Rat Ideas

[radio-morgan]

• Use this issue to document any rat types that you can think of.

[TallGuyScott]

Just some potential ideas I've been pondering on different rats. If we are including permadeath on units then that can have ramifications on what different units will be able to do.

Semi-permadeath:

What I mean by semi-permadeath is that whilst the majority of units should stay dead when they fall, It could limit some more creative rat ideas that we could have so what if we split rats into 2 classes, hero units and plebs.

Hero Units: These units can be unlocked as the player progresses, each having it's own ability and passives and personalities. If one of these units dies in a fight, they will be available when the fight ends. The player can bring in a varying amount of hero units depending on each levels scale (Think one unit fights in Xcom/Steampunk heist). These rats can wear crowns into battle and can be empowered further through a progression system. Where I think this idea could really get interesting is a hero unit's "influence". "Influence" is used to bring pleb rats into missions.

For example, lets assume the player is preparing to do a scrap mission, it tells them they are able to take 3 hero units into battle. The player chooses an assassin, support and 'buffer' hero units.

The assassin character can move quickly and deal high damage with a small health pool, and is able to stealth as their special ability. However, the assassin can only bring 1 pleb rat into battle with them.

The support character can heal nearby allies and has a slowing ranged attack, and can bring 3 pleb rats into battle.

The buffer character can buff nearby defences and has a high health pool, and can bring 4 pleb rats into battle.

So now the player has to decide if they want the cool, flashy hero unit that can only bring 1 or 2 pleb rats with them, or the more general hero units that can bring 5 or 6 pleb rats with them.

Pleb rats: These units are weaker than hero units, but make up the bulk of the player's fighting force in each mission. They have permadeath and make up the more standard rts unit types: Melee, Ranged, Tank etc. These rats cannot wear crowns or level up, and have stats that scale with the hero unit they are attached to. Pleb rats could maybe always follow their hero unit, simplifying inputs and reducing 'micro' gameplay. We can give these rats randomly generated names :)

Pros:

• Offers lots of options for different missions to the player
• The player can have a favourite hero unit/pleb combos
• Reinforces the character of the rats well, with leaders desperate for crowns and their disposable warbands being used as fodder
• Hero rats can offer loads of creativity for us to design weird kits/passives
• Hero rats could provide plot progression as the player advances, with voice lines and motivations in missions (Big dream, I know)

Cons:

• Hero units would demand far more work and development than simple rat class system
• Dictates the entire progression systems of the game, which could limit us

[TallGuyScott]

If we went with this idea, I think our vertical prototype mission would contain one hero unit, and however many pleb rats we feel are appropriate

[TallGuyScott]

• Refinement on permadeath needed, apprentices saving hero rats etc.