Homeless mod ideas (wishful thinking)

[b0rsuk]

Hmm. I don't want to disappoint you, b0rsuk, but to be perfectly honest with you, I cannot see myself settled in your homeless mod. The main reason is my inner need to focus on other things in my life than IDA. So you need to find someone else.

I don't call it a mod, it would be too ambitious. I think it would be easier for me to program it from scratch than modify Master of Magic. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. I won't find anyone.

At this point I use this thread just to gather ideas. I will ask you to implement a small number of them, especially the stuff you mentioned you liked. I'll try my best to cook something up with the MoM editor by Joel Schlecht. As for the remaining ideas, never say never. MoM-like game is a recurring idea and I may find a place where these homeless ideas will be welcome. In general, this thread serves as a sort of my notepad.

Other than that, I enjoy reading your wild fantasies. I find about 5% of your suggestion very good, 10% interesting. That does not seem much, but good enough for me! And sometimes, I think about some very distant time when I could make a mod of my own, which would focus solely on (fonctional, not mana-economic) redesign of Spell system. Then I would probably use some of your ideas (if you don't mind).

I totally don't mind. The best way to kill a good idea is to keep it you yourself. I get so many of them the main challenge is writing them down. And I get inspired by books/games/articles I encounter, and get even more ideas.

I went to Computer Science so I could gain skills needed to create games, because I realized modding and contributing to existing projects I will have to accept only some of my ideas will get through, and many will be warped into stuff I don't like. I really need to start working on my own game. I'll try to start small.

Aside from 7DRL-sized roguelike games, I the main suspects are turn-based strategies. Turn-based strategies aren't very technically demanding (although I understood how important AI is, especially that most TBS games are bad in multiplayer). One of areas where I'm likely to start would be a tactical combat system similar to that of Master of Magic, Heroes of Might&Magic, Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic or even Dominions. Once (if) I finish the combat system (the part I enjoy the most), I may try the higher level - strategic movement, city building, exploration. Maybe someone will join and help.

If you enjoy some old games, Vavoom is a DooM source port which has game logic rewritten in VavoomC, which is very powerful and feels like C with extensions. It also supports Hexen, Heretic and Strife. Documentation is awful, but the thing is amazing. So far I have mixed success, because I need to refresh my math skills :-).

It's my hobby, I'm not worried about release dates, I'm going to take my time. I know it will be years before I have something to show.

[b0rsuk]

Okay, I can't resist !

Warp Terrain
Chaos
Uncommon
cost: ?

Changes the whole battlefield location to another, chosen randomly land map square which doesn't have a city, lair, node, keep etc.* and is unoccupied. Can't be cast in water battles.

Units may find themselves suddenly in hills or on roads, in tundra of Arcanus or in the desert of Myrror.

* this is good hygiene. These areas can have impassable terrain and we don't want player to accidentally conquer something of interest.

[b0rsuk]

Switch Enchantments (suggest better name !)
Chaos
Uncommon
Combat/Overland
20/100 mana
Randomly redistributes all creature enchantments in that square. If used in combat, your positive enchantments may end up on enemy units while his on yours ! And so forth. A cheaper alternative to Disenchant Area. Really cheaper ? Not sure, it's not pumpable and the effect is guarranteed (you just can't predict it).

[b0rsuk]

Magic Rot
Sorcery
Common (Psionic Blast replacement)
Combat - instant
10 mana

Target creature suffers a (X * 5) attack. where X is the number of enchantments on the target creature. (So if you target Pikemen with Stone Skin, Weakness and Heroism they suffer a strength 15 attack).

Lycantropy (modification)

Everything remains as it is, except that you can cast the spell in combat for 1/5 mana cost. If you do, you still need to sacrifice a unit. If cast in combat, the transformed unit dies at the end of turn.

Guardian Spirit (modification)

The spell can now be cast in combat for 1/5 mana cost. In that case it disappears at the end of battle. The catch - it can be cast only in battles where the casting wizard is defending a city. (guardian spirit)

Second modification. When a spirit attempts to recapture a node controlled by a Guardian spirit, there's no longer 3/4 chance of failure. Instead, a battle of spirits is fought between the defending and attacking spirits. If there are any units in the node, they support the invading spirit in the attempt to recapture the node. The change, especially coupled with node's magic countering properties, would mean that a player would have to send some small supporting troops to aid the magic spirit in killing the physically stronger guardian spirit.

[Catwalk]

I imagine that guardian spirit change would be very difficult to pull off, but it sounds like a lot of fun. How about allowing multiple spirits to defend a node, and having the node battle be between spirits only?

[b0rsuk]

I imagine that guardian spirit change would be very difficult to pull off, but it sounds like a lot of fun. How about allowing multiple spirits to defend a node, and having the node battle be between spirits only?

If the battle was only between spirits, then the invader would need OVERWHELMING magic to conquer the node. That would be especially difficult if the invader didn't have spells the node wouldn't counter. Now imagine 1 magic spirit vs multiple magic spirits. The only practical way to clear a node would be to defeat the controlling wizard first.

[Catwalk]

I intended for the attacker to be allowed to use multiple spirits too, of course.

[kyrub]

I like your homeless games, b0rsuk.


Fog
Nature
Uncommon
Combat Enchantment
25 mana
Opponent units are unable to flee safely from the combat.

[b0rsuk]

Hah, that fog would be a lot more appealing if fleeing wasn't so random. But it would still be somewhat useful to make sure you kill the entire stack completely.

Thematically, shouldn't a dense fog (like darkness) make it easier for the losing side to escape ?

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Lightning Bolt (modification)

Cost: 20 (fixed, no longer pumpable)

Hits the target unit with a strength 15 attack. Then, if there are adjacent units, one random adjacent unit (friend or foe) also suffers a strength 15 attack.
Chaos magic should be a bit chaotic, no ?

[kyrub]

Hah, that fog would be a lot more appealing if fleeing wasn't so random.

Yeah, fleeing is somehow disappointing right now. A HoMM 3 model for heroes, perhaps?
A hero can be always ransommed by paying his Hiring_price*level, otherwise he is slained.
(Oh, and you're right with the foggy objection. "Mire". Or "Curse of Jagellonski"? Hehe.)

Lightning bolt, interesting idea with adjacent unit.


Fierce
Chaos
Rare
Combat instant (duration = immediate 2 turns, yours and ennemy's)
25 mana

Same effect as old Haste, but short and cheaper. Chaos non-destruction combat spell!


Haste
Sorcery
Common
Combat instant (duration = immediate 2 turns, yours and ennemy's)
10 mana

Increases unit's speed by 3 for 1 turn.