Custom Combat area

[SilentThief]

We've heard this b4, but wouldn't it be great to have custom combat areas, such that you could build a room for the combat to take place in instead of DC generating one for you? If you remember the previous time this came up it was a post put up by me (thats why the smiley face is rolling his eyes). Why is this back on my mind? Well, I was playing EA games "Lord of the rings: Two Towers". In the game there is a stage where you fight in Balins Tomb in the Mines of Moria, and for any who haven't played the game (or seen the movie) Balin's Tomb is a square room with a ledge going around the perimeter of the room. The heroes get overrun by goblins and a cave troll. So, there is a part of the movie where they are engaged in Bow and arrow (missle) combat on the ledge while the troll tries to smash them. So what does this mean with regard to DC???
Well, just this, the "Custom" combat screen would allow you to build the map with walls, floors, and obstructions the way you would want the combat stage designed. For example, you could have squares which were filled with no obstruction, squares filled with "can shoot arrows thru but cannot move thru", "blocked", or maybe even "can go thru one way but not another". I believe that to pull this off you would have to have an editor similar to the design map editor for making obstuctions and custom art where they should be, and it would have to save the combat map for the battle. There would have to have a reference to call up this combat map insead of generating one fromm the surrounding walls.

Just another idea from me
SilentThief

[SilentThief]

Oh yeah, and since this is a "non-traditional-FRUA" idea, and probably a complex idea, I realize its not high on the list of things to do. If it was done, there would probably have to be some additional work done on Combat AI to account for the new combat area as well (like your goblin might charge over the ledge to the lower ledge thus giving up his ability to hit from the ledge with a bow, but the smarter drow might not...).

[GuBal]

I`ve been trying something along that line.Using the default combat art. It already has the blocked areas set. I used cut and paste pics of walls, furniture, etc. Without much luck as yet,but still trying.I`ve also Pasted characters into wall sets. Like a person behind a desk,for InnKeeper,Sales etc.Since I have very little artistic ability,I can`t get a 3D effect.If these ideas inspire anyone to try them.Please go with it.You`ll probably do much better than I.