A walker reaching a step of 3-6 pixels will be for a few frames a jumper, who cannot receive any skills. However a jumper can still disarm a trap when reaching a trap trigger area and of course having the disarmer skill. After having done his work, the disarmer will revert to a walker at his current position, which is one pixel inside the wall and at an intermediate height.
This creates several problems:
- The disarmer may ghost through 1-pixel thin walls. See example level 1.
- One can assign a new skill at intermediate height. See example level 2.
I suggest the following fix: If a disarmer was a jumper before, he will become a jumper again once finished with disarming the trap.
Sounds really weird, and given that the disarmer looks like a digger, I would expect this to look weird as well. I would suggest instead that jumpers cannot disarm.
Quotegiven that the disarmer looks like a digger
Let's not take the animation into account here, because the Disarmer really does need a better one anyway. It's just something I (still) haven't got around to doing.
QuoteI would suggest instead that jumpers cannot disarm.
Jumper is effectively a sub-action of walker, when they step up slightly steeper walls. On the other hand, a precedent for different rules for the two do exist in, as mentioned, Jumpers not being able to be assigned skills.
I prefer Nepster's suggestion, but I don't have too strong a preference either way; it's probably something level designers should avoid relying on either way.
I realized that regardless what we decide upon, it won't be sufficient in itself: Even when only stepping up two pixels, i.e. even when remaining a walker and never becoming a jumper, disarmers can ghost through 1-pixel walls. See attached example level.
The only idea I have to fix this, is the following:
- Whenever a lemming moved upwards when reaching the trap trigger area, he will become a jumper after disarming the trap.
- Whenever a lemming moved downwards when reaching the trap trigger area and doesn't have a solid pixel under his feet, he will become a faller after disarming the trap. (And yes, this can occur when a lemming takes a two-pixel step down.)