[Feedback] Falling damage and Goomba Stomp

[Yankes]

As I toy with move types and flying I conclude that current handling of falling is not satisfactory.

I think of adding option for damaging unit when it fall from heights bigger than 1 level, question is how should it be calculated and what it should "damage"?
Another thing is that falling unit always can knock out lower unit, even when its lot bigger and stronger unit, at least 2x2 units should withstand 1x1 unit and small one should be knockout instead.

Any thoughts on this topic?

[Solarius Scorch]

Falling damage would be good, but first let me ask, how to prevent the AI from killing itself by jumping off roofs? Would you modify the AI itself to prevent this?

[Yankes]

Same way as it currently handling fire, if there is no other way, AI will try jump from building but if there is reasonable path it will choose it.

[Delian]

I like the existing behavior where you can jump off of buildings without taking damage, because walking back downstairs is annoying, especially because in practice walking downstairs should be faster than walking upstairs, but due to map limitations it costs the same.

Goomba Stomps I think shouldn't be possible, the existing handling where a unit moves away makes logical sense - it makes sense that a unit on the ground would try to evade the unit falling on them. Besides, such a move is basically a melee attack, and we already have working CQC functionality.

As far as damage goes, I think a certain percentage should come from the weight of the unit's corpse item, and a certain percentage from the weight of the non-builtin items the unit is wearing, and the final damage should be reduced based on the unit's bottom armor.

I also think that a good idea would be for a fall to consume a small amount of energy and produce stun damage.

[Solarius Scorch]

Same way as it currently handling fire, if there is no other way, AI will try jump from building but if there is reasonable path it will choose it.

Ah, good idea.

I like the existing behavior where you can jump off of buildings without taking damage, because walking back downstairs is annoying, especially because in practice walking downstairs should be faster than walking upstairs, but due to map limitations it costs the same.

It's a valid point, but I personally don't mind this.

As far as damage goes, I think a certain percentage should come from the weight of the unit's corpse item, and a certain percentage from the weight of the non-builtin items the unit is wearing, and the final damage should be reduced based on the unit's bottom armor.

But what if it's a giant fluffy marshmallow weighing 50 units?

[Yankes]

btw currently there is Goomba Stomp, this happens when unit can't avoid falling unit, when this happens unit below will be instant stun.

[N7Kopper]

btw currently there is Goomba Stomp, this happens when unit can't avoid falling unit, when this happens unit below will be instant stun.

Neither you nor the AI (ally or enemy) can order stomps to happen, they can only happen due to the ground a unit is standing on ceasing to exist without having an appropriate Fly or Swim movement type. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you can even use the fog of war to order stomps, because the pathfinding accounts for hidden units too. So the stomp mechanic isn't an actual intended attack, but merely an error handler to prevent two units from occupying the same space. Just KO the unit with the lower Z value

[Meridian]

Neither you nor the AI (ally or enemy) can order stomps to happen, they can only happen due to the ground a unit is standing on ceasing to exist without having an appropriate Fly or Swim movement type. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you can even use the fog of war to order stomps, because the pathfinding accounts for hidden units too. So the stomp mechanic isn't an actual intended attack, but merely an error handler to prevent two units from occupying the same space. Just KO the unit with the lower Z value

The pathfinding does not account for hidden units.
So, in theory, you can use the fog of war to "order" a stomp... but the likelihood it actually happens in very VERY low:
a/ as you walk the fog of war will likely disappear, unless you make yourself or the enemy vertically tiny (to prevent seeing them from diagonally above)
b/ even if you somehow manage that, there's still 8 neighboring tiles, where the enemy will be pushed before it would be stomped

Another, almost equally hard to do attempt, is to blow up just the floor below a unit and let it fall on another unit (that cannot be forced into any neighboring tile).

But you are correct, stomp "mechanic" is designed only as means of preventing 2 standing units occupying the same tile.
If it happens, enjoy it, you've won a small lottery

As I toy with move types and flying I conclude that current handling of falling is not satisfactory.

I think of adding option for damaging unit when it fall from heights bigger than 1 level, question is how should it be calculated and what it should "damage"?
Another thing is that falling unit always can knock out lower unit, even when its lot bigger and stronger unit, at least 2x2 units should withstand 1x1 unit and small one should be knockout instead.

Any thoughts on this topic?

To be honest, I like it the way it is.

If you want to add more features here, make them optional/configurable please.

[N7Kopper]

The pathfinding does not account for hidden units.
So, in theory, you can use the fog of war to "order" a stomp... but the likelihood it actually happens in very VERY low:
a/ as you walk the fog of war will likely disappear, unless you make yourself or the enemy vertically tiny (to prevent seeing them from diagonally above)
b/ even if you somehow manage that, there's still 8 neighboring tiles, where the enemy will be pushed before it would be stomped

Another, almost equally hard to do attempt, is to blow up just the floor below a unit and let it fall on another unit (that cannot be forced into any neighboring tile).

But you are correct, stomp "mechanic" is designed only as means of preventing 2 standing units occupying the same tile.
If it happens, enjoy it, you've won a small lottery

To be honest, I like it the way it is.

If you want to add more features here, make them optional/configurable please.

It's not? Maybe I'm getting the Mandela Effect; I distinctly remember using the move previewer to scout crashed UFOs.

[Meridian]

Here's a video proof (attached mp4).