Cheese and Game Modes Thread - OverLight

So, as stated, currently only the basic glass blocks and 2 lasers are implemented at fixed locations. Due to the existing game mechanics, this creates certain zones which are potentially better or worse for scoring (and getting big combos). I've made a quick overlay to describe this in terms of the four quadrants of the screen:

• Green: The upper-right quadrant tends to be the easiest to score on. The only reflection required for the lasers to cross is an upward reflection of the lower-right laser. This tends to be rather easy to achieve as long as you have at least one block less than 4 height down in the lower-right. You rarely need to change the path the laser follows also since the actual "targeting" blocks are out of the way of where you're actually breaking blocks.
• Purple: The upper-left and lower-right quadrants are more of a normal playing field. Note that it is generally easier to break blocks near the top-left than the lower-right due to how blocks fall, but it's not as significant as the other regions mentioned.
• Red: Also known as The Eternal Wasteland. Blocks come in, blocks don't come out. Requires manually breaking blocks near the bottom of the playing field in order to get the lower-right laser to it. Due to gravity, this mangles up everything above it as you set it up: namely, the whole playing field. The upper-left laser then needs to be re-directed downward to intersect the other. However, since the bottom of the map is being targeted, the blocks used for the upper-left laser's redirection will be constantly shifting -- this requires manual intervention on almost every overheat.
• Cheese: A small zone in the green quadrant. Spend a bit of time getting the lasers to cross in this small region and the combo won't stop . So why is this so good? It only requires a single redirect on the laser -- the most simplistic possible setup.Your targeting blocks are not threatened to be misaligned or destroyed. Every time you destroy a block in this small zone, another will take it's place without requiring variation to the playing field's existing setup. The only way your combo can stop is if you don't manually break blocks in two instances:
  1. The block in the zone causes a redirect that messes with your targeting blocks.
  2. A block's size prevents another block from being able to fall into the zone.

So this got me thinking: how can this problem be solved? The ideas that have been mentioned for block variants could certainly help. By having blocks differing in value and ease of destruction, the value of regions of the playing field itself fluctuate. Blocks that require re-routing the laser go even further by creating a need to target more areas of the board. However, the base state of the playing field will still have the same optimal and low-priority regions.
Expanding on the idea of variable difficulty in block destruction and required redirection, another idea is game mode variants. These could be connected to the also previously mentioned power-ups/downs, or exist on their own for more difficult levels. These exist as modification to the playing field itself. Some ideas I was thinking of are:
Note: Changing of the game mode variant's state could be based on time-elapsed, number of manual interventions, number of overheated blocks, number of overheats, number of blocks destroyed in general., or time-elapsed influenced by blocks destroyed. I'm not sure which would work the best.

• Lasers move up or down their side of the playing field. On reaching the edge of the field, either wrap around to the top or start moving in the other direction.
• Laser on the bottom of the screen
• Lasers on the same side of the screen
• More lasers with all lasers required to hit a block to overheat (expansion on coloured blocks as a new colour?)
• Gravity shifting directions
• Rotating the board (excluding lasers and blocks not on the playing field -- so only blocks in play)

I think some things of this sort would allow the optimal region of the board to constantly change in a predictable manner, both removing the ability to cheese one region and giving more importance on being "two steps ahead". Later levels would more easily be able to be made more difficult by combining these variants with the different blocks and power-ups/downs. It'd also be re-usable to allow for some interesting puzzles (e.g.: laser moves up every time a block is broken manually).

Edited by: nurotasama

Wow! Thanks for extensive feedback.

The laser positions are adjustable (they are defined per level) so I'll be tweaking them to adjust the difficulty, although this gave me idea to put another mechanic to change them even during single gameplay somehow, perhaps by swapping their heights (left and right) at some point. Also the blocks and their ratio in the game have significant effect on the difficulty. For example with only three-sub-block "corner" blocks in the level, it was very difficult to play.

Perhaps also cause small chance for the overheat to break some other blocks in the surroundings (but without receiving any points for them) too, that way it would cause the structures to collapse and reshape. Perhaps break a random block(s) with each overheat as well. I mean, whole screen flashes with the boom, so why it can't take a few more blocks with it, even though there are no laser beams going through them, right? :3

Thanks again for your suggestions, it's very helpful.