Own
Moderator
I know the devs intend to rework fishing to make it's replayability more appealing by using RPG mechanics - which is especially handy, since currently the only way to make the minigame harder is to make the fish move faster and the capture bar smaller.
So I've a few ideas with regards to mechanics, for when it comes time to redesign it. I don't expect any of this to be used, and I know fishing redesign is a very low priority, but I do hope some of these thoughts may help during the redesign. =P
The Basics
Every fish has an HP bar. It's HP steadily goes down whenever it's in focus of the bar. Fishing skills can also harm it's HP. When fish HP = 0, you catch it.
Each type of fish can also have various skills associated with it, to make catching the fish harder.
Every fishing rod has an HP bar. It's HP steadily goes down whenever the fish isn't in focus of the bar, losing HP more quickly the farther it is from the bar. Fish can also use abilities to harm the rod, or the type of fishing location or many other things. Rod HP is restored between fishing attempts. When rod HP = 0, you fail the catch.
Rods can contain a maximum of 4(?) fishing skill slots. Some rods have fewer. Some rods also have pre-set unique skills, to make some rods more viable than others, depending on fishing style.
For rods with open skill slots, certain fishing techniques and abilities can be earned from completing various tasks, like catching a specific fish for Haddock. These can be equipped into open slots on a fishing rod.
All fish abilities and rod abilities have a cooldown, assuming they're not passives.
The fishing area has no locked length. The area it spans should probably grow larger for more difficult fish.
Example Fish Abilities
Belly Up - Flips the fish sprite upsidedown, temporarily reversing the player's left and right controls.
Mud in the Water - Covers the entire fishing area with a mist of brown, obscuring everything. The only indication of which direction the fish is is an arrow left or right, if it escapes the bar.
School Swarm - Creates a few extra fish doppelgangers that move about the fishing area, making it difficult to keep up with which one is real.
Splash Thrash - Immediately charges to the very left or the very right side of the fishing area at quick speed, extremely difficult to keep up with. Causes damage to the fish dependant on how far it charged before hitting the edge - or, optionally, self-stuns like a boar?
Concrete Shoes - Reduces the movement speed of the player bar temporarily.
Flyfisher - Fish leaps up out of the water, vanishing from the fishing area briefly, before dropping back into it at a random location, essentially a teleport. Potentially doesn't hurt the rod HP for a second upon re-entry by sitting still
Chomp - Takes a bite out of the middle of the fishing bar temporarily, leaving the player with two smaller ends to move about, with a missing gap. Fills back in after a time.
Shrinkage - Gradually shrinks the width of the player's bar so long as the fish isn't in it, while this is active. Doesn't wear off for this fishing attempt.
Slippery Scales - The player bar cannot be stopped while this skill is active. It will either continuously go left or right at full speed, depending on the last arrow key pressed.
Rage of the Sea - Deals direct damage to the player's rod, by a number based on how much damage the fish has taken.
Fish on Ice - Freezes the player bar, requiring Left and Right alternatingly be rapidly hit to break it off.
Tidal Wave - Creates a mighty wave that travels left to right or right to left from the edges, battering the player bar in it's direction.
Example Fishing Abilities
Fisherman's Intuition - A Passive ability that will give a one-second warning to any ability a fish is about to use, allowing the player to prevent for it. Displays exact skill intending on being used.
Scare - An Active ability, for the next second any skill a fish attempts to use will fail.
Fishing Net - An Active ability, throws a fishing net down somewhere at random in the fishing area, greatly reducing fish speed if it travels through this area. Temporary effect.
Dynamite Fishing - Tosses a stick of TNT into the water. Deals random low to high random damage to the fish, and low to high random damage to the player's rod.
Ripper Reel - Locks the fishing bar for a second, dealing much larger damage to the fish's HP (only for the basic damage-over-time for being in the bar) so long as it remains in the bar.
Whirlpool - Temporarily creates a whirlpool in the very center of the fishing area, which gradually drags the fish towards it.
Example Rods
Training Rod - A simple rod to familiarize the player with the mechanics. Has three locked skills, normal HP and normal speed. 'Jerk Left', which forces the fish to swim only left. 'Jerk Right', which does the same for the right. And 'Smack', an active skill which damages the fish the closer it is to the center of the player bar, if it is there.
Sidewinder Rod - A rod with a quick fishing bar that makes all fish perpetually Belly Up, preventing the skill from having any effect when used.
Crooked Rod - A rod with a false fishing bar that does nothing, with the real one invisible and to the right (or left?) of the visible depiction of the bar. Deals double damage to the fish, while the invisible bar is over the fish.
Ice Rod - A freezing fishing rod, that gradually freezes the left or right side of the fishing area, increasingly shrinking the overall area a fish can move in throughout the catching. Also randomly causes Fish on Ice.
Golden Rod - A rod with a bar of only a pixel or two and low HP. Increased chance of fishing treasures, or rarer fish.
Spare the Rod - A menacing, heavy rod with large HP and a large player bar, but incredibly slow movement speed.
So I've a few ideas with regards to mechanics, for when it comes time to redesign it. I don't expect any of this to be used, and I know fishing redesign is a very low priority, but I do hope some of these thoughts may help during the redesign. =P
The Basics
Every fish has an HP bar. It's HP steadily goes down whenever it's in focus of the bar. Fishing skills can also harm it's HP. When fish HP = 0, you catch it.
Each type of fish can also have various skills associated with it, to make catching the fish harder.
Every fishing rod has an HP bar. It's HP steadily goes down whenever the fish isn't in focus of the bar, losing HP more quickly the farther it is from the bar. Fish can also use abilities to harm the rod, or the type of fishing location or many other things. Rod HP is restored between fishing attempts. When rod HP = 0, you fail the catch.
Rods can contain a maximum of 4(?) fishing skill slots. Some rods have fewer. Some rods also have pre-set unique skills, to make some rods more viable than others, depending on fishing style.
For rods with open skill slots, certain fishing techniques and abilities can be earned from completing various tasks, like catching a specific fish for Haddock. These can be equipped into open slots on a fishing rod.
All fish abilities and rod abilities have a cooldown, assuming they're not passives.
The fishing area has no locked length. The area it spans should probably grow larger for more difficult fish.
Example Fish Abilities
Belly Up - Flips the fish sprite upsidedown, temporarily reversing the player's left and right controls.
Mud in the Water - Covers the entire fishing area with a mist of brown, obscuring everything. The only indication of which direction the fish is is an arrow left or right, if it escapes the bar.
School Swarm - Creates a few extra fish doppelgangers that move about the fishing area, making it difficult to keep up with which one is real.
Splash Thrash - Immediately charges to the very left or the very right side of the fishing area at quick speed, extremely difficult to keep up with. Causes damage to the fish dependant on how far it charged before hitting the edge - or, optionally, self-stuns like a boar?
Concrete Shoes - Reduces the movement speed of the player bar temporarily.
Flyfisher - Fish leaps up out of the water, vanishing from the fishing area briefly, before dropping back into it at a random location, essentially a teleport. Potentially doesn't hurt the rod HP for a second upon re-entry by sitting still
Chomp - Takes a bite out of the middle of the fishing bar temporarily, leaving the player with two smaller ends to move about, with a missing gap. Fills back in after a time.
Shrinkage - Gradually shrinks the width of the player's bar so long as the fish isn't in it, while this is active. Doesn't wear off for this fishing attempt.
Slippery Scales - The player bar cannot be stopped while this skill is active. It will either continuously go left or right at full speed, depending on the last arrow key pressed.
Rage of the Sea - Deals direct damage to the player's rod, by a number based on how much damage the fish has taken.
Fish on Ice - Freezes the player bar, requiring Left and Right alternatingly be rapidly hit to break it off.
Tidal Wave - Creates a mighty wave that travels left to right or right to left from the edges, battering the player bar in it's direction.
Example Fishing Abilities
Fisherman's Intuition - A Passive ability that will give a one-second warning to any ability a fish is about to use, allowing the player to prevent for it. Displays exact skill intending on being used.
Scare - An Active ability, for the next second any skill a fish attempts to use will fail.
Fishing Net - An Active ability, throws a fishing net down somewhere at random in the fishing area, greatly reducing fish speed if it travels through this area. Temporary effect.
Dynamite Fishing - Tosses a stick of TNT into the water. Deals random low to high random damage to the fish, and low to high random damage to the player's rod.
Ripper Reel - Locks the fishing bar for a second, dealing much larger damage to the fish's HP (only for the basic damage-over-time for being in the bar) so long as it remains in the bar.
Whirlpool - Temporarily creates a whirlpool in the very center of the fishing area, which gradually drags the fish towards it.
Example Rods
Training Rod - A simple rod to familiarize the player with the mechanics. Has three locked skills, normal HP and normal speed. 'Jerk Left', which forces the fish to swim only left. 'Jerk Right', which does the same for the right. And 'Smack', an active skill which damages the fish the closer it is to the center of the player bar, if it is there.
Sidewinder Rod - A rod with a quick fishing bar that makes all fish perpetually Belly Up, preventing the skill from having any effect when used.
Crooked Rod - A rod with a false fishing bar that does nothing, with the real one invisible and to the right (or left?) of the visible depiction of the bar. Deals double damage to the fish, while the invisible bar is over the fish.
Ice Rod - A freezing fishing rod, that gradually freezes the left or right side of the fishing area, increasingly shrinking the overall area a fish can move in throughout the catching. Also randomly causes Fish on Ice.
Golden Rod - A rod with a bar of only a pixel or two and low HP. Increased chance of fishing treasures, or rarer fish.
Spare the Rod - A menacing, heavy rod with large HP and a large player bar, but incredibly slow movement speed.
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