[DISC][PLAYER] Grenader - size and shape of destruction?

[namida]

It is now, but of course that's still up for debate if the Grenader gets accepted. I, for one, will strongly push for the Grenader to be given a circular crater.

This is something I hadn't given much thought to yet. I know there's a lot of debate around the size of the mask, but I hadn't thought much about the shape.

[Proxima]

Okay, I'll give my reasons.

Firstly, it would be an interesting difference between the two craters. In Lix, the imploder and exploder ("fling bomber") have different-shaped craters, the former resembling a Lemmings bomber and the latter circular, and this has meant designers sometimes have a bit more flexibility when one or the other shape would be preferable. Of course, the grenader and bomber are much more different from each other, so the designer won't have that luxury of choice, but it's still nice to have these little distinctions so that skills aren't just blindly copying each other, similarly to how the miner and fencer tunnels are distinct.

Secondly, it makes sense. Lemmings explode with an irregular crater, taller than wide, because the lemming himself is irregular and taller than wide. The grenade is a small circle.

[IchoTolot]

I would be open for this and as Proxima said two different craters could help bring in some differences between bomber and grenader.

Secondly, it makes sense. Lemmings explode with an irregular crater, taller than wide, because the lemming himself is irregular and taller than wide. The grenade is a small circle.

This is a good reason for it.

[WillLem]

+1 for a circular crater.

Size-wise, I think it's great that the crater is currently quite large, but I agree that it doesn't make sense when the Bomber's crater is comparitively small.

Maybe if the Grenadier were renamed to Superbomber, and the projectile that they are throwing is clearly something very powerful, then the larger crater would be justified. We could even invent something NeoLemmix-exclusive for this purpose; just a thought

[namida]

I should be clear - I don't object to either reducing the size or altering the shape; I'm quite open to both. The lack of much input in the OP is more just because this was a "oh, I've spotted a good point, let's quickly create a topic before the issue gets either forgotten, or completely takes over the general topic".

Cosmetic concerns aren't really a huge factor at this point. I'm more worried about the physics, we can decide exactly what the lemming throws / fires later. However, as one suggestion if we keep the large crater, perhaps the lemming is throwing a Davy Crockett... (This would also mean we could call the skill the "Daver", which would be highly amusing to outsiders.)

[Strato Incendus]

You need something that is in flavour with causing more damage than a bomb? ^^ Take your pick!

[WillLem]

However, as one suggestion if we keep the large crater, perhaps the lemming is throwing a Davy Crockett... (This would also mean we could call the skill the "Daver", which would be highly amusing to outsiders.)

Nice!

You need something that is in flavour with causing more damage than a bomb? ^^ Take your pick!

Haha! We've been here already!

I still think the explosive balls of light are a good idea!

But yeah, to keep the topic on-point: circular crater, perhaps only a tiny bit smaller than it is now (but not very much).

[Strato Incendus]

We could also have them throw boomas, those big explosive blue balls from Star Wars: Episode I... ^^

But if we think of the Davy Crockett, maybe the good old L2 term "Mortar" is also still in the race?

[namida]

But if we think of the Davy Crockett, maybe the good old L2 term "Mortar" is also still in the race?

It's probably best to stick to names ending in "er". We at one point had a skill that did not fit this pattern, the "Mechanic".

Spoiler

It still exists; it's just called a "Disarmer" now.

[Proxima]

While true, it not ending in "-er" wasn't the reason for changing it; it was confusing because we sometimes talk about "game mechanics" (although the term "physics" has become more prominent).

I was a proponent of "Grenadier" at first, since that is the correct real-world term for those who throw grenades, but now that we've been playing with the skill for a while, I've gotten more used to "Grenader" and I'd be happy for that term to stay.

[Strato Incendus]

Yeah, I was already confused by the L2 skill "Bazooker" (instead of Bazooka, like the weapon itself). Probably Worms had some influence on that again, too.

[IchoTolot]

It was mentioned in another topic that a circular crater doesn't make a shimmier-friendly ceiling unfriendly anymore.

Wasn't that the original intention of the Grenader anyway? I remember the "dent the ceiling to stop Shimmiers" discussion. A "dent" to me sounds like a Bomber's crater at max.

But with the circular crater we actually have the other option as a result: The grenader has then the possibility to make a shimmier-unfriendly ceiling friendly!

[Strato Incendus]

Mmh, interesting application. Might create some overlap with the Laserer, although the Laserer inevitably leads the Shimmier up to a higher level, whereas the Grenader could help a Shimmier continue along the same ceiling. I like making Shimmiers go through even more than I enjoy doing that with Miners, so of course, I approve!

If we wanted a crater that remains Shimmier-unfriendly, though, but still regular in shape, it could either be "2 pixels up, 2 pixels wide, then 2 pixel up again" and so forth, or the same with"2 pixels up, 1 pixel wide". That would still provide a regular shape of the crater (which would also still be a little larger than that of a Bomber) without removing the "stop a Shimmier" application.

And of course, if the ceiling is thin enough for the explosion to break all the way through it, throwing a grenade against it would still cause the Shimmier to stop.

[namida]

It was mentioned in another topic that a circular crater doesn't make a shimmier-friendly ceiling unfriendly anymore.

That entirely depends on the size of the circle (and exact construction of it).

[namida]

For the next update (same stuff as in the Laserer topic applies re: this not being final + old behavior not being ruled out etc), I will be making the Grenader mask circular (existing width, reduced height, symmetrical on both axes). This will be the only change to the Grenader for this update.