Kaed Posted October 22, 2019 Posted October 22, 2019 (edited) I didn't put this in projects because I don't have a PR up yet, but I've already been researching how to do this and will probably have it moved there as soon as this stuff is is more baked up and tested. I'm making this to allow suggestions during development. Making it clear that this is not a 'someone should do this' but rather 'I'm going to be doing this' thread. THE SUMMARY: Cult walls are dumb right now. If you don't have a chaplain, they're basically insurmountable, and beyond that, they offer very limited capabilities - you turn them on or off by clicking on them and chanting, you can hide them, but after that you can't toggle them anymore without revealing them somehow. So I'm going to remove the wall rune entirely and replace it with an Entirely New Mechanic. Ideally, this would be part of a greater rework of cult mechanics in general, but we can do it in pieces too. The wall rune is going to be replaced with a special rune that functions similarly to the tome and armor rune, in that it is expended to conjure an object. This object is an Interdiction Gem/Stone (name a wip) This object has a fixed number of charges, and can be recharged with blood (the cultists or a sacrifices), and three functions that can be toggled between as modes, somewhat like certain guns and machines. It places down special runes that are visually and mechanically distinct from normal runes, i.e. they will not look like the randomly determined squiggles available from other runes or be removable by arcane tomes nor can they be made invisible with a conceal rune, but they can be removed via the Interdiction Stone. They will not count towards the rune limit. They also may have some special interactions with obsidian rods other than just vanishing instantly. They will be placed on adjacent tiles by clicking on them, similar to how a RCD works (which is important, especially for the last). Maybe it can also conceal the runes? Full Interdiction - This works like the current walls. Nothing can pass through this space while the rune is up, including bullets and lasers. It cannot be toggled, it must be taken down entirely if you wish to remove it, and you do not receive a 'blood' refund for doing so. It degrades over time, and eventually 'breaks' after a fixed period of time that I have not determined, but will probably be dependent on various factors like cult pop and how much blood you spend on it. At this point it becomes an inert bloody squiggly on the ground with no magic in it that can be cleaned with anything as normal blood. This rune is expensive to create and should be placed carefully. Use it for direct defense and to forbid passage to all. Faith Interdiction - This rune is the lighter version of a full interdiction. It is cheaper and lasts much longer before 'breaking', and it blocks any living creature that is not a cultist from passing over it. What it does not block is nonliving things, like bullets or lasers. For the purposes of this, synthetics count as 'living'. You must be a cultist to cross over, but you can lob or fire any objects you want over it if you so please. This rune does wear off, but I may also create a device that functions like those shield barriers that projects a field between them when two are active, but acts like a line of permanent emplacable faith interdictions, for when the cultists make their official base. Directional Interdiction - This is the one that I think will create the most amusing situations. Unlike the Faith and Full Interdiction, anyone can pass over these runes, but you can only leave the rune in a specific direction (even if you are a cultist, so remember to leave a path out for yourself or you'll have to dismantle your own runes to escape). Used creatively, this can allow you to force people into a specific path to waste time, make one-way halls, or trap them in a loop of madness that weaves back on itself. You could even just make two runes that point at each other right next to each other, if you're like, an asshole (but keep in mind they'll break out of simple traps like this much faster due to having to tread less ground). This rune is the weakest and cheapest of the three, and I'm thinking it might have a specific number of times it can be stepped on before it degrades and finally wears off. When it's getting close to wearing off, people can push their way out of the interdiction after a delay. Edit: Brainstorm, got another idea - Light Interdiction - This 'wall' blocks nothing but light, serving to restrict vision in a line. It has the special feature that can be placed over other runes, allowing you to make a wall both against vision and passage if you combine it with another rune. It wears off after a while like the rest. Edited October 22, 2019 by Kaed
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