New positive item. Some kind of electric thing

[Alayan]

Well, to introduce a little bit my idea, I'll quickly share the path my thoughts followed today.
While adapting the powerup.xml, I found really difficult to find good numbers. This reminded me the fact that there is a kind of lack of positive items, with only zipper and now also partly bubble gum.
While I love the bubble gum shield, this isn't the great item which will really help the karts in the last position.
I thought then about a concept of a "bubble zipper" which would have the effect of both objects, but that wasn't really good.

And so came the light.
=> A kind of magnetical object.
In the idea I have it could do all these 3 :

• increase temporarily power engine, thus increasing a little bit acceleration and max speed
• provide a magnetic shield which would work somehow like the bubble gum shield (maybe some small difference ? No protection against bubble gum on the road maybe ?)
• it would make thunderbird rescuing way faster !

The goal behind it is to really help the karts behind to catch the gap with the first ones, without having something overpowered, or just copy/pasted from another game.
The two first points in my idea are, I think, pretty obvious.
The third point is probably less, but I do think it is also important. So why ? The issue which happens often when just giving speed boosts to these in bad positions is that they go even more easily off-track, and so lose even more time... (that's also why here the proposed boost is moderate) When the player has some difficulties already, it is expected ; as for the AI well it happens too from what I seen. Rescuing is a process which is not too loong, lasting only 2 seconds. However, when you already losed all your speed, some position, this adds up. So a kind of "express rescue" which would last ~1 second less would be interesting. The fact it is thunderbird which rescue the player would be a small funny bonus.

Note that this suggestion doesn't take account of eventual feasibility issues which may be discussed, it just aims to help in adding that "last" item which is kinda lacking.
Discussion to improve the concept are obviously totally welcome.

[Totoplus62]

I had this kind of idea some time ago --> viewtopic.php?f=18&t=4504&p=46332&hilit=mexican#p46332

The object you're talking about could be a kind of battery (?) --> viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3774&p=44228&hilit=battery#p44228

[Alayan]

Coucou Toto. ^^

I remember having seen your idea at that time. The one I just posted and the one you linked definitely share the same core intent (an effective item which add protection and some speed to help the karts behind, with an interesting background). The details differs somehow but that's not surprising. ^^

The object I'm talking about here could be a kind of battery, but I hesited with a kind of magnet also.

[Totoplus62]

The object I'm talking about here could be a kind of battery, but I hesited with a kind of magnet also.

Hey I really really like the idea of a magnet !:
The hand that handle the swatter could handle the magnet and the grey part of that magnet is oriented to the next player.

So it justifies the acceleration of your kart and if you are the first you don't have this acceleration.

Then we could imagine that the magnet create a magnetic field that protect the kart (An "electric bubble" that can't be destroyed).
A good point is that this weapon doesn't already exist in a karting game.
So your solution of the magnet is the best until now.

[samuncle]

I think we should have something not "harmful" for other players. Like something that helps people to drive or reduce the likelihood of going outside. Similar to the star in mk but without pushing everyone outside your path.

Currently there is already a shield with the bubble gum. The auto pilot is something brand new.

[Totoplus62]

The magnet idea is not harmful for the other players.
Then it could be a flattened magnetical-electrical cylinder around the kart instead of a bubble for the "Magnetic field".

The auto-pilot like bill ball in MK implies to be harmful for the other players.


OR

The weapon could be thunderbird itself, and act like the bill ball without making damage.

[samuncle]

as I said, you can do an autopilot who isn't harmful to other players
That was in my post, making an autopilot doesn't implies necesseraly to be harmful to other.

I like the idea of autopilot because it's new and we don't have it.
We have already a shield, a personal defense equipment, a boost

[Alayan]

Mmm, while similar to the bubble shield, and to the zipper (because they have both characteristics needed here, protection & speed boost), that's still different. The shield effect will be slightly different, the boost effect totally different (the pretty powerful but short boost from zipper favors too much going off-road ; it's also pretty bad to help accelerating) ; & the thunderbird thing for rescue is brand new.

As for the auto-pilot, I'm not really in favor of it. It makes sense only when the speed boost is enormous, like with bill ball in MK ; otherwise... I guess the autopilot would be still associated with a speed boost of a kind. If that boost is really important, then when collisions happen (and they'll happen) it may or boost the kart hitted, or harm him. The autopilot is also purely oriented for a human player which has difficulties to not go offroad, since AI is already autopiloted.
Thus said, I don't know if there is another way to still help the player (or AI kart) to not go outside the road. If I suggested a fast rescue by thunderbird and a moderate boost engine (which would notably impact acceleration, less max speed), that's exactly because of that risk going outside the road.

[Totoplus62]

as I said, you can do an autopilot who isn't harmful to other players
That was in my post, making an autopilot doesn't implies necesseraly to be harmful to other.

Yep, sorry

We have already a shield, a personal defense equipment, a boost

That's not enough for STK, the bubble is currently the only one weapon that can really protect you.

Let's compare with MK to see which weapon can really act as a shield:
-The star
-The 3 red shells
-The 3 green shells
- Bill ball
-The super mushroom (that make you be bigger)

The magnet is still a good idea

I know two games with a weapon that have the same characteristics Alayan and I described for the current magnet idea i.e. the "Star" of Mario kart that doesn't permit you to hurt the other players:
Walt Disney Magical racing tour
This weapon protect you during ~7/10 sec and make you be faster (with a "stars out of exhaust pipe" effect)


Mickey Speedway Usa
This weapon protect you during ~7/10 sec and make you be faster (this is a multicolour bubble)


(I'm also in favor of an autopilot thunderbird that doesn't harm the other players)

[Anon]

All this talk of magnets reminds me of the hidden magnet item in earlier versions of the game .

If there's going to be an autopilot item, I think it would be best if it didn't take control of the kart away completely. STK is an interactive game after all, and it might be frustrating to players near first to see someone else win solely based off of luck.

Maybe it could open an overlay showing what the ideal steering would be at any given time (what the AI would do if it were in charge), or only take over when the player's about to fall off the track. Or maybe it could make it so that the kart's steering is the average of what the AI would do and what the player is doing. Anyway, there's probably a good way for player to get a boost to help them catch up without getting a completely free ride to the top.

The model could be a Google Self Driving Car-esque scanner that pops out from the back of the kart like the swatter.

[samuncle]

My idea was an autopilot of course you should have some interactivity otherwise it's boring.

The effect is similar to the current zipper with motion blur. You have on the ground a visualization of the "ideal" path (AFAIK we have already a way to visualize the skidding best path).

It don't harm the player, you are like a ghost for other. It bring you to a better position that's all what it does.

[Totoplus62]

My idea was an autopilot of course you should have some interactivity otherwise it's boring.

The effect is similar to the current zipper with motion blur. You have on the ground a visualization of the "ideal" path (AFAIK we have already a way to visualize the skidding best path).

It don't harm the player, you are like a ghost for other. It bring you to a better position that's all what it does.

If i understand the item should be a kind of ... ghost ?
If it is an autopilot the visualization of the ideal path is useless right ?

It could be a good idea but I don't know what kind of item it could be, a "Ghost Potion"? Is it really consistent with the other items ?
What do you think about the Magnet Idea ?

I just had another idea 5 minutes ago: the emergency light
It justifies the acceleration, the protection against the other players and it could be an autopilot.
Moreover this is a unique item, it doesn't exist in other karting games, the effect could exploit the new graphic engine and we can find a funny sound effect.

[samuncle]

I like the idea of an emergency light for the boost + autopilot and we don't need thunderbird and it can be done with the new engine light system.

What's the idea of the magnet. I don't know its purpose in the old stk games .

But yeah the emergency light is cool + it's not used in kart games

[Alayan]

The idea of the magnet is the one in this topic.
Small engine boost (acceleration & max speed) + protection (+ faster rescue)

[Totoplus62]

This emergency light could be the arm that handle the swatter with this light instead of the hand.
Between the magnet and the light i prefer the light because we immediately understand the weapon and the effect could be funnier than the magnet imho.

[Totoplus62]

A first little concept for an icon i did 15 minutes ago.
If this item is created in the future i will re-create the icon properly.