Rocks'n'Diamonds

This is not exactly a new idea, it is just a level that I have made considering the problem that Alan encountered while creating SnakeBite.

I mean the fact that the venom can't be shot if you haven't got a free field ahead.

You can see here
http://www.zomis.net/rnd/download.php?id=424
that it is possible but *only* when the player is on a empty field.
If the player is on a walkable element, it will not work.

I'm pretty sure that Alan considered this technique, and eventually he had to face the problem exposed above.

Now the question is: why a custom pickup can't be dropped on a walkable element while a standard pickup like the dynamite can actually be dropped in the same situation?

Maybe it has been already solved in some pre-release, but since I'm using only 3.1.1 version, I don't know.

(if this post is in the wrong section, the moderator would move it, please)

Another thing about the above:

Even if you set the "follower" element to "protected", it will not protect you if you drop the dynamite inside of it.

Shouldn't it work like the shield pickup works?

I'm pretty sure that Alan considered this technique, and eventually he had to face the problem exposed above.

How weird! A few weeks ago I made the exact same gun! (Holger did one as well ), the projectiles also originate from the middle of the player and have collision right next to other CEs..... I even used the same blue ball arrows as you did!

I've had a few ideas about the walkable over problem.....

We have walkable over, how about "walkable dropzone" (good name eh?)
This works exactly like walkable except it changes when the player tries to drop anything on it. You could now use the drop key as a selector for elements (like a chess game)....... but mainly you could use it to shoot bullets whilst on top of another CE! (and replace it afterwards)

LOL, I was *sure* that you had tried that, but for correctness I said "pretty sure"... just to avoid people thinking at me as a clairvoyant

About the blue balls, well, when practicing on standard blank levelsets there aren't many graphics useful as them... I use them in almost each levelset, when building the CEs' structures, then I replace them with something else.

Let me fully understand, the "walkable dropzone" is already available in some pre-release or is a new thing?
And what about the fact that standard and custom pickups act differently?

Hope Holger will have a look to this thread because all the thing about "dynamite drop/protected CE" sounds buggy.

> Hope Holger will have a look to this thread because all the thing about
> "dynamite drop/protected CE" sounds buggy.

In fact, it is! Let's see in more detail:

> Now the question is: why a custom pickup can't be dropped on a walkable
> element while a standard pickup like the dynamite can actually be
> dropped in the same situation?

The fact that you can drop dynamite on a walkable element is indeed a big, fat, nasty bug! Unfortunately, like many bugs introduced in older version, I have to support this bug in newer versions to prevent breaking existing levels. :-o

It's a bug because R'n'D is that sort of tile based game where only one single element can exist on each tile. The "dynamite bug" was a special situation (in a historic version, long lost in the mists of time) because it simply replaced the previous element and then exploded -- everything on that tile was gone afterwards anyway. Later, I had to add workarounds to support older levels with this "feature"...

So, what I should do is to simply prevent this (and add a switch "[x] use dynamite on walkable bug").

> Even if you set the "follower" element to "protected", it will not protect
> you if you drop the dynamite inside of it.
> Shouldn't it work like the shield pickup works?

No! The shield always protects the player (think of a dropped piece of dynamite being outside of the shield that surrounds the player), while a "protected" field only protects against explosions from outside (like at the next surrounding tiles). If you sit inside a metal box and drop a piece of dynamite there, it blows up everything inside (including you!). But if you wear a "protection shield suit", you may survive this.

Maybe others don't find this as logical as I do, but that's currently how it is. :-/

> We have walkable over, how about "walkable dropzone" (good name eh?)
> This works exactly like walkable except it changes when the player tries
> to drop anything on it. You could now use the drop key as a selector for
> elements (like a chess game)....... but mainly you could use it to shoot
> bullets whilst on top of another CE! (and replace it afterwards)

Iiieek! Two elements on the same tile, and one of them is even moving?! :-o

I'm afraid this would be horrible to implement with the current engine... :-o

Hi Boss!

Holger wrote: If you sit inside a metal box and drop a piece of dynamite there, it blows up everything inside (including you!). But if you wear a "protection shield suit", you may survive this.

Maybe others don't find this as logical as I do, but that's currently how it is. :-/

I find it perfectly logical, now I would tell that if you put the dynamite in that box the explosion should not affect surrounding tiles, but since this action is a bug-feature... (before knowing this I considered it as a normal thing, while the bug was being not able to drop a custom pickup on a walkable element, therefore I thought that a "protected" field had to be protected anyway - I know that it isn't so much logical, but those were my thoughts)

Holger wrote: Iiieek! Two elements on the same tile, and one of them is even moving?!
I'm afraid this would be horrible to implement with the current engine...

Oh, gosh, it's a shame! Well, maybe this feature will be implemented (among others) in a future version, anyway I'm really satisfied because I thought of some new ideas but I'm even finding a lot of workarounds... creating CEs is beginning to give some addiction

I definitely agree with the words you wrote to me some weeks ago about the challenging feel given by not-unlimited options... I think I'll watch back to 3.1.1 with some nostalgia when the next versions will be out...

(a little off topic in the last lines, but anyway...)

Iiieek! Two elements on the same tile, and one of them is even moving?!

Ah no, I ment just change the walkable element to another if you drop something on it.

Say CE1 is walkable dropzone, and you drop CE2 on it, it turns to CE3.

> Ah no, I ment just change the walkable element to another if you drop
> something on it.
>
> Say CE1 is walkable dropzone, and you drop CE2 on it, it turns to CE3.

Ah, OK. Yes, this would indeed be easier! :-)

Cool! I think we'll have soon a SnakeBite version with improved venom shooting... well, just some after the new RnD' release, because you are going to put the above addon in the next release... aren't you, Holger?

> you are going to put the above addon in the next release... aren't you,

Most probably not, because of the 3.2.0 feature freeze.

If I don't stop adding features now, the new version will never be released, so this is actually a good thing. :-)