Hence, I propose the addition of Skydiving and Aerial Combat to the game.
Now let me clarify what I mean by each of these things, and to begin, the Skydiving mechanic.
Skydiving would likely be something that could exist in two forms, either "Skydive Mode" or "Triggered Skydive".
1.Skydiving "mode" would automatically trigger when your fall met a certain set of prerequisites, such as a certain distance or time elapsed in the air, and correct combination of X and Y vectors proportional to each other (meaning, you cannot enter a Skydive if the greater of your vectors is the X/Z versus the Y, which in basic terms means that you can't enter a Skydive if you're mid jump or moving for the most part horizontally).
2.A Triggered Skydive would occur whenever the player presses a certain key, and could either be triggered at any point when the player is airborne, or only when the prerequisites of "Skydive Mode" have been met, but still at the players discretion, meaning that the player may reach the point where a skydive would be possible, but can choose not to trigger one, versus the choice already being made for them. I personally prefer this idea.
Needless to say there should be a key for which skydiving is assigned, so that the player can in the least choose when to end a skydive, and prepare for landing (impact).
Anyway, onto the details of a Skydive. Upon initiating a Skydive, I would expect the character to flip around and angle their bodies perpendicular to their trajectory. From this initial position, the player could use the movement keys to speed or slow their descent, turn midair, and move in all directions by simply angling the player's body or moving their limbs to different positions (i.e a "torpedo" or "Deadfall/drop" position would be where all limbs are pulled in tightly, and the body is angled in tandem with trajectory to maximize speed).
So let's speak in hypotheticals for a moment. Say You've just jumped off a mountain, overlooking a lake, fleeing from a bandit camp made at the summit where, up until now, you were held prisoner. Of course, the plan would be to angle toward the lake, and then slow your descent toward the end of your fall in preparation for impact, and then hope for the best. However, the bandit that was in charge of guarding you decides that if he lets you escape, he would bring dishonor upon himself and his name for generations, and thus jumps off in pursuit. Now you've entered an Aerial Combat Scenario.
Aerial Combat would be another automatic "mode" much like how a player automatically enters "combat mode" whenever they are spotted by an enemy in the current version of the game. The actual combat could play out in several ways, but all involving the Skydiving movement (i.e control of descent speed) discussed prior. Also, blocking and attacking would be completely one sided unless altitude between combatants was the same. So, let me explain this by looking at our little bandit scenario from before.
The escapee would naturally speed up his descent immediately, but the bandit has the upper hand in this case because they aren't separated by a very great distance, therefore the bandit is able to catch the escapee's "slipstream" (think Mario Kart people) and achieve a greater speed. Unless the escapee does something, the bandit will likely reach him, and either slam him far off course, away from the lake and possible survival, or the bandit might decide to attack from above, killing the escapee by stabbing him in the back, twisting his neck, strangling him or the like. The latter choice would be most preferable as the bandit could then take advantage of the dead body to slow his descent further, or as cushioning during landing to increase his own chance of survival.
Now our escapee can do two things to counter the bandit:
1.The escapee goes from maximum speed to minimum speed, and tries to get above the bandit. This situation depends on whether or not the escapee can get around the bandit, and if he fails, then the effects of a slam will be multiplied.
2.The escapee flips around (block button perchance?) and prepares to defend from the bandit. If the flip is executed at precisely the right time (much like a block), then the escapee can grapple the bandit while flipping, and effectively turn a slam from the bandit into a throw, countering it perfectly, however if the bandit decides instead to attack with a weapon or grapple himself, then the combat deepens, leading either to a same altitude brawl/wrestle, a reversal of positions, or any number of alternate options (meaning I haven't thought of all the possibilities).
Well, that's about it. Please note that the Skydiving/Aerial Combat mechanics can only take place when there is a significant initial altitude, and not after a single bunnyhop. Preferably, distance should be, like in my example, that of a tall mountain or higher for the full experience I'm imagining. Also, landing from a Skydive might be extremely difficult, even if you could cushion your fall in water, or with another body. Chances are that Skydiving would be incredibly difficult to accomplish and survive, unless the situation and environment are specifically tailored to accommodate Skydiving...
Or they could just add gliders, wingsuits, or parachutes, but that's another matter altogether
