Get Over here!

I'm working on a 3D game where Androids fight each other and I'm trying to implement a move where one android can throw out a cable to suck out the power from another (think like Scorpion from Mortal Kombat). If the player is quick, they should be able to block the incoming attack, so I need to somehow telegraph the attack enough for the player to respond.

Any thoughts on how best to implement this visually/behavior wise? My thought is send out a raycast to the target, flash a warning to the player the cable is in bound, then send out a line renderer with particles to represent the cable itself.

 

Probably not a General Discussion topic...

It may depend on what your android looks like. I could imagine some kind of animation that starts before the cable shoots out. Makes sense intuitively too unless it's just coming from the android's chest or something - humans have to swing their arms and hands around a little to throw things.

That said, telegraphing attacks the player can block is not something you want to do for just one action- if it's in there, it should probably be in there for a significant amount of enemy attacks (with unblockable attacks being the exception rather than the rule).

 

Would game design be where you'd put this?

That's a good point about the universal tells. What do you think makes the most sense for the visualization of the cable itself?

 

Probably Game Design yeah, thought at this point don't make another thread, the mods can move it if they really want to.

Again, it probably depends on the android. Where is the cable meant to come from? Is it on the outside of their body like a cowboy with a rope (hey, cowboy androids...there's an idea)? if so you can have them grabbing it, bringing their hand back, and then throwing it forward (imagine throwing a frisbee). If it's interior, you might put inside the arm and come out of the hand; in such a case you could have them take an Iron-Man-shooting-from-palm stance (maybe using the other hand to hold the wrist steady).