Was having a think about enemy types and realised that there is absolutely no airborne units. Having some things to aim at in the sky could really add some spice to the combat. It’s made me realise just how horizontal the combat is.
They could have ranged attack but would have to have swoop attacks at least semi occasionally to allow for close quarters builds to be able to kill them. They could also have only melee attack.
Could something like Rot Flies (bloat flies?) fit the theme?
Thats quite surprising, given that enemies clip through one another and generally the maps are quite spacious vertically.
But yes limiting to certain areas could definitely help if it is still an issue.
Would be cool to see things flying about above us. A sound cue before a swoop! Perhaps they have a sting that gives you a little damage but a chunk of corruption. Could be a real thorn in the side if not dealt with swiftly.
All that can be worked out with mechanics fairly easily.
The behavioural states could be:
Fly about to make their presence known > stop and hover on the spot for long range chance > swoop to hover within melee range for 1-2 seconds with sound cue > attack/sting > reset state.
Another option could be that they never hover out of melee range, always buzzing just above the heads.
I think there are a lot of options for designers to make flying enemies work well. And yeah they would be intended to be a bit annoying as they’re an enemy that can keep chipping away if left unattended. A different dynamic and challenge to what exists now. Which I believe is what most people are yearning for.
They would be less annoying than the tox bomber in whatever state they arrive in
Edit: I think there are loads of open areas on most of the maps. They’re deceptively cavernous most the time. Even if the path is narrow for players the area itself is often pretty open/huge. This is actually perfect for flying enemies. It doesn’t need to be exclusively outdoor areas either as many interiors are freaking huge.
People want more challenge and this would be a good way to do it imo.
To be fair, VT2 is also far more melee-focused than Darktide. If you’re a melee-only character or have a single-fire weapon with a long reload, you’re sh!t out of luck if the skulls spawn, especially since their hit registration feels finicky.
Yeah I’m not sold on it being a monstrosity TBH as it wouldn’t lend itself to the aerial dynamic with such a huge HP - which would require constant close proximity for melee otherwise would take an age to kill. That said I’m sure designers could make it work but it feels like a better fit as a disrupter.
May I ask on what basis? It seems kinda crazy to say any new enemy would be a problem when none of us know the first thing about how they’d behave in the game.
In my mind they’d be slightly smaller than a dog, spawn frequency of specials, with the attack pattern I mentioned above, and would have ridiculously low hp. Basically 1 hit of anything would kill them but you’d have to wait to wait for them to hover as they’d be quick. If their sting giving corruption it would mean you’d want to deal with them asap though.
A bulwark is a pain. A ranger is a pain. A netter is a f**** POS, dogs are a pain. Tox bombers are a pain. Snipers are a pain.
I mean, the enemies are meant to be pain kinda their thing.
People are too quick to think negatively on these forums. Have a go at thinking how it would be a fun mechanic and I’m sure you’d have some great ideas in no time at all.
It’s not negativity Martigan, mate. I’m just considering balance.
Ground targets everyone can engage. Air targets, they can’t. Having units that do MMORPG style attack patterns “so that both melee and range get a chance” I just don’t think is a fit. Anyway, I wasn’t saying no, I was saying I think they might be frustrating unless carefully implemented.
Yeah, but I kinda feel that’s VT2? No? Playing legendary legacy characters. Hunting for scripts and grims kinda fits that Olde Worlde thing. Magic. Boss routines.
DT is a bit more shooter isn’t it? Doing the hokey-cokey and dancing in and out of fire rings, and that other annoying mission with him where he floats up to ledges where you can’t really hit him, that’s definitely a bit more Sigmar world than WH40k.
Anyway. A flying boss - probably wouldn’t say no to.
Flying drones … I’m still on the fence
Attack patterns are the bread and butter of DT and of any combat game though. I know when to dodge a netter or balwark or even groaner because I recognise the timing of their clockwork-like attack patterns. Nought to do with MMORPG.
I get concerns but let’s first have a go at thinking of ways it would be fun.
A sniper cannot be engaged by melee fighters when they’re positioned far away on elevated ledges. Does it mean we shouldn’t have them in the game? I mean, I hate them lol but they should still be in the game. The variety is what stops the combat getting stale.
Aerial Monstrosities are potentially a HUGE pain to engage in melee primarily unless they frequently either hover and/or land. Imagine fighting a Beast of Nurgle that spends the vast majority of the time FLYING outside of your melee reach, which would render your melee weapon completely useless for an extended period of time.
An aerial Lord would be great because you would be able to stock up on ammo beforehand and prioritise ranged fire on its weak points. However, an aerial Monstrosity could potentially be way too unfair against players if not implemented with extreme care and precision.
