Caster of Magic Release thread : latest version 6.06!

[Nelphine]

Did you run the thing that sets your wizard to match a different game first?

I'd also ask, what happens if you choose 6 life and 6 nature, and again if you choose 10 nature

[Feddy]

Whatever was causing the problem appears to have gone away at this point.  The major difference is when i was having the problem it was offering me 5 common 2 uncommon and 1 rare spell picks during creation and now at 10 books it is correctly offering my 5 common and 2 uncommon.  Weird but fixed now I think my main point of confusion originally was i was used to the original way were you got your uncommon and rare picks.

[teelaurila]

CoM is truly amazing in taking the complex pieces that made the original into an incoherent heap, and molding it all into the only 4x game I've encountered that actually stays interesting and challenging until the end game - at least almost every game. The real beauty is the balance of it all, and how it plays out during a game: the civ-game, the treasure hunting, the tactical/strategic(AIvAI) combat, and the 2 planes.

[Seravy]

There is no editor specifically for CoM, unfortunately, but you can safely change most data in the memory using the Tweaker. (But don't change the EXE and don't try to load save files into it! While data addresses in memory are 99% unchanged, this can't be said for the saves.)

[Tleilaxu Ghola]

There is no editor specifically for CoM, unfortunately, but you can safely change most data in the memory using the Tweaker. (But don't change the EXE and don't try to load save files into it! While data addresses in memory are 99% unchanged, this can't be said for the saves.)

I will check and see if the current DOS save game editor I have works (momedit2).. I set up MoM 1.51 RC7 this morning and got a game started and the momedit appears to work just fine so far. 

I just started playing again after a 10+ year haitus, so I am just getting my bearings on what's going on in the MoM/CoM scene. I have not played MoM since I switched to Linux, but I came across this post on reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/4Xgaming/commen..._modpatch/) by accident, and the itch to play again came back in a BIG way...

I find it an amazing testament to this game, that after more than 20 years, a person can find so many new and exciting things going on still..

[Seravy]

Managed to squeeze some additional info to the magic screen...

SP displays how much skill you are gaining per turn (1 digit accuracy), RP displays how many turns to finish research.
   
Spellbook displays leftover overland casting skill available :
   
Unfortunately, this is ugly as hell. I tried replacing the spell book graphics by adding a small box below it in the unused space, but the tweaker cannot properly replace that image, when I try to, the game crashes, and the change is too elaborate to add by hex editing the raw data. This is was the original plan : 
   

It's image 34 in Special2.LBX, if anyone has a working tool to replace it, or has other ideas how to do it, let me know. The anti-aliasing on the font looks problematic too, if someone knows which font related procedures to call with which parameters to improve it, do tell... there is space to add them, but i have no idea what each of the parameters and procedures are for (except I do know which one parameter is the font ID to pick a font, but that's it.)

Release probably in the next 3 days, I want to finish the current game to see if it works properly.

[teelaurila]

Just wanted to say this is cool! Awesome things you can twist the game into, who cares if it's a bit rough around the edges. I mean the game is from 94 - people are not here for the eye candy

[Bahgtru]

Managed to squeeze some additional info to the magic screen...

SP displays how much skill you are gaining per turn (1 digit accuracy), RP displays how many turns to finish research.

Spellbook displays leftover overland casting skill available :

Unfortunately, this is ugly as hell. I tried replacing the spell book graphics by adding a small box below it in the unused space, but the tweaker cannot properly replace that image, when I try to, the game crashes, and the change is too elaborate to add by hex editing the raw data. This is was the original plan : 


It's image 34 in Special2.LBX, if anyone has a working tool to replace it, or has other ideas how to do it, let me know. The anti-aliasing on the font looks problematic too, if someone knows which font related procedures to call with which parameters to improve it, do tell... there is space to add them, but i have no idea what each of the parameters and procedures are for (except I do know which one parameter is the font ID to pick a font, but that's it.)

Release probably in the next 3 days, I want to finish the current game to see if it works properly.

Super cool!

Are SPs useful in any way? You might as well get rid of that info and leave only the increase, no? RP could almost be scrapped too but I guess they can at least be compared with the research costs, but as there isn't published anywhere a cost of skill - it's just a formula anyway - SPs are really pointless to know.

[teelaurila]

SPs in comparison to MP or RP tell you how much mana or research you could get for the investment instead. Some point in the late game I typically switch from skill-heavy to research-heavy due to diminishing returns on skill.

[Nelphine]

I happen to like SPs (and RPs) - easier to calculate what the loss or gain of a hero or node or building would be worth, or just maybe because I like doing the math. Not a good enough reason, but unless needed to remove it, I vote not to!