THMPR Drilling Animation

PartTimeJedi

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#1
I was just watching an old FF video and realized something... Our Em8er THMPR should have the animation and THUMPING noise the Thumper makes to attract enemies!
Right now our THMPR drops down and presses its drilling arm into the dirt and the drill spins... Thats it, no sound.
Shouldn't there be an animation added to the THMPR's drill arm of a small piston attached right before the drill itself, so as its pressing the drill into the ground the small piston animation will have it rhythmically pounding while spinning AND add the "THUMP" "THUMP" "THUMP" "THUMP" FF-like thumping sound? THEN it would be a THMPR!
 
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Aug 14, 2016
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#2
All you would have to say to explain away why the thumper is making impact sounds while it is drilling is just say it is like a giant impact drill.

In real life when I have to drill through hard things like concrete I have switched my drill to the impact setting. About I hear the air hammer nose layered on top of the sound of the drill punching though concrete, brick, and rock.
 

PartTimeJedi

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#3
All you would have to say to explain away why the thumper is making impact sounds while it is drilling is just say it is like a giant impact drill.

In real life when I have to drill through hard things like concrete I have switched my drill to the impact setting. About I hear the air hammer nose layered on top of the sound of the drill punching though concrete, brick, and rock.
That's exactly what I was envisioning with maybe a slight pulse animation in the drill to go along with the THUMP sound?
 

PartTimeJedi

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#5
Sounds cool but a rework of the THMPR skeleton/frame for that piece could be a real chore. I don't know if approved that there's enough time ahead of the KS to get that done. Perhaps post KS?
What about just adding a low THUMP THUMP THUMP sound to the pre-existing animation?
I knew something felt off whenever I called the THMPR down...Cant believe it took me this long to figure it out!
 

Pandagnome

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#6
What about just adding a low THUMP THUMP THUMP sound to the pre-existing animation?
I knew something felt off whenever I called the THMPR down...Cant believe it took me this long to figure it out!
I was wondering if we could control how long the drilling can be for but since thumpr mek is more mobile seems to drill and just move as he is an A.I

What if we could have different mods of thumping

1) A.I driven where the thumpr drills light to medium goes where it likes some risks it might drill on a nest who knows hmm

2) Targeted drilling this is manual where you assign a radius where to drill in this could be for longer drills

Think mode 1 is for those who want to be moving around get some resources but like to battle things along the way

Mode 2 is your traditional drilling but have a higher risk of getting targeted too

Little things that could add to the drilling

* As parttimejedi mentioned the thump thump sounds be good for longer drills i think or dense resources
.
* Effects of the drill something like a few sparks or energy spiraling around the drill section

* Parttimejedi mentioned also the piston but what if it was just the drill segment shaking back and forth for that look it is under stress when it is thumping longer


Not to do with the drill but i love the voice of the original thumper call down he sounded perfect and then you had oil spill with his friendly voice adding "incoming thumper lets get to mining"

Not forgetting i like that circular thing showing the radius to avoid think it was the yellow holographic thing but i like the effects of the blue too before calling it down with the spinning things.

 

PartTimeJedi

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#7
I do hope a dev reads this post and at least considers adding a low rhythmic THUMP THUMP THUMP sound to the drilling animation because-

1- I recall in FF after calling down the Thumper and as soon as it started drilling that low THUMP.. THUMP... THUMP sound.. waiting for the mobs to appear... it was reminiscent of the Jaws music.. So simple yet caused so much tension. The short wait before the storm! Loved it.

2- As my daughter asked "Why is it called a thumper?".. and me explaining "Well hunny it drills and umm. umm. Well in the old game it made this THUMPING sound"
Most non-FF vets will be confused by its THMPR name.
 

PartTimeJedi

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#11
God I miss this..
You can tell this is when they started muting the background thumper sound during the encounter. If you watch any thumping videos up to early 2013, the THUMP THUMP THUMP is definitely more pronounced and auditory during the encounter. If I recall I left in late 2013/ early 2014 and I was dissapointed that one of the previous updates had nerfed the THUMP volume to seemingly barely there.
EDIT- I would like to add, the general sound effects in FF were awesome! All the beeps and twangs are so unique I think if I heard the.m out of context I'd still be able to identify them as being from FF.
This Thumper encounter video is from 2012 and the THMP THMP THMP is louder, bassier and more prodounced.
 
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Pandagnome

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#12
This Thumper encounter video is from 2012 and the THMP THMP THMP is louder, bassier and more prodounced.
Its way better your right the bassier adds a punch and its probably why tiki parties happened after. Those where good even if you weren't involved in the victory you'd pass by and just join in :D

 

PartTimeJedi

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#13
Its way better your right the bassier adds a punch and its probably why tiki parties happened after. Those where good even if you weren't involved in the victory you'd pass by and just join in :D

So much fun! When the thumper was louder I would always swing by if I heard one to see if they needed help. Great community back then.
 
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#14
Where is something about thumpers I would love to see. Them actually making holes in the ground and in objects. Yes, I know there are limits on what the severs can do an all. But how awesome would be for you to tell your thumper to drill into a rock and make a tunnel where you pop out of the other side into an enemy base?

Person 1: "How are we going to get pass their defenses? Look at all the guards and turrets. What's the plan? Just walk through the front door?"
Person 2: "Doors are for chumps."
Person 3: "Yea, we make our own doors." gets thumper to break through the wall.

Also, if we can get thumpers to do that. want a voice pack where my thumper says something like "Oh Yea!" when it breaks through a wall. lol
 
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