[FINISHED] Spells and Systems Mini-Contest #9

[Herman]

Haha

Now that you put it that way, it adds more to dota type maps

People need to pay more attention to what their doing so they don't target the essence

Some people just kinda drone about when they play AoS games, doing the EXACT SAME DAMNED THING every time

That would get REALLY annoying if it was like a masses vs. masses type of map

Useful against tower whores, if ya make an item for the game that costs mana and deals damage to towers from far away

 

[Just_Spectating]

jeeze alot of people finished already. (but hey, now i know what mine must be better than XD)

 

[HINDYhat]

The deadline is: 17th December (Monday), 00:00 GMT.

Isn't the deadline already over?

 

[Just_Spectating]

o m f g, didnt see that... i tought it was on the 21st! oh well gl on the people who entered.

 

[PurplePoot]

Contest Closed

Actual deadline was about 1:20:00 ago.

 

[Herman]

Haha

Wow, dang that sucks Just_Spectating ><

Yeah I was thinkin about delaying making mine for a day too (my timezones +1 day ahead), but then I was like, wait a tic, thats ahead a day

 

[wd40bomber7]

The suspense is killing me (Very much)

I'm going to take a look at the other contestants. All I saw of my competition was Herman (Who had a pretty cool ability)

 

[HINDYhat]

I just looked through your spell, Need_O2's and Herman's. Here's my feedback:

wd40bomber7:
You could have used some cleaner effects. The 'Z' was definitely bad, and the X was kind of choppy. Also, a buff on the affected units would be nice. Other than that, looks good.

Need_O2:
Interesting spell. Very basic, but still, interesting spell. Not much more to say... except maybe that the super warrior dude could have to visual changes to make it look better, because now he doesn't look so awesome (as in an old bearded guy that looks like a general wc3 paladin)...

Herman:
I had fun testing this. Very fun spell, very bloody! Very leaky aswell.

 

[wd40bomber7]

I agree that the Z shape was kind of screwy. I think the X is pretty clean though. Your right about the buffs. I should have added them. I was planning to add them. I didn't because my computer is under reconstruction (0_o)

I have access to Weu and wc3 if I'm lucky. If not, I can try and access the internet by concentrating really hard.

Minimize: (By venomX) A simple ability, not that bad, but not very advanced either.
Cold Death: (By ghostwolf) This ability... isn't an ability. The ability itself isn't actually triggered. The 'test' ability (The one used to show the submitted ability is working) IS triggered. Meaning that your ability only works with other abilities that are triggered. I think thats kind of cheap....

 

[Herman]

Glad you liked it

HINDYhat

Heh, that was the effect I was goin for

But, where are the leaks? I thought I got em all ><

___________________________________________

wd40bomber7

Dang, I'm gonna study your code over and over till I understand how ya got those shapes goin

Yeah, I noticed some of the shapes weren't exactly on point, but I was too baffled by the fact that that is possible to care
___________________________________________

Need_O2

I like the idea alot, it makes sense
Would be an awesome ability for an AoS map
A really useful spell

 

[wd40bomber7]

Need_O2
The ability was interesting. Also, I used more dummy abilities then you (I think)
I used 6 dummy abilities. Oh, I liked the way you added damage/hp
Each one adds/subtracts a different stat. When they add together it just levels them up more.

@Herman, if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

Note: I did something stupid with the struct indexes, won't cause leaks, but it could have been more efficient. Also remember you need Jass New Gen editor to compile my code.

Another Note: My points for the lightning are 100% perfect. They look off because of the camera orientation. If you make a camera looking straight down, they look perfect. The more angled the camera is, the less perfect the lightning points look. Its all perspective.

Also the Z isn't that bad. And I still don't see whats wrong with the X

@Hindyhat I only found one problem with your ability. If you attacked your own summon you could get mana really easily. (Its kind of cheating...)

 

[Herman]

Buff effects

I don't think it really matters that the shapes look slightly off (perspectively), they are attached to the units, and they still look like they are attached to them

I wouldn't say it affects your spell at all

If your really bothered by it, I guess you could just edit the ones that look slightly off, and make them look better with the normal 304AoA

 

[wd40bomber7]

I was thinking about doing that, but decided against it. Because then it would look 10x worse from a different perspective.

I didn't look through your spell that well, but I didn't really see any leaks...

I can't wait until PurplePoot finishes judging. The suspense is killing me. I'm probably going to have to goto sleep in 10 min...

 

[Herman]

Leaks

Yeah I was pretty sure I got 'em all

Especially because the triggers fire at .01, the leaks would be instantly noticeable (the units wouldn't make it half-way through their flybacks before WC crashes/freezes)

 

[wd40bomber7]

You'd be suprised how many leaks Wc3 can take without having any problems. Small objects (like locations) leak, but aren't a tenth the size of a bigger object (like units)

I'm going to bed now. I'm sad because my school blocks this website. That means I'm going to have to wait all the way until I get home to see the results. (Unless I wake up early enough, which is unlikely)

 

[Herman]

Yeah

I imagine, there is probably a leak or two some where in the single fire triggers, I'll review it a whole bunch of times 'till I find it

 

[HINDYhat]

I couldn't see well since there were too many red messages popping up during your spell, Herman. Those are either "double frees" (destroying an object twice) or leaks, I can't remember. Anyway, both of those cases would slow down your code alot.

@Hindyhat I only found one problem with your ability. If you attacked your own summon you could get mana really easily. (Its kind of cheating...)

Argh... I made my spell really quickly... suppose I forgot to fix that

 

[Need_O2]

HINDYhat
Your idea is nice
And yea paladin model was idiot idea but I didnt have time to think (I was gonna put Captain model actually or some spirit like banshee or ghost). But it can easily get changed by user you know ^^


wd40bomber7
Looks nice and usefull for meele maps. But umm I wouldnt use it xD

Herman
Well. I dont like variables in that "a" shaped thing, so you wouldnt want to hear what Im gonna say xD

 

[Herman]

A shaped thing?

Heh, I'll take any criticism, I wanna get better

HINDYhat, what do you use for a leak checker???

It's probably that I have "double-frees", I was really careful about leaks
I wanna have a leak checker that I can use to get rid of both leaks double-frees

*Usually I just test the map in-game using /fps

 

[Need_O2]

Ups I mean X shaped variables button

 

[wd40bomber7]

Since I can't use Jass New Gen Editor on the computer I'm using. (While mine is being rebuilt) I didn't have the privileges of seeing war3err's messages... Anyway I can't wait until the results are out!!!

 

[HINDYhat]

wd40bomber7, as far as testing goes, I didn't find any handle leaks. Here's what I did:

function test takes nothing returns nothing
    local location l=Location(0.,0.)
    call BJDebugMsg(I2S(H2I(l)))
    call RemoveLocation(l)
    set l=null
endfunction

The displayed integer should stay around the same number. Not sure if that actually is worth anything...

 

[Herman]

Leak Checker

I sent my spell through my own leak-checker, and it came up with no leaks
(But 321 lines of code!!! )

I'm not sure how I could get rid of those double-frees, any advice would be helpful

 

[HINDYhat]

Don't do call RemoveLocation(null) or call DestroyGroup(null)

 

[Herman]

Hah

No seriously,

Would that actually work??
Just setting the variable to null w/o the extra destroy/remove natives?
Or vice-versa?

 

[HINDYhat]

No. You must remove/null handles. I was actually serious about RemoveLocation(null) and DestroyGroup(null), because that's exactly what you're doing (inlining the values of the variables) when you do a "double free".

 

[PurplePoot]

wd40bomber7 - Symbols of Power

• Idea: 3 points
  
  It was basically just a positive/negative roar, not that special.​
• Triggering: 5 points
  Though there were things that could have been better (like omitting CSCache), there wasn't anything glaringly wrong enough to drop your marks.​
• In-Game Playability: 3 points
  
  Works well ingame, not hard to balance.​
• Visual Effects: 1 point
  
  The Lightnings were a bit ugly, especially the X.​
• Theme: 2 points
  
  Only sometimes augmented, also decreased the power of enemies.​
• Total: 14 points
  
  Fairly well coded, but some of the other areas could use work.​

Need_O2 - Spectral Warrior

• Idea: 5 points
  
  A fusion skill, very nice. I've heard of these in theory, but I've never seen anyone actually get around to making one.​
• Triggering: 4 points
  
  Pretty good, but you forgot to null. Also, you should try to avoid TriggerSleepAction.​
• In-Game Playability: 2 points
  
  Possibly a bit overpowered, because the units return without penalty when the Spectral Warrior dies, and it's so strong when it's alive...​
• Visual Effects: 2 points
  
  As much as needed.​
• Theme: 2 points
  
  Not really augment, I suppose it is in a way though.​
• Total: 15 points
  
  Well done in all fields, but each could still use a bit more work.​

Herman - Form of the Mutilator

• Idea: 5 points
  
  Hehe, nice.​
• Triggering: 4 points
  
  Adding events that you never remove (Damage Trigger) leaks, and you also have some double frees.​
• In-Game Playability: 3 points
  
  Should be balanceable.​
• Visual Effects: 2 points
  
  Nice eyecandy .​
• Theme: 3 points
  
  If anything augments someone, that does.​
• Total: 17 points
  
  Well done in all fields, but each could still use a bit more work.​

VenomX - Minimize

• Idea: 3 points
  
  Nothing really special, just added a few cliché abilities for a duration.​
• Triggering: 3 points
  
  Hiding GUI as converted Jass is pointless - you don't get marked down for using GUI anyways. However, I'm afraid I have to mark you down for really bad Jass practice (BJ spam, needless locals, bad conditions, etc), since you chose to present it as that...​
• In-Game Playability: 3 points
  
  Well suited ingame.​
• Visual Effects: 1 point
  
  Good in all regards except for the evasion skill: put it in a disabled spellbook please! It looks much better that way (not being able to see the dummy skill).​
• Theme: 3 points
  
  No question about it following the theme.​
• Total: 13 points
  
  Please leave GUI in GUI. Also, remember to look in to disabled spellbooks!​

GhostWolf - Cold Death

• Idea: 4 points
  
  A fairly nice idea for a spell.​
• Triggering: 2 points
  
  The triggering was ok, but required you to implement the code for this buff into every single spell...​
• In-Game Playability: 3 points
  
  Should be balanceable.​
• Visual Effects: 1 point
  
  Not much eyecandy (not even to tell the buff is on), so a little more would be dandy.​
• Theme: 0 points
  
  That's not augment, that's the opposite.​
• Total: 10 points
  
  Please try to make your spells generally applicable, and be sure to read the theme carefully.​

HINDYHat - Nexus

• Idea: 5 points
  
  Very nice idea, but you should give the enemies an incentive to attack the Nexus, otherwise skilled players would render the skill obsolete.​
• Triggering: 4 points
  
  Attacking the nexus yourself still gives you mana! Everything else is fine.​
• In-Game Playability: 2 points
  
  Skilled players would render the current build obsolete, and the bug mentioned under Triggering would also affect gameplay. (Note: I didn't remove points from you because of that, since I already did in Triggering).​
• Visual Effects: 2 points
  
  Sufficient.​
• Theme: 2 points
  
  Fits pretty well, I guess, but not great.​
• Total: 15 points
  
  Pretty well done, careful on those nasty snags though .​

---

Looks like Herman gets this one.

 

[HINDYhat]

Congratulations @ Herman and all participants!

Hopefully Poot will pick a good theme next time!

 

[Just_Spectating]

haha, like my idea, toggleable.

 

[wd40bomber7]

Very good job herman!
I can't wait for the next one!

 

[Herman]

Yay

Cool I won

Good job everybody who submitted

For the coding, What is the function for removing excess events?
(I could just add it to the end of the FrictionSlide)


So, for leaks, all I would need to do is

set var = null

So I wouldn't need to use

call DestroyGroup(var)
//or
call RemoveLocation(var)

???

________________________________

Yeah, I'm really lookin forward to the 10th contest

 

[PurplePoot]

No, you need to do both.

 

[Herman]

Oh, ok

Hah, I just thought of something

I didn't add a condition for the Mutilator for buildings, nor did I test it on buildings

I didn't wanna say anything 'till after the contest, I'm gonna see what happens now

 

[wd40bomber7]

Lol! Thats a good point.

My two worst categories were idea, which I thought felt very original, but I guess wasn't, and visual effects, which I thought weren't that bad, but I'm a bad critic of myself. Lol.

How long does it take to start another contest, I really can't wait!

 

[Herman]

Yup, thats not good

I checked it out, it's not pretty, the buildings disappear for a sec, the game lags, not good

I' ll fix the spell up with the double-frees and such and maybe add it to the spells resource section

Yeah, wd40bomber7, the actual augment part of the spell isn't very original, but the spell itself I thought was pretty original

Sorry about my other post, technically I'm not allowed to enter the next spell contest, but thats not gonna stop me from making a spell for it

 

[PurplePoot]

Well wd, your spell was really just a semi-random roar with changed sfx.

 

[wd40bomber7]

I'll do much better next time. I really wish I was better at creativity, lol!

As I asked before, whens the next contest?

 

[Need_O2]

pm me you got some negative buff thing

 

[PurplePoot]

I'm thinking about using Just_Spectating's Toggleable idea, but maybe not... (that could also be a potential Zephyr candidate, I like the idea)

 

[Herman]

Those are pretty cool

Some toggleable effects are pretty cool

Like immolation is either damage effect + mana loss or nothing

While other spells are like + Damage, - Armor or +Armor, -Damage

Depending on which way it is toggled


Toggle abilities are alot of fun, because players usually adjust to your tactics over the game, and then BAM! completely off-guard toggle

A toggleable ultimate that changes the heros abiles to their opposites would be insane (like the Firelord toggles to the Icelord, and can vice-versa with relative ease)

Although that would only work with a Dota map (couldn't be MUI/used on any unit for any ability)

Anyway, those are some of the great possibilities of toggleable abiles

(A really special one would be to make the stances spell mentioned above, and make a third stance [neutral], that'd be interesting)

 

[Just_Spectating]

good job herman. on the contest that is

 

[Herman]

haha

Whoops, I just looked at the spells section, and it looks like somebody ALREADY DID the stance spell thing, so I guess you guys can't use that idea ><

Oh well, there are plenty of other kinds of toggle spells that you could make

 

[GhostWolf]

PurplePoot what do you mean by "easy/hard to balance" ? We're supposed to make them as if they would be used in a game ?

And when is the next contest ? I want to know so I have time to think on some <better> idea then the sucky one I made >.<

 

[Need_O2]

lol he said my spell is imba
why are Setups for

 

[PurplePoot]

PurplePoot what do you mean by "easy/hard to balance" ? We're supposed to make them as if they would be used in a game ?

They should be practical, yes..

And when is the next contest ? I want to know so I have time to think on some <better> idea then the sucky one I made >.<

Usually a week or two in between contests.

 

[Just_Spectating]

christmas contests!

 

[Herman]

Hell yeah


I have a 2-week vacation too, so I can work as much as I need to !!!

 

[PurplePoot]

Sorry, Herman, but you have to skip out on the next one if you miss one =o

However, we could do 2 1-week contests @ the holidays since everyone has so much extra time... what say you guys?

 

[GhostWolf]

Just for general knowledge, what holidays ? I learn like every other day

But oh well, here in israel everything is diffrent then the rest of the world (diffrent to the bad side...).

This doesn't mean I would not want contests
I want to raise my imagination once again ^^

 

[Herman]

FUCKIN RAGE!!! (Grandma's Boy)



Sounds great

Can I make a spell for the next competition anyway?, and just not enter it???

(The themes give me great ideas )