The Way Mages Cast Spells

I've got an idea about how to make mages' spell-casting look realistic.
They type special messages that are very hard to type. Intelligence has to be renamed to "Spellpower", because of the code in the string. Make items to cast abilities for every ability you have there (For example ability for Blizzard spell). You know the raw-code for Firebolt ability. So you type "active 100 fire". Fire is the raw-code (to see abilities' raw-codes press ctrl+d) of "Firebolt" spell. Number 100 (it's from 001 to 099 and 100, no more) determines of what percentage from your total mana you may have will be spent for that spell you want to cast. If you maximum mana you may have is 2000, you will lose all your mana after entering the message. The more mana you spend for a spell the more powerful will be it's effect. To choose a target for that spell you got to select a unit and keep it selected until you enter the message. Then you use triggers to give item to the casting unit and then automatically order the hero to use last created item on any unit currently selected by owner of MAGE. I mean that at the start of the game you have to select your hero's class: Warriors may not cast spells, Paladins are half warriors-half mages, and Mages may not attack, but only with spells.
Of course there got to be under-classes. You may use this for example for an epic RPG such as Lord of the Rings The Epic Adventure/Full Version of Fellowship, where you may either use WEU or just scale heroes very little and make camera close.
For mana shield you say "passive (spellpower) (TIME BEFORE DEACTIVATE) (raw-code of a temporary/permanent spell)". you may use this way to activate auras and modify their power, but mostly for shields. (Vampiric Aura lvl 1 (requires 500 mana), Vampiric Aura (requires 1000 mana) lvl 2). Keeping in mind that auras got to disappear over time, they will drain mana over time - every 2 seconds. So, mana drained every 2 seconds will be (entered Spellpower) / (entered Time before disappear) X (2)

And use mages' Set Rally Point ability (yeah, mages got to train something that will be removed after training) to set target-point for AOE spell. No Target-point required for summon-spell or AOE from mage's position (starfall).

Good Luck, World Editorer!

It seems like a good idea, mages would need time to pronounce the formulae of the spells, it would be more realistic. Of course there will be some fast casters thanks to Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V but nothing's perfect. I would make all spells available since the very start, but give them long and arcane raw-codes, without explaining them. Then the players would find scrolls which have in their description the raw-codes, and it would be even more realistic. If you find the way to disable the chat among players but show the message over the players' characters, mages could learn magical formulae listening to the enemy casters nearby

Sounds like a good idea. . .


Would the spell "combos/messages" be kinda hard to remember though?
Sounds a bit like the game AVENCAST (not really but hey. . .)

hawk900 said:

Sounds like a good idea. . .


Would the spell "combos/messages" be kinda hard to remember though?

Click to expand...

Hawk900, the spell codes are supposed to be hard to remember and be written down.
However, writing down a spell code wouldn't you always allow to cast it - because there would be different schools of magic in the game, and some spells are unable to cast until some level or without having some item (like spellbook with spells, since even if you are able to cast a spell, your hero might not remember it. So you could add a Spell-Store in your map. If so, then you have the ability to list all spells your hero knows. Then, if you'd like to store all strings a hero knows in ONE variable, you shall fail, so make a different variable for each player with array, and use loop to check whenever your hero knows a spell).

An example of a spell code:
GetLocalPlayerYouPoop = spell code for Charm
CallSleepActionUnsleepWorker - spell code for Sleep spell

Hmm, interesting.

There should be a series a spell book on your hero that allows you to store spell combos in a dud, passive ability.

I was thinking of a similar thing....
Only the difference was I was going to make the Game use Raw codes and math

So people can name a player and then cause them to have damage or this or that....
THen have a character on the playing feild called
-The Rules-Which would define which spells would work on different people

I think this idea and everything that would able to go off from it is fully described in this thread. That system would fit with some epic RPG I guess.

Any thing to add? Please if you have an idea post it, because I would be pleased if this thread would remain on first page. Post post!

Could you just put those spells in the spell book? Like when you click on the book it opens up for more spells. Then when you click on one of those spells, it drains your mana until you click a specific button to stop it from draining any more. Then it casts the spell with all the mana you drained, wouldn't that be easier then typing it? Also their could be scrolls that when you use them it gives you a totally new spell to use. All these spells would go in the spell book, cause the spell book would already have some starter spells in it but, as you get more spells you write them in the book. I don't know how to do any of this but its a cool idea for you pros.

Meh, that would be too simple and not realistic. Not interesting. You got to spell a spell with chat. Using my method would avoid any use of spell books. However, spell books are needed to click them for following display of all spells in that book, so you know that if you type that spell, your class is fitting, level etc, and you have that book, your spell will be cast. You may use some chat command for adding spells into your hero's memory (so you don't need to have that book to cast a spell), but you have to hold any item that would contain that spell: "remember FluffyUpperHipposPump" (invisibility).

Idea: if you don't use your remembered spells for too long time, they get forgotten. Practice!

EDIT: Add-on to this thread, so I links to it may serve as source of ideas for RPGs.

There are items-weapons those only some classes may wear (knight may not pick up a bow but sword or axe or pike), after picking up a proper item into the slot #1 (it must self-acquire right to there) (because other slots are free) the unit changes it's model (Replaces with a fixed unit-type) to fit the picked weapon (armor is no matter, but only 1 can be carried at a time, same is with shield) (armors break over time as unit is attacked successfully - use variable to determine if Created during the game unit takes damage). USE SLASH OR SHOOT (hotkey "S") abilities to fight. SLASH to damage everything in front of you and SHOOT to launch a shockwave at your facing's direction.

EDIT: Another add-on.

HorizonTal said:

It seems like a good idea, mages would need time to pronounce the formulae of the spells, it would be more realistic. Of course there will be some fast casters thanks to Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V but nothing's perfect. I would make all spells available since the very start, but give them long and arcane raw-codes, without explaining them. Then the players would find scrolls which have in their description the raw-codes, and it would be even more realistic. If you find the way to disable the chat among players but show the message over the players' characters, mages could learn magical formulae listening to the enemy casters nearby

Click to expand...

But if your mage has researched some required skill nad has very high level, then he can cast spells without saying them - silently. So your enemies can't know what spell you cast.

EDIT 3: Making mages' combat more realistic.
What happens when two mages are fighting? They can reflect spells, but how? As formula1 said in this single post, spells don't cast instantly - they grow until you let them free. While an enemy's mage is holding a spell to grow, you may cast a defence while knowing what enemy mage is casting (by floating text or by growing effect, if silent because of too high level). It should take much time for a spell to grow then. Auras and feneces don't need to grow, but you can set the time for them to last, so they stop draining your mana (you type in mana too, that determines the power of the spell).

If so, then spells shall not be made at Object Editor, but in triggers.

If you think that Edit3 's method sounds like naruto (I think so), then don't use that method (you'll live longer).