Suggestion: Trap block physics adjustment

Currently, a trap block is solid for any team member, and not solid for everyone else. The sprite has the team color on one side. I don't think this behavior is all that useful and not that intuitive. The name doesn't describe the current behavior well and the team color on one side only doesn't reflect the behavior either.

One thing to do is rename it and re-do the sprite so it has the team color on both sides.

Another thing to do, and what I suggest, is that the block is made solid only one way (being directional); on the side that has the team's color. This means that a trap block built for your team, will allow you to stand on top of it, and jump through it from below. Everyone else would fall through it, but not be able to jump up through it, practically getting "trapped".

To trap anyone as it is now, you need both a trap block and a reversed platform, when really what you might expect is a "trap" block to do the job, alone.

 

I'd argue that the same can be said for the trap block + platform combo
(And trap blocks can be destroyed by Knights afaik, though that wasn't always the case.)

 

Something like this maybe:

Traps behave like normal, but
If you build a platform that is facing 'downwards' within 2 spaces of a trap, it builds a door into the trap automatically (and if a trap door exists, wont allow a downward facing platform to be built 2 spaces in front of the trap's facing direction, so you can't double up on traps as easily with platform reinforcement).

The doors are small and weak, allowing for all of the classes to escape eventually (after hitting it enough) should they not die from what's underneath.

If doors aren't built-in with the platform method, imo teammates should be allowed to pass from underneath anyways, but enemies can also (like normal trap block logic).

So, trap doors going inwards and then locking behind an enemy:

Trap doors opening upwards to allow teammates through:

(Just for the sake of having an animation.. technically even without the doors they should be able to, and these doors shouldn't be able to be stuck open like normal doors)

Lastly, allow archers to break the doors eventually with arrows? I mean, if suiciding is unintuitive and unfun or whatever. Just have it cost all of their arrows.

and some sprites that will make sense to a spriter:

(Opening downwards, upwards, and damage layers - with the little doors BG as the last sprite of the damage sprites)

As for rotation, there are some fun possibilities that can be achieved with rotation, but there are also some things that could hinder that fun... like the fact that you can essentially make traps that trap teammates if you rotate them 180 degrees. To the point where I'd suggest that they remain 'upward facing only'*. I was also going to suggest that the doors be built-in but I haven't quite thought about that enough, I just know that about 90% of the time I place downward facing platforms over traps.

*One exception to this would be if there was a 'use' function that allowed the trap face side to be 'opened'. I've seen this in a couple servers, it's pretty nifty.

Edit: I forgot to shade the trap block's face when the doors open.. but you get the idea. Also the sprite sheet itself can be simplified into an 8x16 file if it's done the same way doors are handled in the base files.

 

So what you suggest is basically the same as spikes on stone blocks? Those spikes are somewhat troublesome, occupying a tile that isn't visible, but I consider the issues with that as bugs that should be fixed. Anyway, I think it would have to be adjacent tiles only, not within 2 spaces. An interesting idea.

I dunno, pretty much any block can be abused somehow. Just a door facing the wrong direction is quite the annoyance. I'd rather have room for creativity, which ironically my own suggestion reduces somewhat. While there would be no trap block and platform combinations anymore, being able to place new one-direction blocks in any orientation could introduce new possibilities.

Could be a nice fit for the switches and logic stuff Skinney is working on.

I'm absolutely sure I've seen knights destroy trap blocks. It could have been a mod, I suppose.

 

Similar, yeah. I suppose the trap block would need a new 4x8 section for each of the tops of the traps (one for full/damaged/very damaged/passable). So that the damage logic can apply properly to the small doors. I'm not sure if that would be more or less optimized than just drawing the trap doors over the trap blocks and applying new hitboxes while storing information about what's happening to both (mostly because I'm not a dev for this game). That's definitely something that someone like @Skinney or the devs would know more about, and they could probably implement it just by hacking at it enough (I could probably program it myself but I'm busy with other things and the traps are 'good enough' the way they are). Definitely though, if I had my way, these would be implemented a year ago

Not this badly though... there are too many 'wrong' things you can do with them once you introduce rotation imo... like I don't want to have this idea implemented, and then see people using them in incredibly inefficient ways - it would just drive me crazy having to ask people wtf they think they're trying to accomplish when maybe just platforms or just doors would have done the trick >.> But yeah, rotation would allow for some fun sideways traps built into walls, and it would be great to see people using them in interesting ways.

Also as for creativity, I totally get that and I agree.. actually I guess platform doubling and tripling wouldn't even be that bad because they could be set on fire. In fact, double traps and triple traps may end up occurring, but maybe it could be coded so that fire can catch sideways on the small trapdoors, but leave the stone in tact or something.

I also forgot to add to that breakdown that I think the small trap doors should also be repairable with the cost of a new platform, and that if the stone is destroyed, the trapdoor should be also, but the trap door can be destroyed and have the stone remaining. I didn't go into damage that much either, but I was thinking it should be normal platform HP and then 30 arrows/door so that archers are a little more careful if they want to be in the game. Even though that would mean they'd have to deplete their entire tent-acquired quiver to only break 1 door (and not be able to escape) - they should be the most careful class when it comes to traps anyways, so by entering a trap it's sort of like a punishment for not abusing the fact that they have been observing the battlefield from afar and still managed to fall into a trap.

Honestly I'm surprised it hasn't been brought over to the official game yet.. it is so useful.

 

huh, im just spitballing here, but what if you used the "E" key (menu key) to set the status of the block.

IE: working like saw you could turn them on and off(when on theyd have the same affect on enemies and when off theyre hollow{anyone being able to move through it})

 

give trap blocks door functionality for appropriate team

 

The most intuitive choice is to give trap blocks the same sprite as an enemy door. Because that's exactly what they are.

 

No that's dumb

 

Both have been attempted in mods and both were cancer.

 

In what way?

ps. bring back trap platforms

 

What about the mechanic where you press E to just make it temporarily open, allowing teams to fall through if they want? They way it is now, someone can cover the flag with trap blocks and it actually keeps teammates out and lets the enemy in.



seriously, the grief potential is just dumb... and then if you start breaking the guys stuff to place a defense that doesn't completely suck, you are often targeted as a griefer (and kicked/banned) because noobs don't understand that you're trying to fix the situation. While it's rare that a griefer does this, this mechanic is still currently implemented so that enemies move easier through the blocks than the team does, and it just feels wrong.

--- Double Post Merged, Aug 31, 2023, Original Post Date: May 17, 2015 ---

Is this still as bad as it was?