Wizard changes: Picks & retorts

[I like Serena]

Let me try to translate techno mumbo jumbo into English: You can create a program that is run automatically and handles all of this. Wonderful!

Yep. Sorry for the tech-talk.
The user would not notice any of it.
(But I'm impressed that you apparently have no problem at all to understand it. )

What exactly will the startup process be? Imagine that you need to allow for starting, guaranteed and random spells (only change I have in mind for this).

My intention (at first) is to specify the customizable parameters in the catnip-config-file with any text editor.
The pre-customizer and post-customizer would read this file.

There are various options to make this neater and we can discuss this.

Here's a few alternatives I'm thinking of.

I can give the pre-customizer an interface with which the user can make a number of selections interactively.
Easiest would be a text-interface.
I could make this graphical and very advanced, but the prettier it is, the more work it is, so I prefer to postpone that until we at least know what we want.

Yet another alternative is to use the interface the current Customizer already has, and use that to read and write the catnip-config-file.

[Catwalk]

I suppose text only would be okay. My main concern is timing. When would spells be selected? Would you be able to bypass the spell selection screens in-game?

[I like Serena]

I suppose text only would be okay. My main concern is timing. When would spells be selected? Would you be able to bypass the spell selection screens in-game?

Either before or after the regular setup.

And I'm pretty sure I can suppress/skip the regular spell selection screens.

[Catwalk]

When would you suggest skipping to the spell selection text interface? Could you do it before world creation, or maybe after world creation and before seeing the starting location? Can all this run automatically with no extra input needed from the player other than running the first program and selecting spells as needed?

[I like Serena]

When would you suggest skipping to the spell selection text interface? Could you do it before world creation, or maybe after world creation and before seeing the starting location? Can all this run automatically with no extra input needed from the player other than running the first program and selecting spells as needed?

I think you'd first want to do the regular setup, choose how many spell books you want of each color and skip the regular spell selection screens.
Then the world creation is done and it is saved to the initial save file.

After that the post-customizer would get its turn, show the customized spell screens and reshuffle the spells.

Then the regular WIZARDS.EXE would be run, showing the starting position.

The user would not run any special program, but just MAGIC.EXE or WIZARDS.EXE (which would actually be the pre-customizer resp. the post-customizer program).

[Catwalk]

If that's easy enough to do, that'd be perfect and fully adequate for everyone's needs. Let's go back to discussing the spell selection system.

I really, really, really want a system with starting + guaranteed + random spells. It gives a real reason to pick a good number of books in a colour, especially combined with the boosted cost bonuses. If anyone wants to suggest changes or additions, I'm still interested in hearing it. Rough draft:
(coming up shortly)

[kyrub]

I like ILSe!
Sounds very good, if I gather it right.

What I wish for (sorry for being a bit childish here, but I don't know if we understand each other) :
1) To run a specially arranged customizer (preferably renamed to Catnip.exe)
2) To choose detailed diificulty
3) To customize wizard (still in Catnip.exe), portrait, picks
4) To choose an appropriate number* of starting spells, not more (if any, Catnip.exe)
5) To choose an appropriate number* of guaranteed spells, not more
6) To choose a race

7) Catnip.exe changes Magic.exe
8) Catnip.exe auto-starts Magic.exe

9) Magic.exe skips all intro, selection etc. stuff and immediately creates the world (This I can do, though you can probably too.)

10) Magic.exe closes itself and starts Wizards.exe
11) You play the game with Catnip changes and setup

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* by appropriate number I mean the number we agree upon, that are based upon game difficulty, wizard picks, nubmer of books etc.

[Catwalk]

My idea was to use magic.exe for everything except spell selection. It wouldn't feel as MoM if you don't get to pick your books and skills from that awesome selection screen If that's not doable I don't mind it all being external.

[I like Serena]

Woooow! We're getting enthusiastic here!

Yes, I could do that too.

To be clear, what is your reason exactly to prefer this?

Anyway, there would be 2 ways that I could go about it.
Catnip.exe could be a graphical Windows/Linux application that would kick off DOSBox with a stripped MAGIC.EXE.
Or Catnip.exe could be a DOS application with a text interface that would kick off the stripped MAGIC.EXE.

Both have their obvious advantages and disadvantages.
What then would be preferred?

[I like Serena]

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* by appropriate number I mean the number we agree upon, that are based upon game difficulty, wizard picks, nubmer of books etc.

Either way, I intend to make these numbers configurable in a catnip-config-file.
I want to make all numbers configurable, since I expect that there will be some work and experimentation to do to rebalance the game after overhauling it.
I'm sort of assuming that Catwalk, you and other play testers will want to easily adjust the numbers without being dependent on a new release of Catnip.exe.