Shifting Square

[Walrus]

Ok for this one im not sure if a description is required.

Shifting Square (contraption)
Stats
Life : 80
Armor : 40
Blocking : 100 all sides
Movement:10
Recovery : 2
Power : 0
Attack : --
Special : The shifting square is quite literally, a 2x2 shifting square. It is an extra tile of board which can move over already existing ones, however it can also move off the board. Other units may move over it, or remain on it. If a unit is standing on the S.S, it can be transported by it around the arena. This also applies to enemy units. However, the S.S may NOT transport a unit outside of the regular arena borders.
If the S.S is outside the regular arena borders, and a unit goes onto it, the shifting square may not move any further away from the arena until the unit disembarks.

When a unit is on the shifting square, clicking once will activate the unit, clicking twice will activate the S.S.
If a unit is on the S.S and that square is attacked, the target is always the unit on top of the S.S.

[cuckoo]

And what exactly is the point of the "Shifting Square"? It does not attack, it can't barricade a point, it can't transport other units, and they can move over or around it. It has no point other than to move around.
If I had one, why would I use it?

[Walrus]

if an enemy scout just fired and has its back to the edge of the wall to avoid back hits. move the shifting square, and your troops can use it to get round the back and finish it off.

a bit of extra running space for your cleric, chanty or whatever to keep them out of range.

rarely, so you can use the scout trickshot that involves targetting the square behind, so you can shoot a unit next to the edge of the board with that trickshot.


theres probably more things out there, just think any time whatsoever that youve though "why cant the board be 1 square bigger?" thats when you need the S.S

[cuckoo]

So... I'm supposed to sacrifice a precious unit just so I can create a new square that moves?
I see it does have it's uses, but the times when it is useful are rather rare (a couple times a game maybe) and when thay do pop up, there often isnt enough time to put the square in place.

I would suggest giving it the option to transport units. However the units are so heavy that the squares movement is halved (you can transport enemy units too!).

[imagination]

i like cuckoo's version

[Walrus]

i had already thought about allowing it to transport units. initially i was going to include that, then i realised, what if you just move your scout so hes miles out of range of anything but the enemies scout?

and what if you move the square under a barrier ward, and take that way off the arena, when youve just barriered something back on the field? only possible way for the opponent to win is with a scout or paralysis.


as i say, i had already thought of that, but took it out for balancing reasons, as i said in the main post.

[Agent Smith]

Hmm. I like the concept, but... As was already said, thats one unit less that you can use. If it could transport units it'd be overpowered, and as it is, it just isn't worth the extra space. *Maybe* if you made it so that it could move a unit as far as that unit could move naturally, it might be balanced? I haven't really thought about it, that might be broken, or might not be enough to make it worth using.

[Walrus]

i think the best thing would be if it could transport units, BUT, not outside of the regular arena.

yes that sounds OK, ill edit it now
a thing i just thought about, but am unsure of how to deal with, is a frosty or furgon targeting the S.S.
if a unit is on the S.S, and a frosty attacks that square, the unit will be paralysed, but should the S.S still be allowed to transport it? i would think yes, but what if it goes out of frosty range.
if this concept applied, the S.S could be used as a "rescuer" for units being paralysed by a chanty or whatever.
i reckon a furgon shouldnt be allowed to grow shrubs on an S.S

another thing; in your starting form, should you be allowed to place one unit on top of the S.S?
should a scouts LOS be interrupted by the S.S?
and finally, is the S.S barrierable?

[kensai]

A great concept. Here's my €0.02 worth to add to the discussion.. a variant design.

Movable Floor
Contraption
Appearance: 3 x 3 area of the map. When the movable floor moves, the area rises a knee's height above the rest of the map, glides to the new location, and lands softly. There's a pillar at the center of the 3x3, with an arrow on top of it, indicating facing. The pillar can be attacked, barriered, or paralysed just like any other contraption.
HP: 60
Armor: 10
Blocking: 100% on all sides
Movement: 3. (*)
Wait: 3
Power: 24 (unblockable) (**)

(*) The movable floor can't go, or pass through, centers that are on the edge of the map as this would mean that a part of the movable floor is actually off the board. It can't move so that any other contraption would enter or pass through its area of effect. A movable floor can't move so that units on it would enter, or pass through, an occupied space.

When the movable floor moves, all units on it move as well. Changing facing causes the units on the edges of the movable floor to change both location and facing.



Before rotating:
[K][-][S]
[E][F][-]
[-][-][-]
Knight faces north, Scout west, Enchantress east.

Movable floor rotates 90 degrees clockwise:
[-][E][K]
[-][F][-]
[-][-][S]
Knight faces east, Scout north, Enchantress south.

Movable floor rotates 180 degrees instead:
[-][-][-]
[-][F][E]
[S][-][K]
Knight faces south, Scout east, Enchantress west.


(**) If the movable floor rotates but does not move, its spin cycle deals 24 power worth of damage to all units on it.

[Walrus]

thats a very good variant, but most of my questions still need answering (see previous post).

and one other thing, if it glides, does that mean it cant actually move under a unit?

and i reckon there should be a small golden boundary, just so you can remember how big it is.

and i think 24 power is a bit too much, by quite a bit. 12 would be adequate i reckon

[kensai]

Yes, it can glide under a unit.

A golden rim.. yep, I could live with that.

24 power looks like much, but it can only be inflicted by rotating the unit without moving it, plus contraptions impede the movement of the unit drastically, creating areas of the map where it literally can't go. To get to a potential victim it needs to glide there first and then wait. As the unit does not have an attack as such, it would have 3 wait every time it is used, just like any other contraption. Consequently, units on it could step off before its attack can be triggered. This make 12 look rather little. Perhaps 18 would be a good figure.

[kensai]

The earlier questions -

> a thing i just thought about, but am unsure of how to deal > with, is a frosty or furgon targeting the S.S.

Only the center pillar can be affected. A frosty or chanty would freeze the unit if it freezes the pillar. Rock golems would give it extra armour. As for furgon weed... each space with weed is treated as if it had a unit in it. It can rotate (and the spin cycle cleanses the movable floor of weed). Weed spaces can't glide through other weed spaces, or units for that matter. The movable floor can move under furgon weed patches and then move a segment of the jungle to another location.

If the movable floor transports a paralysed unit out of the frosty / chanty range, the paralysis remains. The chanty / frosty can be moved / rotated with a movable floor without breaking the focus.

Yes, putting units on the movable floor is allowed. Only the center pillar counts as an occupied space.

Scout LOS is interrupted by the center pillar, but not the other eight spaces.

Yes, the pillar (the only part that counts as a unit) is barrierable. If the movable floor attacks or moves, the barrier effect is of course lost.

[Walrus]

just whose unit is this

[kensai]

Yet another question? Yours, of course.

Still, since there was a set of questions to ponder, it felt natural to provide a set of answers regarding the variant design.

[Office_Shredder]

I like the original version, and you can barrier it. That's like making a 4 tile wall that your opponent can't get past... definitely worth a unit

[Walrus]

Originally posted by Office_Shredder
I like the original version, and you can barrier it. That's like making a 4 tile wall that your opponent can't get past... definitely worth a unit

that makes me wonder if youve read my "Stone Wall" unit design.

[Office_Shredder]

Nope. Just that a lot of people wish they could barrier empty spaces... well, here's their chance to do so!

[imagination]

i wish you could barrier shrubs at least

[Walrus]

i can just picture the battlefield....


a lone knight battling it out against foes, hes half dead and soon to die. he sees an inpenetrable barrier appear around a nearby bush.

thatd be some funny shit

[Office_Shredder]

I only need to get past that bush to get to freedo..... wtf?

[Walrus]

i was thinking more along the lines that instead of saving the injured knight, the bush is protected instead. but yours works too...

[DeathWish]

I dunno about this it seems kinda complicated..

[imagination]

its a square ... that moves ... complicated?

[DeathWish]

yes, does it count as 1 move to move the squaer to your unit? does it count as one move to load him on the square? does it count as a move to move him to a different spot?

[imagination]

deathwish has some good questions ... i walk over and stand behind him

[Walrus]

yes * 3

[Office_Shredder]

guys, this isn't some mystical magical piece of crap the defies all convention and takes multiple turns to move or something.... it still has to follow all the rules like normal units

[imagination]

Originally posted by Office_Shredder
guys, this isn't some mystical magical piece of crap the defies all convention and takes multiple turns to move or something.... it still has to follow all the rules like normal units
its not magical!?!?!?!?!?! noooooooooooooooo