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Blog #4--Lob Shot

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Blog #4--Lob Shot Empty Blog #4--Lob Shot

Post  rut Thu Nov 22, 2012 12:16 am

There are two types of normal throws that any unit can perform. The straight shot throws the ball in a straight line towards a target, while the lob shot lobs the ball high up into the air in an attempt to land on an enemy. For any of you who have attempted to use the lob shot, you probably realized that the odds of hitting an opponent are pretty low. That being said, there are reasons why this throw exists, and I'd like to explain them.

When I was thinking of abilities back in the early planning stages, I realized that the SCV's Depot Wall, which I really wanted to implement into the game, would be most likely vastly overpowered. If you have a dodgeball and are ready to throw it at an SCV, there would be no legitimately consistent way to get the dodgeball past his Depot Wall if he chooses to use it. I thought that not only would this create a problem, but it's unrealistic--if there's a small barricade between you and an opponent, you will simply throw the ball over the barricade. So from a practical and a logical standpoint, being able to lob a dodgeball seemed perfectly reasonable.

In the scope of this game, the lob shot also has a couple key characteristics that define the way it can be used. First off, the power upgrade DOES NOT affect the lob shot's dodgeball-travelling speed. It will always remain the same--the only change that the power upgrade has is the potential range of the throw. This is an intentional decision. This is a way to help units with low power ratings fight against other units when its straight throw is impossibly difficult to connect with. I also think it helps prevent certain situations regarding units with very high power ratings from breaking the game.

There are two other primary benefits that define the purpose of the lob shot. First off, the dodgeball is destroyed when it hits the ground. I wanted to give you a choice by presenting a trade-off with the different kinds of throws: straight throws have a higher chance of hitting a target and are thus more offensive in nature, while lob shots have a lower chance but disallow the throwing back of the dodgeball, thus being more defensive in nature. This decision doesn't come into play all too much, except when a masterball is on the field, in which case it is a legitimate strategy to do you best to prevent an opponent from having the option of throwing it back.

The other big benefit of the lob shot is that it does splash damage. While a straight throw cannot hit more than one unit, a lob shot can hit as many units as are directly next to it when the ball hits the ground. The situations where this can come into play are when multiple units are stunned by the same ability (EMP or Strike Cannons), or when a player has a masterball, which can very possibly kill several enemy units at the same time (the masterball also has a much, much larger explosion radius than a standard lobbed dodgeball).

I should also note that though it never actually says so in the game, there is a minimum lobbing distance. If you try to lob right at your own feet, the ball will travel at least 2 units forward before hitting the ground. This exists in order to prevent an exploit easily used by the Stalker, who could blink right on top of an enemy unit and lob the ball straight down at its own feet, causing the ball to detonate instantaniously and scoring a very easy, impossible-to-dodge hit.

I've heard some complaints that some people abuse the lob throw and greatly limit the number of dodgeballs on the field at any given point, thus reducing the fun factor of the game. However, the formula that determines when the next dodgeball spawns is based on the number of dodgeballs currently on field. Though it's one of several factors that influence the speed of dodgeball creation, overall it tends to balance out. That being said, if there are more complaints that perpetual lobbing diminishes fun, I may look into making the dodgeball creation speed even more dependent on the number currently on the field.

rut
rut
rut
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