Mechanic Brainstorming

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This is a place to just throw out ideas on mechanics that we think would improve the game. Anything goes, doesn't have to be good, or complete.

I think that it is extremely difficult to fit an upgrade system into our game. Because the game has tight constraints, it could be hard to even come up with an upgrade for a specific ability, or it could be that upgrading some abilities makes them extremely strong, since there is not a lot of nuance in the stepping up.

It could be the golems get a free attack on you when you move from a tile adjacent to them to a tile that is not adjacent. Maybe they reach out and hit you or something. This would make them much more difficult to deal with, and a more immediate threat instead of being easy to manipulate as they are. It could also cause serious issues if you let yourself get surrounded.

There could be a type of golem that redirects attacks, so that if another golem can't hit you, but they can give the special golem, the attack gets redirected through the special golem and into your tile.

It could be that if golems are next to one another, they power each other up and do additional damage. It could also be that their attacks are modified in some way.

You could activate a shield, which takes an energy pip when you get hit.

We could introduce status effects, like slow, confused, cold, on-fire, etc.

We could take a page straight out of the super auto pets playbook and have an artifact leveling system. It could be that there are a fair number of artifacts, and they are somewhat common but not especially strong. You can find duplicates, and if you find three then you level up the artifact to level two, and three more gets you to level three, with the effect increasing. Then the run would be effected by how the artifacts change the experience and give you options, and you have to make the decision of whether to give up an artifact for a stronger one or hold on to it in hopes of leveling it up.

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Ideas for artifacts:

Removes false golems impressions, like when you hear a golem at a location but you do not hear them move so there is a symbol there but no golem.

Knocking over a column pushes the rubble an extra tile, or creates a spread of rubble.

Allows you to reuse disposable traps one time.

Creates a shield that blocks 1 damage, takes time to recharge.

Reflects golem's charged attacks back at them, stunning them. Or potentially, deflects them 45 degrees so you have to try to hit another golem.

Stuns all golems on screen for a turn.

Throwing a stone at a golem stuns it.

Extra range for stabbing weapons.

Extra tile of damage in the direction of movement for slashing weapons

Occasionally blink one tile away from your intended tile.

Running makes one extra tile of noise.

Torches illuminate one additional tile.

You can hold an extra weapon.

Using abilities does not pass a turn.

Throwing stones does not pass a turn.

The first weapon attack on a new level does not pass a turn.

Smashing weapons cause a stun effect in a small radius.

Player can jump over intertile walls while walking.

Golems take one additional turn to notice you if they see you but don't hear you.

The sounds you make appear to be made with the source on a nearby tile instead of the tile you are on.

The amount of noise you make on grass and stone tiles is switched.

Spend three energy to blink to any tile you can see.

Spend three energy to heal one pip of health.

Attack moves that hit more than one golem do not cost a turn, with a cooldown.

You can use a spear weapon to attack both in front and behind you.

You can end a slash attack move with a spear-like attack.

Armil golems cannot hear you.

You can control the direction, but not the exact tile, of a blink trap.

Blink traps also briefly stun enemies.

Stones emit some light, so they act as lesser torches when thrown.

When activated, closest golem is stunned for one turn.

See impressions of every golem on the level.

Your first move when moving off of grass makes sound as if you were still on grass.

You can animate a weapon on the floor to attack and stun a golem. The weapon then breaks.

You can cause an object (weapon, column, something else maybe) to shatter. It makes a lot of sound but does no damage.

Form rubble you are standing next to into a column, even rubble made from something else.

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Some brainstorming for new level objects:

Whirling sandstorm: covers an area of the level, maybe it usually connects to an edge of the map, as if a larger sandstorm is encroaching into the level. While in the sandstorm, visibility is reduced to one tile. Golems will follow you into the storm, but once they lose you they will leave before going back to idle (so that you can't just drag all the golems into the storm and park them there).

Thorns: Spiny, jaggy thorns tiles that cannot be walked through, but do not reduce visibility and golems can shoot over. Some abilities can let you pass, like swift, and maybe the athlete character can jump over them.

We have the lens objects-- I don't remember ever seeing them in the current level generation, but we could put them in and see how they change things.

I think that the final object type could be something like a reality-bending jaggy area, like the anomalies from Stalker. Potentially they could move slowly but randomly around the level. I was really struck by how effective the jaggy-vertex shader was in Vane, and I would like to attempt something like that. Would there be a way to procedurally warp the tiles according to some noise image?

As far as the effect, I think this might be our chance to have a McGuffin mechanic, like strawberry friends in Super Auto Pets-- something that does nothing on its own but has mechanics that interact with it. Having it be something mysterious like an energy emanation allows for all kinds of effects without any need for verisimilitude.

Examples of effects: anomaly tiles recharge energy. You can use an ability for free on an anomaly tile. You can teleport between anomaly tiles. You can cause anomaly tiles to spread and multiply. Anomaly tiles damage whatever walks into them. Anomaly tiles can spawn walls as they move. Crushing a golem under a column on an anomaly tile causes the column to reform. Golems passing through anomaly tiles return to idle. You can burst anomaly tiles into a field of grass or thorns. You can use air powers to push an anomaly tile in a direction, which will follow with some deviation for a while. Anamoly tiles blink anything that it encounters to a random spot on the level or even destroy it.

The two ideas illustrate how the anomaly tiles can have multiple mechanics that work together-- you can embue one with the power to blink objects, and then push it forward, carving a path in the level.

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Here is another thought about the anomaly tiles-- they could inflict some sort of status effect on anything that has spent a turn in them, and they we could iterate on the status effect mechanics.

If we do that though, it would make sense to have a least a couple of status effects. Not too many. Here are some thoughts:

Anomalous Constricted (like by vines) Blinded A golem being disabled could be considered a type of status effect

Then we could do things like the hierophant could flash a light that blinds visible golems, or the grass character (which maybe could be called a gardener instead) can constrict golems with vines. And then another ability might disable all constricted golems, or blind all constructed golems, or constrict all anomalous golems.

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I wanted to write down some little stories about how I would like to see the game play out.

The player smashes an inter-tile wall with a hammer, creating a rubble tile. They then reform the rubble into a column, and then lure a golem over and push the column ontop of the golem. In this example they could probably just smash the golem, so that is something to think about.

The player sees that an area is guarded by three golems. They create an area of moving anomaly tiles, which move around before dissipating, causing the anomaly effect on two of the golems. The player then uses the blind effect to blind the anomalous golems and then slashes the third golem before vaulting a wall and hiding.

The player takes an ability that allows loud noises to have a chance to stun golems, and then takes every opportunity to cause massive amounts of noise, allowing them to move through the level with some maneuvering.

The player creates a series of moving anomaly tiles, which move forward in the level. They have an ability that lets the player see tiles near anomaly tiles, and so they gain information about the level as the anomalies move through, allowing them to plan their route.

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Statues/dead trees that you can see past but can't move into or push over.

Vines and vines with thorns

Tile with pottery that makes noise the first time it is stepped on.

Shrines that give you something. They could heal or restore energy. You could have to bring it something.

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Some thoughts on things that shrines could do:

People really enjoy risk/reward decisions; maybe shrines could offer a deal-with-the-devil style sacrifice or add a hindrance to the player. Some possible hinderances: make more noise, can't see golem impressions, can't hear golems, can't run, can't throw stones, walking makes the same noise as running,

Shrines could give you an addition ability

A shrine could transmute a weapon into another weapon

They could reroll and ability

They could allow you to switch character classes

They could give you a choice of prayers, each of which has a different effect

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Some additional thoughts on things that anomaly tiles could do

You do not make sound when on an anomaly

You cannot be seen inside an anamoly

If you end your turn inside an anomaly and if the anamoly moves, it will move you along with it

Anamoly tiles moves golems if they end their turn inside of one

If you end your turn inside of an anamoly tile, it counts as not ebing adjacent to structures even if it actually is (for the purpose of swift)

Anomaly tiles obscure sight like full-tile walls for golems, but not for you

Anomaly tiles act as lenses

If you end your turn in an anomaly tile, you will teleport to any anamoly tile currently in your FOV, chosen at random

You can send a wave of air, pushing anamoly tiles in a general direction

You can create an anomaly tile on a location

You can change the direction of the wind in the level, which generally influences the directional movement of anomaly tiles

You can modify an anomaly tile to randomly create columns and walls, but also destroy columns and walls that it moves over

If you smash a wall or column into a tile containing an anomaly, the column or wall will reform

You can imbue an anamoly tile-- it will explode in three turns and stun nearby golems

You can imbue an anomaly tile to be more vitile-- it will duplicate more often and move around more

Any type of movement which begins in an anomaly and ends outside of one does not take a turn

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Thoughts on thorn tiles

You can make thorns grow and spread

New thorn tiles which intersect full walls, inter-tile walls, or columns, which destroy those structures

Thorns have a chance to restrict the movement of adjacent golems

You can create new thron tiles

Ending a turn adjacent to a thorn tile dampens your noise

You can grow a thorn tile out several tiles in a direction

You can grow grass into thorns

You can turn thorns into grass

You can move freely through thorns

You can turn a thorn tile into a one-time-use special weapon (thorn whip?)

Taking damage from a thorn tile adds one energy

Taking damage from a thorn tile gives you makes your next action not take a turn

Taking damage from a thorn tile makes you invulnerable for six turns

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Thoughts on sand tiles:

You can feed a sandstorm area

When you are in a sandstorm tile, golems immediately forget about you

You can dissipate a sandstorm area and gain a temporary unique weapon

When on a sand tile you can blink to another random visible sand tile

You can form an area of sandstorm into a wall

Moves that start in a sandstorm tile and end outside of one do not take a turn

All moves within a sandstorm count as open moves for the purpose of swift

You can move an extra tile when moving between two sandstorm tiles

You can change the direction of the wind, influencing the movement of sandstorm tiles

You can dissipate a sandstorm

You can influence a sandstorm to push out in a direction. It will move outwards in that direction before losing energy and dissipating.

You can see clearly when within a sandstorm

You can solidify an entire storm into walls

You can burst an object like a weapon into sand, and it will act like a small sandstorm

You can strengthen a sandstorm, so that it will briefly damage anything inside of it and tear down columns and inter-tile walls, and strip grass

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Thoughts on the behaviour of anomalies and sandstorms

The way that I am currently thinking about analogies is that they will have a certain energy value, and as they move that value will reduce. The value determines the likelihood that they will take actions like moving, though their direction of movement will be determined by the direction of the wind in the level. It will also determine the likelihood that they will split. Splitting removes some energy. Certain player abilities can influence movement direction and/or add energy.

Sandstorms have a similar system, but if they are large sandstorms connected to the edge of the level then there are persistent sandstorm tiles at the edges, which then naturally feed energy into the system since they themselves maintain a constant energy (the idea being that the larger storm outside the level is maintaining them.