Suggestions/Thoughts on the Bleeder
Flygon
Hoenn, Pokéworld Join Date: 2014-09-25 Member: 198713Members
Hoenn, Pokéworld Join Date: 2014-09-25 Member: 198713Members
So it looks like, based on the Trello, you're finally back around to working on this unique critter... Wonderful! I've been excitedly waiting for it to be largely completed. I just had a few thoughts and suggestions about it.
A few things seem a bit awkward to me, particularly: the fact that as of yet, it seems like if one ever attaches to you, it will always be on the exact same place, and the fact that there can only be one at a time. The 'red flashing' of the screen every time that one deals damage seems aesthetically to take away from its actual charm. So I'd like to give a few suggestions about this to try to improve their interaction with you.
Given the fact that it has been mentioned that it's planned to have them attack and latch onto multiple different creatures, but that defining attach points isn't the difficult part about it, I couldn't help but wonder if you could define multiple attach points on yourself, as in not just the left arm. Doing so would make it more random as to how a single one might 'attack', and also seem more realistic as it could allow more than one to attach at once. After all, if you've been toying with leeches for instance, they're not going to always attach one at a time and in only a single location. You would, of course, have to be able to look at various parts of yourself, though I can't help but wonder why you're unable to do that already.
I would also like to suggest that you should only feel pain, and thus the red flash or however you want to represent pain, when a Bleeder first attaches, as opposed to continually or incrementally. You can explain it through a typical anasthetic that many bloodsucking creatures emit in order to not be too obvious to their host... They wouldn't want you to take action to get rid of them. That said, you'd still take damage over time, though the rate could be significantly decreased if there can be more attached at once and they would likely stay longer individually.
On a side note, is there, or is there planned to be, a way to show just how much damage you've taken, and/or where it hurts? It just often feels somewhat odd to have no clue how healthy you actually are, then suddenly find the scene change as you appear back at the pod...
Anyway, just thought I'd give a couple of cents. Love the game so far, by the way! I still think it has a great deal of potential!
A few things seem a bit awkward to me, particularly: the fact that as of yet, it seems like if one ever attaches to you, it will always be on the exact same place, and the fact that there can only be one at a time. The 'red flashing' of the screen every time that one deals damage seems aesthetically to take away from its actual charm. So I'd like to give a few suggestions about this to try to improve their interaction with you.
Given the fact that it has been mentioned that it's planned to have them attack and latch onto multiple different creatures, but that defining attach points isn't the difficult part about it, I couldn't help but wonder if you could define multiple attach points on yourself, as in not just the left arm. Doing so would make it more random as to how a single one might 'attack', and also seem more realistic as it could allow more than one to attach at once. After all, if you've been toying with leeches for instance, they're not going to always attach one at a time and in only a single location. You would, of course, have to be able to look at various parts of yourself, though I can't help but wonder why you're unable to do that already.
I would also like to suggest that you should only feel pain, and thus the red flash or however you want to represent pain, when a Bleeder first attaches, as opposed to continually or incrementally. You can explain it through a typical anasthetic that many bloodsucking creatures emit in order to not be too obvious to their host... They wouldn't want you to take action to get rid of them. That said, you'd still take damage over time, though the rate could be significantly decreased if there can be more attached at once and they would likely stay longer individually.
On a side note, is there, or is there planned to be, a way to show just how much damage you've taken, and/or where it hurts? It just often feels somewhat odd to have no clue how healthy you actually are, then suddenly find the scene change as you appear back at the pod...
Anyway, just thought I'd give a couple of cents. Love the game so far, by the way! I still think it has a great deal of potential!
Comments
--It takes a fair amount of extra time to specifically pose and animate the bleeder to fit different body parts
--If the Bleeder attaches to your leg, or some spot that is out of your view, it can be confusing to the player what is happening if they can't easily see what is attacking them
--But most importantly, getting the Bleeder off you is much easier to implement when its right in your view on your left arm, and you can use your right arm to attack it with your fist or a tool. Having it in that one location means we can make sure you can always reach it, as opposed to if its attached to your leg, and we don't have to create a lot of different attack animations. And if it attaches to your right arm, then you can't use a tool on it. So, when we remove the most problem areas of the body as possible attach points then it doesn't leave many options, and we might as well keep it to just the one location. When we have so much content and so many features left that we still need to implement, there are very practical concerns that we need to think about, and it generally is good to try and keep things simpler so that we don't find ourselves spending too much time on just one creature at the cost of the rest of the game.
The red flashing screen is stand in, and it annoys me, as well. I'm hoping we can implement a different way to convey you are taking damage, without using that current effect.