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- Dec 9, 2006
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I think that one of the major flaws of some maps are lack of boss fights, or non-engaging boss fights. So I decided that this may be a good thread topic. I myself have the true passion in WC3 of making engaging boss-fights. However, Im wondering what other people think about bossfights. Here are some of my Ideas on what I put in bossfights and what makes boss fights interesting.
Adding abilitys- This is the basic to all boss fights, and I think that everyone would agree with this. No one wants to fight a boss for ten minutes with the boss simply spamming the attack animation.
Adding events/stages- Adding in events in the boss fight are definatly a plus in fight. If they challenge your reaction time, it makes a player more aware of the fight itself. For example, stop casting and run away from the giant laser that is headed your way, and attempt to get back in range to fight the boss before the laser makes its round trip again. Stages shake up a players strategy. What they were doing moments before may no longer be valid when the stage of the fight changes.
Uniqueness to Boss/Location- Every boss can have unique things happen due to the location or what boss it is. This could help you vary from others who follow these steps. For example (From StasMaN) "If there is a Naga boss which is underwater , you should add a safe place and a timer for the breath your hero has, for example a 2 minute timere. When that timer ends , the hero would start losing life until he goes to the safe spot and restores the lost life" That is somthing unique to a water boss, somthing you wouldnt have when you are fighting a giant knight or an Earth Elemental.
Voices!- I believe that adding fitting voices to the boss when he uses abilitys and does
events, can create a more realistic feeling to the fight. It can also help to warn players of an upcoming bosses ability. Voices express a bosses personality, therefor making fighting the boss all-the-more exciting.
Minions- Adding minions or mini-bosses to a boss fight can make the fight all the more difficult, as it adds an extra threat variable to the fight. So if you are working on fighting a mini-boss, you not only have to work on taking the mini-boss down, but you also have to attempt to evade the main bosses abilitys.
Space/movement- Bosses should come with an enviornment that requires the same amount of attention as the boss itself. Although this may seem the same as uniqueness to location, it is not. The boss fight should include small subtle things that may not be noticed, but should be noticed if the player wants to survive. For example, 2 small rocks may appear near a player, no big deal? However, within 4 seconds the rock explodes dealing damage and a massive stun. This stun may lead to the player being hit by another ability they have to run out of to survive. The boss should attempt to trap the player. So, this brings us to the question. Who is attacking or trapping who?
Randomization/Secret Powers- Bosses, although some require known abilites to plan strategy, should also include secret powers in the fight. Things like a secret reincarnation or split can make players jump out of their seat. So go ahead, and add the bosses secret LAZERZ, im sure that would be fun ^_^
Required Human-interaction. - Human-interaction ,if not doubles, triples a bosses difficulty. Most people would be able to beat a boss by-themselves for they know what they are going to do and when they are going to do it. With multiple players, and events that require people to work together, you must learn each others strengths and weakness's. For example, my "Battle against the Defiler" requires all armies to move in on Archimonde at the same time, or else it could easily end up as a defeat. If one person does not know that you are about to move in, and has a delay of about 10 seconds before he realizes that he is supposed to move in, well, its game over.
Enrage/Timer- Bosses that have a window of time to beat them in, makes every move critical. So people need to know what they are doing, and execute it without much of a delay. For example, you are on a ship and a boss has begun overloading the generator, and you must defeat the boss in 8 minutes before the ship explodes. However, the boss also spawns adds that if killed deal a good 4-5% damage to the bosses health. At the point it is critical for each member to be able to stop killing the boss and kill the adds when they spawn, or they might not make the timer.
I believe that if these elements are used, you can make an excellent boss fight, and your map could provide all-the-more fun for players. Now, I wonder what other peoples thoughts are on this post. Would you agree that these are elements to a good boss fight? Would you like to add somthing or do you believe that somthing here doesnt fit in with a boss fight? I like opinions ^_^
~Asomath
Adding abilitys- This is the basic to all boss fights, and I think that everyone would agree with this. No one wants to fight a boss for ten minutes with the boss simply spamming the attack animation.
Adding events/stages- Adding in events in the boss fight are definatly a plus in fight. If they challenge your reaction time, it makes a player more aware of the fight itself. For example, stop casting and run away from the giant laser that is headed your way, and attempt to get back in range to fight the boss before the laser makes its round trip again. Stages shake up a players strategy. What they were doing moments before may no longer be valid when the stage of the fight changes.
Uniqueness to Boss/Location- Every boss can have unique things happen due to the location or what boss it is. This could help you vary from others who follow these steps. For example (From StasMaN) "If there is a Naga boss which is underwater , you should add a safe place and a timer for the breath your hero has, for example a 2 minute timere. When that timer ends , the hero would start losing life until he goes to the safe spot and restores the lost life" That is somthing unique to a water boss, somthing you wouldnt have when you are fighting a giant knight or an Earth Elemental.
Voices!- I believe that adding fitting voices to the boss when he uses abilitys and does
events, can create a more realistic feeling to the fight. It can also help to warn players of an upcoming bosses ability. Voices express a bosses personality, therefor making fighting the boss all-the-more exciting.
Minions- Adding minions or mini-bosses to a boss fight can make the fight all the more difficult, as it adds an extra threat variable to the fight. So if you are working on fighting a mini-boss, you not only have to work on taking the mini-boss down, but you also have to attempt to evade the main bosses abilitys.
Space/movement- Bosses should come with an enviornment that requires the same amount of attention as the boss itself. Although this may seem the same as uniqueness to location, it is not. The boss fight should include small subtle things that may not be noticed, but should be noticed if the player wants to survive. For example, 2 small rocks may appear near a player, no big deal? However, within 4 seconds the rock explodes dealing damage and a massive stun. This stun may lead to the player being hit by another ability they have to run out of to survive. The boss should attempt to trap the player. So, this brings us to the question. Who is attacking or trapping who?
Randomization/Secret Powers- Bosses, although some require known abilites to plan strategy, should also include secret powers in the fight. Things like a secret reincarnation or split can make players jump out of their seat. So go ahead, and add the bosses secret LAZERZ, im sure that would be fun ^_^
Required Human-interaction. - Human-interaction ,if not doubles, triples a bosses difficulty. Most people would be able to beat a boss by-themselves for they know what they are going to do and when they are going to do it. With multiple players, and events that require people to work together, you must learn each others strengths and weakness's. For example, my "Battle against the Defiler" requires all armies to move in on Archimonde at the same time, or else it could easily end up as a defeat. If one person does not know that you are about to move in, and has a delay of about 10 seconds before he realizes that he is supposed to move in, well, its game over.
Enrage/Timer- Bosses that have a window of time to beat them in, makes every move critical. So people need to know what they are doing, and execute it without much of a delay. For example, you are on a ship and a boss has begun overloading the generator, and you must defeat the boss in 8 minutes before the ship explodes. However, the boss also spawns adds that if killed deal a good 4-5% damage to the bosses health. At the point it is critical for each member to be able to stop killing the boss and kill the adds when they spawn, or they might not make the timer.
I believe that if these elements are used, you can make an excellent boss fight, and your map could provide all-the-more fun for players. Now, I wonder what other peoples thoughts are on this post. Would you agree that these are elements to a good boss fight? Would you like to add somthing or do you believe that somthing here doesnt fit in with a boss fight? I like opinions ^_^
~Asomath
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I'm doing a nice project now 
