Goonhub
08-26-2020, 02:28 PM
Last time we had a discussion on this mechanic (harmbaton self stuns), we tried to break down what exactly people liked and disliked about it.
Personally, I like it because the melee weapons that are the most fun to play with right now (the baton, the katana, and the kendo sword) all have various mechanics that make you have to be mindful of what intent or aiming space you're set to at the moment, and "comboing" different features using the intent/aim/use hotkeys intrigues me.
Some of the major reasons I remember people disliking harmbaton self-stun is that it's very punishing, not well conveyed until it's already happened to you, and even then the only indication that you've done something wrong is a mysterious message about how you "held it wrong".
I think that the mechanic is salvageable, and that both people who like it and dislike it can reach a compromise somewhere along the lines of "let's make this mechanic better conveyed to the player; that way it feels less like a random mishap and more like a mistake in play".
Along those lines, flipping the baton sprite was suggested because it clearly represents a change in state for the baton. Overall though, flipping the sprite would be a bit weird when combo'd with the "throw sparks" special ability you could use while in that state. Maybe it could have a different special attack altogether when in that state?
Kendo swords have a framework for detecting intent changes and changing behavior based on intent, including examples of sprite changes and special attack changes. A lot of that would be reusable here.
Personally, I like it because the melee weapons that are the most fun to play with right now (the baton, the katana, and the kendo sword) all have various mechanics that make you have to be mindful of what intent or aiming space you're set to at the moment, and "comboing" different features using the intent/aim/use hotkeys intrigues me.
Some of the major reasons I remember people disliking harmbaton self-stun is that it's very punishing, not well conveyed until it's already happened to you, and even then the only indication that you've done something wrong is a mysterious message about how you "held it wrong".
I think that the mechanic is salvageable, and that both people who like it and dislike it can reach a compromise somewhere along the lines of "let's make this mechanic better conveyed to the player; that way it feels less like a random mishap and more like a mistake in play".
Along those lines, flipping the baton sprite was suggested because it clearly represents a change in state for the baton. Overall though, flipping the sprite would be a bit weird when combo'd with the "throw sparks" special ability you could use while in that state. Maybe it could have a different special attack altogether when in that state?
Kendo swords have a framework for detecting intent changes and changing behavior based on intent, including examples of sprite changes and special attack changes. A lot of that would be reusable here.