Post by MacPhlurry on Nov 30, 2017 0:28:04 GMT -5
This is being made in response to the 2.2 "camera controls" recently uploaded on RobTop's channel.
The video can be found here
This is just a random list of ideas that i had for the game, as well as a brief explanation for each (if needed). Note: Many of the ideas that i am listing here are likely already suggested, but i don't feel like reading threads for 900000 years to make sure they are all original. That said: The list is as follows.
Song Search Bar
I am fairly certain that everybody in the community is sick and tired of spending an eternity scrolling through their list of songs to find the one they want to use, so allow me to propose a solution: A simple search bar that searches the songs by title. This would require no complicated algorithms, could likely be implemented easily, and would be much more convenient than the current situation. Additionally, it would be nice to see some additional info for the songs (such as actual length in minutes as opposed to file size) included within the interface. also, filters perhaps?
Improved "Create Lines" System
The create lines system is severely underused, despite its potential to be a very useful tool. This is probably due to how annoying it can be when used. It requires human input to create a line, meaning that if the line is to be accurate, the player must try multiple times to get all of the inputs to be timed correctly. If even one is inaccurate, the player must delete all the lines and start over. This is very unforgiving, and causes what would otherwise be a very useful tool to be a useless, redundant, or even obsolete feature. My proposal: Add an interface that allows the player to add, remove, or drag and drop lines, as well as scrub through the song to ensure it is in the perfect position. Another possible addition is for the program to automatically recognize beats within the song, and set it to every 1, 2, 4 beats, et cetera. This would probably allow the create lines system to see much more use, and would surely help with gameplay syncing, especially in the case of triggers.
Layer Trigger
Judging by its nature, this one has already been suggested many times, but i'll document it anyways. This "Layer Trigger" would allow for objects to be moved up and down through the Z layers (B4-T3). It would likely create the potential for some interesting and unique effects, and would probably not be terribly difficult to implement
Gradual Speed Change
This is one that is far less likely to have been suggested before. The idea of it is to create a trigger, that, when the player comes into contact with it, gradually accelerates from the current speed to the speed specified, over a period of time also specified by the player. This would allow for some good sync to the music, especially for the buildup of a drop. I think that this would definitely be a very good addition to the game, and would surely help the community to produce some even more stunning gameplay than today's (without having to spam every speed trigger in a row lol).
Scale Trigger
Just kidding, i'm not even gonna go there
Layout Outline
I'm uncertain that this implementation would actually fit into the game well, but here it is: The "Layout Outline trigger" (for lack of a better name). The purpose of this feature would be to allow players to build a layout, and then have the editor display an outline of the objects in the background. This would make it far easier to build structures in the deco stage, without having to deal with the pre-existing blocks. How would it be done? Simple. Make an editor layer below the "ALL" layer that is only for these objects. Make sure that it appears darker and more pronounced than the other layers, and have it easily toggled on/off, as well as it only being visible within the editor, meaning that it will be invisible when actually playing the level.
In-Game Forum
Like the former, i am unsure how this would fit into the current game. Either way, i'll document it. The idea of this one is to create an in game forum of sorts, to promote Creator Contests, Megacollabs and more. I realize that this has the potential to be quite toxic, so i'll propose this: Only enable moderators to make posts, whereas everyone can comment or reply to it. This would reduce the potential for frivolous posts, while still allowing anybody to speak their mind. I feel like this could be good, even though it could potentially make this very forum obsolete (lol).
Remade Official Levels
I am fairly certain that everyone here knows that this game's population is dwindling at best. The game is now a shadow of its former self. It used to be a chart-topper, and now it remains relatively unknown. How can this be fixed? It will take a lot more than what this suggestion offers, but It would still go a long way towards making the game prosper once again. The official levels are the first thing that any player will play. The majority of the official levels have little to no decoration, and do not even compare to some of today's masterpieces. If these are made to look better, it would likely "hook" new players, and give them a reason to stick around, while also providing some replayability for veteran players.
The following few are not additions, so much as complaints and criticisms about bugs, glitches, and things that perturb me within the game.
The Spike Slope Things
These objects have been a part of the game for a very long time, but as of 2.1, rob did something that causes these to occasionally act as platforms that the ship will just bounce off of. I am aware that changing the game's mechanics may break the game in many instances, but this would likely not cause that to happen, and is just annoying. A video is included below this paragraph to show what I am talking about.
The Damn Slopes (and slope glow)
This one is likely a lot more obvious, but it is still very important. RobTop (as most creators will probably know) changed the slopes in 2.1, reducing or even eliminating the need for those little "corner block" objects. While this surely makes today's levels far less object intensive and laggy, it comes with some drawbacks: As shown in the picture below, the slopes and slope glow are very broken, and in a lot of instances, can create pieces that stick out, and create ugly imperfections within the level. There are ways to get around this, but they are a pain. I have a propaosal for how to fix this: Add back the pre-2.1 slopes, but also keep the current ones. This would allow for modularity, and for each to be used where they are most useful/convenient. As for the slope glow, just cut off the other corner, so that both sides angle inwards. The gap can then be filled with the corner glows. Additionally, a "reverse" corner glow for the inside of a slope would also come in handy.
The Editor Physics
Many of you have probably noticed that the physics within the editor are slightly different than the ones in-game. My question is: Why? There have been many occasions in which i tested my layout in the editor, could not pass it, went to normal mode, and it worked just fine. It would be nice if they both had the exact same physics, and worked in unison. This has been an issue since 2.0, or maybe even earlier, and still needs to be fixed.
The Weekly Demons
I know it is a very new feature, and so i do not expect perfection on the first try, however, i have some suggestions for how to improve it (duh, that's why i'm here!). While I really love the idea of the weekly demon feature, and approve of how it gives some levels a replayability factor, i have some quarrels with it: Namely, the rewards that are given. The player generally gets better rewards from opening a singular 5-key chest than they do from the weekly. One would think that, if they put in the effort to beat a demon - albeit a very easy one - in less than a week, they would get a handsome reward for doing so. This is not really the case, however, and this should be changed in my honest opinion. In other words: Make them worthwhile!
Additionally, I believe that this should be used as a platform to promote levels from unnoticed (but good) creators. If this were to be done, it would allow many more deserving players to become well known within the community. By extension, this would likely create a larger following for the game, while giving unnoticed creators the recognition that they deserve.
A Note To Robtop
I realize that you are a busy person. I realize that you likely do not have time to appease every suggestion here, and that this section of the forum probably annoys you beyond belief. I would like you to bear in mind that these are suggestions, not demands or expectations. I do not intend for this to pressure you, to annoy you, or make you look bad. I am merely trying to contribute to a game that I love, as well as making your job easier.
Thanks,
Farsonic
The video can be found here
This is just a random list of ideas that i had for the game, as well as a brief explanation for each (if needed). Note: Many of the ideas that i am listing here are likely already suggested, but i don't feel like reading threads for 900000 years to make sure they are all original. That said: The list is as follows.
Song Search Bar
I am fairly certain that everybody in the community is sick and tired of spending an eternity scrolling through their list of songs to find the one they want to use, so allow me to propose a solution: A simple search bar that searches the songs by title. This would require no complicated algorithms, could likely be implemented easily, and would be much more convenient than the current situation. Additionally, it would be nice to see some additional info for the songs (such as actual length in minutes as opposed to file size) included within the interface. also, filters perhaps?
Improved "Create Lines" System
The create lines system is severely underused, despite its potential to be a very useful tool. This is probably due to how annoying it can be when used. It requires human input to create a line, meaning that if the line is to be accurate, the player must try multiple times to get all of the inputs to be timed correctly. If even one is inaccurate, the player must delete all the lines and start over. This is very unforgiving, and causes what would otherwise be a very useful tool to be a useless, redundant, or even obsolete feature. My proposal: Add an interface that allows the player to add, remove, or drag and drop lines, as well as scrub through the song to ensure it is in the perfect position. Another possible addition is for the program to automatically recognize beats within the song, and set it to every 1, 2, 4 beats, et cetera. This would probably allow the create lines system to see much more use, and would surely help with gameplay syncing, especially in the case of triggers.
Layer Trigger
Judging by its nature, this one has already been suggested many times, but i'll document it anyways. This "Layer Trigger" would allow for objects to be moved up and down through the Z layers (B4-T3). It would likely create the potential for some interesting and unique effects, and would probably not be terribly difficult to implement
Gradual Speed Change
This is one that is far less likely to have been suggested before. The idea of it is to create a trigger, that, when the player comes into contact with it, gradually accelerates from the current speed to the speed specified, over a period of time also specified by the player. This would allow for some good sync to the music, especially for the buildup of a drop. I think that this would definitely be a very good addition to the game, and would surely help the community to produce some even more stunning gameplay than today's (without having to spam every speed trigger in a row lol).
Scale Trigger
Just kidding, i'm not even gonna go there
Layout Outline
I'm uncertain that this implementation would actually fit into the game well, but here it is: The "Layout Outline trigger" (for lack of a better name). The purpose of this feature would be to allow players to build a layout, and then have the editor display an outline of the objects in the background. This would make it far easier to build structures in the deco stage, without having to deal with the pre-existing blocks. How would it be done? Simple. Make an editor layer below the "ALL" layer that is only for these objects. Make sure that it appears darker and more pronounced than the other layers, and have it easily toggled on/off, as well as it only being visible within the editor, meaning that it will be invisible when actually playing the level.
In-Game Forum
Like the former, i am unsure how this would fit into the current game. Either way, i'll document it. The idea of this one is to create an in game forum of sorts, to promote Creator Contests, Megacollabs and more. I realize that this has the potential to be quite toxic, so i'll propose this: Only enable moderators to make posts, whereas everyone can comment or reply to it. This would reduce the potential for frivolous posts, while still allowing anybody to speak their mind. I feel like this could be good, even though it could potentially make this very forum obsolete (lol).
Remade Official Levels
I am fairly certain that everyone here knows that this game's population is dwindling at best. The game is now a shadow of its former self. It used to be a chart-topper, and now it remains relatively unknown. How can this be fixed? It will take a lot more than what this suggestion offers, but It would still go a long way towards making the game prosper once again. The official levels are the first thing that any player will play. The majority of the official levels have little to no decoration, and do not even compare to some of today's masterpieces. If these are made to look better, it would likely "hook" new players, and give them a reason to stick around, while also providing some replayability for veteran players.
The following few are not additions, so much as complaints and criticisms about bugs, glitches, and things that perturb me within the game.
The Spike Slope Things
These objects have been a part of the game for a very long time, but as of 2.1, rob did something that causes these to occasionally act as platforms that the ship will just bounce off of. I am aware that changing the game's mechanics may break the game in many instances, but this would likely not cause that to happen, and is just annoying. A video is included below this paragraph to show what I am talking about.
The Damn Slopes (and slope glow)
This one is likely a lot more obvious, but it is still very important. RobTop (as most creators will probably know) changed the slopes in 2.1, reducing or even eliminating the need for those little "corner block" objects. While this surely makes today's levels far less object intensive and laggy, it comes with some drawbacks: As shown in the picture below, the slopes and slope glow are very broken, and in a lot of instances, can create pieces that stick out, and create ugly imperfections within the level. There are ways to get around this, but they are a pain. I have a propaosal for how to fix this: Add back the pre-2.1 slopes, but also keep the current ones. This would allow for modularity, and for each to be used where they are most useful/convenient. As for the slope glow, just cut off the other corner, so that both sides angle inwards. The gap can then be filled with the corner glows. Additionally, a "reverse" corner glow for the inside of a slope would also come in handy.
The Editor Physics
Many of you have probably noticed that the physics within the editor are slightly different than the ones in-game. My question is: Why? There have been many occasions in which i tested my layout in the editor, could not pass it, went to normal mode, and it worked just fine. It would be nice if they both had the exact same physics, and worked in unison. This has been an issue since 2.0, or maybe even earlier, and still needs to be fixed.
The Weekly Demons
I know it is a very new feature, and so i do not expect perfection on the first try, however, i have some suggestions for how to improve it (duh, that's why i'm here!). While I really love the idea of the weekly demon feature, and approve of how it gives some levels a replayability factor, i have some quarrels with it: Namely, the rewards that are given. The player generally gets better rewards from opening a singular 5-key chest than they do from the weekly. One would think that, if they put in the effort to beat a demon - albeit a very easy one - in less than a week, they would get a handsome reward for doing so. This is not really the case, however, and this should be changed in my honest opinion. In other words: Make them worthwhile!
Additionally, I believe that this should be used as a platform to promote levels from unnoticed (but good) creators. If this were to be done, it would allow many more deserving players to become well known within the community. By extension, this would likely create a larger following for the game, while giving unnoticed creators the recognition that they deserve.
A Note To Robtop
I realize that you are a busy person. I realize that you likely do not have time to appease every suggestion here, and that this section of the forum probably annoys you beyond belief. I would like you to bear in mind that these are suggestions, not demands or expectations. I do not intend for this to pressure you, to annoy you, or make you look bad. I am merely trying to contribute to a game that I love, as well as making your job easier.
Thanks,
Farsonic
