Since geothermite got an update, maybe Ripple should get some changes too? And a bit of a problem with miasma

[Kacpert25]

Let's start with Ripple's spawn.
Currently, his spawn is very simple. It's invisible, and the only thing marking it location are a few pieces of mud turf.

Furthermore, Ripple doesn't spawn in any interesting way. He appears offscreen and that's it.

So how could this aspect be improved?
Well, Ripple is a Blight. And they spawn at dreadstone outcrops that grow in nightmare fissures. So let's make Ripple work in a similar way.
Let his spawn be a real object. Specifically, let his spawn be a "Mega Fissure" sealed with an indestructible dreadstone.

When the shadow rift isn't active, the Mega Fissure would remain closed. And when the shadow rift spawns, the Mega Fissure would open, producing a bit of miasma around it.
Another important change would be that Ripple would no longer spawn off-screen. He would only spawn when the player is within range of an open Mega Fissure.

This change would undoubtedly make players wonder what this strange structure in the fumarole biome is, rather than simply seeing turf that doesn't fit with the rest of the biome.

Another, and most important, issue that definitely needs improvement is Ripple's clunky farming.
To attack Ripple, you have to drop a boulderbough on him. And to do that, he has to destroy it with his body.
Because of this requirement, farming Ripple is incredibly clunky. You have no control over his movement. So you have to wait and wait and wait until he finally walk in boulderbough.

The solution to this problem is very simple to come up with. I remember seeing posts from people suggesting it several times. 
So let Ripple follow on the shadow thurible. Simple and logical.

But he wouldn't follow on a regular thurible.
Let the shadow thurible interact with pure horror.
By refueling the shadow thurible with pure horror, it would start producing a different type of smoke.
And for this enhanced smoke Ripple would be follow. 

The last change regarding Ripple is the least important.
I'd like to see more interaction when farming Ripple. That is, he wouldn't immediately drop a dreadstone upon death.
Let Ripple's shell, which falls to the ground during his death animation, be an actual object that would drop a dreadstone upon being mine up.

So I've written everything I wanted to write about Ripple. Now, there's about problem with miasma.
Namely, the problem is that the miasma from the shadow rift, fumaroles, and geothermites doesn't disappear after the shadow rift closes. Just like, for example, the miasma from the dreadstone outcrop disappears with it.
No, it remains permanently, spreading slowly. Sometimes it even becomes invisible.

So after a few cycles of shadow rift, most biomes will be filled with miasma.
And the fumarole biome suffers the most from this. Because there are a ton of sources producing miasma there.
The biome can't take a break from being completely covered in miasma.
So, if the shadow rift is activated for the first time, the fumarole biome will be permanently covered in miasma.

I hope this would be improved so that all the miasma disappears when the shadow rift closes.

[Well-met]

also please fix the issue where player hits do no sound on a vulnerable ripple

[Dingle]

I really just want some actual way to influence where Ripple goes.

Without that, it seems both like an unfinished feature and a horrible luck-based babysitting chore where you just sit there for 30 minutes or more.

It can just spin in little circles, refusing to go out of a section, for several minutes at a time. And then almost go towards some miasma, but then decide to spin in little circles again for several minutes. This repeats until you give up, or it finally decides to move somewhere.

I'm not sure why it does this, it should at least try to go towards heavy miasma areas more consistently.

The only way around this right now is planting a bunch of boulderboughs where it spawns, then killing it as soon as possible. This means you don't get much dreadstone from it.

1 hour ago, Kacpert25 said:

You have no control over his movement. So you have to wait and wait and wait until he finally walk in boulderbough.

The solution to this problem is very simple to come up with. I remember seeing posts from people suggesting it several times. 
So let Ripple follow on the shadow thurible. Simple and logical.

I think I heard that in the code, Ripple had comments saying that it was supposed to try to run away from lunar stuff. It was just never implemented.

If you could scare Ripple by wearing the enlightened crown, that would be great, too.

[Erathia]

I agree. This miniboss needs more work than what has currently been put into it.

[Kacpert25]

36 minutes ago, Dingle said:

I think I heard that in the code, Ripple had comments saying that it was supposed to try to run away from lunar stuff. It was just never implemented.

If you could scare Ripple by wearing the enlightened crown, that would be great, too.

Yeah, I know that. But I didn't mention it in the post. Because I think it would be more interesting to use the shadow thurible, which isn't a very often used item.

[Jakepeng99]

5 hours ago, Kacpert25 said:

Let's start with Ripple's spawn.
Currently, his spawn is very simple. It's invisible, and the only thing marking it location are a few pieces of mud turf.

Furthermore, Ripple doesn't spawn in any interesting way. He appears offscreen and that's it.

So how could this aspect be improved?
Well, Ripple is a Blight. And they spawn at dreadstone outcrops that grow in nightmare fissures. So let's make Ripple work in a similar way.
Let his spawn be a real object. Specifically, let his spawn be a "Mega Fissure" sealed with an indestructible dreadstone.

When the shadow rift isn't active, the Mega Fissure would remain closed. And when the shadow rift spawns, the Mega Fissure would open, producing a bit of miasma around it.
Another important change would be that Ripple would no longer spawn off-screen. He would only spawn when the player is within range of an open Mega Fissure.

This change would undoubtedly make players wonder what this strange structure in the fumarole biome is, rather than simply seeing turf that doesn't fit with the rest of the biome.

Another, and most important, issue that definitely needs improvement is Ripple's clunky farming.
To attack Ripple, you have to drop a boulderbough on him. And to do that, he has to destroy it with his body.
Because of this requirement, farming Ripple is incredibly clunky. You have no control over his movement. So you have to wait and wait and wait until he finally walk in boulderbough.

The solution to this problem is very simple to come up with. I remember seeing posts from people suggesting it several times. 
So let Ripple follow on the shadow thurible. Simple and logical.

But he wouldn't follow on a regular thurible.
Let the shadow thurible interact with pure horror.
By refueling the shadow thurible with pure horror, it would start producing a different type of smoke.
And for this enhanced smoke Ripple would be follow. 

The last change regarding Ripple is the least important.
I'd like to see more interaction when farming Ripple. That is, he wouldn't immediately drop a dreadstone upon death.
Let Ripple's shell, which falls to the ground during his death animation, be an actual object that would drop a dreadstone upon being mine up.

So I've written everything I wanted to write about Ripple. Now, there's about problem with miasma.
Namely, the problem is that the miasma from the shadow rift, fumaroles, and geothermites doesn't disappear after the shadow rift closes. Just like, for example, the miasma from the dreadstone outcrop disappears with it.
No, it remains permanently, spreading slowly. Sometimes it even becomes invisible.

So after a few cycles of shadow rift, most biomes will be filled with miasma.
And the fumarole biome suffers the most from this. Because there are a ton of sources producing miasma there.
The biome can't take a break from being completely covered in miasma.
So, if the shadow rift is activated for the first time, the fumarole biome will be permanently covered in miasma.

I hope this would be improved so that all the miasma disappears when the shadow rift closes.

I feel like brightshade bombs and gunpowder should be able to tip them.

[wormwood123]

I’d like a unique drop from them 

and also maybe some tatters because if I’m a sponge they’re water

[Waywarbler]

8 hours ago, Kacpert25 said:

Yeah, I know that. But I didn't mention it in the post. Because I think it would be more interesting to use the shadow thurible, which isn't a very often used item.

Why not both? Lunar stuff to scare it away (or corral it, if it runs away from dropped lunar items like crown shards), and the thurible to make it follow you.

[sarreos]

Ripple does seem not fully fleshed out and the way you defeat him is very boring, often time consuming because of it's just a game of roulette wether he walks into a boulderbough. I like the idea of being able to mine his she'll after killing him and to make him spawn on screen, these are great ideas.

[Kacpert25]

12 hours ago, Waywarbler said:

Why not both? Lunar stuff to scare it away (or corral it, if it runs away from dropped lunar items like crown shards), and the thurible to make it follow you.

Nah, that would clash.
Brightshade helmet is a lunar item, after all.
It's also the best item for walking through the miasma.
So if you wanted to attract Ripple with a thurible, it would also flee at the sight of brightshade helmet.

But if Ripple only panicked at the sight of lunar creatures, and not also at items, then both options could be in game.

[Dingle]

Could always just have both, but the thurible takes priority.

[Draggofroot]

I think instead of having a large indestructible dreadstone boulder blocking the pillar you could have Ripple's butt be stuck inside it, serves as a little comic relief too

idk tho just an idea

[Mr.Oshiro]

I completely agree. A few pieces of mud turf look like placeholders.
If there were pillars here, it would be even better. Currently, the fumarole biome is the only rock area without pillars. Perhaps it could be a giant Boulderbough trunk? The Ripple only falls when it hits it, and may drop boulders and some Boulderbough Seeds.
Similar to what was described in these two threads: