[ian-reeds-games] Tactical Battle: a couple of issues and some new feature ideas
- From: Monkey <murtagh69.monkeys@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: ian-reeds-games@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2014 17:21:58 -0700
Hi,
I seem to be having a few problems with the Tactical Battle maps I've
been creating. I'm using the latest version and my files are all
converted to parser 10, if that helps.
First--and I'm not sure if this is a bug or just something wrong with
my coding, but...
I used an attack and the orc commander who I was targeting died.
Twice. The move had "critical_hit_effect death" set, is that why?
Since the damage was more than enough to kill it anyway because it was
almost dead when I used that move?
The code looks like this:
Skill
10
|flags
description A massively powerful storm that will damage units up to 3
tiles away. Costs 7 AP's and 20 mana. Key is m.
enemy
hp_inflict=300r350|air,200|lightning,100|water
hp_splash_inflict=200|air,100|lightning,50|water
life_force_inflict=250r300
AP's_cost=7
mana_cost=20
range=7
min_range=3
splash_range=3
key=m
effects=shock,static,wet
splash_effects=static,wet
not_useable_on=shadow_king,sneaky_ninja,incorporeal_wraith,invisible_necromancer
sound=mighty_storm
|script_flags
success_message {0} closes their eyes and chants a long incantation
and throws their hands upwards. A bolt of lightning erupts into the
sky from one palm and seems to split into many smaller bolts, while an
orb of energy erupts from the other. The wind picks up and heavy rain
starts to fall. With a shout, {0} brings their hand down, pointing at
{1}. At that, the full force of the storm crashes down upon {1}.
critical_hit_chance 85%
critical_hit_effect death
critical_hit_message The wrath of {0}'s storm was too great. {1} falls
to the ground, writhing in agony for a moment, before falling still.
I had a problem with the move_other_unit_away script, too. If I use a
move that will blast my enemies away from directly around me, it will
give me a script error. My code looks like this, in case you were
wondering:
skill
10
|flags
description Blasts surrounding units away from you while doing damage
to them at the same time.
self
splash_range=1
hp_splash_inflict=95|physical,75|air
sound=force_push
|script_flags
move_other_unit_away 3
success_message {0} sends a burst of power out in all directions,
scattering those surrounding him.
The AI seems to have a problem with min_range. It keeps trying to use
a skill on a unit that is too close, and I keep getting that error in
my battle log.
I'm trying to use a skill on a unit and there's a wall in the
way...but that shouldn't be a problem, since the skill has the
no_line_of_sight flag. Does that not work for some reason if the
use_sight_range flag is enabled on that map? And if so, then why are
my enemies still able to attack me through walls, since they can't see
me?
The map-making guide says that I can use none on the terrain_limit=
flag for units to allow them to move over tiles that don't have a
specified terrain, but when I try it the unit can't move on those.
I found out that if you use the script that toggles a unit to a
different team on a unit that can transform, if you use the
transformation skill and it only reverts to normal after the
team_toggle has run out, the effect will say -x rounds remaining,
where x is the number. This causes a glitch where if you defeat all of
your opponents but this unit has that negative thing, you can't win
the level. (Well maybe unless you somehow kill that ally, but I
haven't tried that yet.) I thought the team_toggle countdown would
have carried through the transformation, but I guess not.
Finally, failure_message doesn't seem to work when I have it under the
|script_flags section. No problem with success, but when the failure
message is supposed to play it gives me a script error instead.
I think that's it, at least from what I can remember. Does anybody
have advice for me when it comes to any of those?
Oh yes, and I have some potential feature ideas that I came up with
over the last few days...
For effects:
only_affects=, this will cause the effect to only work on the units
in this list.
does_not_affect=, the units in this list would be immune to these
effects. So I can still use a skill with this effect on a unit, but
the effect won't work. Alternatively, a immune_to_effects= flag on a
unit, since it would end up doing the same thing.
replace_terrain=, would work just like in skills, but this way if you
have this as a splash effect it'll change the terrain around it as
well. It would help when making, say, a drawbridge over a moat that's
two or three spaces wide.
For skills, effects and items:
Allow the death_transformation script flag.
Add a flag for splash that will cause the splash--whether it is an
inflict or an effect--to go in a line rather than all around. This
would allow for, say, the building of a bridge across a wider river
without having the bridge being a cross-shape due to the way the
splash is currently set up. This wouldn't replace the current flag, of
course, it would just be a different option.
For terrain:
Something like the opposite of terrain_limit=. Like,
can_not_pass_terrain=, where a unit can not pass through any terrain
on this list. (I'm suggesting that one because it would make it easier
to have, say, incorporeal beings such as ghosts that could travel
through walls and
such, and then barriers would have to be set up to specifically block
them. It would make it much simpler, as opposed to needing to have a
potentially long list of terrain that they can pass over.)
A flag similar to impassable but it'll only block flying units. Maybe
just change the not_flyable one to only block flying units, then you
can use both impassable and not_flyable if you want to stop both from
moving there.
The ability to add effects directly to terrain, or have effect files
that will only be addable to terrain but can't be used on skills.
Also, what about a height flag for terrain? Separate it into
ground-level, underground and high, or something like that.
Two examples of how it could work, since I don't think that was clear:
I have a high cliff that units can't just walk onto from the ground.
To get up there, they would have to climb up to the mountain pass and
walk onto the mountain itself. This would bring them to the correct
height. Then they can stand on the cliff and shoot down on their
enemies.
Or if an enemy is on a bridge and the bridge is destroyed they fall
(Lord of the Rings reference haha) into a pit. They can't get out of
the pit, but they can still move--as long as it is in the pit--and use
their skills, although maybe they can't target those who aren't in a
pit.
Not sure if this is doable - or maybe it would be easier to make a
script, for all I know.
For skills/items/effects/possibly terrain:
A block_skill=, function that will allow you to prevent units from
using a specific skill while still being able to use ones that aren't
listed. I know you can already do that if you make the skill that you
want to block use a certain type of point and then have the move
that's being used on the unit who bears the skill remove all of those
points, but a block_skill flag would allow you to still use other
moves that might use the same type of points.
Thoughts?
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