Post by anonthemouse on Jul 20, 2019 5:42:58 GMT -6
I get that Mortes are supposed to be the generic canon-fodder enemies that are too weak to give anything useful. However, I have two problems with that. First of all, they don't really end up filling that role. There aren't too many places where you encounter them, honestly. In the tutorial level, the first and most common enemy you encounter is Seamas. Mortes have generally lower stats than Seamas, yes (though strangely higher resistances overall), and thematically act as a generic "everymob" that has several variants throughout the Hellhold. So, they do manage to kind of serve the role of both Zombie and Skeleton...but also not, due to their overall rarity. Which brings me to my second problem. I don't think the idea of them being a "nothing special" mob that has nothing of its own to offer really works in the first place. The equivalent would be the Zombies in Castlevania (and a certain secret area, I guess). However, Zombies didn't fill that role. In Symphony of the Night, the Zombie could drop a piece of armour, and in Aria of Sorrow it not only still had that armour, but gained the baselard (which didn't carry over to Dawn of Sorrow) and a unique soul (which did...sort of). So, it's not really precedented, and Mortes stand out for being the only demonic enemy not to give a shard, let alone to not have drops at all.
Item-wise, I wouldn't do anything too fancy, but there are a few alchemy materials only sold by Dominique (Saltpeter, Sulfur, Mercury, and Sulfate). I'd give at least a couple of those - Sulfate and Mercury in particular, and possibly just all four with low rates - to Mortes. First off, it offers a way to get those items without having to buy them, and secondly, as enemies that serve as the "building blocks" of other demons, it makes a kind of sense. Since none of the four has tremendous use (Mercury is probably the most valuable for making Gold, and takes huge amounts to do so), nor a particularly high gold value, this wouldn't be terribly unbalancing.
As far as shards go, it would have to be something unique. However, there is both a unique ability of Mortes that I'd like to see Miriam take on, and a particular empty niche I think that ability perfectly fills. When I think about my own loadouts, I have favourites that I commonly use for Directional, Manipulate, Enchant, and Familiar shards. I don't have as many favourites in the Conjure category. Maybe I could call Summon Ghost a favourite, but as much as it helps me early on, the slot seemed to go unused by the end. What can I say? I'm just not a "myself and my shadow" (and shouldn't that line have gone to Shadow Tracer?) kind of person. I mostly use Directional shards for offence, which eliminates a lot of Conjure shards from the running, and Blood Steal is too situational for me (plus, I went through my first playthrough thinking that absorbing blood all the time would negatively affect my "purity" in the end). What I think is missing from Conjure shards, though, is a purely defensive option.
This is where I see Mortes coming in. Think about what Mortes do. They always come out of a little puddle of dark goo on the ground or ceiling, and are initially not hittable while forming. That ability would be a great option for Miriam to have. Call it something like "Liquify" or "Discorporate" and make it an ability that lasts a second or two during which Miriam's form darkens and she sinks into an inky puddle. While in this state, her speed is greatly reduced, and she can't be hit by anything. While liquid, Miriam can't attack or activate another shard, but jumping immediately ends the liquid state. As a balancing factor, I would have the invincibility take effect immediately (avoiding frustrations with difficult timing), but have Miriam remain in a vulnerable state where she can't use attacks for a few frames after the effect ends. Higher Rank would make it last longer, while Grade would slightly increase the speed at which you can move. To prevent cheese, make it where traps can still hit you, and knock you out of the puddle state. With a moderately high mana cost (at least for early game) this would give an option for avoiding damage other than just backstepping, but not completely overpower other strategies, and would provide a tool to let less skilled players deal with difficult to avoid enemies/attacks, at a cost. Also, it could potentially introduce the idea much earlier that shards can do things other than help you hit stuff harder.
Item-wise, I wouldn't do anything too fancy, but there are a few alchemy materials only sold by Dominique (Saltpeter, Sulfur, Mercury, and Sulfate). I'd give at least a couple of those - Sulfate and Mercury in particular, and possibly just all four with low rates - to Mortes. First off, it offers a way to get those items without having to buy them, and secondly, as enemies that serve as the "building blocks" of other demons, it makes a kind of sense. Since none of the four has tremendous use (Mercury is probably the most valuable for making Gold, and takes huge amounts to do so), nor a particularly high gold value, this wouldn't be terribly unbalancing.
As far as shards go, it would have to be something unique. However, there is both a unique ability of Mortes that I'd like to see Miriam take on, and a particular empty niche I think that ability perfectly fills. When I think about my own loadouts, I have favourites that I commonly use for Directional, Manipulate, Enchant, and Familiar shards. I don't have as many favourites in the Conjure category. Maybe I could call Summon Ghost a favourite, but as much as it helps me early on, the slot seemed to go unused by the end. What can I say? I'm just not a "myself and my shadow" (and shouldn't that line have gone to Shadow Tracer?) kind of person. I mostly use Directional shards for offence, which eliminates a lot of Conjure shards from the running, and Blood Steal is too situational for me (plus, I went through my first playthrough thinking that absorbing blood all the time would negatively affect my "purity" in the end). What I think is missing from Conjure shards, though, is a purely defensive option.
This is where I see Mortes coming in. Think about what Mortes do. They always come out of a little puddle of dark goo on the ground or ceiling, and are initially not hittable while forming. That ability would be a great option for Miriam to have. Call it something like "Liquify" or "Discorporate" and make it an ability that lasts a second or two during which Miriam's form darkens and she sinks into an inky puddle. While in this state, her speed is greatly reduced, and she can't be hit by anything. While liquid, Miriam can't attack or activate another shard, but jumping immediately ends the liquid state. As a balancing factor, I would have the invincibility take effect immediately (avoiding frustrations with difficult timing), but have Miriam remain in a vulnerable state where she can't use attacks for a few frames after the effect ends. Higher Rank would make it last longer, while Grade would slightly increase the speed at which you can move. To prevent cheese, make it where traps can still hit you, and knock you out of the puddle state. With a moderately high mana cost (at least for early game) this would give an option for avoiding damage other than just backstepping, but not completely overpower other strategies, and would provide a tool to let less skilled players deal with difficult to avoid enemies/attacks, at a cost. Also, it could potentially introduce the idea much earlier that shards can do things other than help you hit stuff harder.
yey