We all know we can place blocks in the background, and on the plane in which our characters move. What does everyone think about being able to place blocks in the foreground of the game? I think it would be beneficial in the following ways: Adds more depth to the scenery in game Could allow for more player created secret passageways However I think it could negatively effect game play if the planet generator places a large amount of blocks in the foreground and if foreground object could not be differentiated from the other two layers. If both of those things are avoided in the design process, foreground blocks could be an interesting addition to the game.
I think it's a great idea. Leave it out of world generation though except maybe for small sections of encounter areas (labs, villages, etc). Edit: Secret passages would be cool, but also it'd let you hide your wiring
Seems far, far too confusing and hard to implement for a system that's just going to get into the way. At the very least Background blocks allow you to place things on them and the like.
I think it's a solid idea. And I can't see how it would be confusing, you either have blocks in the third layer or you don't. The great thing about features like this one is that if you can't figure it out you don't have to use it, it lends extra utility for creative players but doesn't effect the game for people that are easily confused. A simple 'hold <bound key> to place/mine blocks in the foreground' would suffice for function. Maybe a key toggle or option to disable viewing of the foreground layer (granted that would defeat you secret passage idea)
Easy - once you walk behind the foreground blocks, all of them become transparent. Just like in Yoshi's Island, or probably thousands of other platformers. It seems like not too many people here have played very many games.
Ha i really doubt thousands have this. It would definitely work but it would be hard to tell real blocks from foreground blocks
Super Mario World is the first 2D platformer that I can remember seeing this mechanic in - there may have been others before it - and it was made in 1990. Is it that hard to believe that there hasn't been thousands of other platformers made in the past 24 years that incorporate a similar mechanic, especially considering that the precedents are as well-known and -loved as Super Mario? You'd be able to tell them from real blocks because they'd be transparent when you walk behind them. Edit: BTW it'll make PVP more interesting if you can hide traps. Someone thinks they're going to walk into your base and murder you in your sleep, but WHOOPS they fall into a pit of spikes at your front door.
Yes but if they were randomly generated in worlds and you were mining what is to stop you accidentally falling 20 blocks through the foreground. As for the games i can only think of 10 or so. I guess it would make pvp interesting though
If you read the initial post I addressed all of the issues that have been brought up already. I myself didn't think of transparency for the foreground and I think that is an ingenious way to eliminate confusion between the layers. Another idea was to have emboldened borders around the foreground blocks while you aren't behind them. That way they could be distinguishable from anywhere around the blocks. (or perhaps brighter blocks comparable to the contrast of the the game plane and the background plane) I did already mention to have minimal foreground blocks in world generation. I would just love something like this in larger PVP servers, and even for decoration purposes in single player.
you could reassign what the middle mouse button currently does (what dies it do anyway? i don't think i've ever had a reason to click it.) to something else and make 'build/demolish foreground' the command assigned to holding the middle mouse button. As 3 button mice (3rd button is usually inside wheel) have become standard on PC. The transparency is a must as the games that do this but forget that step have horrible visibility problems, and would be easy enough in SP, but might be tricky to implement when there's more than one player. also, i distinctly remember mechanic showing up in several 2d metroid, canstlevania, zelda and other similar games.
Well , it could make your house/castle/torture dome much more impressive looking from the outside of it...and they did include the transparency when you go behind it/enter building...it could work... But if they added it in game , and the generator placed to much foreground...even with transparency , it would get highly annoying while exploring . They would have to limit it in the extreme... an occasional building , tree , cave or tunnel would be ok , anymore than that , would be far to much...
Yeah for sure. I'd go so far as to say either leave it out or only place it intelligently in world creation. By that I mean use it only for entities like NPC towns or traps and do not place it randomly in caves etc.
This would be a great idea!, the Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island style invisible foreground when you walk into it would be great! this game is great and games nowadays have enough tech to do stuff like this. I think that clicking on say B or something should toggle between Foreground/Gameplay area/Background placement.
Or, do like yoshi's island and include secret caves that contain a treasure, directly connected to the surface at an angle. Though a foreground block placement feature does seem like something the devs wouldn't exactly put on their to-do list anytime this year.. There's much more important content to discuss/create/suggest.
