See also: This topic on the NX1 board.So, it's already been decided that one-way arrows will no longer be considered objects as such, but will instead be implemented more similarly to steel areas (already an option in NX1, but generally the less-recommended option due to that, among other factors, no animation support exists for such one-way arrows).
Some things I'm wanting to consider are:
How to handle them graphically? There'll be a "default" graphic for them (so, graphic sets aren't obligated to contain graphics for them), with the optino for a graphic set to override it with custom ones; that much is established. The questions are - should support for animation be included, or should they at most move (similar to how most current ones do) - this would require a redesign in a few graphic sets that don't simply give them continous movement in one direction (eg. psychedelic, which has constant arrows which light up periodically; or Lab or Clockwork, where the arrows oscillate backwards and forwards rather than continously advacing). Supporting both is of course an option.
EDIT: While I'm not ruling out offering the
option (for graphic set designers) to just provide one graphic and have that move, it's not going to be enforced; full animation support will also be retained. (As such, this could simply be some kind of "autogenerate animation" option in the editor, rather than an actual feature of the game.)
Should changes be made to certain graphic sets where currently one-way arrows move in a different direction to how they point? This - in particular with the Fire graphic set, where all one-way arrows move in the same direction (towards the left), has been criticized in the past.
What about positioning of the graphics? Should it essentially function like a huge tiling of one-way arrows over the whole level (perhaps with an offset rather than always starting at 0,0), only displayed in regions where they're actually used? Or should it be more similar to current, where they're offset from the top-left corner of the one way area - which would mean more difficulty for level designers, but could look tidier in some cases when multiple one-way areas are near each other (especially if they're in the same direction)?
EDIT: Another thought - should the option exist (for the user) to ignore a graphic set's custom one-way arrows (and most likely, pickup skills too, though this could be a seperate option) in favor of always using the generic ones?
Any other comments on this are welcome as well, of course.