Game Mechanics Ball Lightning Spell - Feedback appreciated

dudaxan

Member
Hello, guys! I've been messing around with a new spell kind for a game I'm currently developing and I'd like some feedback. It is a ball lightning spell.
Don't mind the character casting animation, since that is actually the attack animation, not the cast animation (the cast animation is not done yet).


Please let me know if you like it or not or how I can improve the spell.

Thanks!
 

pixeltroid

Member
Looks cool. I can't help but notice that it looks like it's walking sometimes. Maybe the lightning "arms" can be less straight? And more jagged?
 

dudaxan

Member
@pixeltroid Thanks for the feedback! You might be getting that feel when the rays are moving the same way that the ball is... I'll try to make some changes to adjust that!
 

kburkhart84

Firehammer Games
The only thing I'd say(besides the rays moving with the ball as mentioned), is that it honestly looks kinda weak. I feel like it needs more of it, more rays, faster rays that decay much quicker, only to be replaced...and lightning bolts should be quick and those rays seem like they last too long. Another idea is to have more variation in the length of the rays, where some don't go out to the max distance. I bet if you make the bolts decay quicker, you get rid of the "walking" problem too.
 

woods

Member
a lil faster on the movement speed, a bit shorter and alot faster on the tendrils..

looks good regardless ;o) highfive
 

kburkhart84

Firehammer Games
I think it looks better, but it still feels weak. Maybe more strands, and more variety of strands, like some shorter ones to fill in the gaps. It seems like you only create bots that can intercept a wall/ceiling, but I think with some shorter strands that end in mid-air to fill in some of those gaps it will look better.
 

woods

Member
maybe a lil more static around the actual ball itself..
personally i think it has a wee bit too much white... almost as if it is an ice ball. possibly add a hint of an "ice-blue" scattered about.. would give it more of an electric feel.
 

woods

Member
like @kburkhart84 suggested.. having a couple of strands that end in mid air would look good.

as it stands its almost like it has legs and feet and is kinda "spider-walking" along the walls. which is pretty cool.. but not so much lightning like ;o)
 

kburkhart84

Firehammer Games
Indeed, it IS much better, but it still feels like there are some gaps. Would be able to add some that are as long as the ones walking along the walls, just ending in mid-air? It just feels like with any "ball lightning" I've seen, there aren't gaps like that usually. It seems right now like you only get short bolts unless you are close to a wall, and then the long ones only go to the walls and nowhere else. It takes a mix of both short and long, and all around the circle IMO.
 

woods

Member
lookin good
much better with the long tendrils mixed in ..no longer looks like an ice spider ;o)
 

kburkhart84

Firehammer Games
That's the idea! There seem to still be some gaps here and there, but with the mix of short and long they aren't nearly as apparent.
 
I'll add my little impression based on your #5 video. The idea of having additional lightning strands around the center orb that don't reach out to the walls is a nice comment. But, here' my issue. While looking at the animation in mid air, no walls, the lightning orb seems boring because I am comparing it to the very first video that I actually found wicked awesome. Seeing those lightning bolts attached to walls from the center orb is just brilliant and nice. I have to agree that it does feel a bit weak. What is fun to see in your bolt is how it attaches to your walls and in #5, we kind of loose it, so we need to stick most of the stuff near your orb and not spread it out too much. To add power, these are my suggestions:

1. Instead of having straight lightning bolts going nowhere, your center orb should have circular electric bolts trying to reach out, but sticking to the center. Basically, the bolts should try to go out but curve back on the orb as there is no walls near.

2. Your #1 video impresses me because I feel in the bolt it's energy attracted to the walls and the feeling is awesome so I'd tend to keep it that way when walls are available BUT still use what others commented, add smaller bolts trying to reach out but since the energy is not sufficient for THAT bolt, it curves back to the center. This makes your energy ball look larger without changing the size of it.

3. Now, seing that you seem in early stages, I guess that you will improve on graphics, but I think you should add color to your bolt. Making purplish/blueish lightning bolts with yellowish/whiteish impacts which will make us see the power of each impact on the walls. Now, important, no straight colors, you need gradients, usually, the light is bright (light colored) at it's center and fades out to it's pure darker color outside and fades on it's borders. It may be tricky to do that, but a single line of blue or purple will look too cheap, but it's a start in an early stage.

4. A nice dissapearing particle system would add to the life of your ball. Every strike on a wall should produce a small number of whiteish/yellowish particlkes that drop on the ground and dissapear going from bright white/yellow to orangy/dark red then fade away as if it cools down.

5. Also add little spark particles that go out in all directions from your center ball, this would simulate the straight bolts suggested BUT with NO bolts attached to those sparks, just bright sparks particles spurting out of your orb and fading away but not too much as you already have a lot going on with this nice lightning orb.

6. A gentle trailing smoke tail would also add to the effect of sending this orb out. Basically, orb sized smoke and reducing to the center while the orb gets further away. GM's particle center can do this easily without any calculation. I used it with fire once in my DaRic Lost Explorer 2 game. It generates particles mostly in the center which fade away. This produces a trianglular shaped effect without you even thinking about positioning them properly, GMS is hot!

7. Add a small explosion impact with a larger bright light on the surface of your wals which show the power of each bolt hitting the place. Of course, you want that effect to be quick and lightning fast or else your wall will be completely white with a very fast dissapearing smoke effect on the impact area.

8. Finally, add a bigger explosion impact on the wall when the actual orb hits it showing that the energy has been hugely dispersed at that spot, you can even add a short flamming effect as if on impact the orb burns and dissapears in smoke.

This would be beautiful and add a lot of life to your effect which I already find brilliant and well done up to now!
 
@David Richard Hey! Thank you very much! I gotta admit I loved your suggestions! I'll try to add them to the current effect and post the results here later! 😁
You're welcome. I'll also add a little note for the colors of your lightning if you go in that direction. I don't know your game and what your are aiming to do. I'm a big fan of Super Mario Kart Double Dash on the GameCube. When doing powerslides, your powerslide sparkes go from orangy-yellow to cyanish-blue firey-organish-red. If you plan to have multiple forces to your lightning, you don't need to over size the orb. A different color will most certainly do the job while slightly making the orb bigger and the lightning bolts a bit thicker, but not too much, the color should be the one identifying mainly the more powerfull. You can use those color codes to show the player WHEN the orb is at its strongest, you can have it strong a few seconds as soon as you throw it or decide to let the power build up and explode into power once it reaches walls as if it's sucking energy from them.

Another note I was also thinking. If your orb is not indefinate, you should gradually reduce it's size but also reduce the number of bolts reaching out to the walls while eventually only having slight sparks going out and finally dissapear. But that's only in the optic of wanting the effect to fade away. In some games, you want the effect to last until you can't see the orb, so, it's really up to you, I just thought about these extra things that show power and lack of power.

I'm sorry if I blast you with so much information. I just love your idea and I have a tendecy to find games under-using the effects of powers and spells and I am over all, a huge special effects fan. Effects bring grung to games and make us want to unveal the ultimate powers to please our eyes and ears. Can't wait to see your next upgrade even if it's not everything I said, I still find your idea fun with many many different uses. Some poeple may also want to download this lightning effect as an asset from the marketplace, so, you have potential there. Good work up to now @dudaxan
 
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