Revival Release Design Document - Revision history

Clonkonaut: /* Solutions */

2019-09-24T07:43:34Z

Solutions

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:43, 24 September 2019
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	One possibility is to have the shovel no longer take out a circle around the clonk but rather chunks of materials in the direction of the cursor. This would result in a similar behaviour than other 2D destructible landscape games, e.g. Terraria. The chunks could either determined freely or refer to a fixed landscape grid.		One possibility is to have the shovel no longer take out a circle around the clonk but rather chunks of materials in the direction of the cursor. This would result in a similar behaviour than other 2D destructible landscape games, e.g. Terraria. The chunks could either determined freely or refer to a fixed landscape grid.
	Either way, the shovel can easily display a preview overlay on the material constantly or as soon as the mouse button is pressed.		Either way, the shovel can easily display a preview overlay on the material constantly or as soon as the mouse button is pressed. This would make the shovel similar to the pickaxe. It should still be faster since digging through earth is an important task in the game.

	Another way is to restrict the shovel again to certain angles around the clonk. When holding the mouse button, the direction would snap to the nearest allowed angle of digging. Building straight tunnel would be easy this way.		Another way is to restrict the shovel again to certain angles around the clonk. When holding the mouse button, the direction would snap to the nearest allowed angle of digging. Building straight tunnel would be easy this way.

Clonkonaut: /* Digging: The weird tunnel */

2019-09-24T07:42:36Z

Digging: The weird tunnel

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:42, 24 September 2019
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	=== Solutions ===		=== Solutions ===

			One possibility is to have the shovel no longer take out a circle around the clonk but rather chunks of materials in the direction of the cursor. This would result in a similar behaviour than other 2D destructible landscape games, e.g. Terraria. The chunks could either determined freely or refer to a fixed landscape grid.
			Either way, the shovel can easily display a preview overlay on the material constantly or as soon as the mouse button is pressed.

			Another way is to restrict the shovel again to certain angles around the clonk. When holding the mouse button, the direction would snap to the nearest allowed angle of digging. Building straight tunnel would be easy this way.

	=== Cross Reference ===		=== Cross Reference ===

Clonkonaut: /* Menus & Keys */

2019-09-22T13:52:14Z

Menus & Keys

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:52, 22 September 2019
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	== Menus & Keys ==		== Menus & Keys ==

			=== The Problem ===

			[https://docs.openclonk.org/en/sdk/script/GUI.html Script GUIs] cannot be controlled via keyboard controls just with the mouse. I don't think this needs further explanation.
			''This part of the game is actually unfinished.''

			Without keyboard controls, it is impossible to play the game with a gamepad, it is impossible to play splitscreen. I don't think this is really acceptable.

			=== Open Points ===

			One of the reasons this was never really finished is that script GUIs are very variable and open in scripting. This makes it hard to come up with a good way of controlling them without a mouse. I would say if there is no better solution to be found, just make the script GUIs less flexible and more restrictive. At least, then we would have controls.

			=== Solutions ===

			Implement a way of controlling the menus with directions keys and a button to confirm a selection.

			=== Cross Reference ===

	-		-

Clonkonaut: /* Player Communication (UX) */

2019-09-22T12:36:56Z

Player Communication (UX)

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:36, 22 September 2019
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	=== Cross Reference ===		=== Cross Reference ===

			-

			== Settings all over the place ==

			-

			== Menus & Keys ==

			-

			== Clonk Controls ==

	-		-

Clonkonaut: /* Every menu looks different?! */

2019-09-22T12:35:23Z

Every menu looks different?!

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:35, 22 September 2019
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	[[File:Clonk Player menu1.jpg]]		[[File:Clonk Player menu1.jpg]]

			[[File:Clonk Player menu2.jpg]]

			[[File:Clonk Player menu3.jpg]]

			The UI throughout the game simply looks different everywhere. Nothing seems to be connected and made to work together. Menus frequently work differently and you have to figure this out time and time again.

	=== Open Points ===		=== Open Points ===

			This task should better not bog down into endless discussion of personal taste. We should rather focus on function than form. The menus should work, look alike and therefore work similar.
			Especially reworking something like the F menu requires touching the engine. This menu clearly is a relic and looks like one. It is also weird that there is a difference between the Esc menu (just exiting the game) and the F menu which looks like an options menu.

	=== Solutions ===		=== Solutions ===

			Go through the many menus that we have and rework them. Do not exclude engine menus like the scenario selection from this process. The developer might see a difference between the ingame scripted menu and the engine ones, a player does not.

	=== Cross Reference ===		=== Cross Reference ===

			-

Clonkonaut: /* Every menu looks different?! */

2019-09-22T12:27:03Z

Every menu looks different?!

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:27, 22 September 2019
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	== Every menu looks different?! ==		== Every menu looks different?! ==

			=== The Problem ===

			This problem is most easily described in pictures:

			[[File:Clonk Player menu1.jpg]]

			=== Open Points ===


			=== Solutions ===


			=== Cross Reference ===

Clonkonaut: /* Player Communication (UX) */

2019-09-22T12:22:12Z

Player Communication (UX)

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:22, 22 September 2019
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	-		-

			== Every menu looks different?! ==

Clonkonaut: /* My clonk is talking to me (status messages) */

2019-09-22T12:21:32Z

My clonk is talking to me (status messages)

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:21, 22 September 2019
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	[[File:Clonk Player talk.jpg]]		[[File:Clonk Player talk.jpg]]

	Objects (often items) in the game sometimes want to communicate a certain message about a certain clonk to the player. The implementation always varies.		Objects (often items) in the game sometimes want to communicate a certain message about a certain clonk to the player. The implementation always varies. There also is no clear decision when a certain item will tell you something and when not. Some things simply stay silent and you have to figure them out for yourself.

			[[File:Clonk Player talk2.jpg]]

	=== Open Points ===		=== Open Points ===

			Clonk -> Player communication should probably be unified. Either the way a clonk shows a message becomes more standardised or we abandon the 'show message above clonk' way at all and create a dedicated HUD interface for displaying messages. This can easily show more messages than what is displayed right now and experienced players could be offered a way to turn off tutorial or basic messages.

	=== Solutions ===		=== Solutions ===

			-

	=== Cross Reference ===		=== Cross Reference ===

	-		-

Clonkonaut: /* Digging: The weird tunnel */

2019-09-15T10:54:58Z

Digging: The weird tunnel

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:54, 15 September 2019
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	[[File:Digging upwards.gif]]		[[File:Digging upwards.gif]]

			The shovel acts fast and merciless. You might appreciate this when going big but it's often annoying when trying get that one spot you want to build on or carry your lorry across right.

	=== Open Points ===		=== Open Points ===

			Giving the player more freedom in digging when compared to previous Clonk games certainly made digging more fun. We could simply decide that this fun outweighs the annoyances. I believe that, while at first it is fun to just dig around like you want, once this effect wears off, you are more likely to get disgruntled that you just cannot really achieve what you want to.

			Secondly, I would fully abstain from changing the shovel into a tool that needs some kind of 'status switching' (like a fast, unprecise state and a precision state). The shovel is the most frequently used tool in the game and should always work smoothly and fast. Having to spend extra thought into 'oh wait, what was my dig setting again?' will be equally annoying over time. If we cannot come up with a way of solving both tasks (being able to excavate big areas relatively fast and being able to fine-tune little edges), we should probably dismiss the problem altogether.

	=== Solutions ===		=== Solutions ===



	=== Cross Reference ===		=== Cross Reference ===

Clonkonaut: /* Digging: The weird tunnel */

2019-09-15T10:40:27Z

Digging: The weird tunnel

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:40, 15 September 2019
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	=== The Problem ===		=== The Problem ===

	Digging		Digging offers a similar freedom than using loam. It faces similar problems: while digging a straight, long tunnel is achievable, fine-tuned manipulation of the landscape is tedious if not impossible. It involves mastering the weird upwards digging movement to smooth out the various unwanted corners you built up over time in your tunnel.

			[[File:Digging upwards.gif]]


	=== Open Points ===		=== Open Points ===