Spikeball

[DeadFishGuy]

Appearance: Large sphere with diameter about the width of a square. Has numerous metal spikes evenly spaced across its surface. The spikes are a metallic sivery colour, while the sphere itself is your team's colour.

The spikeball counts as a contraption, in the sense that it needn't be destroyed for victory to occur.

It has no stats, and is indestructible, like the trophy unit. However, it does something very unique.

When struck, it rolls in the direction it was hit until it collides with something. (Could be a unit, or the edge of the arena.)

If it collides with a unit, the unit is attacked with the power of the unit that hit the spikeball, and is unblockable. For example, if a knight hit the ball, and the ball hit a pyromancer, it would do 22 damage. If an assassin hit it, it would do 18 damage. Armour applies.

EDIT: If it collides with the edge of the arena it will bounce back 2 spaces, to keep it in play.

The ball will not move if hit with an unblockable attack.



What do you think? And do you have a better name for it?

[Walrus]

quite interesting. what i want to know is does it have any movement besides being hit?


and just one thing. what if:

X X X X X
X A S B X
X X X X X

A= Beast Rider
S= Spikeball

If beasty attacks the spikeball and unit B, 2 things :

a) how much damage is done to unit B
b) if unit B blocked beasties attack, it would be doing no damage, so in theory the spikeball wouldnt be doing damage either, as it is based on the beasties damage


interesting concept though. one last thing

assuming the ball can only roll in the 4 basic directions
what happens if a scout hits it from a diagonal position?
or could it move in any direction?

[T3km4n]

About the scout part, I'm guessing it would work the same way as blocking, in which there are different sections where you hit back, side, and front.

[Walrus]

i guessed that, but it might be cool if it continued in the exact direction the arrow was going for some advanced LOS skills :)

and how wud u know which way its facing?

[T3km4n]

It doesn't face any way...it is a ball.

[Walrus]

so how would the blocking regions work.


S X X X X
X X X X X
X X O ? ? 1
X X ? X X
X X ? X X
2

S = scout
O = Ball
Which way does it go? eh? eh? to 1 or 2?

[T3km4n]

1

[Walrus]

why? if the ball has no facing then both 1 and 2 could be considered front or side.

[T3km4n]

I would just make it so that the ball is always facing upwards. That way, you never get lost like, what way did I hit it last time or any of that stuff. It is just always facing up. Also, if it has bigger areas to hit from the side, then it would be harder to just bash into the middle.

[Walrus]

personally, just make it so it travels in any direction. it could use the same LOS as the scout to decide if it hits a unit or not

[DeadFishGuy]

Originally posted by Walrus
and just one thing. what if:

X X X X X
X A S B X
X X X X X

A= Beast Rider
S= Spikeball

If beasty attacks the spikeball and unit B, 2 things :

a) how much damage is done to unit B
b) if unit B blocked beasties attack, it would be doing no damage, so in theory the spikeball wouldnt be doing damage either, as it is based on the beasties damage

It's based on power, not damage if you see what I mean.

Assuming unit B has no armour it would receive 19 damage from the ball, and a further 19 damage from the beast rider, if it isn't blocked.

This effectively give the BR a damage potential of 38. Quite deadly, if you can set it up right.





As for the scout thing, it would probably be able to move d8iagonally, since it has no face direction. However, an attack like this:


SB: Spikeball - - Sc: Scout

-- -- -- 1- -- --
-- -- -- ^- -- --
-- -- -- ^- -- --
-- -- -- ^- -- --
-- -- -- SB -- --
-- -- -- -- -- --
-- -- -- -- Sc --


would cause it to roll upwards through the ^'s to point 1.

[Walrus]

ok and what about the scout?


also, that spellbreaker quote is lame, find a cooler one. the gyrocopter has a couple of gooduns

[Agent Smith]

I like this idea alot. It would have to be worked on a bit, but I think it's really cool. I could almost see a TAO hockey tournament with this thing lol

[kensai]

If the spike ball ever hits the edge of the map it can't be removed from that edge. If it hits a corner space, it's stuck there.

Perhaps it could bounce back one space when it hits an edge?

Also, limit playing ball to blockable attacks? Otherwise, where willl it go if a Lightning Ward zaps it, or a Pyro burns it? Of course, it could perhaps carry a charge or get very hot..

I reckon it can be paralysed (but not effectively) and barriered (but there's no point as it can't be damaged).

Why does it need to be indestructible? Very hard to destroy should suffice?

[Agent Smith]

Unless it was changed, the original post said only blockable attacks make it move.

Indestructable, because you have to hit it just to make it work, so having it die eventually just because its being used would be annoying, like having a unit take damage just for attacking.

And bouncing back a space from walls is a good idea.

My question is, can both sides use this unit? I'de think so, but it's not my unit so I dunno :P

[Office_Shredder]

This is actually a very creative unit idea... kudos:)

For the scout: the only problems arise on 45 degree angle shots obviously, so you could make it so that if it gets hit on a 45 degree angle it moves diagonally... or make it so that the ball doesn't move at all.

Can this hit wards also?

[zzzaacckk]

i think that if it is unblockable it can hit wards even if they arent focused. it cannot hit something that is bwd tho.

[Office_Shredder]

normally unblockable attacks hit wards, but I was just confirming that this gives knights and scouts a chance to fight back against lightning wards

[max2k106]

Originally posted by kensai
If the spike ball ever hits the edge of the map it can't be removed from that edge. If it hits a corner space, it's stuck there.

Perhaps it could bounce back one space when it hits an edge?

Also, limit playing ball to blockable attacks? Otherwise, where willl it go if a Lightning Ward zaps it, or a Pyro burns it? Of course, it could perhaps carry a charge or get very hot..

I reckon it can be paralysed (but not effectively) and barriered (but there's no point as it can't be damaged).

Why does it need to be indestructible? Very hard to destroy should suffice?

thats what the scout is for, if its in a corner, get a scout behind it and shoot it

[kensai]

Even scouts can't shoot arrows from outside the arena.

If the spike ball ends up where many like to put their cleric, a backrow corner, no scout shot can make it move again. A similar position on the map's side allows a shot that moves the spike ball along the edge line, but there's no way to move the spike ball back to the center of the field. Having the spike ball bounce back one space when it hits a map edge keeps the ball in play.

[DeadFishGuy]

Originally posted by kensai
Having the spike ball bounce back one space when it hits a map edge keeps the ball in play.

Nice idea. I added it, but I made it 2 spaces. It would be hard to get behind it if it was just the one.

[Walrus]

could u do bounce-shots with a scout diagonal then? hehe



and can we comment on some other unit than this and "TAO 2"

[DeadFishGuy]

Originally posted by Walrus
could u do bounce-shots with a scout diagonal then? hehe

There's an idea. There is the problem of if a unit is in the space(s) it's supposed to bounce to. (This problem does not apply to horizontal or vertical rebounding because the spikeball goes through those spaces anyway.) The unit would probably take the hit from the spikeball and the ball would go to the previous square.

Wow. This unit is turning out to be more useful than I first though.

[Walrus]

you could make it so, if applicable, it knocked the unit in the direction the ball is travelling.

[DeadFishGuy]

Hmmm, not too sure about that one.

Pushing units in a direction would be a totally different unit from what this is.

I made something to that effect once.

Search for "Wind Golem".

[Serge]

DFG's original idea for this unit owned, once he added the suggestions that were made, it pwned. :cool:

[zzzaacckk]

in addition why would you use this unit in your setup it is even handed for both players unless only you can use ur spike ball.

[DeadFishGuy]

Originally posted by zzzaacckk
in addition why would you use this unit in your setup it is even handed for both players unless only you can use ur spike ball.

Well, if you use it skilfully, you can hit it in such a way that the opponent can't just use it to hit back at you.

Originally posted by Serge
DFG's original idea for this unit owned, once he added the suggestions that were made, it pwned. :cool:

Thanks!:)

I actually think this is my best idea for a unit ever.

[Walrus]

youve nearly made enough to merit your own compilation thread :D

[Asmodeus]

Well I like it. But I don't completely understand it though.

[DeadFishGuy]

Originally posted by Asmodeus
Well I like it. But I don't completely understand it though.

Then my work is complete.