New powers/effects and how to implement them

[clintbellanger]

We've done recent refactoring of active powers, passive powers, effects, etc. This opens up a lot of new possibilities.

It makes sense to start with some practical features we want to actually add to the game now. Working on those may reveal code that needs to be added at the engine level.

Ok, some examples.

Player-placed traps

I want to add caltrops and bear traps to the game. These will replace the "Immobilize" power in the Ranger tree. The way these work is: use the power to place the trap on the ground. If an enemy moves over them, the trap triggers and the enemy is slowed (caltrops) or immobilized (bear trap) for a short time.

There will be two visuals: one is the placed unsprung trap, and the second is the sprung trap attached to the victim. I think the unsprung trap can be a fixed hazard with a long lifespan, and the sprung trap can be an effect with its own animation.

Berzerk

I want to add more variety and unique feel to the Minotaurs. Part of what I want to do is give them a Berzerk effect that they gain at half health. Ideally I'd like for it to have multiple status effects. Example:

• Increased damage
• Increased speed
• Decreased avoidance

From what I know about our effect system, each effect only contains one stat right? So to implement this we'd actually need three effects. Maybe one of them (e.g. the increased damage) could come with an animation.

Can active powers (or triggered powers) only create one effect?

Maybe we expand so that either (1) one power can grant multiple effects, (2) one effect can change multiple stats, or (3) both 1 and 2.

Side note: right now effects are kind of like a template, and the actual scalar value is specified elsewhere (e.g. in the activated power). If we expand effects to alter multiple stats it might make the effect interfaces a bit convoluted. I'm actually okay with having effects with fixed scalars. WoW does this with their Spell style effects: there isn't just one Bleeding spell, there are several that represent various bleed damage and durations. But the current system is handy (e.g. where we don't need multiple Bleeds), so if there's a pretty way to expand it then I'd like that.

[dorkster]

On the topic of spawning multiple effects:
I'll start off by saying that item bonuses depend heavily on the "template" nature of effects, so I think we should try to keep that as-is. This means we're limited to 1 stat for 1 effect, also meaning each stat has its own visuals (think a trap that immobilizes AND causes bleeding).

So to get multiple effects, we could use multiple post_effect keys. To simplify things, post_effect=id would be refactored to post_effect=id,magnitude,duration. While doing this, self-cast effects would probably return to being "fixed" type powers, but with one or more post_effect entries.

On a more specific note, the aforementioned Bezerk power is meant for an enemy. Enemies can't use passive powers right now, so that will need to be refactored (see clintbellanger/flare-engine#226).

[dorkster]

Wow I'm slow. I just realized that Bezerk wouldn't need to be a passive power. It would use the ON_HALF_DEAD power slot (which you'd think I'd remember, seeing as I'm the one that implemented it).

Regardless, enemies are still going to use passive powers at some point, especially if we decide later on to move all of a creature's power slots into powers_list.

[clintbellanger]

Ooh, your updated implementation looks great. I think it'll cover all the uses we need.

Yeah I'm pretty sure we'll migrate enemies to a power list at some point. Right now I have four main power slots for enemies (melee physical, ranged physical, melee mental, ranged mental) which mostly help the enemy logic know what powers are available to use depending on position. Maybe for enemies we need to tag how the enemy uses each power, like this (in the enemy def files)

# power id, trigger/type, cooldown default 0
power=10,ranged,60
power=11,melee
power=15,on_half_dead

[SeaMac]

Unable to use/cast the Magician Power of "Burn".
Placing "Burn" in one of the 10 numbered boxes causes the ground under that numbered box to Burn when you right click on it to activate it. No Way to "Direct" it when you Trigger it? The cursor is NOT on the intended target when you are clicking the box to activate it! How do I get my Experience Point I WASTED on this useless power BACK??

How does a 5th level Magician use the "Burn" spell ON An ENEMY instead on on the ground under one of the ten activating boxes?

Version 0.1 (1.0) Macintosh

[clintbellanger]

@SeaMac Use your mouse to aim and the number hotkey to activate. You can edit your save file to recover the point. Or edit the game to make Burn easier to use.

[SeaMac]

Thank you! That was the Trick I needed to Know!

[SeaMac]

Clint: thank you for the flare demo game and your help with targeting my
fire or ice blasts! I enjoyed it more than any other game I have played
in 2013 (and probably all of 2012 also)!
I've finished all the quests / have 197332 XP and 7500 gold / Level 9
going for level 10 .... ran off the end of the pier with my legs still
spinning!

That Ring of Invisibility I bought early on turned out to be the game
changer ...

Access to all warp gates ...

In fact ... I couldn't leave it alone for very long.

There are 2 exits from the map marked 'destination unknown' - that are
closed to me.
Is there anything there that can be unlocked - say when I hit level 10 -
or is that there for future expansion: and some addict like ME needs to
write the Levels yet?
Are there any other Games that I can download for Flare - any more demos
or levels I haven't eaten yet?

(Oooops! I just read this:
http://opengameart.org/forumtopic/new-flare-mod-contributors-wanted -
and I want to alpha/beta test for you using Mac OS X 10.6 on Intel 64
hardware.)
How do I load the MOD and Where do I get it? I'll report ANY issues I

have: and probably give valuable feedback on how game play feels to Me.

---

I have posted a link to your game from my web site:
http://softwaresanta.com/sssmf/index.php/topic,4366.msg4395.html#msg4395

---

I have made 5 new Mac OS X screen shots of Flare Game to contribute.

http://softwaresanta.com/images/flaregamechar.jpg (This might have
been me 30 years ago ...)
http://softwaresanta.com/images/flaregamecharstat.jpg (I've got 1 of
everything ... )
http://softwaresanta.com/images/flaregamecharring.jpg (I love this
Sneakin Ring! The Precious!!!)
http://softwaresanta.com/images/flaregamewarp.jpg (Jump home!)
http://softwaresanta.com/images/flaregamehome.jpg (All shiny and full of
Spit!)

Please download and keep these as Flare wiki assets ....

I am also willing to contribute any English Spoken Vocals as game assets
(Male or Female: my spoken range is Bass through Soprano. I do vocals
such as white/pink noise and Pulse waves - I can even heterodyne! I'll
even try "Monster Vocalizations" - I am very creative 'singing'! Any
thing from a bestial grunt to stirring oration ....)
Let me know what words, and sex, and emotion, and accent/dialect you
would like: and I'll send you a link to a file on my server when I get
done with it.

Carl McCall

PS I made a MOD of the Mac OS X version of XTeddy (
http://softwaresanta.com/sssmf/index.php/topic,49.msg51.html#msg51 )
that I call "XRupert" ...

http://softwaresanta.com/sssmf/index.php/topic,49.msg4467.html#new
http://softwaresanta.com/sssmf/index.php/topic,49.msg4467.html#new

"Family Guy" fan-art ... Mac OS X 10.6 or earlier only.

So ... I was Born to MOD! I finally found something I liked enough to
want to get involved in developing it.

PPS where IS that Save file anyway? Can't edit what I can't find!

---

On 7/19/13 9:47 PM, Clint Bellanger wrote:

@SeaMac https://github.com/SeaMac Use your mouse to aim and the
number hotkey to activate. You can edit your save file to recover the
point. Or edit the game to make Burn easier to use.

---

Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub
https://github.com/clintbellanger/flare-game/issues/115#issuecomment-21288217.

[RyanDansie]

@SeaMac You would probably enjoy the new mod more when its a bit closer to completed. The point of making it available now was more for potential contributors than for players. Once it enters beta, I will make a windows package available and hopefully somebody else will create a mac OS package for it. I will be very grateful for your feedback at that time. I don't plan to drag it out too long so i'm hoping to have it ready for beta within about a month or so.

Another game which has already been created using the Flare engine is Polymorphable. Its a slightly different style than the alpha demo you have played. Some links to it are below.

https://github.com/makrohn/polymorphable
http://flarerpg.org/blog/20120811
http://opengameart.org/forumtopic/laurelias-polymorphable-citizen

[clintbellanger]

@SeaMac glad to hear you're enjoying the alpha demo. Sounds like you've seen all the content there is for now.

Those unknown destinations were stubs for future areas (to invite modders to make their own maps). But it's kind of confusing so I'm going to avoid that in the new maps.

If you're interested in making your own content, try messing around with any of the data files. The save file on OSX is in your home folder under ~/.local/share/flare I believe. ".local" is a hidden folder, so if you don't see it in your home folder you may have to look for folder options.

[SeaMac]

I was not able to figure out how to install Polymorphable: I would like
to have tried that.

Yes! Sign me up as your permanent "Alpha/Beta" tester for any future Mac
OS X builds. I enjoyed the Alpha Demo more than any other game this year
(with Cubosphere 0.2 being the game I went BACK to playing AFTER I
exhausted Flare-Demo! )

FYI I Am on 10.6.8 "Snow Leopard" and REFUSE to 'upgrade' to 10.7 / 10.8
/ or 10.9 so ... when you drop support for Snow Leopard I won't be able
to test or play it anymore.
On 9/4/13 1:44 PM, Ryan Dansie wrote:

@SeaMac https://github.com/SeaMac You would probably enjoy the new
mod more when its a bit closer to completed. The point of making it
available now was more for potential contributors than for players.
Once it enters beta, I will make a windows package available and
hopefully somebody else will create a mac OS package for it. I will be
very grateful for your feedback at that time. I don't plan to drag it
out too long so i'm hoping to have it ready for beta within about a
month or so.

Another game which has already been created using the Flare engine is
Polymorphable. Its a slightly different style than the alpha demo you
have played. Some links to it are below.

https://github.com/makrohn/polymorphable
http://flarerpg.org/blog/20120811
http://opengameart.org/forumtopic/laurelias-polymorphable-citizen

---

Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub
https://github.com/clintbellanger/flare-game/issues/115#issuecomment-23822445.

[SeaMac]

Your email address shows up as Matthew Krohn "notifications@github.com"

• I cannot seem to find another email for you so I had to reply to this
  message instead ....

I placed the entire unzipped folder in my mods folder: and when I
launched the Game again "Polymorphable-master" was an option to select.

I selected it and enabled it (I even moved it to the top of the list):

(Screenshot showing the MOD Polymorphable-master in the Active MODs list.)

But when I launched the Game it didn't start Polymorphable - just the
alpha demo again. (I foolishly started that all over again in a new game
slot: and got to level 4 already!)

Polymorpable IS in the MODs tab ... but how do I make IT the Default
Game? (So Close: Still can't Play it though!)

Carl McCall - Beta Tester

On 9/8/13 4:12 PM, Matthew Krohn wrote:

SeaMac - if you've got Flare.app running on your Mac, right-click it
to "Show Package contents" and find the "mods" folder. Then, download
Polymorphable, and drop the mods/polymorphable directory into
Flare.app's mods folder. In the interests of not taking this issue too
far off topic, please send me a private email (my email address is in
my GitHub profile) if you run into any trouble doing that.

---

Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub
https://github.com/clintbellanger/flare-game/issues/115#issuecomment-24031813.

[makrohn]

It's makrohn@gmail.com. Make sure Polymorphable is the ONLY active mod (maybe Polymorphable and default), with Polymorphable at the top of the list.

Also, you don't want to put the entire Polymorphable master directory into your mods folder - inside that main folder is a folder called mods, and inside of THAT is the "polymorphable" mods folder.

[SeaMac]

Clint and Justin:

Flare is STILL my favorite D&D type game (Trumping "Battle for Wesnoth"
... ): 3 years later!
I played 2 separate Mage characters through the 10th level - essentially
completed the original quest twice!

I think the only other game to get this many hours of my life is Py Sol
Fan Club edition (I'm currently addicted to "Dashavatara Circles" using
the 10 suit Dashavatara deck from India ... damn. I'm dreaming in these
silly circles and suits now.).

I am at your disposal to beta test any new content - especially on Mac
OS 10.9 Mavericks.

Carl
http://softwaresanta.com/sssmf/

On 6/21/15 8:33 PM, Justin Jacobs wrote:

Closed #115 https://github.com/clintbellanger/flare-game/issues/115.

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub
https://github.com/clintbellanger/flare-game/issues/115#event-336357017.