XPL0SI0NMAN
New member
Currently, Rabbit Hex is a problem for some people due to the speed bonus not offsetting the removal of complex movement and the additional damage vulnerability. While the most recent patch has made Rabbit Hex more tolerable, I want to make a proposition for how to make Rabbit Hex less frustrating to be hit by through an alternative movement system.
As of the moment, Rabbit Hex gives a 35% movement speed increase in exchange for temporarily blocking stamina usage and the ability to jump. What this tends to result in is a Sinclair player diving towards a target, hitting them with a point blank Rabbit Hex, and then activating Spectral Assistant and firing Vexing Bolt straight down. The explosions on the bolts instantly hitting the floor tend to still land on the Hexed victim before they gain any momentum, chunking a solid portion of the target's health before they are given any time to react. The rest of the Rabbit Hex is either the player running in circles around Sinclair to stall for time or juking around corners to break line of sight.
The problem to arise with this is that there's little to no difference to normal gameplay. Any character deprived of their gun, abilities, and stamina all at once would likely default to similar strategies in an attempt to survive. The only change present is that Sinclair can cause this situation on demand, returning the character to their original state should they survive. For the target this experience is frustrating as they are forced into the worst case scenario situation at Sinclair's leisure, whether or not they were already ragged before the Rabbit Hex was used. On top of this, the time it takes to accelerate from both the initial transformation and when attempting to juke means that if any other enemies are present the victim is constantly forced to change direction which significantly dampens the movement speed bonus or run in a straight path. In the end, it's often more likely that a Hexed player kills themselves due to being forced to do predictable movement in such a limited form that they unwillingly make themselves an easy target. Even if the Hexed player survives the Rabbit Hex as they are being attacked from multiple angles, it buys the enemy team more time to pull reinforcements to secure the kill on the surrounded victim.
Being Hexed has the major gameplay downside of only removing depth from the game, instead of changing the situation or adding more depth to it. It strictly removes options and lowers the expectations of both the caster and victim. So we ask, what can be done to fix this?
I think two major changes could be applied to help make this more bearable. For starters, the act of transformation itself. An easy way to start is by having the Rabbit Hex pop the target into the air both on hit and at the end. This would normally be more problematic, but this can be mitigated by having the target slightly launched in the direction they were attempting to move as they get transformed. This does not take into account the player's current velocity, but the direction on the keyboard they are holding at the moment of the Hex landing. If a Lash player is flying through the air and he holds backwards the instant before a Rabbit Hex hits him, all of his momentum is canceled and he is popped up and backwards. This gives the target a slight bit of control while still rendering them helpless, while also offering Sinclair more incentive to self-cast Rabbit Hex. Jumping towards a nearby rooftop during an escape only to pop themselves up with the slight boost from Rabbit Hex before speeding away can give it more utility.
Secondly, the movement of the rabbit itself could be changed. Instead of simply running on the ground, forcing the player into a pogo-like movement system could be more rewarding. The player is set to constantly jump while denying them any air control while Hexed, bouncing up and down as they attempt to dodge gunfire and punches. The important part is that the victim jumps in whatever direction they are holding when they hit the ground, regardless of where they were moving last. A Hexed player can hop side to side without hesitation where anyone else would have to deal with ground friction and acceleration. Scout in Team Fortress 2 has similar mechanics to his double jump, allowing him to cancel any momentum he previously had to instantly change direction. Through both the double jump and now this change to Rabbit Hex, it gives the Hexed player more control of the situation. The Hexed player is rewarded for skilled movement by throwing off the enemy's aim with unpredictable jumping patterns, while rewarding an enemy who reacts quickly with a predictable jumping arc to shoot for. This also is helped by the fact the Rabbit does not have a head, so even if an enemy can perfectly track the rabbit they won't be destroyed through constant headshots.
Through these changes it helps deal with the major problems of Rabbit Hex's design while still keeping the framework intact. The Hexed player is popped up initially to prevent an instant loss of health by a Sinclair player throwing splash damage at their feet, while still keeping their movement predictable due to the lack of air control. It then becomes up to the Hexed player to try and throw enemies for a loop, bouncing back and forth erratically to try and avoid damage as much as they can until the transformation finishes. The secondary pop up once the ability ends offers the Hexed player an opportunity to escape as a reward for skilled play, giving them a slight height advantage which could be used to climb ledges or use abilities to make distance before a traditional chase begins. In the end, it helps promote a more engaging gameplay experience through deeper mechanics.
As of the moment, Rabbit Hex gives a 35% movement speed increase in exchange for temporarily blocking stamina usage and the ability to jump. What this tends to result in is a Sinclair player diving towards a target, hitting them with a point blank Rabbit Hex, and then activating Spectral Assistant and firing Vexing Bolt straight down. The explosions on the bolts instantly hitting the floor tend to still land on the Hexed victim before they gain any momentum, chunking a solid portion of the target's health before they are given any time to react. The rest of the Rabbit Hex is either the player running in circles around Sinclair to stall for time or juking around corners to break line of sight.
The problem to arise with this is that there's little to no difference to normal gameplay. Any character deprived of their gun, abilities, and stamina all at once would likely default to similar strategies in an attempt to survive. The only change present is that Sinclair can cause this situation on demand, returning the character to their original state should they survive. For the target this experience is frustrating as they are forced into the worst case scenario situation at Sinclair's leisure, whether or not they were already ragged before the Rabbit Hex was used. On top of this, the time it takes to accelerate from both the initial transformation and when attempting to juke means that if any other enemies are present the victim is constantly forced to change direction which significantly dampens the movement speed bonus or run in a straight path. In the end, it's often more likely that a Hexed player kills themselves due to being forced to do predictable movement in such a limited form that they unwillingly make themselves an easy target. Even if the Hexed player survives the Rabbit Hex as they are being attacked from multiple angles, it buys the enemy team more time to pull reinforcements to secure the kill on the surrounded victim.
Being Hexed has the major gameplay downside of only removing depth from the game, instead of changing the situation or adding more depth to it. It strictly removes options and lowers the expectations of both the caster and victim. So we ask, what can be done to fix this?
I think two major changes could be applied to help make this more bearable. For starters, the act of transformation itself. An easy way to start is by having the Rabbit Hex pop the target into the air both on hit and at the end. This would normally be more problematic, but this can be mitigated by having the target slightly launched in the direction they were attempting to move as they get transformed. This does not take into account the player's current velocity, but the direction on the keyboard they are holding at the moment of the Hex landing. If a Lash player is flying through the air and he holds backwards the instant before a Rabbit Hex hits him, all of his momentum is canceled and he is popped up and backwards. This gives the target a slight bit of control while still rendering them helpless, while also offering Sinclair more incentive to self-cast Rabbit Hex. Jumping towards a nearby rooftop during an escape only to pop themselves up with the slight boost from Rabbit Hex before speeding away can give it more utility.
Secondly, the movement of the rabbit itself could be changed. Instead of simply running on the ground, forcing the player into a pogo-like movement system could be more rewarding. The player is set to constantly jump while denying them any air control while Hexed, bouncing up and down as they attempt to dodge gunfire and punches. The important part is that the victim jumps in whatever direction they are holding when they hit the ground, regardless of where they were moving last. A Hexed player can hop side to side without hesitation where anyone else would have to deal with ground friction and acceleration. Scout in Team Fortress 2 has similar mechanics to his double jump, allowing him to cancel any momentum he previously had to instantly change direction. Through both the double jump and now this change to Rabbit Hex, it gives the Hexed player more control of the situation. The Hexed player is rewarded for skilled movement by throwing off the enemy's aim with unpredictable jumping patterns, while rewarding an enemy who reacts quickly with a predictable jumping arc to shoot for. This also is helped by the fact the Rabbit does not have a head, so even if an enemy can perfectly track the rabbit they won't be destroyed through constant headshots.
Through these changes it helps deal with the major problems of Rabbit Hex's design while still keeping the framework intact. The Hexed player is popped up initially to prevent an instant loss of health by a Sinclair player throwing splash damage at their feet, while still keeping their movement predictable due to the lack of air control. It then becomes up to the Hexed player to try and throw enemies for a loop, bouncing back and forth erratically to try and avoid damage as much as they can until the transformation finishes. The secondary pop up once the ability ends offers the Hexed player an opportunity to escape as a reward for skilled play, giving them a slight height advantage which could be used to climb ledges or use abilities to make distance before a traditional chase begins. In the end, it helps promote a more engaging gameplay experience through deeper mechanics.
