Well of Aldur - things to consider

Discussion in 'Player Test Environment (QA Server) Feedback' started by Rinaldi, Dec 30, 2020.

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  1. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    @Sannio

    First suggestion:
    If you have discovered the location of the south balloon, then I suggest two things happen
    1. The South balloon has the destination options of: Mistrendur and North Balloon of Aldur
    2. The North balloon has the destination options of: Mistrendur and South Balloon of Aldur
    Thus, the ability to transport between the balloons is only possible when both balloon sites have been discovered.
    As it stands now, if I arrive at the north balloon, but want to get to the south balloon without using clusters, I have to exit to mistrender (loading screen #1) and then re-enter Aldur at the south balloon (loading screen #2). It would be far more convenient to have a balloon transport me inside the scene (no loading screens).
    Also, if i enter at the south balloon and have no clusters, i have to either exit the scene and re-enter at the north balloon (again, more loading screens) or just wait until the 2 nodes at the south balloon finally spawn a cluster. It would be better to just take the south balloon to the north balloon.

    Second Suggestion:
    Consider making the lighting/colors more vibrant - The zone has "bleached out" non-vibrant colors and a hazy, drab appearance - see pic below (well of aldur on the left, player owned town on the right). I am not sure if this was intentional (perhaps to augment the "sky/cloud" and "destruction" themes?). Anyhow, I prefer the more vibrant appearance shown on the right side of the pic below. Also, The more vibrant colors would accentuate the awesome lighting effects you have around the clouds.
    [​IMG]

    Third Suggestion:
    Perhaps add some info about falling into the sky (and getting teleported back to where you fell from) in the dialogue of an NPC: e.g. "when you fall into the sky...you will end up 'not falling' " and maybe explain that this is because of aldurite. Adding this dialogue may better clarify why this unique mechanic is occurring.

    Fourth suggestion (this is more of a wishlist item)
    Aldurite is supposed to make things "not fall". Perhaps you would need a cluster or at least 20 fragments to be energetic enough to make the avatar "not fall".
    When you jump off the ground and fall into the sky, it would be cool for this to occur:
    1. If you had insufficient aldurite in your inventory, you fell and when you hit the "teleport altitude" under the zone, you ended up on an airship that "caught" you as you fell from the zone. You could then "take the airship" back the balloon locations that you discovered. In other words, you had no aldurite, so you fell!
    2. If you had sufficient aldurite in your inventory, then when you hit the "teleport altitude" under the zone, it would move you to where you fell from (which is how it works now regardless of the aldurite in your inventory). In this case, you had aldurite, so you did "not fall". So, if you had enough aldurite in your inventory, it would provide the advantage of returning you to location from where you fell. Also, (this may be way too much work), but it would be cool if when you hit the "teleport altitude" under the zone, you floated in reverse, back to where you fell from (as opposed to just appearing there).
     
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2020
    Rinaldi, Dec 30, 2020
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  2. Sannio

    Sannio Lead Quest and Level Designer Moderator SOTA Developer

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    Interesting idea, I'll have to think about it. The intent was easier access into the scene and not cross-scene convenience. Making it easier to cross the scene via balloon diminishes the importance of the floating movers, so I'm not inclined to make this change for that reason.

    Something else that's relevant is that teleporters can either be scene-to-scene teleporters (like the balloons you're talking about) or local point-to-point teleporters. Since we can't mix-and-match, using a balloon to go from north to south would still force a scene-change.

    It's true that activation of a floating mover to proceed "forward" requires a cluster, but proceeding back toward the default entrance does not.

    All floating movers only require a cluster if you're trying to activate the starting switch. The "far side" of the mover has an aldurite "sphere" permanently locked into it, allowing you activate the mover for free if you entered the scene on the far side.

    The primary world building on this scene, including lighting, is done by List Rostov (aka @Vas Corp Por on the forums). He's going for a very unique look and is very specific in his lighting choices. He'd have to be the one to respond to your lighting notes.

    More dialogue is on the way! It's my intent to add a bit more to those NPC conversations. I intended to have statements where they mention the falling-teleport effect, but I haven't added it yet.

    It's an interesting idea, but the invisible teleporter volumes don't have the means to check your inventory. That would require new tech, so it's very unlikely the current teleport method will change.
     
    Sannio, Dec 31, 2020
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  3. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    @Sannio, thanks for taking a look at and commenting on at the suggestions.
    Happy New Year:D
     
    Rinaldi, Dec 31, 2020
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