I (as at least a few other people) enjoy the locked exits feature. But I feel it has a couple of problems and in the future if the time/ability arises to add new features; I’d like to expand on this feature. I think it can go in many directions.
First of all; the way the graphics and trigger areas are set up for the unlock buttons is kind of weird imo. In some of the sets; in order for the button to work; you need to bury it almost underground so that once pressed its no longer visible. Maybe not a big issue but doesn’t look aesthetically nice imo. I’d prefer they be visible at all times.
Maybe a redesign of how they look/operate could be done. I need to think about it more.
Buttons could do more things than just unlock exists. They could; [some loose ideas that would need much more thought/exploring]
-“re-lock” exits.
-activate or deactivate any trap, exit or entrance. Any object basically. [teleporters, updrafts]
-Turn around one-way walls! [swap directions]
-draining water objects [using the “rising water gimmick” in reverse, to basically get rid of (or create) a water trap. Lem Revolution has this (they’re called “pools”, got quite a bit of use in that game.) This sounds simple at first but is quite a bit more complicated than anything else. But maybe something to think about down the road.
Issues/thoughts
-This whole set up would require two things:
-some form of indicating what is connected to what [see below]
-a likewise (and hopefully not-as-complicated-as-possible) system in the editor for creating these)
-constant animating traps; which can indicate whether an object is turned off or not. (if the object stop animating; you know it’s off/inactive)
-Operating entrances might be more tricky/not worth it.
ideas for labeling:
-Have a light or symbol above or below or somewhere near the button; this same symbol should appear above a locked exit. This symbol/light could even blink (for a brief period) when activated. Light might look pretty. But symbols can be more diverse. I’m thinking of the symbols used in exactly this fashion from Portal 2. They’re simple; triangles, squares, circles etc.
-Another option (which I’m sort of getting from Chips challenge 2) is “wires”. Lines which connect everything. This may make it very obvious what is connected to what but might get ugly.
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Split buttons into two types: buttons and switches. Buttons work pretty much the way they currently do; can be pressed by a lemming walking over it,* and only once. Once pressed they cannot be pressed again.
Switches; on the other hand can be pressed again and again (to reverse their effects). Now there’s another further sub divisions that this could go into;
Again, taking from Revolution; switches (which look like levers pointing either right or left) can only be flipped by lemmings walking in said directions. Once flipped they must be hit by a lemming walking the opposite direction to be flipped/activated again. Etc and so-forth.
I’ll say this was put to so-so use in Revoltuion. All too often I think it was pretty easy to pretty much get a switch flipped from any direction. I don’t recall super clever use of directional switches; but I can think of ways in which it could be put to very good use
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Why do I like this kind of idea so much (versus new skills?) First of all; excluding the rising water and more complicated parts) I suspect less glitches from this kind of thing. Also I feel this type of new feature would be easier to learn/adjust to.
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Can fallers/splatters press a button? I’ve never tested this. I think they shouldn’t for consistency sake.
