Jonas wrote:That looks damn cool, especially the knockback force makes the weapon seem substantially more powerful. What more work does it need?
Rather a lot in regards to decapitation. Knockback force is done aside from the testing phase.
I'm probably going to scrap the head decapitation. It is a lot of work, a lot of character models, and the hacky method I was using was not ideal...but nor is re-doing all the character models, animations and skins just for this functionality.
I can do it, but it is a hell of a lot of work just for head decapitation (let alone the arms/legs) so it is a matter of priorities, I'm sure you understand. Shame really, as it is indeed damn cool. Knockback force will remain though for high caliber weaponry.
The only way decapitation will happen is if the workload can be divided or a better method for it's implementation can be cooked up, which is unlikely.
Perhaps I'll change my mind and take it on, I'm a determined lunatic like that.
rdaneel wrote:
I continue to think a lot about demolitions skill and I continue to be dissatisfied with it in terms of it not being on par with the other weapons skills. I want demolitions to be viable as a "primary" weapons skill in the same way as the other four, not so much as a "penalty" for not having it, but it being really useful in its own right. So I had a brainstorm. Suppose on Demolitions Master the player gains the ability to break open TNT crates and get the individual sticks of TNT inside. It seems like you could re-texture the flare pretty easily to serve this purpose. Each stick of TNT would be like a small grenade - smaller than a LAM, maybe similar to 20HE. Breaking open the TNT crates would be the only way to access this ammunition. This would allow grenades to become a viable "primary" weapon as a complete path through Deus Ex, as Pistol, Rifle, Heavy, and Melee already are. (And it would also sort of thematically explain why there are so many crates of TNT laying around everywhere?) Skill level advancement costs would have to be adjusted accordingly.
The problem with adding more explosives to the game is that they are an extremely useful multi-purpose tool. Blow open locked doors, blow up cameras, turrets, alarm units, robots & NPCs, they have the capability to blow up multiple targets also. Too many explosives will throw the RPG systems/general game balance off.
I agree that there should be more grenade types. I tried to make spiderbot grenades, but without artists I am often limited in what I can do. However, since I am now also using image editing software for the new gore I may now have the skills to make new textures for grenades, but then it would just be an obvious re-skin of the other grenade types, and I try to avoid obvious re-skins.
I do appreciate your suggestions nonetheless and I'll hit you up when the next version is ready for testing, if you are interested.