[Spell] HotS Thrall's Feral Spirit

[Yousef]

As you all know, HotS's beta phase started in 13 Jan and it brought a new hero, Thrall, and I wanted to make his second spell, Feral Spirit, so I started thinking about it and I thought that only triggers can make it, I hope whoever answers this plays HotS because the spell doesn't work like Storm Bolt as some may think.

Here's a video by Blizzard showing how the spell works.

 

[Wietlol]

You simply need a missile system for that.
I am developing one myself too atm. But it is paused until I updated my Effect Over Time System.

However you create a missile (which is the feral spirit) to a targeted area.
On collide you check if the collided unit is an enemy, if so, you deal damage to him.
If the target is also a hero, the missile must be destroyed and you make a dummy unit that cast root on the target.

I don't know if there is any system that supports what I said... Mine does but I have yet to implement arcing, and stuff like that so you will be very limited.

 

[Yousef]

You simply need a missile system for that.
I am developing one myself too atm. But it is paused until I updated my Effect Over Time System.

However you create a missile (which is the feral spirit) to a targeted area.
On collide you check if the collided unit is an enemy, if so, you deal damage to him.
If the target is also a hero, the missile must be destroyed and you make a dummy unit that cast root on the target.

I don't know if there is any system that supports what I said... Mine does but I have yet to implement arcing, and stuff like that so you will be very limited.

Umm, not sure if I understand anything here, I'm not an expert at triggering.

 

[Wietlol]

Ok I will explain a bit more in-depth.

Simulated Events:
Many systems have a global real variable which can be used to simulate events.
Like if I make a trigger with the event "A unit starts the effect of an ability" and as actions I say "Set My_Global_Real_Variable = 1" and then "Set My_Global_Real_Variable = 0" to reset it again.
Then you can create a trigger and put in the events "Game - Real value of variable: My_Global_Real_Variable becomes equal to 0" and that will be a simulated event for "Starts the effect of an ability".

That event actually aready exists so it won't be very functional but when you create stuff like a missile system, you can have simulated events like "A missile is destroyed" (Game - Real value of variable: Missile_System_Event_Destroyed becomes equal to 0)
So you can create new events.

Missile System:
What you need for your Feral Spirit spell is a Missile/Projectile System.
That system can create a missile and let it move towards an object or location.
In this case you want it to move towards a location.
A missile system must have a simulated event for "A missile collides with a unit" which is again a real variable that becomes 1 and then back to 0. (That is just basic.)

You want to do something when that missile hits enemy units.
So you do "if (collided unit) is an enemy of (source) then ..."
You want the missile to deal damage to that collided unit so you do that.
Then you do a second check "if (collided unit) is a hero equal to true) then ..."
Because you want it to do something special when it collides with a hero.
So when that happens, you destroy the missile and make a dummy unit to root the target.



How the triggers will be like exacly depends on the system that you will use.
However I use my own system which is as I mentioned not finished yet, so I cannot really give a suggestion to what system you should use.
Unless you are patient enough to let me finish instead of writing long posts
you might be able to use mine after all.
All missile systems that I used before I made one did not have proper on-collide events and did not support to destroy the missile while it was still moving.
I used 3 so it doesn't say a lot though.

 

[Yousef]

A bit lower level for me? I think I'm beginning to understand, sorry if I'm being an a**.

 

[Wietlol]

Well as I said I cannot get more specific than this...
Because what you need is to choose a Missile system that supports a proper On-Collide event and destruction during flight.

Maybe I can explain something more than this but could you tell me where you lose it?

EDIT: I am almost sure that this system will be able to do it... otherwise I really have to do more in here.
However it is vJASS and I cannot read it because I never used in-depth vJASS...
I suppose you cannot understand that either
Someone else could explain how to use it though.

 

[Daffa]

I thinks it possible with Knockback system or Hashing, though it will be more annoying than it needs to be.

 

[Wietlol]

Well I am thinking about this:
This will be the trigger for Feral Spirit as far as my system goes...
It has some leaks and stuff but that doesn't matter for the concept as the system is not finished.

Do you want the Feral Spirit asap or do you just want to use it in your map?
In the latter case, you can just create other stuff first. This one will be simple.

• Feral Spirit
  • Events
    • Unit - A unit Starts the effect of an ability
  • Conditions
    • (Ability being cast) Equal to Feral Spirit (Thrall)
  • Actions
    • Set CMS_Param_Source = (Triggering unit)
    • Custom script: set udg_TempInteger = GetSpellAbilityId()
    • Set CMS_Param_Missile_Type = TempInteger
    • Set CMS_Param_Max_Distance = 800.00
    • Set CMS_Param_Max_Duration = 3.00
    • Set CMS_Param_Missile_Speed = 600.00
    • Set CMS_Param_Missile_Model = war3mapImported\feralspirit.mdx
    • Set TempLocation = (Position of (Triggering unit))
    • Set TempLocation2 = (Target point of ability being cast)
    • Set CMS_Param_Target_Location = (TempLocation offset by 2000.00 towards (Angle from TempLocation to TempLocation2) degrees)
    • Set CMS_Param_Target_Type = CMS_TT_Location
    • Trigger - Run CMS_Trigger_Create_Missile (ignoring conditions)

• Feral Spirit Collision
  • Events
    • Game - CMS_Event_Collide becomes Equal to 1.00
  • Conditions
  • Actions
    • Set TempAbility = Feral Spirit (Thrall)
    • Custom script: if udg_CMS_Param_Missile_Type == udg_TempAbility then
    • If (All Conditions are True) then do (Then Actions) else do (Else Actions)
      • If - Conditions
        • (CMS_Param_Collided_Unit is A structure) Equal to False
        • (CMS_Param_Collided_Unit belongs to an ally of (Owner of CMS_Param_Source)) Equal to True
        • (CMS_Param_Collided_Unit is alive) Equal to True
      • Then - Actions
        • Set CMS_Param_Valid_Target = True
        • Unit - Cause CMS_Param_Source to damage CMS_Param_Collided_Unit, dealing 65.00 damage of attack type Normal and damage type Normal
        • If (All Conditions are True) then do (Then Actions) else do (Else Actions)
          • If - Conditions
            • (CMS_Param_Collided_Unit is A Hero) Equal to True
          • Then - Actions
            • Set CMS_Param_Destroy = True
            • Unit - Create 1 DUMMY for (Owner of CMS_Param_Source) at (Position of CMS_Param_Collided_Unit) facing Default building facing degrees
            • Unit - Add a 1.00 second Generic expiration timer to (Last created unit)
            • Unit - Add Feral Spirit (Root) (DUMMY) to (Last created unit)
            • Unit - Order (Last created unit) to Human Mountain King - Storm Bolt CMS_Param_Collided_Unit
          • Else - Actions
      • Else - Actions
    • Custom script: endif

 

[sniper_zero]

I don't know how the missile system works but since it's a line spell, I think you need to consider adding the unit to a second group after it gets damaged so that it only gets damaged once.

But if your systems checks that then just ignore this.

 

[Wietlol]

The system checks that ofcourse.
There is no reason why a unit would be allowed to get hit twice...

I know I am dumb.
I will implement that units will get hit multiple times asap

(Units could be able to hit twice if there is a delay of 1 second.
Both the delay amount and the possibility will be modifyable.)

 

[Yousef]

Thank you so much! I don't know what I would've done without you! But.. What do I base the spell on? Like in the first trigger is says "(Ability being cast) Equal to Feral Spirit (Thrall)", what did you base it on?

EDIT: You can send me the map that you did these triggers on for more understanding, thank you!
P.S: I will give you rep.

 

[Wietlol]

I use Channel.
I will give you the system as soon as I finished it.
Will be a week at max.

 

[Yousef]

Ok, I can wait, there will be few more heroes to make after Thrall. Ops, I gave you a clue on what I will do!
Also, here is your rep! And you will be in the special thanks credits!

 

[Dr Super Good]

That video is misleading. The skill actually is quite rubbish with him being a mediocre assassin at best. In fact he serves more as a warrior than an assassin as he appears to have reasonable health unlike other melee assassins. If anything Thral should have been a specialist or a support hero instead of an assassin (maybe in WoW he was not as cowardly as in WC3? Or maybe it was based on his character bio which did not match WC3).

You might want to explain the mechanics of the skill instead of showing a video. It has a number of enhancement talents I would imagine that do more than simply increase its damage.

 

[Yousef]

That video is misleading. The skill actually is quite rubbish with him being a mediocre assassin at best. In fact he serves more as a warrior than an assassin as he appears to have reasonable health unlike other melee assassins. If anything Thral should have been a specialist or a support hero instead of an assassin (maybe in WoW he was not as cowardly as in WC3? Or maybe it was based on his character bio which did not match WC3).

You might want to explain the mechanics of the skill instead of showing a video. It has a number of enhancement talents I would imagine that do more than simply increase its damage.

For the sake of specialty, he deserves assassin more than anything else, his 'Q', the Feral Spirit, is used to stun the heroes and then you nuke them down, another case it can be used in a group of minions to restore some good health, it's more useful than you think.

 

[Dr Super Good]

For the sake of specialty, he deserves assassin more than anything else, his 'Q', the Feral Spirit, is used to stun the heroes and then you nuke them down, another case it can be used in a group of minions to restore some good health, it's more useful than you think.

His melee attack combo still does most of the damage. In 1v1 vs assassins like Jahina he loses badly because he just cannot catch up with her continuous slow and high damage. He might pose a problem to Illidan purely due to toughness. Tychus and Raynor have no difficulty with him due to their range. Hitting with his wolf skill might be easy enough against AI but as soon as people start to side step it loses effectiveness.

That said I made the post not having played as him, seeing how he was not on rotation ever before. Since he has been on rotation this week and have played him I can say he has fantastic combos. He can execute up to a 4 skill combo attack on opponents that will take out practically any non-warrior health hero. Open with his melee attack chain and go into chain lightning, wolf then more melee attacks before finishing with his Sunder ultimate. If anything is still alive go into more melee attacks and chain lightning. It is especially effective against the AI as they do not pick up on the threat he poses so allow their health to go too low from melee attacks that they cannot escape the Sunder attack.

The wolf does the following...
Launches a slow-ish moving wolf forward. The wolf hits everything it contacts once for some damage. If it hits a hero the wolf is removed and the hero gets rooted (as well as damaged) for some short period. Rooted means immobilized but still able to attack and cast abilities. Talents exist to improve damage, range root duration, innate ability effect etc.