next »

[Laremere]

I'm loving the fan art 

I really like JLJac's idea for how health could work.  I would say about 60% would work best.


Also, on a note of music, how are we going to do it?  I have an uncle that plays Native American flutes, but I currently have very little ability to record anything, and I don't know if he'd be up to doing it, and I don't even know if I'd be able to meet up with him anyways.  So right now it is a far fetched might, but I guess we should discuss what were going to do with music before I talk to him about the possibility.

[Danrul]

Maybe we could combine both ideas for the buffalo rider.  WE have the rider, who controls the buffalo, and someone behind the rider, who could leap off at any time, but from the back of the buffalo, lay down some attacks.  That opens up the potential for using the buffalo in a tactical sense.  Throw a war drummer on teh back, who starts pounding out some buffs, while being protected by the buffalo.  OR a cultivator, who can start dropping plants down further out in teh battlefield, simply because it can get the in a faster safer way.

EDIT: OF course, i forgot, tha'd require an entire redesign or the buffalo itself.

[michael]

godsavant very good points about the buffalo as a vehicle

jljac i think i like that health idea aswell

salade i thought his concept pertained to multiple matches spanning over multiple maps. i still want to have some overarching aspect, but we'll have to figure out the maps and game modes before we work that out.

the buffalo rider the more i thought about it, the more i realized that i still really wanted him in the game. so maybe there can just also be a couple buffalos in the plains that people can ride with limited capabilities.

music that would be awesome if you could get your uncle to play something. i have  native american flute as well. i want to have a tempo system so that war drummers will play in beat with the soundtrack.

cosmic fool it would be very awesome if someone could hop in the back, we should definitely have that!

fucking awesome art guys!

[godsavant]

 

Wow, this is really good. I love the faded, earthy colors and rough lines, it gives it a more tribal feel, like it was painted on animal skins. Using berries.

[Danrul]

IF the buffalo was a vehicle, and anyone could jump on, that could be troublesome, as it could just turn into racing for the buffalo, and then having it be a constant battle for using the buffalo. 

Instead, we could set it up that buffalo can be ridden by anyone, but, the buffalo will be harder to control.  You won't have access to the higher level moves that an actual buffalo rider has (ie the already suggested bucking, rear kick, headbutt), and you can't ride as fast as the actual buffalo rider.  Also, maybe allowing only one person on a riderless buffalo could dissaude people from relying on them too far.  This way, everyone can get around faster, but you leave yourself exposed when things get hairy.  Sort of like the mongoose in halo 3.  You can zip around the map, but when you stop, both people are completely exposed.

Sorta meandering around with this idea aren't I.  Its just my primary concern that the buffalo would just end up being abused.

Other Ideas:  Buffalo rider being able to hang onto the belly of the buffalo, so that if they are riding through long grass, they can remain unseen and appear to be just another buffalo on the plains.

Stampeding buffaloes.  Enough said.

[JLJac]

Daniel, I like that idea. Give everybody access to the buffalo, but boost it when a buffalo rider is on it. What if others could be knocked off the buffalo but the rider couldn't?

[Moth]

Idea: if any class can ride buffalo in addition to the dedicated riders, the riders could knock any non-rider class (friend or foe) off of their buffalo, stealing it. It would make non-rider class characters be wary of going into enemy territory on buffalo.

It also keeps people from hogging a buffalo when they have an ally rider that needs one more than they do.

[isaac]

On buffaloes:

Instead of restricting buffaloes to certain classes, you could use the map design to restrict their use. Make buffaloes unable to jump, and spawn them only in flat chokepoints that are surrounded by cliffs that the other characters can easily jump up, but the buffalo would have to be left behind.

[Danrul]

 I'm thinking that maybe the buffalo rider shouldn't spawn with a buffalo, but instead, at the base, theres like 1 or 2 buffalo in a pen, meaning that it adds an immediate limit to having people bust out all buffaloes a blazing, while allowing the possibility of mutliple riders if they can get to the plains buffalo quick enough.

Another reason for spawning the rider not attached to their buffalo is that it stops there being a ridiculous amount of buffalo on map, and allowing it to be limited to an extent.

ALso, i had a thought that maybe if teh buffalo rider was going well and playing well and earning a lot of points, they could access different creatures, like just as an example, a bear or something, though this is historically innacurate to say the least. 

[godsavant]

ALso, i had a thought that maybe if teh buffalo rider was going well and playing well and earning a lot of points, they could access different creatures, like just as an example, a bear or something, though this is historically innacurate to say the least. 

I dunno, I’ve heard from Anthony Gallegos that Kodiak bears are some of the most rideable animals on earth,

[Valter]

I think the riders should spawn on top of a buffalo. There could be a lenient cap on max buffalo riders, though, which would prevent spamming. Say, 5 buffalos allowed on each side at any time? That should work.

[Danrul]

What if there were 2 buffalo at the base at the start, but the buffalo riders could herd the plains back to camp. 

Though, this is more of a balancing issue, and we should ofcus on more gameplay oriented things.

[Valter]

I think that in certain areas (like the forest), scouts should be able to create "shortcuts" that teleport units to certain points. That way you could set up flanking maneuvers and prevent what could boil down to a game of attrition. Shortcuts would basically work as low-distance teleporters.

[michael]

issac thats ace

buffalo rider i think the buffalo rider should start on his buffalo and i dont think that he should be able to fall off. i think having a limit on the number of them based on total players will prevent spamming. there can still be a couple free to use buffalos on each side. im really hesitant to take the buffalo rider off the buffalo, i think we're over complicating it. i think it should be ok that the baffalo has limited movement. most hwgs in tf2 just go straight across the bridge in 2fort.

teleports i think the idea of some little teleporter is a good idea too. but i would give it to the cultivator. the plant would have a big mouth that would swallow you and pop you out the other end.

[JLJac]

The idea that a scout finds a shortcut is a bit more realistic, isn't it?

[Valter]

Yes, but Michael's suggestion is better for balance. ALL stationary objects like healers, teleporters, and buffs, and traps should all go to the cultivator. If any other class gets cultivator abilities, it sort of defeats the usefulness of the cultivator itself.

It should be the cultivator's job to build pens for buffalos. Maybe they could pen up bears or other animals for riding too? Riding jaguars would be sweet. Remember, this game doesn't have to be super realistic.

[michael]

Remember, this game doesn't have to be super realistic.

good point!

either the cultivator builds a pen, or the buffalo rider tames wild animals, which follow him around, and team members can just hop on them. except the hawk maybe. maybe not 

[salade]

The idea of an animal master sounds more apealling than a buffalo only man for levels like the snowy level and levels that are too small, or don't have enough flat ground.
for levels that are huge, there could be stationary pens at bases and the animal riders could spawn there with a buffalo (spawning already mounted would make sense to prevent camping from players looking for a free buffalo). then the player can choose to ride out on the buffalo, or get off and go on foot.

An idea I had is that there is limited buffalo per map. some buffaloes could only be ridden by certain teams, and some are wild. Spawning buffalo riders would only spawn on buffaloes if there was one available in the pen. buffaloes with no rider would start getting mad leading up to a stampede unless A) someone from that buffaloe's team mounts it B) another buffalo rider from either team tames it, causing it to switch to that player's team, or C) it is an area where it can graze, like where wild buffalo start, or a pen. buffalo riders could also tame other teams buffalo, even if a player is on it, as long as that player is not a buffalo rider, making them the primary riders for buffalo. they should also get some sort of special buffalo attack.

Stampeding buffalo do what you'd think they would, but not to members of their own team. however at the end of a stampede that buffalo could become wild.

my long idea about the buffalo/animal class. use it, refuse it, mix and match it, modify it, whatever, just thought i'd write it down.

also music should primarly showcase drumming.

[Xion]

I like the idea of a general "rider" class.

Maybe you could make it so they have to have an animal nearby to switch to, though, and can't run around on foot, or so that when they're on foot they do practically no damage and die really easily (but maybe have a "charm" ability to bring potential steeds nearer so they don't have to look all over the place). Otherwise I think such a class would be overpowered.

[Lord Tim]

I kind of like the "jump on the back" idea of the buffalo. Only, like someone said earlier, it'd be more of a transport than super-offensive. The buffalo rider would always be on his buffalo, and teammates can jump on the back and use their abilities. The rider would position his teammate for the best strategy. Maybe he only has a few strong attacks, but is really only good against stationary things like a shaman totem or cultivator plants.