[228] General Mechanics Discussion

This log is only posted for reference.
This is not meant to restrict the discussion only to the contents of the log.

Code:

Changes build 203-228:

- added pre-game launcher

- added (windows only for now) ingame web browser with links to:
(manual, wiki, IRC chat, creating account)

- added server favorites

- added in-game Manual by SirSalami

- removed player name mouse hover chat

- clicked server in server browser updates ping meter icon

- improved first ping performance in server browser

- added double click join to server browser

- added building time/match started information in server preview

- added menu music

- changed collapse physics

- fixed ambient sounds

- fixed screenshot folder on Linux

- fixed crash in editor mode when jumping on bridge

- fixed builder can't pick 3rd heart

- fixed door pick sound being wood

- builder has to stand still to build

- autoupdater does not require restart

- changed collapse physics

- console accepts \ and / for commands

- bridge takes 20 wood

- bridges and ladders can't be built only against dirt background

- optimized all game object collisions

- icons in scoreboard are double size

- class icons point in same direction and builder is distinguished from sword more

- can't shield against falling blocks

- can't destroy rooms after match has started (anti-griefing)

- fixed far view on fixed camera for lower resolutions

- added disclaimer after server startup for sv_allow_globals_mods variable

- rooms require 5 hits to destroy

- changed some HUD fonts (including above head chat)

- added command-line option to start server with specific ip,port,slots eg.
ip 123.124.125.126 port 50213 slots 32

- added break_time_static for a build time that doesn't change with number of players

 

This I find very misleading, I don't even know what they try to say exactly... What I see ingame is that WS will now withstand the destruction of up to 5 blocks.
Say this is your WS (Quarters):
#####
#####
#####

Hitting say this block once:
####<
#####
#####

Will have no visual effect at all, it will also not hinder the function of the WS. You get the material though and hitting it 3 times will "destroy" it for all purposes except that it is still displayed AND the WS remains functional. So even after completely destroying the tile:
####x
#####
#####

The WS keeps on working fine and visually you don't even see it!
Now if we keep destroying tiles we come to the point where it is like this (keep in mind visually it still looks completely intact):
##<<x
###<<
#####

As you can see 1 tile is completely destroyed and 4 tiles are broken. Still the WS remains visually intact and fully functional. Destroy one more tile now:
##<<x
##<<<
#####

And BAM the WS suddenly becomes broken and will display the tiles properly (meaning the top right is now vanished and the other 5 are broken castle back walls). At this point the WS is not functional anymore. It does not matter in which order or shape the broken tiles are, as long as at least 6 are broken the WS will stop being functional and display the damage properly.

This can be very irritating and misleading. So yeah, you can still destroy WS they just don't loose functionality on first hit.

 

Wow, I actually thought they became completely indestructable..
This really needs to be fixed, breaking one tile should require only two hits to destroy and transfer into a castle background.

 

Uh it does...
first hit -> yields 8 stone and 10 wood (reverting to castle back wall mechanics wise)
second hit -> yields nothing (castle back wall gets damaged)
third hit -> yields 2 stone (destruction of castle back wall)

It is still the same as it is before, the difference is that the WS won't stop working just because you hit one tile once. Now you need to hit 6 tiles once to stop it from working.

 

Didn't know where else to post this.






Bonus:


Yup.


EDIT Wyeth: Moved, its interesting and somewhat related to mechanics, you could see it as a stress test for how far the cata-in-cata stuff goes, but eh its not exactly deserving of its own thread.

 

the sad part is i expect something like this from you good job

 

Once again, didn't really know where else to put this.

LADDERMAN

 

Is this a new class?
Those knights doesnt need to scream for ladders anymore!

 

After seeing this and the knight teleport alley, aswell as my own auto-spikes and air spikes, I feel that I want to write something about exploitation in KAG:

Many accepted things ingame are essentially exploited mechanics (see auto-spikes, air spikes, vaulting, bomb jumping (at one point?) and to an extend acavado spikes). You analyze something and recreate it until you know how to use it to your advantage. Thats pretty normal. The questions is really if some exploits should be deemed game breaking and more importantly not fun.


This reminds me of my days playing L4D. For a while there was an exploit to open a door by punching it repeatedly. This door was supposed to open at one point through the activation of a switch on the other side (which was possibly the cause of it). People would get very upset about this as it would let your team bypass 2 chokepoints. It was very clear that this was not intended, yet people were using it. Obviously both teams could use it respectively, but it made this particular instance of the map less rich and fun.

For me the prime example for a problematic exploit is the flying glitch, it's "un-fun" and I personally would hold server owners to make their policy clear (how they want to see this handled). Moving through walls is very frustrating, but you sometimes use it accidentally aswell (not to the extend described in "knight teleport alley", but for example while trying to get over a wall and suddenly you find yourself on the other side of said wall). This only works from right to left, what about the fact that people become unhittable diagonally to the left? This heavily helps out the team on the left since they are often in the situation where they are very hard to hit for no reason. So from right to left you can teleport through walls sometimes and from left to right you can become unhittable diagonally downwards. Both is stupid and needs to be handled. We need to keep in mind that the game is still being heavily developed so we need to react to it as we see fit, I guess, but in my opinion it's always hard to decide what counts as an offense and what is just good fun.

 

Well,flying knights bug is fun,when it is not used as a serious assault tool.

For instance,there was a map,where 2 teams were separated with 200+ pit.Knights gathered in groups of 5-6 and flew at each other while builders were skybridging.Epic stuff.Thats the good using.

On the other side,2 douchey knights were contantly using it to get on top of our tower,jump down and steal our outpost,bomb catapults,generally grief around.It resulted in our loss.Thats the bad using.Edit: On the other map,where you could easily get from one tent to another