Author Topic: Cool downs  (Read 2321 times)

Ironwolf

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Cool downs
« on: January 21, 2014, 04:33:49 PM »
I have been learning LUA as per GuyPerfect :)

In it I actually was considering a novel way to do cool downs for powers instead of time penalties use control, temperature or other effect to affect the power cool downs.

For example: Fire/Ice are quite easy you have a core temperature if you exceed the limits it shuts off the extreme powers. In other words you have a blaster (Fire/Ice) who fires a tier 1 fire attack rapidly and then hits with a tier 9 cold attack like Blizzard. I would not use a stamina type gauge to control the powers instead I would the idea in this case of you core temp is unstable - I would allow for a self destruct type power where you could double tier 9 but you have a chance of killing yourself.

This could be used in control - where you try to quickly resummon your tier 9 pet and it could be successful - or be confused as you are overly taxed and they attack you!

I would use this sort of conditional loop where you can try to do something incredibly heroic - and possibly fail spectacularly or win in amazing fashion.

I would label it as CORE strength and onscreen you could have the message your core is becoming unstable for those with blaster type powers and for those with control you could use - you are becoming confused or some such message for each AT. I dislike the use of Stamina in a hero/villian game as it seems way to limiting - where you often are able to try one more time to go beyond normal into super human.

Just floating the idea out there.

dwturducken

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Re: Cool downs
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2014, 12:40:14 AM »
I realize I'm nobody (in relation to active projects, at least), but this actually makes a lot of sense. Many early aerial combat games had a mechanic built in where your "guns" would build up heat or have to recharge capacitors or whatever made sense within the physics of the game universe. It seemed realistic, based on the physical mechanics of actual high caliber, belt-fed "machine guns."

I can't say that I necessarily like it over the current system employed by pretty much every MMO that I have played, but it would certainly be new! I wonder if the current system is a limitation of the available game engines, or if it's just an accepted convention.

(I'm still at the level of recreating Pong in VBasic, so I would definitely love to hear the perspective of an actual game programming professional.)
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silvers1

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Re: Cool downs
« Reply #2 on: January 31, 2014, 01:17:13 AM »
While the idea sounds interesting, I'm of the opinion "Keep it Simple".   Will make for less maintenance by the Devs,
and less confusion by the playerbase about "why my power is taking so long to recharge".  I'd rather not have to avoid
certain villain groups because they have the powers that pretty much shut me down by slowing my recharge to abysmal levels.

Also,  this would inevitably lead to heartburn in PVP for both the Devs and players, when someone finds that one shutdown
power combination.
« Last Edit: January 31, 2014, 12:00:04 PM by silvers1 »
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