Ideas dumping grounds thread?

[clairebun]

So, I'm not sure what you guys think of this, but allow me to clarify what this topic actually is.

We have a suggestions thread for people who want to request features or balance tweaks in the main game. We have a general projects thread for people who want to show progress on modifications they're working on. What we don't have is an ideas thread for people who want to exchange and improve on ideas for potential game mods.

A lot of people start working on a sprite or a level or a lua script, and it gets shot down immediately because it's conceptually bad. These people don't go on IRC, and there's nowhere to discuss beforehand whether they should start it or not. So they spend time and (probably) effort into deadweight projects only for it to get rejected right off the bat. We need less of that, and more discussion on what would be a worthwhile time-sink.

What I want to try and promote is a discussion on serious and feasible mod ideas that could positively change gameplay/aesthetics/whatever for the better. I know this is a controversial topic to start, because someone somewhere in this community will want to turn this into a panhandling "make my fancharacter" sort of thing, which has already been more or less happening in other editing topics. I don't know how exactly to stop that, but maybe one certain topic guideline would help steer the discussion in the right direction: Try to think of what other people might want to play, and not just what you would want to play. Any thoughts?

 

[TheDoctor]

I agree with this. The great thing about all of us here, we all have potential of having great ideas, and some bad. A topic in which one can discuss these ideas with others is a perfect idea, and I yet wonder why it is not yet formed.

 

[Sapheros]

Because there is a good chance the Mods shot this topic down as well, and I wouldn't be surprised, because there are people that make really bad concepts and art (like me), hence SkyBase's better purpose of dumping it there.

 

[TelosTurntable]

Because there is a good chance the Mods shot this topic down as well, and I wouldn't be surprised, because there are people that make really bad concepts and art (like me), hence SkyBase's better purpose of dumping it there.

...That's a terrible point. You essentially just said that because people here don't take shit, you should take it to the skybase instead.
... please don't.
Okay, that's said. I wanna be the first (or one of the first) to post my idea.
So. I was making this match map. But before I do anything more to it, here's the basic Idea.
There are seven parts, or "Layers".
You spawn in one of the layers, each boasting completely unique environments.
And, they all have different weapons you can get. The thing is, the weapons you can get in one area are set up to be almost useless there. But all seven layers are connected by an eight layer. To get to the "Eight layer", you have to find a teleporter in the area you are currently in. At the last few minutes of the match, the eight layer turns into a full fledged battle arena, with all the different gimmicks and hazards, and everyone is teleported there.
... How does this sound?

 

[Inazuma]

Because there is a good chance the Mods shot this topic down as well, and I wouldn't be surprised, because there are people that make really bad concepts and art (like me), hence SkyBase's better purpose of dumping it there.

Skybase is not good. Lmao. It's literally the league of losers.

 

[TelosTurntable]

Skybase is not good. Lmao. It's literally the league of losers.

Wow so true :V

 

[Pixel-Voxel]

Phil, that's actually a really good idea... well, I don't really like Match mode, so I'm not the best person to give criticism. I just don't think an FPS works for a game as fast as Sonic.

So apparently Skybase is where all the rejected files go (if the creator still wants to upload it)... ugh. if your file was rejected, it either needed work or was against the rules. If it was a sprite rip or music wad or something, I can understand putting it on Skybase. But if it's something that would fit under the rules if given work, then it probably needed work. I'm sure the judges reject files in a fair fashion.

Anyway, I had an idea for a character, but it wouldn't really fit in the SRB2 gameplay, mainly because the idea is supposed to be for its own game. The character (unnamed) would be really fast and jump very high at the start and you'd collect rings and defeat enemies to fill up a meter. Once filled, the character increases in size, slowing it down and making it heavier in exchange for the ability to destroy certain enemies on contact and immunity to some (but not all) hazards. You'd have a discharge ability which only works when the meter is filled and sends out a screen-nuke and sends you back to small size.

Like I said, this idea is supposed to be for a game, but I thought it could work as a character wad. Also, no this is not a "make for me pls" post. I just don't have the right PC for any of this right now.

 

[TelosTurntable]

Phil, that's actually a really good idea... well, I don't really like Match mode, so I'm not the best person to give criticism. I just don't think an FPS works for a game as fast as Sonic.

So apparently Skybase is where all the rejected files go (if the creator still wants to upload it)... ugh. if your file was rejected, it either needed work or was against the rules. If it was a sprite rip or music wad or something, I can understand putting it on Skybase. But if it's something that would fit under the rules if given work, then it probably needed work. I'm sure the judges reject files in a fair fashion.

Anyway, I had an idea for a character, but it wouldn't really fit in the SRB2 gameplay, mainly because the idea is supposed to be for its own game. The character (unnamed) would be really fast and jump very high at the start and you'd collect rings and defeat enemies to fill up a meter. Once filled, the character increases in size, slowing it down and making it heavier in exchange for the ability to destroy certain enemies on contact and immunity to some (but not all) hazards. You'd have a discharge ability which only works when the meter is filled and sends out a screen-nuke and sends you back to small size.

Like I said, this idea is supposed to be for a game, but I thought it could work as a character wad. Also, no this is not a "make for me pls" post. I just don't have the right PC for any of this right now.

Hm, sounds somewhat simple. Could be nice practice for Lua.
Still nice though :P

 

[Blackhex]

Please, really? Skybase is where the rejected files go? I don't even know if Espio can be rejected. I ported him, posted into submissions on the Skybase recently, and... It was moved onto releases. So yeah, *snip*
Spam aside, just...
That 'unnamed' character seems to be a good idea. But,what if he can't get past some zones because he already filled the meter you are talking about? Because being giant, it can't pass so simpler zones like GFZ. (brak eggman, anyone?)

 

[Boinciel]

Instead of basic level and character ideas (omg a srb2 stage based on star light zone CAN YOU IMAGINE!!!), I think that this kind of thread would need to focus more on ideas for gimmicks, level design, graphical techniques, and scripting to be considered worthwhile. Demo WADs would be very worthwhile. With that said, here's a gimmick that I came up with ages ago in 1.09.4:

Wall spikes made with midtextures. These are created by use of a texture for the side of the spike perpendicular to a midtexture for the base of the spike and a transparent spikes flat as a flat FOF. Neo made a couple of improvements to the test WAD I had rigged up, and created a demo WAD of it: 1.09.4 ONLY. With transparent flats it's now possible to have multiple spikes be strung along a single semitransparent FOF, and the new texture system makes it much easier to implement this kind of thing in your levels. Feel free to use it, give credit to Neo if he wants it.

 

[Joosp]

Anybody remember this feline from very early on in the general project thread?

Mari the Totally Awesome Pirate and Not Hinote At All!

I'll port her over someday and continue working on her once Jasper gets cleaned up. I was thinking about extra abilities/features she could have considering Jasper got to shoot stars and use the Spark Burst with the power of Lua.

• Feint
  Double jumping allows Mari to perform a quick midair dash similar to a teleport. Accompanied with a sword slice sound and a puff of smoke, this can easily catch players in Match off-guard since Mari simply disappears from sight. It may or may not allow her to teleport on top of edges if she's close enough to one.
  
  
• Quick Step
  Double tapping the foward, backward, left strafe or right strafe key will make Mari hastily perform a hopping dash in that direction. Very effective for going fast and being a general ninja.
  

When Mari spins, she will recoil off walls as if she were bouncy and will cause damage to players (ow that sword!). However, if you remain spinning for too long Mari will become dizzy and won't be able to move for awhile.

 

[Metal Blake]

I actually have a match stage idea I would like some constructive criticism on, the idea somewhat derived from Sonic CD.

First off, there would be four main parts of the map, corresponding to Past, Present, Good Future, and Bad future.
Everyone would spawn in the present, with the present being the basic stage with some gimmicks. For example's sake, we will be using a WWZ type level. It would have conveyor belts, bouncy floors, and feel like a typical match stage, with moderate risk, moderate reward. Then, through somewhat "hidden" areas in the map. the player could teleport to the past, good future, or bad future.
The past would then be like an early version of the area, pretty barren, and probably more suited for speedier characters. And example here, a lot with some construction equipment, as if you are there as the factory is being built. It would also be moderate risk, moderate reward.
The good future would be more similar to the present, but with more of the gimmicks, maybe a little more suited to strategic and/or slower moving players, and would have low risk/low reward. And example here would be a bustling factory, with very little ways to get hurt or die except to other players, with small rewards like Super Ring monitors or a some basic shields scattered about.
And finally, the bad future would be similar to the good future, but show some decay, be much more treacherous, and have more spikes, death pits, etc. This area would be high risk, high reward. The example here, death pits, spikes, bouncy floors that lead into spikes, speedy conveyor belts leading into the abyss, and attraction shields, force shields, and infinity rings/rail rings scattered about (rail rings found only in bad future to decrease the odds of people getting them since most people hate them).

Anyway, that would be my idea. I actually put not that much thought into it, but I would like to find ways to improve this concept... and learn how to map well, so I can create a map like this.

 

[Pixel-Voxel]

But,what if he can't get past some zones because he already filled the meter you are talking about? Because being giant, it can't pass so simpler zones like GFZ. (brak eggman, anyone?)

The discharge ability I mentioned serves for that purpose alone. I was more thinking along the lines of being unable to beat ERZ3 because of a lack of speed.

Also, Jasper, that's a nice idea for a character. That also explains how the quick step from the modern games would be put in SRB2... heh. I always wondered how a sword based character would operate in this game. At least you didn't follow the wiki and turn the spindash into a melee attack... I mean, no one wants a replica of all that sliding around on tiny platforms in Sonic Heroes, but jeez...

 

[Blackhex]

Jasper, that actually sound pretty neat and fun! Just like Espio. I love her. How I can't think of an ability?! ;_;
Anyway, when she's complete, can you please share some of her LUA for Espio? Pleeeeeaaase :3

 

[Larz T]

Jasper, that actually sound pretty neat and fun! Just like Espio. I love her. How I can't think of an ability?! ;_;
Anyway, when she's complete, can you please share some of her LUA for Espio? Pleeeeeaaase :3

Jasper's a dude. Also could you stop advertising. It's stated in Rule #5 not to advertise outside of signatures. I'm not saying this to be a faggot and rat you out, I'm saying this because it's getting annoying.

 

[Inazuma]

You even have the audacity to link your stolen shit. What is wrong with you. There is no way I'm going to quote your message.

You aren't even allowed to port Espio anyways. You need permission from the creator of Espio in order to do that. Not only did you port it without permission and virtually claimed it as yours, you disrespected the creator of that file by submitting it to skybase. I mean, yeah, the MB would had rejected you for stolen content but turning to skybase is a low blow man. That's not cool.

 

[Blackhex]

Well, sorry all, but who was the creator of Espio? I mean, yeah, I was wrong, but I didn't know who created the Espio char in the 2.0 era. So, sorry all of you.

 

[Inazuma]

Well, sorry all, but who was the creator of Espio? I mean, yeah, I was wrong, but I didn't know who created the Espio char in the 2.0 era. So, sorry all of you.

See that's the thing. you don't even fucking know who made the wad. I'd be pretty pissed off if someone took my creations, resubmitted it on some random website, claiming it as their own, and saying crap like "lol credits to whoever did the original lol." You're literally shitting on the author's legacy.

And for the record, that Espio was created way before 2.0

 

[Sapheros]

I actually have a match stage idea I would like some constructive criticism on, the idea somewhat derived from Sonic CD.

First off, there would be four main parts of the map, corresponding to Past, Present, Good Future, and Bad future.
Everyone would spawn in the present, with the present being the basic stage with some gimmicks. For example's sake, we will be using a WWZ type level. It would have conveyor belts, bouncy floors, and feel like a typical match stage, with moderate risk, moderate reward. Then, through somewhat "hidden" areas in the map. the player could teleport to the past, good future, or bad future.
The past would then be like an early version of the area, pretty barren, and probably more suited for speedier characters. And example here, a lot with some construction equipment, as if you are there as the factory is being built. It would also be moderate risk, moderate reward.
The good future would be more similar to the present, but with more of the gimmicks, maybe a little more suited to strategic and/or slower moving players, and would have low risk/low reward. And example here would be a bustling factory, with very little ways to get hurt or die except to other players, with small rewards like Super Ring monitors or a some basic shields scattered about.
And finally, the bad future would be similar to the good future, but show some decay, be much more treacherous, and have more spikes, death pits, etc. This area would be high risk, high reward. The example here, death pits, spikes, bouncy floors that lead into spikes, speedy conveyor belts leading into the abyss, and attraction shields, force shields, and infinity rings/rail rings scattered about (rail rings found only in bad future to decrease the odds of people getting them since most people hate them).

Anyway, that would be my idea. I actually put not that much thought into it, but I would like to find ways to improve this concept... and learn how to map well, so I can create a map like this.

That sounds a little too complicated, but i DO like the "spawn in one area, go to another" I was thinking of making it a Stadium like sense, similar to Mario Kart Wii's Funky Stadium and Chain Chomp Wheel, where you start in a small room, and then you teleport to the stadium.

Because of Death match spawning, each room will also come with it's own Ring panel, a random monitor, and 10 rings. Rail Ring, Explosion Ring, and Scatter Ring rooms will have strong monitors, while automatic ring, bouncy ring, and grenade ring rooms get the weak, one room will have the infinity ring.
The Center is a ring-less, large stadium, to duke it out with the item you have. Ring monitors will be in only four parts of the stadium, and only spawn ring monitors.

And that's it. I don't think many of you would like that idea, but it sounds interesting at most...

 

[Pixel-Voxel]

That sounds a little too complicated, but i DO like the "spawn in one area, go to another" I was thinking of making it a Stadium like sense, similar to Mario Kart Wii's Funky Stadium and Chain Chomp Wheel, where you start in a small room, and then you teleport to the stadium.

Because of Death match spawning, each room will also come with it's own Ring panel, a random monitor, and 10 rings. Rail Ring, Explosion Ring, and Scatter Ring rooms will have strong monitors, while automatic ring, bouncy ring, and grenade ring rooms get the weak, one room will have the infinity ring.
The Center is a ring-less, large stadium, to duke it out with the item you have. Ring monitors will be in only four parts of the stadium, and only spawn ring monitors.

And that's it. I don't think many of you would like that idea, but it sounds interesting at most...

That sounds like the only Match arena I'd have fun in, if only because it sounds properly balanced. One of my biggest complaints with Match is that it's hard to get started. Everyone you go up against most likely has a massive amount of rings stocked up and you're scavenging for the leftovers just so you can use the basic shot.