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[Denim Sk8r]

Is there yet anyway to attach Special Abilities and Fields to things yet.

I mean, could I make it so that I can give the Shadow Demons the abaility to find Evil Fields, and alter the reaction so that they don't burst into flames there.

And could I attach, say, Purity to a race and make it a requirement to cast Healing Spells.

I have other questions, but I'll save them for later.

[Denim Sk8r]

Something else, I can't seem to find it possible to import non-stock Material Reactions, Fields, Special Abilities, Magical Arts, Spells, etc etc into a new universe.

Reactions and Fields are my biggest concern, I could simply add new ones to the stock group for now, but something to look at.

[Toady One]

I told you not to expect anything, dammit!

Well, one thing works.  You can add evil to the reactors list as an inhibitor and it will stop the shadow demon from blowing up.

However, no detection abilities are implemented.

You can attach Purity to a race (as a universal ability, it is attached to all races under physical attributes right now.  You can see it in the status screen).  However, the requirements for spells aren't actually implemented (although you get skill in them), and moreover, the part in the editors for setting abilities as requirements isn't done yet.

I was going to make a universe editor for this release back when it wasn't growing out of control, so the whole front end was going to be changed.  Since I didn't get there, the details section of the universe maker doesn't include any of the new files.

In light of this and the appropriate name of this topic, what do people think I should finish for the actual release, and what do people want pushed off?  It doesn't matter so much to me as long as I'm not working on this version until October.  I guess you'll have to balance what you want to see now with what you want to see soon from the next few plans.

[Toady One]

Here's my current list:

Melting organs

Shadow Demon detects Evil Aura
as latent side-effect ability (like temp)
still appears on abilities screen, but
 cannot be cast

implement requirements for spells

universe details to add non-stock file

missing spell icons in editor?

support resolutions and depths set by user
 at beginning

*NOTE:  I tried doing 1024x768 directly, and there are lots of things to be adjusted.  It doesn't slow anything down on my computer, but everything is printed in the wrong spot.

make targeting of wounded parts color-coded
 for healing-type spells

make full healing an option for healing
 effect

quick actions (at least for spell casting)

[Toady One]

Melting organs and universe details are done.  I couldn't reproduce the spell icon problem.  Which editor don't they appear in (icons are used both in the magic arts and spell editors)?

I also got rid of the box pattern you might have noticed on the hair.  That was actually a texture clamping bug...  I also made gas clouds if you raise something to high enough temperatures.  You might have also noticed in the current prerelease that blood is now transparent according to the color definition, so if you are face down in a pool of your own blood, you can see through it a little ways sometimes.  I could also see dimly through the gas cloud that used to be my right arm...  darkness...

So anyway, trucking right along.  The only thing that will take time is the resolution expansion option.

[Toady One]

Pfft.  The other thread is 2 pages long now.  So back here...  I just finished the encyclopedia update I had to do.  Now all that's left is field detection and optional resolution changing.

[Toady One]

Latent evil detection didn't turn out as a good first candidate for special abilities (perhaps fire breathing at the same time as missile weapons will fare better).  So what I did was add a new body function for sensing custom fields, and added it the the shadow demons eyes.  So the shadow demon sees evil now -- at least, if you go to the description of any area, the game tells you how much evil is there.  If you get a reading as high as "There is much evil here.", then you won't roast to a crisp in the morning.

I just have to do resolutions now.  Might take a little time, as with all graphics crap.  Then I'll put the Wholesome Fun release up.  Or was there anything else people wanted?

[XLurker]

quote:Originally posted by Toady One:
<STRONG>
 Or was there anything else people wanted?</STRONG>

Well what would be possible to add in a reasonable amount of time?

[Zonk]

Im downloading it(the release).Im happy about the release!I know you did not see me for a long time...But now im here!And as soon as I can will update my manual!

[Zonk]

Ok.Tested it a bit.It's FUN to watch shadow demons burn.

Some thingsmaybe they were already reported in the 2+ pages topic):

1)I can't manage to understand how to point/use spells.
Also.....Once you select a spell and MUST decide the targe,you can't go back,so if there is no one near you have to quit the game. I click on enemies,but i get no effect...

2)The new interface thing is nice.Really.
But sometimse you can get stuck.For example,in the status screen it took me some minutes to figure that to exit the attributes list i had to press enter instead of clicking somewhere.

3)I got an human with a mass of 11 kgs.You STILL have to fix that bug :-) Shadow
Demons have no weight,but that's probably realistic.

4)There is STILL the bug with things like grass and seed eating ants in the race selection screen.

5)In the symbols editor...THAT FACE IS SCARY :-) No,not the skull :-)
The "universe"editor is greyed out..

6)The hair is nice.But only humans have it...

So,overall it's VERY Fun to have this version :-)

EDIT:MAGIC WORKS!I did not notice that you DID have to use the target mode instead of just clicking :-)

So,it's VERY VERY FUN!
Anybody,please post/edit new spells.

Anyway,I think the magic section in my manual will not be THAT hard to do.

Still,how do power sources work?

[ June 28, 2003: Message edited by: Zonk ]

[Toady One]

XL, he he he...  well, I'm beginning to think maybe reasonable would be releasing a few months ago.  If you post something I'll let you know if I can finish within a few weeks...  I can add new spell effects, as long as they don't require major additions to the game...  do minor tweaks...
--
I guess that spell interface totally sucks.  I'm not sure what I was thinking, or if I was just without time and never got back to it.  I'll put in spell cancellation and maybe improve the targeting a little.  

Yeah, the shadow material is weightless.  I'll see if the human weight bug has a quick fix.

I don't have any of those races on my race selection screen.  Do you mean that if you made a non-sentient race it would appear there?  Or do people actually have weird races that they can select?

He he he.  I guess that face is scary.  It's a few years old.  I had the presence of mind to take that picture a few seconds after this girl dropped a bomb on me.  It's like, read the email, oh shit!, that sucks, I gotta take a picture.

Who else should have hair?  Naked mole dogs shouldn't have hair.  Maybe those goblins should have the typical black mohawks and goooooteees.

Oh, try to relax with the new spell editor!  I might have to break compatibility before the new magic version.  This is a PRErelease you've got now.  PRE.  It's not like you could do much with the spell editor anyway, at least, hopefully.

Power sources aren't implemented yet, but they sure look nice in the editors.  I haven't figured out quite how I want to set up ritual and spell power sources...  it gets messy.  Maybe I'll implement the easier ones (like blood and stamina drain).

[XLurker]

Well then...

1)It seems to me that things in the game just dont cool of once they are heated.
If I melt one of my feet for example the pool of skin never seems to get solid again.
I think it would look cool if that molten skin would return to its normal colour once it cools off...it would be kind of...  
- a spell that affects entire areas instead of a single creature
- a cloud spell
- a spell that drains air or blood from the target
-a spell that can target and damage nerve tissue

4)When running around testing spell and weapons alike I usually only get to test them on rabbits and some odd looking reptiles.
Somehow I would prefer an environment that is richer in targets.
Preferably humans.
I liked the villages in a previous version.
Whenever I felt the urge to test my weapons on some humanoids I knew were to go  
Right now the only way to experiment with humans is to actually test the spell on yourself.

What about some kind of arena?

[Toady One]

1)Yeah, anything on the ground like a gas cloud or a liquid pool won't be affected by temperature right now.  That wouldn't be hard to change, except for the time abstraction part of it (say you wanted to press Z to cool it off...  that's somewhat trickier, though maybe not so bad).  Living creatures cool off now, but it is very slow.

2)That's on my list, but projectiles weren't done, so I put it off.  Right now, if you sever somebody's hand with a sword, it will fall off through the ground...  I wasn't planning on addressing that until the missile weapons release.  But this particular part I think I can handle now.

3)All right, I'll put in some more effects.  The textures would have to be updated for that skin one...  none of that code is in.  And clouds don't yet interact with creatures.  I'll do what I can before the end of July.

4)That's what the Quaint Thorpe release is all about.  Although that won't be coming for a while, I was toying with the idea of having a primitive encampment release to sort out Quaint Thorpe's more basic ideas.  Actually, that'll probably be necessary since Quaint Thorpe has become such an enormous release.

[Zonk]

1)For the thing I said about strange races like grass,don't worry.

2) I don't understand the processes of the "light"material and what makes the Shadow Demon start at night.

3)Suppose I created a creature like a troll.I want to make a reaction for his skin...But his skin IS NOT a stock material.But in the species editor i can't do reactions...

4)In reactions...we can decide the TYPE of damage,but how the decide HOW MUCH damage?Is it auotmatic?

[Toady One]

2)  Light material is just there to offset shadow.  It isn't used for anything, but could be used for a creature.  Shadow demons starting at night is a hack in the code just so people could play them and then burn them.  I'm going to put in activity cycles for creatures at some point, but since the suns aren't done yet, it wouldn't be appropriate now.

3) If you scroll to the bottom of the troll skin material spec, you can add trolls to a material class (you'll have to make a material class and import it into the troll file).  Then you can make a reaction that works on that class.  I don't remember if I tested that, but it's coded...

4) Yeah, right now it is automatic.  I suppose that some acids are more effective than others, but you'd set that through the reaction rate.  I guess reaction rate tells you how much damage is done (although it isn't done yet).