Flag ideas

Overview

This article describes various flag suggestions for the game.

Rejections

Many flag ideas are rejected, mostly because they are not well thought out, or they take the game in a direction that the project management does not wish to go. Rejected flags are moved to the Flag ideas/Rejected page.

Idea Submission Guidelines

Users should read and understand the following guidelines before submitting a flag idea.

• Check that the idea isn't already listed on this page or the flag ideas already rejected page. If the idea has been considered and dismissed, it will not be accepted if submitted again.
• Think carefully about the flag idea. Ideas must be described in a short and succinct sentence or paragraph. Ideas that are difficult to describe do not make for fun features, and will most likely be rejected.
• Flag ideas should not be overpowering, or do something that you think simply looks Cool. Flags must maintain gameplay balance and have a disadvantage for every advantage. Flags that combine features of other flags will be rejected. Flags that simply let you "win" will be rejected.
• Add the flag idea to the New Flag Ideas section, following the format of the other ideas.

 If a flag idea is approved, it does not mean that it will automatically happen or be put into the game.
 It simply means that it is not a bad idea. The idea will not be implemented until a developer takes 
 the time to implement the code for the feature into a version. Most new flag ideas require a change 
 in protocol and must wait for the next major release, and can take some time to complete.

This list is intended for information and discussions only. Information listed on this page does not imply any form of official acceptance of an idea into the game..

Things to remember

• All powerful flags aren't fun.
• Flags that ensure your immediate destruction aren't fun.
• Flags that aren't useful aren't fun.
• Flags boost/modulate tactical trait of tanks

Flag Rules

The project management uses these rules for good flag ideas:

Flag power must be limited

For example, BZFlag has stealth and cloaking flags, but no stealth-and-cloak flag. Such a tank would be virtually impossible to destroy. Nobody likes to play against someone who can't lose. The guided missile and laser flags are both exceptionally powerful flags, but neither make the owner invincible. Laser takes twice as long to reload and a guided missile can be dodged while still firing on the owner.

Flag powers can counteract/balance each other

Some flags are handily defeated with another kind of flag. The oscillation overthruster can be destroyed by a super bullet or a shock wave (or a genocide). Cloaking is effective against laser and stealth is good against guided missile. Ricochet is useful against ricochet.

Counterbalancing flags should be added/sugested together, or counterbalanced by an existing flag; superbullet is often a good choice.

Flags never instantly kill the owner

Flags should not kill people in what seems to be a random manner, this includes flags that kill on pickup, or "mines". Players should be able to use skills to avoid death.

Flags should require new skills

Flags that require new skills keep the game interesting. The more there is to learn about the game, the longer people will play.

Implemented Flag Ideas

Good Flags

Cloaked Shot (CS)

Description: Shots are invisible out-the-window. Still visible on radar. Glow is still visible out HUD. Watch out for ricochet!

Implemented in: 2.99.x

Low Gravity(LG)

Description: Gravity is reduced to a large degree allowing the tank to jump very high in the air.

Implemented in: 2.99.x

Unrated Flag Ideas

Good Flags

Long Shot(LS)

Description: The inverse of the Short Shot flag, your shot speed will stay the same but it'll remain on the field longer..

Bouncy Tank(BT)

Description: When you touch a wall or building, your tank will bounce off of it. This could make it easier to dodge. The server could possibly decide how much you bounce, or the angle and speed at which you hit the wall or building.

Punch Bullet(PB)

Description: If your bullets hit tanks they are thrown some distance away in the direction of the bullet.

Long Range(LR)

Description: If your bullets hit tanks within a short distance, they do not kill, but can kill at a long distance 2x the server-set distance.

Dead Shot(LG)

Description: When you hit another tank they shoot 1 of your shots from there barrel just before dieing. If they hit one of there team mates the point goes to you, but its not a Team Kill for them.

Ammo(AM)

Description: You will gain 1 shot for every 4 shots you have. You start with one shot gained.

Vertical Velocity(VV)

Description: Your shots will keep vertical velocity.

Temporary Shield(TS)

Description: Akin to the shield on the old Atari 2600/coin-op Asteroids game. "Fire" triggers shield, which remains in place until released, but enabling shield for too long (A short "reload" threshold, 2 seconds?) results in self-destruction. Shots at shielded player could be any of: pass-through, absorb, or deflect -- although the first one is more true to the original concept. Other notes:

• Suggested limit of 3-5 uses per flag, although this would be set per-server.
• This is an implicitly defensive flag -- there's no weaponry when using it -- but could be well suited for advancing a front in a CTF, etc.

Safe Thief(ST)

Description: Shots only go go 1/4 distance of normal shot, can only be killed with thief, SW, & SB, any tank that touches you dies and you get their flag, if they don't have a flag; you still drop your flag.

Front+Rear fire (FR)

Description: Fires the default fire and additionally fires at the same time rear-shots.

Long SB (LSB)

Description: SB-- range and speed of L, 2.5 times reload time of normal SB.

Radar (RD)

Description: Like how in some maps that have jumping flags or ricochet flags when those things are normally disabled, in maps with radar disabled, this would give you radar ability. It would counteract the Jamming flag in normal maps.

Sticky Jump (SJ)

Description: When you jump when you are under a building, your tank 'sticks' to the ceiling. Pressing jump again would cause you to end up on the top of the building. When a tank is stuck to the ceiling, it would be invincible to L; and have a form of GM that had 1/4 the range and only locked-on to targets below.

Flat (FL)

Description: Like Narrow but the forward-backward dimension is where you are flat instead of the left-right dimension if you understand.

Signal Decoder (SD)/Transmission Interceptor (TI)

Description: Any message sent on the server, even ones to a team or individual tank, are picked up. In the case of private messages, it will appear as [SendingTank->IntendedRecipient]. Also, commands show up, such as /set, /me, or /say, as well as their results. Good for detecting enemy strategies.

Carbonite Missile (CM)

Description: The missile is similar to the missile from GM, but it's light blue and has different variables to control its movement speed/turn speed. When it hits something or times out, it creates a light blue shockwave-looking pulse that may leave residual graphical effects in the vicinity and/or on tanks in the area. Instead of doing damage, this pulse temporarily slows down the tanks it hits; the duration of the slowdown is the same as the duration of the residual graphical effects mentioned above. The time that the tanks are slowed down, as well as the degree of the slowdown and the degree of reduction to turning capability (it can slow turning too) are all server variables. There should also be a brief time between shots, and/or an increase in reload time.

Pulse/Plasma Cannon (PC)

Description: Shoots a large, wave-like shot that is bigger and slower than normal shots. Alternately, two shots spiraling around each other. Either way, it hovers in front of you for a short time before going forward, and during that time you cannot fire. If it hits a building, all tanks inside that building via OO or PZ are killed, all shots inside it (such as SB or PZ) are disintegrated, all tanks touching the sides bounce away, and all tanks on top briefly are forced to jump rapidly, like on a trampoline that has a very low jump height.

Bad Flags

Low Ammo(LA)

Description: You will have half of the ammo you originally had. If odd round up with maybe a little longer reload time.

AfterBurner(AB)

Description: On pickup (or perhaps after first forward movement) tank instantly starts going forwards (only, no reverse) at high-speed (or faster?). Left/Right turning is still normal. (Perhaps reduced turning circle?). Makes it easy to crash into walls. Getting stuck in a corner will make you an easy target. However, an alert player could probably hold out with this for long enough to make it quite fun.

Short Shot(SS)

Description: Not as limited as the No Shooting flag, this shortens how far your shots go before dissipating. Speed stays the same.

No Shooting(NS)

Description: Pretty much as it says in the in-game description. You can't shoot. How you would be able to get rid of it in those "kill to get rid of bad flag" servers I'm not entirely sure.

Disable(DA)

Description: Increased reload speed (say, same as Rapid Fire) and perhaps also increased range (devs should determine best balance); shots have a different color (much darker, or maybe even an "electric charge" crackle). On the other hand, hits don't actually kill, but only disables the target for some seconds (perhaps by server variable). Useful to freeze groups of enemies for instance during base invasion, but requires other team mates to actually finish the job. Shooting a disabled tank works as normal (that is, the shooter gets the point and the Disable-carrying tank gets nothing).

Low Jump(LJ)

Description: Tank won't jump to full height. Blessing and a curse; less time in the air is good in combat but tank can't reach areas designed for normal jumps.

No Ricochet (NR)

Description: Your shots don't bounce off objects that they would normally bounce off of.

No Vertical velocity(NV)

Description: Shots will not keep Vertical Velocity.

Flags to Convert

Flag_Ideas_To_Convert