Is my grab idea too broad?

Making an FPS.

Physics based movement and want to lean heavy into the physics.

Decided to do a gravity gun.

But I really want to kick it up from Half-Life 2.

So I’m thinking make it always available, not just an weapon, and replace the “use” button with it.

Think of it as a glove on the left hand so you can use weapons at the same time.

Additionally it’s a grappling hook.

And you can use it on enemies and use them as body shields.

Basically there’s three options when grabbing something.

Lighter than you, it zips to you and you move the same. Grab ammo from a distance.

Same weight as you (humanoid enemies and barrels), you zip to each other and move slower. The item is held in front of you and works as a shield.

Heavier than you, you zip to it and it works like a grappling hook.

Get upgrades. Starts with items (ammo, crates, barrels, and brushes that are grapple points). Upgrade to get enemies (turn small enemies into projectiles, medium enemies into shields, large enemies into grapple points). Upgrade to do anything (grapple hook around the map on walls and surfaces).

So the obvious problems are:

  1. too many facets means unintentional grabs. Maybe use HUD to make the target clear?

  2. too OP. Last thing I want is it to become the be all end all tactic. I want people to make choices and a plethora of approaches. Lots of options to limit it, but want to stay fun.

  3. Trivializes platforming.

Any thoughts?

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DO IT!! People love gravity guns… and grappling hooks. Take a page from Just Cause and give yourself a pop-on-demand parachute and all kinds of mayhem is possible!

(in JC you can grapple to haul yourself at something, including moving cars, then pop the chute and up you go)

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lol, well think more dusk and doom than GTA.

I’m currently looking to cull the scope of my project to the bone.

But I have done playtesting and have liked the alphas.

My concern is overwhelming the player.

Also, there’s a giant seed of “I can’t stand new doom” in there that I want to do the push forward idea with contrivancies like “now I need to do a cut scene to heal”.

Don’t want to get into the weeds about it, but…

  1. I plan on having enemy deaths cause stun rewarding the player for pushing.

  2. I want to spawn enemies ala left 4 dead to keep the pressure up.

  3. cycle a wax and wane hidden value that effects enemy aggression that players can interrupt, but also add triggers to make it max out. So like a monster closet opens up the aggression spikes to max, and the player can either scramble or beat that value down.

  4. add a sort of “combo meter” that’s represented as a mania. The higher it is, the less aggressive enemies are. I’m thinking of having the player character cackling and laughing as a meter, while giving barks that the enemies are scared of players. Lots of audio cues that coax players to lean into aggression.

Btw, quick sidebar.

Thank you.

Seriously, thank you.

Not just for the technical advice.

I don’t mean to gush but you’re such a positive part of this community.

I really appreciate what you do and would have probably bounced if it weren’t for you.

I can’t understate how much you do.

You’re a f-ing legend.

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If you can code it, then go for it dude.

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