Faultline

[MangyCarface]

Looks sweet, but definitely connect the quakes to player actions.

Something a bit silly, if a player knocks a member of the opposing team into a faultline, that team gets slowed down via shake for x seconds

 

[lana]

Could be abused though.

 

[jpr]

Looks good, can't wait for alpha 325

 

[Icarus]

Looks sweet, but definitely connect the quakes to player actions.

Something a bit silly, if a player knocks a member of the opposing team into a faultline, that team gets slowed down via shake for x seconds

That's actually a very interesting idea --having earthquakes as a result of player actions. But, like nerdboy said, it's an invitation for greifing.

A way for it to act as a reward rather than a punishment would be best.

 

[YM]

That's actually a very interesting idea --having earthquakes as a result of player actions. But, like nerdboy said, it's an invitation for greifing.

A way for it to act as a reward rather than a punishment would be best.

Spawn rooms.. the entire team could stay inside thiers for the whole game and thats griefing...

If your shake is minimal and the slowdown applies to everyone instead of just one team at a time then it wont turn into a griefing activity.

Having said that I don't like the idea of any slowdown at all. shakes yeah, showdown, no.

 

[Tinker]

But, seeing as this is linear, the best way to balance it is to make it mirrored. Are you going to do that, or just going to switch the teams around like Hydro?

EDIT: Also please, please, no earthquake slowdown. Just have the quakes (if you're going to put them in at all) be aesthetic, and not a gameplay affecting gimmick that will get old within five minutes

 

[Randdalf]

But, seeing as this is linear, the best way to balance it is to make it mirrored. Are you going to do that, or just going to switch the teams around like Hydro?

EDIT: Also please, please, no earthquake slowdown. Just have the quakes (if you're going to put them in at all) be aesthetic, and not a gameplay affecting gimmick that will get old within five minutes

One of the key elements of the map is the symmetry.

Like somebody above me said, it'd be cool if there were some dust particles effects, and crazy stuff like that for the earthquake. It'd also be cool if those effects didn't lag

 

[Tinker]

So, basically, a push cp but with stages? That could be cool.

 

[sohcahtoa]

very shiny, looks sweet would love particles and even new areas opening up and shizz, but far beyone my humble mapping abilitys, i bow to you.

quick question that i can pop in here also instead of making a new thread(Heresy!!)
how do you add the custom info at the game start on the backboard, eg pics or info? ty

 

[Icarus]

Having said that I don't like the idea of any slowdown at all. shakes yeah, showdown, no.

I just ask that you try it first, at the very least

Playtesters seemed to enjoy it during our last test.

 

[lana]

Spawn rooms.. the entire team could stay inside thiers for the whole game and thats griefing...

But if that team stays inside the spawn room, it doesn't force the players that want to play to walk very slowly.

 

[ChronoTriggerFan]

The only question I have for you about the quakes is what do you think it does to add to the gameplay.

 

[Icarus]

A way for players to play around a random event and plan strategically around it. The clear warning before a major tremor allows players to prepare and adapt to an incoming change of environment. It also mixes up the action in an otherwise potentially repetitive environment in a linear 5-stage map.

 

[MangyCarface]

A teamwide slowdown is definitely a team disadvantage, since it can be filtered to team, it would have a very visible effect on gameplay. Or is there no difference between the run speeds of a medic and a soldier?

Griefing happens, you can't always address it; the flag issue in a/d ctf is more of an issue than this. Slowdown however, is not necessarily fun. A one-time per quake -15 hp quake for the opposing team, for /some/ player-induced action, would be interesting. This could be passing through a difficult area, causing an enemy player to fall into a fault, etc.

If the reinforcement encourages faster gameplay, then there is a definite use for it. You could even put intels into play, with one on each CP; sometimes players can get to a cp, but not fully cap it- a new option would be to grab that intel and return home, synching with your team when you're about to drop it: say returning the enemy's intel to your base does 50 damage to the opposing team. "I'm about to return; push!" And hit the now-defenseless team. You could even have it do 100 damage to enemy buildings, or buildings on their side of the map. POOR ENGIES! But quakes destroying buildables would be a definite stale-breaker.

edit: I kind of have a boner for the buildable-hurting quakes make it happen buddy

 

[Icarus]

edit: I kind of have a boner for the buildable-hurting quakes make it happen buddy

That was actually one of my potential alternatives/additions to the tremor effect

Another, which you also mentioned, was a weak trigger_hurt on players

There is also another alternative, but it probably wouldn't fit into the environment. Randomly occurring thick fog, which temporarily limits range of vision ala L4D2's Hard Rain.


Currently, the tremor effect has a 50% chance of placing a 150units/sec speed cap (roughly Heavy-speed) on all players for 5 seconds every 1-2 minutes.

I'm not sold on team-based environment effects yet, because I can't think of an appropriate way of triggering the effect.

 

[TMP]

Jeez mangy, I'm thinking right now your philosophy with the engi is "Screw sentries, he's a slower scout without double jump and a ton more pistol ammo!". Pretty much any philosophy involving sentries involves them being hard as hell to build and maintain. Not that I think the idea is bad, I like it, but I'm just noting trends .

Heavy fog is mean, the tremor effect is crazy enough. I suppose damaging people wouldn't be bad. Just need some warning and more directional damage from the fault, or else PEOPLE WILL HATE IT.

 

[Icarus]

Faultline already has a 5-second warning before the major tremors take effect. But what did you mean by "directional damage"?

 

[TMP]

I'm sorry if I didn't make sense there, I meant more modular damage based upon the distance away from the fault line, so that people can either move away from it to reduce damage or (Perhaps depending on the way you work the quake damage) if a player jumps. There needs to be ways to avoid it or minimize it.

 

[Icarus]

I can get where you're coming from, but I'm thinking, "why minimize it if the effects are already so minimal?"

 

[Rikka]

You might just want to have a fail-safe place in-case it turns out to be a problem in the future. Not something that would be a major change to the mechanic, just a sort of back-up plan.