Request - remove deep water between islands

[Blink]

I don't mind deep water around the islands or in vaults, but can something be done so deep water doesn't "spawn" so it blocks access from one to the other--like, after you've made your way to the new island and want to backtrack?

Getting cut off and having to just stand around mashing s until the water clears is boring. Not every runner finds or can cast Flight/Blink/whatever. I supposed one could use a consumable to get out of it. But really? Is deep water that important?

[KoboldLord]

Now that inventory doesn't have weight that drags you down, perhaps character ought to be able to slowly dogpaddle their way across deep water. Not being able to attack or aim would suffice to make it something you never did while under attack, and if there are any vaults that are broken by dogpaddling they can just substitute lava tiles instead.

[Patashu]

Now that inventory doesn't have weight that drags you down, perhaps character ought to be able to slowly dogpaddle their way across deep water. Not being able to attack or aim would suffice to make it something you never did while under attack, and if there are any vaults that are broken by dogpaddling they can just substitute lava tiles instead.

It would be pretty awful if you did this and a monster appeared. And since random spawns are a thing, it would never become safe.

[KoboldLord]

That's rather fatalistic for slow movement for two or three tiles. Chei does that the whole game long, and people have still managed to win under those conditions. I'm under the impression that we're talking about getting off an island in Shoals after the tide just came in behind you, which really should be a manageable task.

Disallowing attacking and aiming entirely is better than giving crippling penalties, because then you don't suggest to unspoiled players that they should do something dumb, like fight in water.

[roctavian]

I dunno, have you met most crawl players? I'm sure we'd see at least one "Bullshit unfair death, splatted in deep water because I couldn't attack a kraken!" post per week.

[Patashu]

Also a merfolk javelineer with silver or steel javelins can turn you into paste before you can reach the shore because monster ranged combat is very strong.

[Tiktacy]

What if upon entering the shoals, players acquire an item that lets them fly exclusively in the shoals? "Stone of soaring" or something like that, giving you perma-flight for as long as you are in the shoals, and cannot be activated outside shoals.

If this were the case, the shoals would be a much more enjoyable place for me.

[Hurkyl]

What if upon entering the shoals, players acquire an item that lets them fly exclusively in the shoals? "Stone of soaring" or something like that, giving you perma-flight for as long as you are in the shoals, and cannot be activated outside shoals.

If this were the case, the shoals would be a much more enjoyable place for me.

Ditto. The most pleasant Shoals runs by far have been when I have boots of flight, because they eliminate the interface problems (no auto-movement over deep water).

IMO it wouldn't even really make the Shoals easier, since I pretty much always have either the flight spell or a flight ring available by then, and the problems I've had related to expiration of the buff have been few and far in-between.

I think the only thing it would really change is the fact that ring-based flight makes it more difficult to trivialize a unique who can't enter deep water.

[and into]

Yeah maybe flight and how deep water works everywhere needs more fundamental changes, but in the meantime removing deep water between islands would, in addition to making the Shoals less annoying to navigate, probably make the Shoals harder, not easier. Not everything in the Shoals can fly or move through deep water, which makes those enemies easy to separate from others. In particular I probably cheese out one or two uniques on average every time I do Shoals, which sort of defeats the purpose of allowing those uniques to spawn in Shoals in the first place.