Remove clouds generated with bolts on the water


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Mines Malingerer

Posts: 34

Joined: Saturday, 21st January 2017, 16:17

Post Friday, 27th January 2017, 20:00

Remove clouds generated with bolts on the water

My previous thread was removed due to bad design, I'll try to do my best in a new one.

Problem: Spells, abilities, cards and wands can generate clouds on the water.
Steam clouds on the water:
  • All fire magic spells except sticky flame, delayed fireball (this spell only gives "abilty" to launch fireballs) and ignite poison (in some cases);
  • Wands of flame
  • Wands of random effects;
  • Lamp of fire;
  • Firestarter;
  • Makhleb's minor and major destruction;
  • Xom's acts;
  • Fire Magic miscast effect;
  • Cloud card.

Freezing clouds on the water:
  • Bolt of Cold;
  • Xom's acts.

Steam clouds on the lava:
  • Throw Frost, Bolt of Cold, Freezing Cloud and Glaciate;
  • Ice Magic;
  • Lamp of fire;
  • Frostbite;
  • Xom's acts;
  • Cloud card.

And I didn't include "monsterous' sources of clouds.


Why it is a problem? It is totally spoilerous mechanics. No any description of spell, card or item include information about clouds on water or lava. The descriptions of terrain says also nothing about that:
  • Shallow water: A pool of cloudy, waist-deep water. It makes movement and combat cumbersome for landlubbers - sometimes dangerous, but never directly fatal.
  • Deep water: A pool of deep water. Only giant creatures can wade through this, and only those well-adapted to water can swim through it; for the rest, the only way through is to fly over.
  • Lava: An intensely hot pool of molten rock, emitting clouds of sulphurous smoke.

Why should we avoid spoilerous mechanics? It is one of the Minor Design Goals of the whole game:
clarity (playability without need for spoilers)

https://github.com/crawl/crawl/blob/master/crawl-ref/docs/crawl_manual.rst#clarity

It is said, that the Crawl should be intuitive. So I think everybody understands that "Water + Fire = Puff" Everybody understands that "Water + Electricity = Danger", but the effect of "electrified" weapons on water was removed.

For this message the author StupidBerserker has received thanks: 2
duvessa, nago

Mines Malingerer

Posts: 34

Joined: Saturday, 21st January 2017, 16:17

Post Friday, 27th January 2017, 20:07

Re: Remove clouds generated with bolts on the water

UPD: The effects of the freezung and flame clouds on water or lava are discribed by pressing the "x" button. I apologise for forgeting about that. But other things remain as problem.

For this message the author StupidBerserker has received thanks:
nago

Mines Malingerer

Posts: 34

Joined: Saturday, 21st January 2017, 16:17

Post Sunday, 29th January 2017, 09:09

Re: Remove clouds generated with bolts on the water

I have found a better solution. We can just edit the bolts' and other things' descriptions. It's simple and solves the problem completely.
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Shoals Surfer

Posts: 287

Joined: Friday, 19th August 2016, 21:21

Post Sunday, 29th January 2017, 11:42

Re: Remove clouds generated with bolts on the water

StupidBerserker wrote:I have found a better solution. We can just edit the bolts' and other things' descriptions. It's simple and solves the problem completely.


That's crazy talk. We should remove them.
make food great again

Mines Malingerer

Posts: 34

Joined: Saturday, 21st January 2017, 16:17

Post Sunday, 29th January 2017, 12:52

Re: Remove clouds generated with bolts on the water

pedritolo wrote:That's crazy talk. We should remove them.

I do think that the removal is better. Because this mechanics does nothing but providing complications in battles on the water.

It is also a no-brainer: I always carry a wand of flames for creating steam in Shoals to cut the LOS or insta-killing of electric eels (with created steam). Other functions are much less optimal.
Last edited by StupidBerserker on Sunday, 29th January 2017, 23:36, edited 1 time in total.

For this message the author StupidBerserker has received thanks:
nago

Spider Stomper

Posts: 242

Joined: Friday, 17th April 2015, 16:22

Post Sunday, 29th January 2017, 14:55

Re: Remove clouds generated with bolts on the water

it's really not hard to figure this out if you ever play a fire elementalist

Mines Malingerer

Posts: 34

Joined: Saturday, 21st January 2017, 16:17

Post Sunday, 29th January 2017, 18:24

Re: Remove clouds generated with bolts on the water

Doesnt wrote:it's really not hard to figure this out if you ever play a fire elementalist

Read the OP:

It is said, that the Crawl should be intuitive. So I think everybody understands that "Water + Fire = Puff" Everybody understands that "Water + Electricity = Danger", but the effect of "electrified" weapons on water was removed.

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