I've had an idea for a while now, but it might be a little too complicated/complex to implement: the
Regeneration Field.
Regeneration fields can be placed over the top of terrain, or over air, much like a force field or updraft.
Any modifications made to terrain within a regeneration field revert back to their original state after a short time (around 1 second?).
For instance, you can bash through terrain which is covered by a regeneration field, but the terrain will slowly "regenerate" back to being solid after 1 second.
In regards to the effects of constructive skills, I can think of two possibilities:
1 -
Additive mode: Any new terrain introduced into the field becomes a permanent addition to the field. For instance, if a lemming constructs a stacker, then the stack will regenerate its terrain if bashed through.
2 -
Revert mode: Any new terrain introduced into the field is removed shortly afterwards, taking the same amount of time as normal terrain takes to reappear. For instance, a if a lemming constructs a builder, then the staircase disappears behind him after 1 second.
One main problem I forsee with this concept is lemmings getting trapped within terrain if they are following behind a basher. Perhaps the field should also automatically kill any trapped lemmings?
Additionally, maybe having terrain revert after 1 second would be too quick. Perhaps 2-3 seconds would allow for more interesting gameplay?
It would also have to have a clear visual indicator to the player without being overly flashy, since it can be placed over terrain or air. Perhaps a twinkling stars effect?
Again, this may be too difficult to implement, or may not fit with neolemmix, but perhaps a simpler idea could be drawn from this? Let me know what you think.