Homing Boulders: Difference between revisions

 

Compare [[Stalactite Spite]]. See also [[Roboteching]] and [[Hit Scan]]. Use of this trope may grow less frequent over time as proper physics rendering becomes more advanced, easier to do and ''expected'' by players of genres where it was once endemic but at the same time it may be continued as a [[Retraux]] touch.

 

== [[Action Game]] ==

* Spells home in in the video game ''[[Harry Potter]] and the Chamber of Secrets''. There's nothing particularly weird about that (after all, [[A Wizard Did It|a wizard really did do it]]), but it's made quite clear in the original books that spells travel in a straight line.

* An interesting (and literal) example in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]'': In the Death Mountain Trail segment where the volcano erupts, you can move as much as you want and the debris will still fall on your head.

 

* In ''[[Maple Story]]'', arrows usually home in on their targets, even if the archer's bow isn't pointing in the same direction. Throwing Stars do funny things, too, but they're [[Ninja]] weapons so maybe thats not too surprising...

** Homing bullets, however, do not have that excuse.

** Fortunately this works both ways, as [[Player Characters]] can damage enemies with Homing Boulders as well, causing most projectiles to be [[Fire And Forget]].

** In an interesting counter-trope, a "miss" animation will fly straight, but slightly off-target. No big deal when fighting across a room, but at point blank, this will suddenly cause a projectile to fly straight up or sideways. Alternately humorous, and humiliating.

* Gigas in ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'' toss boulders as a ranged attack. Said boulders travel to their target in a straight line and always hit in the animation, gravity and obstacles be damned.

** This used to be true for everything earlier than a certain date. The advent of Corporeal Beast (probably) was also the birth of a ranged attack that targeted a ground location rather than a player, so that players could move away from the location to not get hit - and considering the hit's strength, that was preferable. Many bosses followed suit, having move-dodgeable attacks that target places - but all standard player-targeting missiles or spells will curve to hit their targets.

* Arrows in ''[[Mabinogi (video game)|Mabinogi]]'' have their targets predestined based on which mob you're locked onto; in fact, an arrow can go right through one mob on the way to hit another.

* The arrow examples come from the earlier ''Age of Empires'' games.

* ''[[League of Legends]]'' has slow moving energy bolts fired by caster minions. Those move only slightly faster than a champion's running speed, follow you anywhere once fired and can do enough damage to kill players on low health even if they've gotten away from them and the enemy team. This is humiliating. Otherwise, some abilities are [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ0tMN3B038 guaranteed to hit their target] while some (known colloquially as "skillshots") require them reaching a target to work. The Flash summoner ability could once be used to dodge homing spells and missiles if used while they were en route, but due to it adding a major benefit to an already useful ability, this was removed.

** Some weapons can miss though. Like in Warcraft 3, Human Mortars, in Starcraft, Terran Siege Tanks.

** One of the most ridiculous example would be the attack of the Zerg Devourers, a spray of acid that move slower than any other projectile in the game If the Devourer attacks a Carrier's [[Attack Drone|Interceptor]] (fastest unit in the game) the acid cloud will start orbiting the Carrier, while trailing the interceptor.

** Or, even more ludicrously, a shell from a Pak 38 anti-tank gun curving into an M-8 armoured car.

* In ''[[Fallout Tactics]],'' energy weapons travel to their destination slowly enough that the target often has time to duck behind cover. The projectiles do not home, but will still hit the character even if the beam does not connect.

 

== [[Turn-Based Strategy]] ==

* In ''[[Civilization]] V'', most units don't move a lot during combat animations. Airplanes, on the other hand, are seen moving. Everything makes sense when targeting soldiers equipped with rifles or cities defended by missiles - otherwise, expect arrows, boulders and fire bombs chasing your planes.

 

* Happens quite literally in ''[[Neverwinter Nights]]'' with giants' thrown boulders.

* Arrows and bolts in the ''[[Baldur's Gate]]'' and ''[[Icewind Dale]]'' games will turn midflight to track targets, even if they "miss".

* ''[[Dragon Age]]'' does this with arrows (anyone see a pattern?) but the boulders don't track. Just their damage. Which isn't annoying at all.

 

* In the ''[[Total Annihilation]]'' series, all projectiles can miss, even the lasers and homing missiles(they can only turn so sharply!). This is actually the main defense of scout/fighter jets, they're just moving too damn fast for most attacks to hit them! Gaining veterancy allows units to lead their targets, but even then, they'll still likely miss the fastest of enemy units.

* [[Command & Conquer]] had tanks with shells that only have little splash damage. Given how tank shells work in that game, missing the fast-running civilians by one pixel only causes [[Scratch Damage]].

* The ''[[Total War]]'' series has archer units, some 200-man strong, and all arrows are animated with ballistic trajectory. You can actually move your camera to watch the volley of arrows fly all the way to the target. They do not always hit, of course. Also the trajectory means that arrows can hit friendly units in the back if they are in the way, although archers usually fire upwards over the heads of friendly units when necessary.

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[[Category:Video Game Tropes]]