Trickster
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I realize that today is probably the worst day to submit new ideas since a new engine is about to come out, but the recent "Architecture by Hoof" contest gave me some interesting ideas for things I'd like to see implemented someday, given that they're novel and non-trivial to do by hand.

1) Obstruction-switching tiles. If you step on one of these, it turns one kind of impassible barrier passable, and vice versa. The simplest option would be to replace all dirt tiles with water tiles and all water tiles with dirt, whenever you step on the token. This would add an incredible array of options for both maze puzzling and combat. A more complex approach might rotate between dirt, water, and a special kind of wall (like a dirt mound) that you can walk on (similar to wall-walking in RPG; you have to hit a tile on one to go upwards, then you can walk along the top or fall off to the lower level).

2) Timed, deadly tiles. Think of this like a trap door that "goes off" by itself a set number of turns (I'm thinking two is good) once you step on it. A flame jet might suffice (and would kill non-elemental enemies, destroy ashes, light fuses, etc.). Once on, it either stays on until you switch it off with an orb, or perhaps it stays on for X turns and then switches off automatically. This could make for some challenging fights if these things form a fairly narrow bridge, or just add another level of thinking to the traditional trap door puzzles.

3) As above, only "sturdy" trap doors. These must be stepped on two or three times before they fall. These are also different from 2 in that they affect red doors.

4) Track tiles that can be rotated and moved, and maybe even copied. Something rolls down them. Enemy? Obstacle? Maybe they fill with water when adjacent to a water source?

5) I know you don't ever want to do light reflection, but it would be pretty cool to have a puzzle that involves you, mirrors, and a guard. But you're right that it's been done before quite a lot. It might need something "new" to it, like, a prism that separates the light into red, green, and blue, filters that destroy all but one color, and a prism that combines all three.

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Jatopian
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I'm not sure whether to be flattered about being confused with Banjooie. I'll go with yes to be safe.

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mrimer
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All right, Trickster. I'm wise to what's going on here. First you intentionally mix up Jatopian with Banjooie, and then you go and sneak into the Caravel building at the top of the magic beanstalk.

I'll divulge that I already have three of these ideas written in my personal list of future game elements to prototype for TSS. It's on a sheet of paper that I only keep on my person at all times, in my inner coat pocket. Yes. I always wear a coat. With coat pockets.

Up till now I've held off talking about what I'd like to put into TSS since, well, DROD 4 isn't even out yet, and I don't want to steal what thunder it has. But after that point, I'd like to begin a process where the dev team openly shares ideas that they are working on for TSS with the fanbase as development progresses. This reverse psychology stuff is so 2007.

Anyway, you'll be hearing from the hired goons soon. Say "hi" to joker5 for me.

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I am Gandalf the White.
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skell
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mrimer wrote: Yes. I always wear a coat. With coat pockets.

You forgot about the hat. And the portable beard, yes. Oh, joker5, I remember that person.

1) I'd rather have a scripting option "Replace tile X with Y" but the idea in general sounds interesting. It reminds me of an RPG Maker script feature actually.
2) I dunno, I'd have to see it in action. Personally I think it should kill stuff for one turn, exactly the turn after player moves, so if a Player is chased by a roach, he leaves the "death tile" effectively activating it, and the roach enters it effectively getting grilled.
3) Love and always wanted
4) I can't really figure out what it does
5) It reminds me of an old, Polish game, I have mixed feelings.

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Jatopian
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If we start splitting light beams into colors someone's going to be sad he can't make every freaking hue from cyan to sea foam, and there's going to be no way to narratively justify the inability.

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TFMurphy
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Jatopian wrote:
If we start splitting light beams into colors someone's going to be sad he can't make every freaking hue from cyan to sea foam, and there's going to be no way to narratively justify the inability.

If someone wants cyan light, then they're just going to have to find a cyan tarstuff to shine the light through.

kyevan
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Now someone needs to recommend cyan tarstuff. (Combined weaknesses of blue and green? Or maybe it just likes to make really pretty islands.)

Briareos
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Jatopian wrote:
If we start splitting light beams into colors someone's going to be sad he can't make every freaking hue from cyan to sea foam that "Dark Side of the Eighth" cover.

Fixed.

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mrimer
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kyevan wrote:
Now someone needs to recommend cyan tarstuff. (Combined weaknesses of blue and green? Or maybe it just likes to make really pretty islands.)

Ugh... Unfortunately, item #5 above is not one of the things on my list.

I did have light reflection implemented as part of the original prototype of aumtlich beams, but it felt too complex to alpha testers, so we yanked it.

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.

---

[Last edited by mrimer at 03-21-2012 06:06 PM]

asmussen
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Trickster wrote:
5) I know you don't ever want to do light reflection, but it would be pretty cool to have a puzzle that involves you, mirrors, and a guard. But you're right that it's been done before quite a lot. It might need something "new" to it, like, a prism that separates the light into red, green, and blue, filters that destroy all but one color, and a prism that combines all three.

Sounds like somebody has been playing Aargon. Fun game.

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asmussen
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[Post Deleted] Trickster wrote:

asmussen wrote: Aargon. Fun game.

Noooo! I don't need more time-wasters!

(Most of my light reflection experience comes from Zelda and laser chess.)

You've never played it? I really assumed that you had, since your prism and filter descriptions are an exact description of those elements in Aargon, including being able to both split and recombine colors with the prisms.


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kyevan
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Heh... don't forget that one episode of Magic School Bus. That's what I thought of.

Trickster
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Oh! Minor addendum to the track-tile thing!

If the thing that moves down them does so just one turn at a time, you could alter a track while it was flowing/rolling/etc. That would be pretty cool if the solution required getting it right and not spilling/losing anything.

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Someone Else
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I'm just going to put this out there: I cannot, and have never been able to play games that required such fine manipulation of colour. Colourblindness is kind of annoying when it comes to that.

And about 1), what's the difference between this and pressure plates?

Someone Else
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You kind of can have a dual figure maze:

#D#D#
d.d.D
#D#d#
D.d.D
#d#D#

etc. Where D is a closed door and d is open. I'd say that the skippers being able to go over one is fairly minor, unless you also note that with yellow doors other things are blocked - aumtlich beams and wraithwings. The idea of pit or water... doesn't exactly work. Unless the way trapdoors work is changed, that is. But you can have water trapdoors surrounded by pit, and visa verso.

Someone Else
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[Post Deleted] Trickster wrote: Why not? A pit trapdoor is a pit trapdoor regardless as to whether it is surrounded by water, pits, dirt, or walls. The same thing is true for water trapdoors and platforms of both flavors.

Exactly. So does your suggestion imply that the trapdoor would change based on what's around it? IMO, it doesn't. But it would be awesome if it did.

Someone Else
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No, I was thinking more that it would be "Any trapdoor adjacent to the changing water/mud would change between water and pit when the floor type changes, respectively. If there is some combination of the two, it would never change."

mrimer
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Trickster wrote:
1) Obstruction-switching tiles. If you step on one of these, it turns one kind of impassible barrier passable, and vice versa. The simplest option would be to replace all dirt tiles with water tiles and all water tiles with dirt, whenever you step on the token. This would add an incredible array of options for both maze puzzling and combat. A more complex approach might rotate between dirt, water, and a special kind of wall (like a dirt mound) that you can walk on (similar to wall-walking in RPG; you have to hit a tile on one to go upwards, then you can walk along the top or fall off to the lower level).

You will be able to script this in 5.0.

2) Timed, deadly tiles. Think of this like a trap door that "goes off" by itself a set number of turns (I'm thinking two is good) once you step on it. A flame jet might suffice (and would kill non-elemental enemies, destroy ashes, light fuses, etc.). Once on, it either stays on until you switch it off with an orb, or perhaps it stays on for X turns and then switches off automatically. This could make for some challenging fights if these things form a fairly narrow bridge, or just add another level of thinking to the traditional trap door puzzles.

Well, we're now at 60% on the TSS bar, so it's high time to real a new feature going into TSS -- floor spikes! I'll do a quick write-up of this new game element on the General board.

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.