[SUBMISSION] Shinobi

[INFO]
Name: Shinobi
Difficulty: Easy
Connection: Hell Knight, Satyr
Melee: Yes
Distance: None
Type: Demon, Shadow

[CREDITS]
Submitted: skelepound
Sprites: id Software
Sprite EditsL skelepound
Original DECORATE: Vader(I used alot of the Satyr DECORATE)
DECORATE Edits: skelepound
Idea Base: My own idea

[DESCRIPTION]

Among the noble demons of Hell, few are so feared as the Shinobi. They hold no domains, but are among the most
deadly beasts to wander the foetid bowels of perdition. Physically frail though they may be, they make up for their
lack of endurance and ability to attack at a distance with their incredible speed and the raw destructive power of the
Black Flame they wield, seized from the claws of Death Himself.

Essentially designed for ambushes, the Shinobi has low health but an enormous damage score and a very high speed
as well. This means that an ambush from one of these creatures can tear a huge chunk of health from a clumsy player,
as it can close the distance between a player and itself incredibly fast. Also makes for good cannon fodder distractions,
for if the player fails to prioritize killing the Shinobi, it will VERY quickly kill the player. On its own, if not hidden, though,
even the handgun can kill it reasonably quickly.

Image here:
https://postimg.org/image/6hsdf04lh/

Download the WAD here:
http://www.m*diafire.com/file/8vygoxev2vq5121/Shinobi.wad

Also, due to the lack of Doom Builder for Linux, I have not been able to test the creature yet, so anyone who can do that and give me feedback as to any major issues, thanks in advance. Ideally, it should be able to one or two-hit kill the player if they have no armor, and die from 1 or 2 shot from the super shotgun. It should be faster than a Revenant - when it runs at the player, it should close the distance quickly, and maybe make them jump a bit. Also, while the graphics are essentially a re-skin of the Hell Knight, I actually used the sprites from the Warlord of Hell. Not sure that really qualifies for credits, since i re-skinned it anyways, but if it does, kudos to Tormentor667.

Also, is there any way I can get this added to the main Repository?

I just tested this guy out and it is quite overpowered. With a base melee damage of 100 its range is actually 100-800 per attack. Not sure if you know the formula for damages, which I did not either until recently, but you can see it here. The few times I got hit from this guy I died instantly, with full armor.

I feel that this monster is also way too fast. Not only is it very hard to keep track of and even shoot the monster it also looks poor in-game. With how fast it moves around an area it constantly jumps from one place to the other, making it look very choppy, feel pretty low quality, and gives the impression of lazy implementation of a speed mechanic without any form of making it visually appealing. Additionally, it feels cheap because of how fast it moves around and how much damage it deals. In tight corridors or rooms it is really difficult to keep track of the monster and before you can even lay your eyes on it its already killed you. I understand that this is suppose to be an ambush enemy that focuses on quick and powerful strikes, but the way it is implemented feels very unfair and poorly executed.

There are other ways to make a fast and powerful monster than just boosting its speed and damage stats. When I read your latest post you mentioned

when it runs at the player, it should close the distance quickly, and maybe make them jump a bit.

which I thought meant that the monster would actually jump in the air towards the player to close the distance, like a leap attack or something. That mechanic would be perfect for a speedy monster because it could leap long distances very quickly and suddenly. I'd personally recommend finding mechanics that would make the monster speedy but not at the cost of visual appeal.

I do like the idea of a glass-cannon type speedy enemy though. But in its current state it's a bit unfair with how overpowered it is, even with its health being as low as it is.

Well, firstly, when i said "make them jump a bit", I meant the PLAYER. Y'know, surprise 'em.

Second, the speed. I will most DEFINITELY slow it down - do you think 25 would work? Its 50 now, and while I want it fast, I don't want it CHEATY. If about half the current speed will work, than I will adjust it, no problem. I may try 30 actually - I do want it to be tough to outrun.

Thirdly - the damage. It seems like there is a large element of randomness - if i want it to kill - unarmored - in only 1 to 2 hits, im not sure that it is possible at the 1,8 ratio. Maybe I'll set it down to 30 or 40 - its at 100 right now, intended to kill unarmored targets in one hit. But maybe its a bit O.P., I think that 35 actually should cover it just fine. Still immensly high tho, which was the intent. Thank you for your feedback. What about health though - how hard was it to kill? In terms of say, shotgun blasts.

Okay, the link has been updated, he now has a lower speed and attack power. I went for 30 speed and 35 attack - enough to rush the player and do serious damage before being swiftly dispatched. Also, a note to anyone who notices that the black horns and eyes are unshaded - that is intentional. His horns are made of shadow stuff. Kinda like the fire around his hands, which is also as black as the void.

Using SLADE map editor, I have found that the Shinobi anmation sprites are less than perfect - and because it took me 3 hours just for the green skin and black flame/horn color swap, I think rather than animating legs, im going to give him a floating torso. Maybe some magical shadow stuff coming out, or hell, maybe I will make him a floating cyborg. But as it is, he will not work.

I reduced damage to 25 - he frequently one-hit kills me unarmored, but thats normal. Hopefully green armor will take something off of that. His speed will likely only be 16 or thereabouts - still fast enough to rush you. After all, he is SUPPOSED to be a shinobi - quick, deadly, and with enough self-discipline to ignore pain... but not too endurant. Probs going to do shadowy tendrils for his floating, maybe a black firey effect. Any thoughts?

Hmm...this doesn't do anything for me as of its current state. I think there's a good idea in here, though. Let's see what we can do.

• For one, the Baron sprites are generally reserved for only the most durable of enemies; using the sprites on an enemy only slightly tougher than an Imp seems improper. I think you'd be better off borrowing sprites from a lower-tier enemy so as not to create a disconnect between its perceived toughness and actual toughness. (I could see the Doom 3 Wraith working.) The name "Shinobi" also seems incongruous for such a Western-style demon.
  
• The recolor is a bit on the rough side. There's not enough range of color values for the dark appearance you want. You'd be best off using a graphic utility program (like GIMP, which is free) to do the recolor and saving the results in a custom palette. Note that you're not forbidden from sticking strictly to using Doom colors, but be aware that if you stray outside of the palette, it may look rough in ZDoom and will probably only look good in GZDoom.
  
• If he's sneaky, consider giving him transparency, or additive blending. If you use subtractive blending, it will create an effect similar to the Nightmare Spectre. This effect can also help hide imperfections in a low-quality recolor since all the sprites will be blended with the background anyways.
  
• The damage formula is typically random(1 - times the damage amount, but if you use the flag STRIFEDAMAGE, it will become 1 -4 instead. You an also use custom damage formulas; for example...
  A_CustomMeleeAttack(random(1, 10) * 6
  ...simulates the Revenant's attack damage. You could instead do something like...
  A_CustomMeleeAttack(random(30, 60)
  ...if you want the base damage to be higher, but the max damage to be the same. Note that if you use A_CustomMeleeAttack, the damage value is NEVER randomized (unlike A_MeleeAttack), since it assumes you'll create a random formula yourself.
  
• Fast monsters like the Demon and Revenant usually have a tic duration of 2 for each of their A_Chase values. The shorter the duration of A_Chase, the more quickly the monster moves each time A_Chase is called. Of course, you'll want to consider reducing his actual Speed value to compensate.
  
• Don't forget INFO and CREDITS lumps inside the submission's WAD itself. And please zip the submission; regular .zip format is fine.

Okay, lets go through your list - for the most part, im planning on taking your advice. But one of the first thoughts I had about this guy was the concept of him belonging to a noble class of demons - and i view the Hell knight, Baron, and those sorts as having that role. His body type may be incongrous in terms of how the sprites are commonly used - but it is key lore wise.

Sprite recolors, im already on that. Since the animation was jacked, also working on his lower body becoming black shadowstuff. I thnk he may be a pale gray skin tone by the end, approaching white. Something about it feels RIGHT, especially with his black fire color.

Transparency I'll consider - but as a stealth demon he is not INVISIBLE, so much as he is sneaky - i may do so, but his concept is more in line with an assasin who hides rather than an invisible killer.

Im having internet difficulties -ill answer the rest tomorrow. Sorry in advance for the delay.

Okay - STRIFEDAMAGE sounds simple enough to implement, and it would suit my purposes perfectly. Thanks for that idea, will definitely help giving him the intended damage level.

I will also gladly use the chase value thing you mentioned(id write it, but for me its morning and i might screw up). Faster sprites may prevent me from needing those sprite changes i mentioned above. As you may have guessed, i'm much more experienced with map modding than anything else - and i haven't done monsters in a long time, hence my ineptitude.

Once im finished with edits, and the wad is in an acceptable form, i will definitely zip it, and add a new upload link. Like i said though - while many of the coding elements will be no problem to change, and i was planning on a re-skin anyways, i don't have a problem with most of the changes - but i really would rather he stay a Hell Knight re-skin. As for the name - well, if you want me to change it, what do you suggest? Any cool ideas?

Alright, new update: Shinobi now has STRIFEDAMAGE as well as another flag, NOTARGETSWITCH, so he focuses on the player even if another enemy attacks him by accident - infighting won't work on him, but in multiplayer, another player can attack him with impunity, so long as his bro survives. He has also been re-colored BLACK and his Chase ticks are now 2 as opposed to 3. My computer acting up, so I haven't tested it. Lowered his speed, and I raised his health to 160. This will make him a LITTLE bit more durable, to match his sprite. Other than some loss of definition in the legs, the sprite looks really good in black to me. INFO and Credits, as well as zipping, have not been added - IDK if it needs more modification, and if it does, I want t give credit to anyone I may get to help me with DECORATE code. If it gets approved, however, I will immediately update it with these lumps and the zip, and post the new file link. Sry for the delay., but a bit busy in my personal life.