Caster of Magic Release thread : latest version 6.06!

[letsdance]

Please find me a text based file-compare and patch tool, I would love to release these changes but manually typing hundreds of bytes of hex code is not fun.

i tried but found nothing useful. kyrub and asfex must have something. i sent asfex a pm, hopefully they can share it.

do you have two .exes with just this change inbetween? that way someone could find the differences and type them out if he's desperate.

[Seravy]

Please find me a text based file-compare and patch tool, I would love to release these changes but manually typing hundreds of bytes of hex code is not fun.

i tried but found nothing useful. kyrub and asfex must have something. i sent asfex a pm, hopefully they can share it.

do you have two .exes with just this change inbetween? that way someone could find the differences and type them out if he's desperate.

No I don't. I want to make a differential txt file between 1.40 and mine then I can simply copy-paste the text for the parts that are related. I only need to open the changed procedure(s) in the disassembler, and unless I changed multiple things there, I just need to copy all changes around that address.

asfex did post about something somewhere but...that software is in russian and doesn't seem to do anything at all for me. I'm not even sure if I downloaded the right thing, had a name like xck2something.

[letsdance]

yes here http://realmsbeyond.net/forums/showthrea...#pid520540
i couldn't even find a download. nor did i find a xcp.exe

[Seravy]

Meanwhile, updated the first post to contain more relevant information about the new features in the mod.

By the way, if I could get a proper tool for making patches, I could make Insecticide 1.5 or something like that like Tiltowait suggested. I'm quite sure there were plenty of bugs fixed that are worth including in the unmodded game.

[Seravy]

I've fixed - more like coded the effect as it wasn't present in the place where curse effects are added to the unit at all - the bug of Black Sleep not removing flying and I have been wondering, the wiki does not mention this bug, and I think it was already there before I started to mod so...is this an insecticide only bug or what? It's not even mentioned in that section.
Anyone knows the origin of this bug? I want to make sure it's not my fault it got broken, because if it is, that means I made a mistake somewhere else.
By the way I made it remove all movement types not just flying, as merging can also cause units to be immune to Cracks Call, and a sleeping unit obviously cannot merge either.

I've also managed to fix Immolation to not get applied to ranged attacks, both of these will be in the next release.

[I like Serena]

Just took note of this thread.
Wow!
Joined in August, started this thread on September 11th with an extensive mod, and now, 17 days later, we already have 7 pages worth of comments.
Not bad at all.
Welcome to RB!

[Seravy]

Just took note of this thread.
Wow!
Joined in August, started this thread on September 11th with an extensive mod, and now, 17 days later, we already have 7 pages worth of comments.
Not bad at all.
Welcome to RB!

Hi!
Nice to see you are active again, your old posts and the tweaker helped a lot, I probably wouldn't have been able to even start without them!

Meanwhile I discovered the AI is not using the caster ability on units now as a side effect from changing the magical ranged attacks, I'll try to fix that as soon as I can.

[zitro1987]

More comments (targeted more towards your mod philosophy than mine):

**Book and Retort Balance: You added 2 additional picks to a total of 13. Retorts are more or less as useful as before with some improved and some weakened. Books are somewhat weakened in usefulness - advanced spells are generally superior and harder to get from lairs, but the cost and research bonuses are now feeble. Also, the added power bonus from books is less significant given how your city economy can more easily provide power.

Suggestion #1 (more difficult but better balanced): once you hit 8-9 books, each additional book gives +2 power, an added research point, or +4 starting skill instead of +2.
Suggestion #1a (simplistic): books add more starting power to the wizard's fortress: 1.5/book instead of 1/book.

** More multi-color spell combos: hard to come up with many ideas and generally difficult to mod, but spell modifications with the intention of allowing additional color combos, particularly for white/black wizards, would spice the game up.
Example Suggestion: holy weapon/holy armor to apply to summoning units (benefiting summoning units from other realms for minimal cost)

** Unrest and Garrison - With the low unit costs and half food requirement - it is too advantageous to have 8 units per city.
Suggestion: cap unrest bonus at 4 units or make it so that each 4 units reduce 1 unrest.
Suggestion continued: if above recommendation applied, potential need to add additional unrest bonus from a building (Oracle again?)

** To hit Suggestion - Have you consider allowing normal units to start with +1 to hit and somewhat reduce their attack ratings? This strengthens attack experience bonuses and lessens the impact of to-hit modifying effects such as holy weapon, invisibility, etc. At the very least, normal units would be more comparable in 'to hit' mechanics to summoning units and heroes. I personally feels providing additional to hit depending on number of figures is a balancing marvel, but it may sound too non-intuitive or radical.

** Warlord - doesn't seem very worth it now. I'd probably recommend swapping +1 resistance in ultra-elite with an added +1 armor.

** Early Production Boost - This suggestion may be hard to implement, but imagine if every city has an added constant of +5 production. Add a cheap but weaker sawmill with +2 or +3 production, and city mechanics would greatly improve.

**Spells - you're doing fantastic work here with so many new possibilities, funner spells, etc.

**Spells - Arcane

Champions: careful with the low cost, champions are very powerful (including yours) and many players can do great work with them.

**Spells - Nature:
Nature's Cures is actually a strong spell, if slightly expensive at 75. It reduces the need to carry healer units if unavailable. It can be the spell that allows you to conquer many cities in a row.

Unit Enchantments - I find the low maintenance costs rather low. If a stone giant had the 'elemental armor' perk for just additional 75/1 cost, it's a bargain. When you get to spells like iron skin, the added cost would be so worth it. When it applies to heroes - so much cheaper than items. I won't argue 'regeneration' because the assumption is that 'very rare' spells are extremely good.

**Spells - Life
Still confused about low to 0 upkeep costs of unit enchantments. They generally improve units and heroes well, particularly if stacked. Holy Armor and Heroism stand out as unusually cheap for the benefits.

Prayer - Despite added cost, this spell would remain extremely powerful, particularly due to your removal of elite to hit bonus.
Recommendation - removing the 'to hit' and keeping the 'to defend' ... maybe with lower cost.

Inspirations - Wasn't it +100% production? Your notes state +50%.

**Spells - Sorcery:
Usual cheap unit enchantments, 'flight' with 1 maintenance???

Phantom warrior / psionic spark / psionic blast - similar damage-oriented spells. Could use some variety.

Mind Storm - Still too powerful and cheap. It's unresistable and can cripple most units, particularly multi-figured ones. I recommend weakening the penalties somewhat or not letting it affect its attack ratings.

**Spells - Death

**Spells - Chaos
The weapon-immune fire elemental - nothing should be weapon-immune this early. Too easy to conquer towns, even an enemy capital with a single unit.

Immolation - disallow ranged attack effect with it. Otherwise, this unintentional ranged attack 'fireball' bonus gets excessive.

Efreet - wouldn't it be nice to have 'teleportation' just like the djinn. Of course, it would have to be weakened to balance out such a nice added perk.

Metal Fires - I see an exploit here with the easily accessible one-realm +5 combo with flame blade. Particularly deadly and unstoppable with archers.

Armaggedon - what if caster has a 'call lightning' effect on every battle instead of the unrest effect on enemies? that way, you can differentiate it better against great wasting.

Call Chaos - I actually find the spell pretty poor for 75 mana compared to your flame strike.



done. If I list out all the things I like, I'll never stop.

[Seravy]

More comments (targeted more towards your mod philosophy than mine):

Book and Retort Balance: You added 2 additional picks to a total of 13. Retorts are more or less as useful as before with some improved and some weakened. Books are somewhat weakened in usefulness - advanced spells are generally superior and harder to get from lairs, but the cost and research bonuses are now feeble. Also, the added power bonus from books is less significant given how your city economy can more easily provide power.

Suggestion #1 (more difficult but better balanced): once you hit 8-9 books, each additional book gives +2 power, an added research point, or +4 starting skill instead of +2.
Suggestion #1a (simplistic): books add more starting power to the wizard's fortress: 1.5/book instead of 1/book.



continued:

In the original, books were outright broken. Free casting, starting rare spells and the like.
I admit taking a 7th to 10th book does not seem outstanding, but in actual games it felt quite powerful.
The cost reduction adds up. Casting for 10-20% less does not seem much it effectively grants you that much more skill, skil you can use without needing the mana for it. Throw a mastery or conjurer on top and it suddenly becomes a huge bonus.
Additionally, more books increase your chances of actually getting the spell(s) you like available for research, and most rare and very rare spells do make a big difference even if it's just the +1/+1 spell from the +1 book.
The starting commons you get are also potent, most realms have at least 7-8 if not all 10 common spells I would want to pick now after all the improvements.
Suggestion 1/a I think is a fair idea, I'll consider it. Compared to the 8 from Mana Focusing, 0.5 more per book seems quite reasonable...and even that 8 felt fair.

Although...books of the same realm aside, books of a different realm are always quite valuable. They unlock the ability to get uncommon/rare/very rare spell of another realm, open up more trading chances, as well as powers for item creation.

I feel books are valuable enough, however...starting power might need a boost. 10/turn is quite low.
How about 1.5/book but no +5 for the Myrran trait? Myrror provides plenty of advantages anyway.

[zitro1987]

How about 1.5/book but no +5 for the Myrran trait? Myrror provides plenty of advantages anyway.

I think that might be a good choice, though testers should heavily monitor how much that changes the dynamics of the game. Seems subtle, but it would likely make a huge impact.

My main argument is: is it worthy to get a third or fourth retort vs +1 power / +2 skill / +1 starting common / +spell availabilities? It should be 'maybe', not 'most likely'.