[ian-reeds-games] Re: Some thoughts on turns and rounds

  • From: "Allan Thompson" <allan1.thompson@xxxxxxx>
  • To: <ian-reeds-games@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2013 18:03:05 -0500

Ok, let's see if I understand.

Each temas time to act is a turn.
After all teams have gone once thru, that is a round. 

So that means there can be any number of rounds in a turn, depending on number 
of teams playing, right? 

So to use your blaze example...
I cast it for 1 round on my turn in round 1.

round1
al team: cast blaze
computer turn
round 2
al turn blaze fizzles at end of al's turn.

Did I get that right?

I think that is a good idea to add the duration 0. 

I am not sure I understand the critical thing being a -1 druation. Does that 
mean it is an effect which requires a duration as a flag? 

al 
"The truth will set you free"
Jesus Christ of Nazareth 33A.D.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Ian Reed 
  To: ian-reeds-games@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2013 4:20 PM
  Subject: [ian-reeds-games] Some thoughts on turns and rounds


  People will have had their fill of all my emails by the end of today.

  I am planning on changing how turns are counted in the future. Allan and 
  others have brought this up in the past and I just haven't been hahppy 
  enough with the suggested designs or interested enough in doing it up 
  till now.

  Here's how the current turns work.
  The map begins and it becomes the players turn.
  They end their turn and it becomes turn 2 which is the enemy's turn.
  The enemy finishes and it becomes turn 3 which is the player's turn.
  This goes on and on.
  Odd turns are always the players and even turns are always the enemy's.

  The duration of effects is a number representing total turns that have 
  transpired.
  So for an example:
  The defend skill has duration=2 which lasts for the current turn and for 
  the enemy's turn.
  Then it expires when the enemy's turn ends.

  This is going to have major problems with multiplayer supporting more 
  than 2 players or even single player supporting a true neutral team that 
  takes it's own turn.
  It's also confusing for map creators and players to think of durations 
  in 2 turns meaning it lasts until it's my turn again.

  Here is the proposed new turn system:
  We count both rounds and turns.
  A round is a sequence in which all teams take a turn.
  A turn is when any individual team is performing actions.

  Durations will be specified in rounds with a couple special cases.
  Durations of 1 and higher work like this:
  If I have a blaze effect that lasts only 1 round and I cast it on my 
  turn it will last through all team turns after mine and then the next 
  round will start and it will last through all team turns before mine and 
  end when my turn starts again.

  A duration of 0 is a special case that means it lasts till the end of my 
  turn.
  So I might have a sprint effect that I cast on myself that allows me to 
  move faster for this turn but ends as soon as my turn ends.
  This way it is not in effect when any other team takes it's turn.
  I realize my example is a poor one as you won't be moving during other 
  people's turns but I think there are rare cases where this special case 
  might be desired.

  A duration of -1 (negative 1) does not even last till the end of my turn.
  This will be used to have critical effects that deal bonus damage but 
  are not intended to last for any length of time.

  The timer victory and defeat flags will also take a number indicating 
  rounds.
  I expect these to always be more than 1 round.
  I think that setting this victory flag to 5 will mean that on round 5 
  the player will win once it becomes the players turn.
  For defeat it will work the same way.
  I may also add a hot key for finding out what round the game is 
  currently in.
  The first turn will be in round 1.

  Well there it is.
  Do you guys think the duration of 0 is needed in some rare cases?
  Or am I supporting something no one can find a use for?

  Sorry if you've suggested basically this system to me in the past. It 
  just didn't click in my head until now.

  Ian Reed

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