Other things I've thought of :
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Weight-based puzzles . It'd be cool to take advantage of this feature (weight) and to propose enigmas revolving around it. In addition, I think it'd be an equally good idea to design puzzles which need to be solved with both of your characters.
More globally, I like dungeons where you need to use your BRAIN and not just vanquish them, get a key, open a door and keep on vanquishing. The perfect balance between riddles and battles were the good old Legend of Zelda, to me.
Add to it a pinch of exploration, a fitting music and a solid lore, and you get a perfect dungeon.
Oh and, btw, disable the use of pyramids inside the dungeons ? It could be easily exploitable don't you think, if you can just throw your pyramid to a point otherwise unreachable, thus allowing you to artificially bypass the puzzle ?
- Is the presence of "emotes" considered and can it adds to the gameplay ? I guess it could be exploited, provided it'd have a concrete impact (or just for fun, though I think it'd get boring on the short-term).
For instance, NPCs could react to a "Menace" emote and trigger new dialogues. You could push your partner off a cliff (to learn him the arcanes of flight if he asks you), scream in the middle of the fair to distract people while you're robbing them with your second character/partner (but then you'd be considered nuts and get arrested for further inquiries), etc...
- Considering the lore behind the Phantom Forest, I'd love our characters to be hunted down by one powerful foe (on the model of the
Nemesis from Resident Evil 3, if you've had the chance to play it you know what I mean by "hunted down"). Something invincible, relentlessly stalking you, appearing when you expect him the less, and that you can only hope to knock out (assuming you have the guts to fight him).
On a similar subject, I wish there could be an intensely creepy music associated to the Phantom Forest, something disturbing, unforgettable (if you've played Super Metroid, you probably remember
this ).
- Knowing that enemies won't respawn at all, the following suggestion is quite useless, but if the editor allows the possibility of an "infinite respawn", then it mights be interesting : If a foe is no match for you, you could kill him instantly, without having to engage a fight that we know is already won. It'd be a save of time.
- I don't know if the following idea is already implemented (I guess it is) : In multiplayer, clicking on your partner's portrait should center the camera on him. It'd be useful to help him if he needs your help to solve an enigma, or if you're waiting for his help in a battle but have nothing better to do than to spy him.
- Don't make items glow to make them more visible. It'd ruin the feeling of exploration.
- If you flee a fight, the enemy replenish his health/mana. I think it's the most viable option to prevent the abuse of the feature.
- It'd be fun to make a few NPCs (essentials to a quest) run away at your sight (if you look intimidating for example), and that the only way to catch them would be to cleverly trap the area (by viciousely placing obstacles such as barrels at key points).
