Originally posted by Ixtabif the problem is the vines don't hit the center of the room, why not just make it so the vines do hit the center? what's the need for an additional attack?
Variety, mainly; it's always more interesting when a boss seems to have a wider array of attacks to use against our hero. Our tree friend in particular is also a sort of multifunctional fellow, so it makes sense that he would have a variety of abilities to use against Mario.
The claw would certainly be the mostly logistically complicated extra attack, though also potentially the most memorable. As for its arrangement, I sort of imagine the upper segment coming off at an angle, and the lower segment of hanging straight down. Of course, other angles might be needed when it's extending out to grab, swat. Things could be simplified a bit by having it apparently be on a sort of rail as seen in the concept image at the start of the thread, allowing it to flip from side to side, apparently going behind the tree, or its movement patter could even primarily involve it rotating quickly around the tree in a circles to bat Mario out of the way. In any event, it's true that it certainly would be the more complicated solution to the issue (if possibly also the most awesome).
Quotefour large vines falling from the top seems like enough to worry about. a homing shot would be a bit much with an already 'hard to dodge' root.]
I didn't particularly imagine the eye producing a
homing shot, but rather emitting a projectile/group of projectiles which travel across a fixed area in the center if Mario lingers there too long (hence the suggestion of sumo lightning falling down and inflaming the center of the arena, or a volley of fireballs extending outwards diagonally from the eye), thus compelling him to move away. If the player stays away from the center more, the projectiles would no longer be such a serious problem, though the vines would correspondingly become a much bigger one (whereas staying in the center more makes the vines a smaller problem, but the projectiles a bigger one). This way, the boss would appear to be using different strategies depending on which approach Mario takes, making the battle feel a touch more interesting.
An (intermittent) wind generator
could possibly work as a solution, though the one thing that concerns me is that it feels a bit disconnected as an attack. Though the eye could flash or something though to suggest the tree is summoning an oncoming gust...