AI - Finite State Machine

Design Thought

After Momo's post on the blog, I started thinking about the current overall design plan...

In our case (a competitive multiplayer game), I'm thinking "collecting" is only fun if collecting is unrestricted and clearly gives sufficiently great benefits (like in Bomberman). In other words, I think the current design plan which involves collecting 1-time use weapons, where you can't pick up additional weapons is entirely missing the point of using the "collecting" mechanism. I might be wrong, but I think it has the following design flaws:

1) you get in situations where you have to avoid "situationally bad" weapon drops since it may be at a good position to fire ( but you'll pick it up if you fire your current weapon there),

2) having to constantly run around to pick up 1-time use weapon drops can feel like a drag and can conflict with claiming/coloring new tiles, and

3) the weapon drops (or icons) can visually clutter the level, since they can't be all picked up right away.

We can still have "collecting" be a part of the game-play (e.g., power-ups, enhancements, buffs, etc.), but I don't think 1-time use weapons work.

Anyways, right now I'm thinking what if the player can have up to 2 weapons at a time (Note - "2" so that they can make a meaningful choice between which to use), but they obtain it automatically (like the puzzle blocks in Tetris). After using a weapon, it takes some short duration to obtain a new one that fills the slot. The only thing that greatly disturbs me is how to elegantly display the weapons that each player has. Currently, I'm thinking a visual icon will temporally pop-up right above the player character's head to indicate which weapon that character just obtained, but a more permanent display of the weapon will be somewhere more out of the way; also, if the player has no weapons (i.e., used both weapons almost simultaneously), then maybe only 1 weapon is recharged at any one time so that there is only 1 temporal visual icon at any one time. (I've also thought about achievements that can skew the chance of obtaining certain types of weapons. The chances can maybe also be skewed based on situational context.)

What do you guys think about all this? Any criticism or different ideas you'd like to share?

Just a thought

Hey guys. Just a thought.

What do you guys think if we add another extra button for sheild? I'm thinking this shield is able to use any time and however many times you want. It will protect you from any attack. But the draw back is, while you're using it, you won't be able to attack. Also, there is a few second recharge time once it's used. This may solve the problem of not being able to dodge the shots... Just a thought.

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