Portfolio/Multi-Topic The Void - A Swarm Themed Alternative to The Corruption and The Crimson

What do you think about The Void biome concept?

  • Indifferent

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Interesting

    Votes: 3 42.9%
  • Good idea

    Votes: 4 57.1%
  • Some good, some bad

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Not so good idea

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Unnecessary

    Votes: 1 14.3%
  • Other

    Votes: 1 14.3%

  • Total voters
    7

Lord Zarnox

Official Terrarian
So far we have two "negative" biomes:
  • The Corruption, a biome with the theme of evil, disease, and far to many eyes. It is mostly full of large flying and burrowing enemies. It's main colors are purple and brown/tan.
  • The Crimson, a biome with the theme of blood, flesh, and, in a way, the curse of immortality (think about what Ichor is). It is full of all sorts of large fleshy monsters that are seemingly a balance between living and undead. It's main color is red, and a little bit if orange-yellow.
Something that seems to be missing from both of these negative biomes is small enemies. The Corruption and The Crimson both mostly contain big enemies that hit hard, but in relatively small numbers. This is a very effective strategy, but there is also another strategy that works just as well.

I would like to introduce The Void: A negative biome that isn't so much focused on high damage, but rather completely overwhelming any opponents that are not prepared. If it doesn't sound like a void, then that is sort of the point. A void is an empty space, but it also describes something that isn't valid. Calling this biome a void isn't quite a valid description, but it is also partly correct. The Void is empty, of big things. But what it isn't empty of is tons of small enemies, working together to make your life hell. The main colors of The Void are turquoise, aquamarine, and teal. The Void also has a very dark theme.

To give a general idea of what The Void is, lets start with the underground jungle.
"NOT THE BEES!"
Yes. Bees. Lots and lots of bees. They might not be that dangerous on their own, more annoying than anything else, but they still hurt. Now just imagine if they were stronger, if they could shoot, and most importantly, if they were SMARTER.
Why smarter? Because with the right tactics, even weak enemies can cause a big problem. Most enemies in The Void act as slaves to controllers. These controllers coordinate their slaves actions similarly to how bosses like Skeletron coordinates its arms. At least, that is assuming Skeletron even has control of its limbs in the first place. The Wall Of Flesh is a better example, with the eyes and mouth staying at certain positions relative to each other. The controllers only need minimal control over the slaves, as they only tell them what formation to use, when to attack, and what they should primarily target.

All Void NPCs have the added effect of causing the player's invincibility time to be reduced by 50% if the player is damaged by a Void NPC, or reduced by 25% if damaged by a non-Void NPC but the player is currently in The Void, to prevent exploitation of non-native damage sources. Normally, this mean that instead of 2/3 seconds invincibility, you only have 1/3 seconds (1/2 seconds if in The Void but damaged by something else). This is to make up for their very low individual health, defense and damage, as they need to attack quickly to do much harm.

Generally, the Void Controller NPCs follow these rules:
  • They are dummy NPCs, i.e. they have no physical presence or location, they are not noticed by any entity, and only exist to act as an organised relay between slave NPCs.
  • Controllers are not subject to normal NPC spawning and despawning, and do not count toward normal NPC count.
  • There are two main different controller NPCs, each only controlling their respective slaves: Melee and Ranged (more detail below)
  • Controllers of the same class can exchange/transfer control of slaves between them to maintain a good balance in squad size. We don't want a squad of 7 melee slaves next to a squad of 2.
  • The maximum slave count each controller can have will be 8 for pre-hardmode, and 12 for hardmode. Maybe 10 for expert pre-hardmode and 15 for expert hardmode.
  • Slaves will only spawn if there are free spaces in squads, and the controllers remember how many of each slave there were when they are inactive, i.e. the squad is despawned due to distance from player. This way, there will be squads in The Void ready before the player enters it, to prevent only a few slaves from spawning, or having them spread out to much when they first spawn. When a player approaches The Void, the controllers spawn approximately 2/3 of their previous squad, selected randomly.
  • Slaves only count as 0.2 NPCs for spawn limits, but their spawning is also still limited as above.
  • The maximum controllers present of each class will be given by
    • n = 1.75 + 0.25p
      Where n is the maximum controller count for each class, rounding down, and p is the number of players on the server. The maximum controller count cannot go higher than 6.
    • 2 controllers of each class for 1-4 players
    • 3 for 5-8 players
    • 4 for 9-12 players
    • 5 for 13-16 players
    • 6 for 17+ players
  • Controllers instruct slaves where to go (slaves attempt to stay within the vicinity of a certain point, chosen by the controller), what formation to use, and which targets to prioritize over others. (This last part is mostly for multiplayer, where certain squads will be more effective against some loadouts than others.)
  • Melee controllers follow these rules
    • Slaves cycle between uncoordinated/generic attacking, kiting (some attack, some retreat), chaining (forming a line and ramming the target, like a worm), and swarming (all charge at once). They are more likely to change formation when they are getting damaged more than they should, and when they are threatened.
    • Melee slaves generally clump together in their squad, unless they are threatened with AoE/explosive damage, piercing weapons, or fast melee weapons. If they are threatened by any of those, they spread out while idle (i.e. the specific slave isn't attacking at that time, but the some of the squad is).
    • These controllers primarily target ranged and magic targets, as those classes are less likely to use strong melee weapons, or have good defense.
  • Ranged controllers follow these rules
    • Slaves cycle between uncoordinated/generic attacking, burst fire (some shoot at the same time/similar time, then others do the same), continuous fire (all shooting whenever they can, but generally at a constant rate), and spread shot (individual slaves aim at a semi-random angle/point away from the target and fire at the same time, making it difficult to avoid being hit). Some slaves will also rarely engage in a bombing run/kamikaze style attack, charging in the general direction of the target while shooting and attempting to ram them, to distract the target, even if they die as a result.
    • Ranged slaves generally spread out and keep their distance from their targets, as well as trying to surround the target from every safe angle. However, if they are cornered and there is a viable escape route on the other side of the target, some slaves will attempt to travel through the target to get the the other side.
    • These controllers primarily target melee and summoner targets, as those classes are less suited to fighting enemies from a distance, therefore giving the slaves a better chance of survival against them.

Now that the controllers are out of the way, time for some enemies. Note: The AI determines which controller class it belongs to. Void Melee Slave AI is controlled by melee controllers, whereas Void Ranged Slave AI is controlled by ranged controllers.
  • Scout
    • Very common
    • 7-16 health
    • 6-13 melee damage
    • 1-2 defense
    • Very small size (Similar size to the larger bee, NPC ID 210)
    • As fast as a bee
    • Follows Void Melee Slave AI
    • 35% knockback resistance
  • Shade Probe
    • Very common
    • 5-13 health
    • 4-9 melee damage
    • 5-12 projectile damage
    • 0-2 defense
    • Very small size (again, similar to the larger bee)
    • As fast as a bee, very agile, fast movement changes
    • Follows Void Ranged Slave AI
    • 15% knockback resistance
  • Swarm Brute
    • Uncommon, but not rare
    • 22-37 health
    • 6-10 melee damage
    • 4-6 defense
    • Twice the size of the Scout
    • Half the speed of the Scout
    • Follows Void Melee Slave AI
    • Counts as 3 slaves in pre-hardmode, 1 in hardmode
    • 80% knockback resistance

Swarmer Helmet
  • 3 defense
  • +1 maximum minion capacity
  • Crafted using 15 Swarmium Bars and 10 Void Minds
Swarmer Scalemail
  • 5 defense
  • 15% increased minion damage
  • Crafted using 25 Swarmium Bars and 20 Void Minds
Swarmer Greaves
  • 4 defense
  • 8% increase movement speed
  • Crafted using 20 Swarmium Bars and 15 Void Minds
Total:
  • 12 defense
  • +1 maximum minion capacity
  • 15% increased minion damage
  • 8% increased movement speed
Set bonus: Invincibility time increase by 50%
Set bonus/effect: Very faint glow, lights up the immediate area. Not enough to be overly useful, but enough to not be blind.

In keeping with the trend of the negative biome's bosses having many minions (or in the case of the Eater of Worlds, many of itself), The Void's boss is going to have to have more minions than both of them. The Swarm Master is effectively a large clump of slaves, and it would act similar to the Brain of Cthulhu, however, it starts with no minions. The Swarm Master has 1000 health, and for every 10 health it loses, it releases/spawns a Swarm Servant, which follow a modified the Void Ranged Slave AI (functionally identical to Shade Drones, but with 40 health, faster attack rate, and 30% knockback resistance), and the Swarm Master slightly shrinks in size. These are invincible until 1 second after spawning, to prevent them from dying instantly upon spawning. About 10-15 seconds after spawning, the Servants that are still alive travel back to the Swarm Master and merge with it, healing it by 10 health each (If the Swarm Master itself is dead by that point, they don't return). This continues until it reaches 500 health, at which point it spawns the Swarm Servants for every 5 health it loses, and they only heal it by 5 each. Additionally, when the Swarm Master first reaches 500 health, it spawns 15 additional Servants, that don't return to heal the Master, remaining active until they are killed, with no loss of health to the Master in the process. When the Swarm Master reaches 50 health, it spawns 21 Swarm Servants, and it removes itself, being replaced by its Servants.
The Swarm Master itself attacks by occasionally colliding with the player, dealing 20 damage, then moving away from the player. It generally attempts to keep its distance from the player when it isn't attacking directly, however it will not stray to far towards the edge of The Void, to prevent it from making itself despawn by making the player follow it out of The Void.
The only way to kill the Swarm Master is to first damage it so it releases the Swarm Servants, then kill those before they can return to the main boss. The Swarm Master itself doesn't have any drops, as it dies before the boss battle ends, however, every Swarm Servant has a 50% chance to drop 1-3 Swarmium Ore and a 75% chance to drop 1 Void Mind. The last Swarm Servant to die drops the Swarm Master's main drops, as well as it's own individual drops.
If a player, or group of players go into this battle unprepared, they will be completely overwhelmed, because if they manage to reduce the Swarm Masters health form 1000 to 750 in before any Servants can return to the boss, and if all Servants are still alive, there will be 25 of them. There are a total of 175 Swarm Servants that can be killed throughout the boss battle. To control this many slaves, there will be 5 ranged controllers that are present during the battle, each controlling up to 35 Swarm Servants, and each controller can take command if there are at least 4 slaves available for itself and all currently active controllers, in order to provide variety, but also preventing very small squads.

I will add more soon, but for now, feel free to add anything you think will fit into The Void. Any criticism is appreciated, as long as it is constructive.
 
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I have just realized that the mechanic for the controllers prioritizing targets effectively already exists, in the form of right-clicking with summon weapons. This even already has the benefit of only telling the minion/slave to target the selected entity, but it doesn't always stay locked onto that target, which is useful for multiplayer.
 
An example of how effective swarming can be is from the game Homeworld. Usually you go up against the Taiidan or Turanic Raiders, whose fleets mostly consist of strong ships, usually not in huge numbers, but with some very notable exceptions, (I'm looking at you, Bridge Of Sighs, with your 150 Taiidan Ion Cannon Frigates), but in Missions 7 and 8 (Gardens of Kadesh, and Cathedral of Kadesh) you encounter the Kadeshi. While they do happen to have the most powerful frigates in the game, they mostly rely of swarm tactics. And dear lord, there are tons of them.
Homeworld-Mod-Screenshot-Carlos-Isaza-Kadeshi-Swarmers.jpg

Just a few of their basic ships, known as Swarmers. Emphasis on "few".
1740405.jpg

This is probably showing less than a quarter of their fleet. Their numbers vary sometimes. Each ship produces a trail, in this case yellow. Just try to count how many there are.
With the right tactics, they are more of an annoyance than a threat, but unlike the slow moving Taiidan and Turanic Raiders, you will almost never get more than a few seconds to relax between attacks.
I know this probably isn't the best comparison, but anyone who has played Homeworld will understand the effectiveness of these tactics, and that, when used correctly, can easily rival, or even surpass, small numbers of powerful units.
 
In nature, a superorganism is an entity made up of small organisms that are unable to function on their own, but when together, create something that is capable of something similar to that of a semi-sentient organism. A hive of bees or termites is an example of a superorganism.

I really like the idea of a superorganism in Terraria that functions as something much stronger than a normal enemy, like a Pixie, but is less powerful than a boss, with the intelligence comparable to that of the player. To draw a parallel to real life, it could be as intelligent as an immune system, capable of sending out different kinds of enemies (antibodies) to deal with different kinds of threats (viruses).

This is a wonderful idea and I can only begin to imagine the fun you are going to have coming up with ideas for this. I support.
 
small organisms that are unable to function on their own
Minor correction, they are able to function on their own, but rather they will not function for very long, or as effectively. Think of disconnecting a computer from a network that is solving some problem that it has been given. The computer can still continue its task, but it can no longer receive nor send information, rendering it
ineffective, and will quickly stagnate. In other words, it will still try to do what it was last told to do, but once it finishes, and even if it doesn't, without new instructions, it will just sit there idling.
Other than that, you gave a very good example of the collective consciousness of The Void, and being that I am currently studying biology, I am somewhat disappointed that I didn't think of that comparison myself.
 
Minor correction, they are able to function on their own, but rather they will not function for very long, or as effectively. Think of disconnecting a computer from a network that is solving some problem that it has been given. The computer can still continue its task, but it can no longer receive nor send information, rendering it
ineffective, and will quickly stagnate. In other words, it will still try to do what it was last told to do, but once it finishes, and even if it doesn't, without new instructions, it will just sit there idling.
Other than that, you gave a very good example of the collective consciousness of The Void, and being that I am currently studying biology, I am somewhat disappointed that I didn't think of that comparison myself.
Ah. I was referring to how, say, a worker bee would quickly die of exposure when its hive had abandoned it. Cool to hear you're studying biology, though, because that will make this concept a whole lot more interesting. In fact, I now feel like a schmuck for explaining biology to someone who studies biology when I don't even study biology xDD
 
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