Oneiromancer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

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The only thing I can't decide about this idea is what triggers it...if it is an orb, a pressure plate, a new potion, or something else yet to be invented. In any case, when this effect is triggered, Beethro and his mimic switch places. The mimic cannot trigger this effect (or it is one-use only).

The puzzle ideas using this basically just make the player think in new ways about mimic placement...where do you want the mimic when you switch, do you need to move the mimic after switching, etc. I can imagine a cool maze with lots of switching devices, but only some of them are useful. (Of course you should be able to deduce which ones are useful and which aren't, but that depends on how good a DROD player you are). There can be traps, where if you accidentally trigger the switch Beethro will be stuck, etc.

If there is more than one mimic, Beethro either goes to the first one created or, alternately, he can choose which mimic to switch with. That could lead to cool puzzles too. Even the first option, since you would have to find a way to kill the first mimic so you can switch to the second one.

I had this idea in the shower this morning, but I think I forgot a little bit before I decided to write it down, so I apologize if it isn't totally fleshed out yet.

Game on,

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"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder." -- Tad Williams

agaricus5
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It's rather odd, but I like the idea. I think it should be a potion that first uses the link between Beethro and his mimic to their genetic/molecular make-up data swap around and also contains a series of enzymes that immediately cause their insides to break up and re-form as the new entities' switch happens.

A few things though...

1. When Beethro swaps places with it, will monsters detect this immediately, or will there be a one move pause in which they realise the switch has been made?

2. Also, if Beethro has taken an invisibility potion, what happens? Does the effect wear off?

3. What is the movement order when he takes the potion? Is it Beethro moves first, then the mimic, then the swap happens, then monsters move and spawn?

4. Finally, if the mimic just happens to be standing on a potion, will he take it immediately, or do the monsters move first?

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Oneiromancer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

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agaricus5 wrote:
It's rather odd, but I like the idea. I think it should be a potion that first uses the link between Beethro and his mimic to their genetic/molecular make-up data swap around and also contains a series of enzymes that immediately cause their insides to break up and re-form as the new entities' switch happens.

Um...yeah. Sure. Whatever you like.

1. When Beethro swaps places with it, will monsters detect this immediately, or will there be a one move pause in which they realise the switch has been made?

Ah yes, thank you, some game mechanics. I think it should happen right away. Suddenly Beethro's smell comes from over there instead of over here, and they just blindly follow it. There aren't any pauses like this in DROD currently, and so I think that it would be odd to have one here. No, you just need to take that into account before switching.

2. Also, if Beethro has taken an invisibility potion, what happens? Does the effect wear off?

Well, it depends on whether or not you are allowed to have both a mimic and an invisibility potion active at the same time as it stands right now. I don't think that invisibility should turn off just because you teleport. If it did, and the tunnels were implemented, people would get confused.

3. What is the movement order when he takes the potion? Is it Beethro moves first, then the mimic, then the swap happens, then monsters move and spawn?

Erg...yes, that sounds right. The most important part is when the swap takes place...it should be after the mimic has moved. Just because DROD moves the mimic after Beethro doesn't mean that the player doesn't see them move at the same time. So I don't think you should move to where the mimic was, but to where it is after Beethro moves.

4. Finally, if the mimic just happens to be standing on a potion, will he take it immediately, or do the monsters move first?

I don't think that mimics can move onto potions, so hopefully this is a moot point. A very good question though. If mimics can move onto potions, I would have to say that it's just as if Beethro stepped onto the potion directly...the monsters move after Beethro moves, and then the potion takes effect.

Whew! You're really taxing my brain cells, and it's my lunch hour...I can't allow this to happen!

Game on,

____________________________
"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder." -- Tad Williams

agaricus5
Level: Smitemaster
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Oneiromancer wrote:
Um...yeah. Sure. Whatever you like.

Well, it depends on whether or not you are allowed to have both a mimic and an invisibility potion active at the same time as it stands right now. I don't think that invisibility should turn off just because you teleport. If it did, and the tunnels were implemented, people would get confused.

I've checked - mimics and invisibility are allowed at the same time.

I don't think that mimics can move onto potions, so hopefully this is a moot point. A very good question though. If mimics can move onto potions, I would have to say that it's just as if Beethro stepped onto the potion directly...the monsters move after Beethro moves, and then the potion takes effect.

Ive just checked again - mimics can move onto potions.

Whew! You're really taxing my brain cells, and it's my lunch hour...I can't allow this to happen!

Ooh good. I'm glad you're enjoying this...

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zex20913
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A cool idea, a bit like the "clone potion" on the SF page, but different enough in its own merits. The only questions I had about this at first were answered in your third paragraph, so I had to come up with new ones. Then Ag took some of those. I'm left with one, and it's relatively minor/unimportant, more of a comment.

1. What if there is no mimic active when the thing is activated?

Basically, it can't be a one-timer like a crumbly wall, and it might be hard to make it otherwise, so it should be usable as an orb/pressure plate.

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Oneiromancer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

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Well, this is kind of related to the question, is Beethro the only thing allowed to activate this switch? If it were an orb, then the mimic could hit it again as soon as you go through. If it were a pressure plate, there could be some cool puzzles where a stream of monsters continually switches Beethro with his mimic, but that might be too complicated.

As long as it is obvious what the item is, I say it should kill Beethro if there is no mimic around. Because it tries to switch places, but there is nothing to switch to, so it only switches half of him or something like that. Okay, that's too mean. It makes more sense just for nothing to happen.

Game on,

____________________________
"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder." -- Tad Williams

zex20913
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Perhaps it would put a new twist (well, maybe not so new) to the phrase "stand on your head".

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Sokko
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Perhaps just some kind of magic tile or something, because it should only be triggered when Beethro walks across it, and not when his mimic does. (so you have a choice of making it a one-time switch or a two-way thing)

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