How to make it clear that you're supposed to telefrag a monster?

[Memfis]

I've seen this too many times. The mapper puts a cyberdemon on a pedestal, but he knows that killing it will be boring so he provides a convenient way to deal with the monster later. However, nobody realizes that, and so now you have the whole world chaingunning the poor creature to death. How to avoid this? The classic solution is to simply be really stingy with ammo so that the player doesn't even consider actually fighting. But that's not always possible or desirable.

[riderr3]

Move cyberdemon far away, and put some other monsters nearby to make them as primary targets.

[tourniquet]

name it "yoursupposedtotelefragthemonster.wad"

[riderr3]

Some quick draws.

Maybe people think there is a way to teleport there.

[scifista42]

Demonstrate telefragging early in the map with some weak or out-of-fire-range monster and in some memorable architectural/gameplay context, repeat it later with a threatening monster in a recognizably similar context.

[Pegleg]

11 hours ago, scifista42 said:

Demonstrate telefragging early in the map with some weak or out-of-fire-range monster and in some memorable architectural/gameplay context, repeat it later with a threatening monster in a recognizably similar context.

I guess you could set up the initial telefragging sort of like Chris Klie did in one of his maps in The Lost Episodes of Doom (E2M5) or @Viggles did in Breach.

 

By the way,

On 12/20/2017 at 2:11 PM, Memfis said:

cyberdemon on a pedestal ... the whole world chaingunning the poor creature

I don't think I've ever heard anyone ever describe the demise of a cyberdemon and seem sympathetic to the cyberdemon.

[40oz]

This is a good question. I've never really thought about this, but I've wasted a lot of ammo because of this before.

 

riderr3's teleport flats suggestion is good.

 

You could maybe design the map so that the player teleports to the pedestal once, then completes some tasks, awakening a cyberdemon that teleports to that same pedestal later. 

[Nine Inch Heels]

Make it such that the platform on which the cybie is leads to an area that the player wants to visit ( like an exit ), and in addition to that, make sure there is no way to actually reach the platform without a teleport. That should hammer the point home for most people. If not, c'est la vie...

[Cynical]

Ancient Aliens explicitly spelled it out for the player in that level with the Arachnotrons with a message in blood in the start room.

[Impie]

5 hours ago, 40oz said:

You could maybe design the map so that the player teleports to the pedestal once, then completes some tasks, awakening a cyberdemon that teleports to that same pedestal later. 

I sorta did this in my Heretic puzzle-map "Bungalow of Dr. Chaos". At the end you fight as many as three serpent riders at once in an arena: you enter the arena by teleporting on top of the central platform, which you can return to via several arena teleporters, and which the dismounted riders teleport to when you injure them. I would hope an astute player figured out that a couple of telefrags would end the fight very quickly.

 

The real pain is that nobody ever had the patience to solve the three switches puzzle properly.

[Crusader No Regret]

  Anytime I see a high HP monster that is immobile, I look for a telefrag or crusher.  Making it look like a teleport destination is the most clear way I can think of.  Positioning may make a difference too; if taking out a turret monster gives a large enough tactical advantage, I'm more willing to spend the ammo to plink it down.  Turret monsters with 360 degree coverage and able to reach half the map are a priority for early termination whereas one that covers less area, I'm more inclined to search out an indirect option.

[NaZa]

What 40oz said, I'd also add some bloody messes and other bloody things so you can get a clue that things have been dying there.