The Roller Issue: Aesthetics And How To Make En Enemy A Satisfying Foe

[Caernarvon]

Right now, the rollers are being hated by a lot of people in gameplay terms, that is already known. People have described their harpy like behaviour and all, but one thing that hits me about this enemy is how unsatisfying it is to kill and fight, and how little its appearance translate its dangerousness. It's a rolling ball with some blades attached on it, it rolls around, jumps in your general direction at random and makes you stumble a bit if it gets close. That sounds stupid, and the fact that this is ultimately more dangerous that an extra marine with a rifle says a lot about the bad art direction that this enemy suffers from.

 

If rollers are to become actually interesting to fight, they must look and sound dangerous and dynamic.

An ominous droideka-like echo when they arrive in the distance, a mechanical cry and revving as they pass by or attack and some sparks thrown around as they turn would make them feel dangerous, and an impact or slashing sound with some blood loss on your side when you're hit would translate some semblance of damage.

 

Of course some gameplay changes would help as well (my idea is that they should only attack once, leaping at you to stick and electrocute you before falling dead or exploding), but aesthetics and SFX really, really change how an enemy appears to people. That alone could make those things less tedious to encounter in a fight, and it's always the little things that make enemies memorable.

Edited May 12, 2013 by Caernarvon

[Wojek]

Although they look and sound quite innocuos, they give me one hell of a fright though. Had a guy with Enemy Sense yesterday in the group and when we startet running to extraction I noticed two fast red blips closing in on me. I immediately knew what those two blips on the radar were - but I was too afraid to turn around. I just didn't want to face them at all!

[Boxyninja]

we already have small ones that explode and they are more for the cc than the damage kinda like the shockwave and railgun moas. i would like the extra sounds. its better to have an enemy that people have feelings towards (love or hate) than have some that people dont really care about.

[Timmuk]

I hate the rollers, but I dont want anyone to take them out!

 

+1 to keeping them around

+10 to making better sound effects for them

 

having them expode after a while could be nice, a much much bigger blast than the tiny ones, with KD AoE. or a heavy stun.....something that really makes you want to make sure it wont go off, not just tumble and walk away

 

Sometimes in Defense the Rollers get jammed up in the reactor and just sit there and grind on it, and sometimes its glitchy and hard to shoot them from the way they are placed.....that could use some looking into