Game Mechanics Foreground

[The1DarkLord]

The background is constantly getting more depth, but the front gets... Nothing.
I think it would be doable to have 1/2 the grass, flowers, and those cosmetic rocks should be in front of the player; and approx. 1 in 20 trees and cacti be in front as well. It would only be things that dont get in the player's way anyway, and they wouldnt really get in the way of mining or fighting. I think it would add needed depth to the field of view. There is so much past the player in the background now that the foreground looks almost out of place.

Also, I think you it would be cool if you were able to hammer furniture to toggle foreground or background. This bit is secondary and less important.

I think that to be in front of the player, an object must be a tree or other naturally occurring object (or be both shorter than the player and on some kind of brick, block, or slab, but not a platform).

I dont know if this is even possible with the game engine, but if it is, this would be a definite asthetic improvement.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Vines too. Support

 

[Vikri]

This would make combat a lot more interesting. With this you could hide behind rocks or other objects in PVP. Support

 

[plantszaza 🌳]

Sure, why not? I don't see the reason this shouldn't be add. (unless it's engine problem)

 

[Nardia]

Sounds great. Have my support.

 

[Gotcha!]

I can see how this would make stuff even more pretty, but it should be a toggle nonetheless. Having foreground objects will block parts of the player's view, something that I wouldn't be looking forward to.

 

[The1DarkLord]

That is why it would only be small stuff, and sure the occasional vine.
it would also be in front of the monsters, but honestly, grass isn't going to block much from view; neither is the one tree on-screen that is in the foreground.

Also, it wouldnt block any of the player's view unless you mean the player themself or the monsters, which will be moving anyway. Nothing taller than 2 blocks will be able to go in the foreground, except some trees, which are too narrow to be a concern. Also occasional vines, I guess. That actually sounds really awesome. They block light. It makes sense that they would block sight a bit.
[DOUBLEPOST=1433061149,1433061034][/DOUBLEPOST]Also, I may not have mentioned that nothing on a platform could go in the foreground. Since you can jump up onto and fall through platforms, they cant possibly be in front of you.

 

[Proxy]

With this you could hide behind rocks or other objects in PVP

that would be unfair and really annoying when you are on a public server! there must be an server option where you can toggle the visibility of names (through foreground) on and off.
i also have to ask: can foreground be placed by the World Generator (i mean like "blocks" with nearly the same texture as the blocks around it)? when yes, it would be a new awesome/mean way to hide secrets, or generated gold chests! Also, how can you mine them... left-click for background and right-click for foreground?
wait... do you mean with foreground, only stuff like furniture? or do mean real blocks (just the same that we are placing in the background)?
you have my support (even when i'm asking to much)!

 

[The1DarkLord]

that would be unfair and really annoying when you are on a public server! there must be an server option where you can toggle the visibility of names (through foreground) on and off.
i also have to ask: can foreground be placed by the World Generator (i mean like "blocks" with nearly the same texture as the blocks around it)? when yes, it would be a new awesome/mean way to hide secrets, or generated gold chests! Also, how can you mine them... left-click for background and right-click for foreground?
wait... do you mean with foreground, only stuff like furniture? or do mean real blocks (just the same that we are placing in the background)?
you have my support (even when i'm asking to much)!

Actually, I was thinking that nothing in the foreground would be big enough to hide behind, and things would still take up space on the player like they do normally. You would mine them normally too. It is mostly to make it feel more like there is stuff all around you, not like you are in front of everything. I mean, what forest can you walk through and have trees on only one side of you?
foreground can be placed by the world generator, yes. Thats basically the point.

Here is an idea: when you are behind a rock or something, it will be semitransparent, but to anyone else it will still look solid.

I didnt really want it to be a way to hide secrets, so foreground tiles wouldnt be able to be over player level tiles.

 

[Vikri]

Actually, I was thinking that nothing in the foreground would be big enough to hide behind, and things would still take up space on the player like they do normally. You would mine them normally too. It is mostly to make it feel more like there is stuff all around you, not like you are in front of everything. I mean, what forest can you walk through and have trees on only one side of you?
foreground can be placed by the world generator, yes. Thats basically the point.

Here is an idea: when you are behind a rock or something, it will be semitransparent, but to anyone else it will still look solid.

I didnt really want it to be a way to hide secrets, so foreground tiles wouldnt be able to be over player level tiles.

I suggest being able to use the two mouse buttons to place things both in background and foreground.

 

[The1DarkLord]

I was thinking you could use the hammer on furniture to toggle it. Basically, only things that you can already walk past can go in the foreground, and no walls.
[DOUBLEPOST=1433270476,1433270250][/DOUBLEPOST]the purpose of the foreground is to give the player level more depth. The background keeps getting awesome updates, but there is nothing for the foreground. That is what this is for. To add depth, not to change a ton of things.
It is just meant to give you a feeling like you are going through the actual trees, or through vines, or around rocks. Now, not all of them, because that just makes a new problem. but some. Just enough to make it interesting.

 

[Kyouko Tsukino]

I don't really see a reson for this. Terraria is one of those games that doesn't need a "fourth wall" at all. Also, being raised in the actual era most "retro" games try (and fail) to emulate, I'm too used to most 2D games not having a fourth wall at all.

 

[Lord_Chanticleer]

On the whole, I'm in favour of foregrounded objects, blocks and walls, provided that they're mostly confined to player-made stuff. I've always thought that not being able to do both the interior as well as exterior of a building was one of Terraria's biggest "handicaps".

Although, when it comes to foregrounded plants, rocks and the like in the "wilderniss" I understand some people's concerns here. Getting killed by pits, traps and enemies lurking behind a fourth wall would be more of an annoyance than an improvement.

Also, I imagine that keeping track of your own character as well as your placed background objects behind such a fourth wall could become tricky. Maybe one way to solve that is that once you pass behind the fourth wall your character, as well as nearby background objects behind all connecting bits of fourth wall, would appear as a "ghostly image" through the fourth wall.

 

[Hax4Ever]

Or just have a layer of mist infront of everything so it looks cooler.

 

[The1DarkLord]

I would just like to reiterate:

NO WALLS WILL BE IN THE FOREGROUND

NOTHING BIG ENOUGH TO ENTIRELY CONCEAL A PLAYER WILL BE IN THE FOREGROUND

THE FOREGROUND WOULD NOT OBSTRUCT VIEW OF BLOCKS OR OTHER THINGS

Grass (that one-or-two-block-high stuff that grows everywhere) and flowers could grow in the foreground.

Trees would (occasionally) grow in the foreground.

Those weird rocks and plants that are sorta biggish for rocks and plants could occasionally spawn in the foreground.