the fires while putting them out, in Steel Canyon. Continually having to refresh your shields in the Reactor Trial was a pain in the butt, but it Did convey a heightened sense of Danger and Risk.
However, you seem to be arguing for Environmental and Powers Synergy, which has been discussed a lot and the conclusion I've seen was that it was too complex to stream in an MMO. The calculations needed for the Myriad possible combinations was deemed too hard to do.
I mean, what about your Ice Tanker, running his 'super-chilly-aura' through the sewers and accidentally stepping in the water? Suddenly his foot is trapped in a large chunk of frozen... stuff.
Once the team gets past that hazard, they enter a room full of sewer-zombies and the Electric Blaster fires off his Sniper-power to pull one or two of them towards the group. However, since the target is standing in a large pool of... stuff, his electric powers become AoE and the whole Room comes to pay the team a visit. And, if anyone happens to be standing in the water, THEY probably get fried, too.
It's just not worth the effort to figure it all out.
Be Well!
Fireheart
Agreed with Fireheart.about the Environment and Power Synergy. However, if it can be done without too heavy of an investment - go for it.
Environmental Hazards alone, yes please. Rain and fog could obstruct viewing distance, an enchanted room may disallow the use of magic, stepping in quicksand will slow your movement.
The Perfect Imbalance system looks like a fascinating insight to game design.
Some people were talking about balancing areas so that they are all the same. The point is that all the areas are different. You actually look around you for what you can use. This wouldn't be an over whelming advantage, but it would stop players from sleep walking through zones, just pressing the same could be of buttons and dodging the red things on the ground.
I agree. I also firmly hold that the more stealthy types that often advocate for non-combat ways to earn XP could benefit from this.
If you and your team break into the warehouse and the bad guys attack there might not be time to hunt for optimum firing angles and advantage points. However the sneaky type who worms his way in might have the time to learn all the little ins and outs. Such a person would have a big advantage if he messed up and had to fight The Boss.
I remember when Star Wars was cool...a long, long time ago...
I often found myself torn between kil... er, 'arresting' every mob in the instance and letting The Judge sort them out, or just walking beyond the Aggro radii and only taking down the bare minimum needed to reach the goal. It might be interesting to have that as a 'modifier' on a mission. Click that button before entering the instance, and you get a Penalty for each opponent you fight (beyond some arbitrary limit).
Be Well!
Fireheart
Cool idea. Pick kill all and get bonus for steamrolling every last one, or stealth and get a bonus for not killing any (or not many).
FIGHT EVIL! (or go cause trouble so the Heroes have something to do.)
That could have corresponding alignment consequences too. Knocking them out vs killing them would affect your violence alignment. Anyone remember Oblivion and Skyrim where an assassination done without collateral damage yielded bonuses. Some dash of that in CoT could serve some missions well.
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Avatar by MikeNovember
I like that idea, but should there be a special action to subdue/knock them out? Based on a "role the dice" system"?
I don't get mad, I restructure the laws of quantum physics and resolve the situation with temporal engineering.
I'd say there'd be the option to "attack" a "dead" body. Bring the enemy to zero hit points, after that, any damage taken counts as a "kill", even an AoE or toggling damage should trigger it, being super powered can make being careful difficult.
Within T rating of course.
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[color=red]PR, Forum Moderator[/color]
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/desvipers-creative-impulsivity]My Non-Canon Backstories[/url]
Avatar by MikeNovember