Brainstorming : bonuses and weapons

[Kinsu]

Funto suggested STK could feature more bonus items (this is not a priority, but brainstorming does not cost a lot ).

what about a remote control? For (say) 5 seconds you can't steer your own kart which will just go straight or be controlled by the AI, but you control the first kart? Or perhaps switch two players, i.e. those players would drive the kart of an opponent for a limited time?

I've noticed that when I was first I often got bubble gums, and when I was last it is more zippers. Zippers are cool to get back in the race, but bubble gums are maybe a little boring in the end. I think if a new object has to be added, it should be one that is useful for the first kart (as temporary invincibility to avoid anchors, or maybe an object that enable the player to do something on other karts in exchange for a little nitro or speed...

Do you have ideas about bonuses / weapons that could be added to the game ?

[STKRudy85]

A klaxon which can punch out side opponents

A basic but indispensable invincibility

left right mirrored or up /down

steal the rank/place of the precedent opponent I'm not sure of the rendering of this Idea in game

Growed and decreased will be easy to model and crushed so

Something may be done as drunk driving a camera effect like on cheese ?

[Funto]

Nice and original ideas

About the drunk driving, this would go in the same kind of post process system that could be used for SSAO

Some classics:
- auto-guided missiles
- missile towards the first kart
Actually, it could be interesting to have an auto-guided missile for which we could choose the player we want to hit, with some kind of quick and simple to use menu.
I think this could be really interesting when having multiple players hehe

A small detail I mentionned on IRC was that there should be different images for the plunger, according to the character we are driving.

Maybe characters could also feature special items: for example, it would be cool if Beastie's car could throw flames while Tux's kart could have "ice rays" on the side similar to what was in Rollcage (good old PlayStation 1...).
Here is the idea:


Those are just examples, and the problem with this approach is that is would make it "unfair" for the optional add-ons, which wouldn't have those...but it would give the characters much more personality I think

I really like the idea of hiker to be able to control another player's kart very briefly.

Also, when I played Crash Team Racing (a LOT), the karts could jump a little, and one of the uses of it was to get rid of the bomb attached to the kart. Currently in STK, when such a bomb is attached and we are far from other players (may it be because we are the first one or the last one), we just can't do anything about it and have to wait for our explosion, which is quite frustrating I think. We could hit the jump key a lot, and after sufficient trials, get rid of the bomb.

In CTR, bonus items had 2 "levels": when you got 10 apples (actually Wumpas ), the bonuses you had were more powerful (better accelerator, etc). I'm not sure if this really is worth it however.

+1 for the invincibility.

As hiker mentionned also, what makes the turtles in Mario Kart more fun than the bombs in STK is that they bounce on the walls, but that's more of a level design issue.

[Arthur]

Auto-guided missiles were what STK had before the cake. It made it a tad too easy - the cake is only partially guided and doesn't work on too long distances, which makes it better I think.
As for missile towards the first kart, we kind of get the same effect currently with the anchor - while a missile might be a bit cooler, ultimately the effect is the same.

Also, there is no more jump key in STK, and frankly I don't want it back. :P

[bovineuniversity]

Smokescreen
Oil slick
Caltrops
Laser
Hovering (not sure how this would work exactly, but seems like it would be cool)
Time Machine... everyone else stops for about 3 seconds

BTW, I've just started playing 0.7.1, have been playing the previous version from my distro (Kubuntu 10.10) for a couple of weeks. 0.7.1 simply kicks ass, great improvements. (except for the unlock feature - stupid challenges like the math class one)

[Kinsu]

Currently in STK, when such a bomb is attached and we are far from other players (may it be because we are the first one or the last one), we just can't do anything about it and have to wait for our explosion, which is quite frustrating I think.

If you want to get rid of the bomb you can wait for an anchor (if you are first one will surely appear fast), or reset to get rid of the bomb. I think it adds challenge, and risk to lose the lead of the race ^^

Personal weapons for each kart would be great, but it would require a lot of work...

[Auria]

Smokescreen
Oil slick
Caltrops
Laser
Hovering (not sure how this would work exactly, but seems like it would be cool)
Time Machine... everyone else stops for about 3 seconds

BTW, I've just started playing 0.7.1, have been playing the previous version from my distro (Kubuntu 10.10) for a couple of weeks. 0.7.1 simply kicks ass, great improvements. (except for the unlock feature - stupid challenges like the math class one)

Many good ideas here

And regarding challenges, hopefully for 0.8 we will make this better with career mode; then you could hopefully choose from various difficulty levels

[Kinsu]

Smokescreen

The plunger already has the function of blinding opponents, I think it would be a little redundant ^^

Oil slick
Caltrops

These could be some cool variants to bubblegums !

Time Machine... everyone else stops for about 3 seconds

This is rather like parachutes, except they only work for opponents who are not behind you.

- missile towards the first kart

This is pretty much the same effect than the anchor, no ?

I think it would be good for STK to keep original bonus items, so the game stays not so close to Mario Kart's or Crash Team Racing. Instead of the autoguided missiles I'd rather see something like the remote control (which can also be used being first for a long time, when it gets boring). It would just require to think about how choosing the opponent to control (maybe simply not giving the choice, and automatically taking the nearest kart ?). This item could also require some help messages to warn players they can control other karts, otherwise the first time they will not understand what is happening and could get mad ^^ (though I don't know where nor when the messages could be diplayed)

And regarding challenges, hopefully for 0.8 we will make this better with career mode; then you could hopefully choose from various difficulty levels

How do you plan the career mode will be ? I'm pretty curious

[Auria]

My current plan for career mode would be to replace the current trophy room with an overworld a bit like in SuperTux... but this can still change so take that as a maybe

[bovineuniversity]

Smokescreen

The plunger already has the function of blinding opponents, I think it would be a little redundant ^^

a little.. but smokescreen is only behind you.. and you wouldn't have to aim it (look behind) to fire. And I wouldn't be as completely freaked out as I am when I get hit by a plunger in the face!

Oil slick
Caltrops

These could be some cool variants to bubblegums !

Or something like marbles. I was thinking of something that remains on the screen and can get bumped around.
Caltrops are more Ninja-like than marbles though.

Time Machine... everyone else stops for about 3 seconds

This is rather like parachutes, except they only work for opponents who are not behind you.

Sort of.. but might be a neat effect. And if everyone else was frozen you'd have to avoid them.
I was trying to think of some other things that would impact everyone.. like maybe a camera flash, where the screen flashes bright white then fades back in. Might be realllllllly annoying though.

[bovineuniversity]

I thought of a couple of others:
SpyGoggles - lets you see what's in the presents/bananas
Banana Immunity - you're immune to getting bananas for a while.

[Funto]

Not only are you immune to bananas, but you can also eat them, 'cause you're in monkey mode!

[Auria]

Monkey mode, I love that idea

[Kinsu]

maybe a camera flash, where the screen flashes bright white then fades back in. Might be realllllllly annoying though.

I like the camera flash ! Could be an AOE around you, just blinding opponents for a short time, with a little camera sound... But I think bonus items must not be redundant, as if a player is hit twice with ressembling effects he will get irritated... and weapon diversity is what makes a game rich, so it's worth looking for a lot of different bonus items and make sure they are not a lot similarities between them !

Not only are you immune to bananas, but you can also eat them, 'cause you're in monkey mode!

Fun ! Maybe eating bananas could have a little zipper-like effect (in less powerful), and scale up the kart for a short time ? Eating 5 bananas consecutively could scale up 5 times the kart so it ends up a lot bigger (maybe then, it could have physics adapted to its size and punch out other karts) ?

[Auria]

What about a boxing hand loaded on a spring?

http://i37.tinypic.com/2zgye6q.jpg

[Funto]

Hehe, I like those ideas

Auria, how would you do with the boxing hand, wouldn't it be redundant with the cake and the bowling ball? Maybe it would just push the opponent instead of making him explode? (different effect, he may not be slowed down, and the place in the circuit where to use such an item would need to be chosen carefully while playing )

[Auria]

The boxing glove weapon could be less powerful than cake, in that it only pushes the other kart, so you need to push them carefully if you don't want to help them also it would have a limited range, and if you use the glove against a wall YOU are pushed back.

Just brainstorming

[Kinsu]

The glove is also a fun idea ! But if opponents are only pushed, it means that it would be only efficient if used backwards (or on side opponents, but the cam does not allow to see them and I don't think some other commands must be added). Maybe if it's self aiming on the nearest opponent as the plunger, it would be easier to use... and if used backwards on a wall, it makes the kart accelerate as a small nitro burst... I like items that have several utilities

[schmidt100]

It would be interesting to have a mushroom as anhancement of the banana. So if you drive throughit your screen starst to make strange colure and everything becomes distorted for a few seconds...

[Kinsu]

As the drunk effect we're talking about here ? (the brainstorming even goes beyond its own thread )

[Auria]

The glove is also a fun idea ! But if opponents are only pushed, it means that it would be only efficient if used backwards (or on side opponents, but the cam does not allow to see them and I don't think some other commands must be added). Maybe if it's self aiming on the nearest opponent as the plunger, it would be easier to use... and if used backwards on a wall, it makes the kart accelerate as a small nitro burst... I like items that have several utilities

well no, you could push them off a cliff too

[schmidt100]

@Kinsu
Yes, thats goes a bit in the direction I thought of. But its not colorfull enought and I'm missing some kind of waves what makes you feel sick... If I find a pictuer what I'm thinking of, I'll post it later.

[Kinsu]

well no, you could push them off a cliff too

Ah yes, and even against a wall too... didn't think of it. Gives even more interest to this potential item !

Yes, thats goes a bit in the direction I thought of. But its not colorfull enought and I'm missing some kind of waves what makes you feel sick... If I find a pictuer what I'm thinking of, I'll post it later.

Yes, I think if such an effect is included in STK, we could make the cam move as in the video, but letting colors as they are (or with a cool postproc effect as Funto's ones).

[hiker]

The glove is also a fun idea ! But if opponents are only pushed, it means that it would be only efficient if used backwards (or on side opponents, but the cam does not allow to see them and I don't think some other commands must be added). Maybe if it's self aiming on the nearest opponent as the plunger, it would be easier to use... and if used backwards on a wall, it makes the kart accelerate as a small nitro burst... I like items that have several utilities

well no, you could push them off a cliff too

What about instead of pushing the opponent back, it smashes them, i.e the kart is flattened (easy graphical effect ). As a result, the smashed kart will drive slower, and any collision with another kart would trigger a rescue.

Cheers,
Joerg

[hiker]

maybe a camera flash, where the screen flashes bright white then fades back in. Might be realllllllly annoying though.

I like the camera flash ! Could be an AOE around you, just blinding opponents for a short time, with a little camera sound... But I think bonus items must not be redundant, as if a player is hit twice with ressembling effects he will get irritated... and weapon diversity is what makes a game rich, so it's worth looking for a lot of different bonus items and make sure they are not a lot similarities between them !

I am not entirely convinced of camera flash - it might give you a headache if you play with many karts and are driving in a crowd.

Not only are you immune to bananas, but you can also eat them, 'cause you're in monkey mode!

Fun ! Maybe eating bananas could have a little zipper-like effect (in less powerful), and scale up the kart for a short time ? Eating 5 bananas consecutively could scale up 5 times the kart so it ends up a lot bigger (maybe then, it could have physics adapted to its size and punch out other karts) ?

Sounds good - only problem is that there probably aren't enough bananas to make this worth your while. What about enabling you to collect bananas, and then being able to drop them (i.e. bananas become a kind of collectable).

Cheers,
Joerg