Beta 3: Proposed Ladder Change!

[VernJensen]

Anthony is right -- nothing here is for the original game. It's all for the sequel.

[aquaMat]

Vern,
considering the pic you attached when you started this thread:
As I remember it (in the original game), hasn't it always been like this: when a ladder is crossing a middle floor-level that is actually starting at a lower level and ending at a higher level (as in your picture) - it used to be possible that Jack can access that ladder from the middle level, but he can't get off of it on the middle level. Right?
And even if that doesn't quite mirror real-life behaviour / possibilities I alwas found it quite logical and it offered a whole branch of possibilities for the game.
Now if I understand you correctly, you plan to prevent this

boarding-a-ladder-from-the-middle

behaviour completely.
But why?
What would be gained by it (other than maybe the graphics looking a bit more logical, when Jack walks

behind

the ladder on that middle level) ?!

I vote for leaving everything as it was - or (as someone else pointed out) for having a checkbox that allows the designer to choose which behaviour the ladder in question will have.
The latter would be best of both worlds, I suppose, and would even offer new interesting twists to mansion builders.... and a surprise-element for the player too.

[VernJensen]

What would be gained is the ability to have situations where higher and lower levels connect, without the middle area being granted access to them. But now that I think about it, this is possible with moving platforms.

[RobSeegel]

Vern, if you make this change, could you make it apply to trolls as well? I noticed that they also take advantage of being able to jump onto the middle of ladders, while playing Leofani Manor (Hard).

Edit: I didn't mean

jump

in the literal sense of course...

[Toybox]

Are there not situations where you have to step on a ladder from a moving or falling platform? Not being able to get on from the middle may make the manoeuver tricky.

[Wingy]

In my mansions for a situation like that I try to make sure that Jack has at least 2 tile height from the base of the ladder from the platform to avoid any trouble of getting on or getting off.

[VernJensen]

If I make such an addition, I'll make it so designers can use layer 6 ladder tiles in spots where they want Jack to *not* be able to get on in the middle, and otherwise do it normally (layer 5) when they want the behavior to remain as-is.

Currently, ladders in layer 6 do nothing, so the addition to the game would simply be to make them do something, but Jack can't

get on

the ladder using a portion in layer 6.

[Toybox]

Ah, I see. That sounds nice