Boss Sentient Ruin

Discussion in 'NPCs and Creatures' started by Caidryn, Jul 29, 2013.

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What do you think of a boss that changes up the usual dynamic of simple hack and slash combat?

  1. I'd be interested to see it.

    40 vote(s)
    97.6%
  2. I think it needs some work.

    1 vote(s)
    2.4%
  3. ...Meh

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  1. Caidryn

    Caidryn Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    [​IMG]

    (Art belongs to Taylor, whom I simply cannot thank enough. Please direct any praise for it his way.)


    TL;DR Version: It's a big golem, which you fly or grapple onto, mine into while dodging beams/exploding blocks and other nasties, then destroy from the inside.

    Description:
    This monster would be a large constructed golem. Ideally large enough that it simply doesn't fit in the screen all at once. Large enough that grappling hooks and methods of flying would be the only real way to fight it. A monster one must employ more than simple stab it until it dies tactics.


    Physiology:
    The Sentient Ruin (working title, of course.) would be a collection of a great many varied blocks itself. Literally built out of them. These blocks should largely be mundane, but a few of them should have special properties, such as exploding when exposed to air after a few seconds, releasing electricity in an arc to other nearby blocks of the same type, or firing block-penetrating projectiles at the adventurer unfortunate and foolish enough to challenge it. At the center of this block monstrosity would be a floating core. For those of you that have played Terarria (Which I presume to be very nearly everyone here.) think of a shadow orb, with HP. The golems should come in many shapes and sizes, no two would be perfectly the same, as the materials they are comprised of should be cobbled together at random. (read: Procedurally generated blocks to make them up, so every bit as random as the landscape.)


    Method of Combatting:
    This is what I'm really proud of here. The blocks themselves would have no real HP. They'd simply be blocks, for all intents and purposes. You mine through them, as is a staple in these sorts of games. The Golem itself is only truly vulnerable at the core, which you must mine your way to if you wish to attack it. All whilst the blocks slowly pick themselves back up off the floor to reform behind you, and you have to deal with the various hazards of being within this creature's body. In many ways, when fighting this monster, a better pick would be more important than a stronger weapon. Picking the best path through, considering the block types in front of you, their hardness, and relative dangers while progressing quickly to keep ahead of the blocks regenerating behind you feels really unique as a boss mechanic.


    Attacks:
    At first I'd thought it should have a lot of mundane attacks, like stomps, grabs, swings, etc. But in the end, I think I prefer it to attack nearly entirely through environmental sources. As in, it doesn't, as a whole, even care that the player is there. It may step on you, or have dangerous blocks exposed close to you, but it isn't out of any sort of spite. Rather, its body is simply a hostile place. In addition to the dangerous block types I suggested to comprise it, it could do things like attempt to crush the player within it's body, open pitfalls to eject unwanted visitors, and release small mechanical mobs sort of like antibodies to try to harm the player.


    Lore:
    The Sentient Ruin is a construct created by a long dead civilization as a tool of war. Though both sides of the war have long since crumbled to dust, forgotten, it continues ever onward, destroying indiscriminately, as it was programmed to do so very long ago. Within it's body are bits and remnants of strange technology from a path untread by modern civilizations, as well as unique minerals and ore not found anywhere else. Though these constructs are incredibly rare to chance upon, some people actively seek them out for the valuable components found within them.


    Optional feature:
    As a combat machine, it is ever evolving, trying to perfect itself as the ultimate weapon. If too much damage is sustained to the core, the blocks it is made from fall away (taking the player with them) only to reform into a new shape with modified abilities. Some sentient ruins have been known to shift their shape several times before finally being destroyed.


    If it met all of those guidelines, I truly believe it would be the type of boss you could only fight in a game like this. Nowhere else. And something about that makes me really happy.

    Please Vote Here! Either direction is fine of course, I'd just like to avoid ambivalence. Let's work together to make the best game we can make.Thank you, everyone, for hearing me out! I look forward to playing with everyone come release.
     
    Titanium and MrDionysus like this.
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    SuggestionsBot Autonomous Posting Device

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  3. Chompy

    Chompy Cosmic Narwhal

    Sounds pretty awesome to me. I have to admit I am a fan of large enemies that can't be simply fought in a normal manner.
    I feel like the optional feature would have to be necessary, or at least something similar to prevent the player(s) from killing it too quickly.
    I can't really think of anything else useful to add, you've covered a lot of good ideas. If there are larger ones, perhaps they could have multiple cores adding to the difficulty of the fight.
     
    PabloM likes this.
  4. Caidryn

    Caidryn Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    Thank you very much for the feedback. ^^ Suggestions and the like are very appreciated, should anyone think up anything interesting to add.
     
  5. Taylor

    Taylor Pangalactic Porcupine

    I really liked your idea.... and I'm not a great artist but...
    GiantBlockMan.png
     
    Titanium, Asqwel, wubnut1 and 2 others like this.
  6. Caidryn

    Caidryn Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    You, sir, are awesome. Thank you so very much for the picture! May I have your permission to include it in the first post, fully credited to you, of course? People will be more likely to read the wall of text if there's a picture to go with it.
     
    Taylor likes this.
  7. darkqueen

    darkqueen Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    Like the idea but pls don't have its week point his hands
     
  8. Taylor

    Taylor Pangalactic Porcupine

    Ye have permission
     
  9. Caidryn

    Caidryn Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    Nah, Clearly you should have to throw bombs in his mouth. Kidding, of course, but really, that's not an issue. As stated prior, the only weakness would need to be mined to.
     
  10. Caidryn

    Caidryn Scruffy Nerf-Herder


    Thank you very much, I've updated the first post now.
     
  11. Nerva

    Nerva Parsec Taste Tester

    I really love this idea. I'd imagine it would be a pain in the nads to program, but this would probably be the most unique and innovative boss design I've seen in a block-building sandbox game.

    One thing I'd like to recommend is the ability to use things like explosives or mining to 'cripple' the Sentient Ruin. For instance - someone with enough explosives might be able to mine their way entirely through its shins, cutting the foot off from the rest of the creature and toppling it. I like the idea of it being only semi-hostile - like it's not entirely aware of your presence and most of the 'attacks' from from dangerous blocks, automated sources, or other occupants of the Sentient Ruins' body. It should, however, attempt a direct attack on you if you're exposed to the outside of its body and and it's aware that you're the one attempting to harm it. The more you hurt it, the more intent it should be on ejecting you from its body so that it can squish you.

    One thing I'd suggest is that the loot from killing it should include large quantities of otherwise rare blocks of various kinds, and its core. It's shiny, and huge, and makes a nice souvenir. Perhaps, using the core, you could make your own sentient block-built golems, which could be operated like vehicles. Maybe you could even rig up a 'mobile home' of sorts!
     
    PabloM likes this.
  12. OzzytheFist

    OzzytheFist Big Damn Hero

    I really like this, and with some tweaking, I think this would easily be the best idea for a boss in a 2D game to date. It heralds lightly to Shadow of the Colossus.
     
    PabloM likes this.
  13. Caidryn

    Caidryn Scruffy Nerf-Herder


    Thank you very much for the suggestions. I was thinking a bit of the same myself, but was having a hard time trying to pin it all down into words properly. In the drops, it might be nice if you could get some of it's defense blocks to put on your home, with friendly programming to you. Something like sentry lasers on your home to shoot at enemies that get near. (Likely need to make bosses immune to those types of weapons though, to avoid abuse when making boss arenas.)

    I'm always grateful for feedback. Input from others helps make a much more interesting experience for those who play it, which benefits everyone in the end. ^^
    Thank you very much. I saw a lot of threads talking about wanting large bosses and the like, which was part of what sparked this idea for me. I wanted to think up a boss that you could only do in this setting, but capture some small amount of the essence of fighting collosi. Glad to know I didn't totally miss the mark.
     
    PabloM likes this.
  14. Nightly

    Nightly Cosmic Narwhal

    Seems real neato. Hope it works out for ya.
     
  15. laughinstok

    laughinstok Zero Gravity Genie

    This would be so awesome...
     
  16. Cramdawg

    Cramdawg Sandwich Man

    Seems awesome, and you could really do a lot with variations depending on biome and the random generation. If you think about it, it's almost like a living mini-dungeon!
     
    K00L likes this.
  17. Pseudoboss

    Pseudoboss Spaceman Spiff

    I like this idea, having an enemy made out of blocks, it's sorta like an undersized version of my interpretation of the devourer of worlds thread. I'd like to see an environment that starts out fairly passive, seeming like an interesting ruin to explore, but as you mine and injure it, it gets steadily more active, trying to shut you out, then if you persist, it will attempt to kill you by changing corridors while you're not looking, creating devious traps, sending monsters after you, crushing you, et cetera.
    In my DnD campaign, I have a region called the Labyrinth that does something similar, the enviornment keeps shifting when you're not looking, and the PCs have to get out (or in).
     
  18. Titanium

    Titanium Existential Complex

    What if you could fight one of these in a giant mech as a last resort like they were the Kaiju in Pacific Rim?

    Anyway, I'm in love with this idea.

     
  19. Enbon

    Enbon Void-Bound Voyager

    Sh
    I was thinking of that too when i first saw the picture.
     
  20. Creepy_Slime

    Creepy_Slime Void-Bound Voyager

    OH MY GOD
    this is probably the best boss idea around! the idea of a massive creature that fights using the elements you have been trying to survive against the entire game! i have a suggestion, when it dies it could maybe create a chest with the blocks it uses to create itself and you could build a base with em!
     

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