[Release] Multiverse (not to be confused with Multiverse)
Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 06:46
Hi everybody. I'm excited to be announcing and releasing a project I've been putting together for nearly a year. It's a Magic rules engine and game engine written in Java and using the jMonkeyEngine libraries for 3D rendering. I wrote it because Forge, while effective and mostly accurate to MtG's rules, doesn't look visually pleasing, and its scripting language looks ugly and unmanageable to new users. I wrote this with a 3D "Duels of the Planeswalkers" look in mind, and designed the most user friendly and intuitive scripting engine I could.
It's called Multiverse. I've reached a good release point for the engine where most cards in Magic's history can be made using the scripting engine. So far, I've made close to 800 cards - everything from vanilla creatures to lands to Slivers to Experiment Kraj and even Divine Deflection (which works 99% of the time). There's a very wide variety of cards for scripters to look at and learn from (and make decks with, of course).
The program has its own documentation wiki, which can be found here. I've tried to keep it as current as possible. I'm also making a video tutorial series for those who learn more visually by following examples.
Now, let's talk about the real reason you clicked on this thread The program's actual features!
Multiverse has a buggy (but stable) launcher from which most of the program's other functions are accessed. The launcher downloads engine updates automatically, so users only have to download the assets base once. All card info is loaded from the server you connect to, and card art is loaded on-the-fly from gatherer. This program supports online multiplayer, although currently I've limited it to only allow you to play on local area networks (for legal reasons). The deck editor is still being developed. Currently all it does is search for cards. You can edit decks manually using your favorite text editor (the file format is pretty straightforward).
The rules engine for Multiverse supports pretty much everything except for attacking and blocking requirements (like "lure" and "attacks each turn if able" effects. Attacking and blocking restrictions work fully). It's also missing some "unique" effects that only one or two cards do (like Mindslaver or Goblin Game). You can read all about what's not supported on the For Players page of the wiki.
Multiverse has its own Draft Server, which allows players to play drafts (duh). Unlike traditional drafts, though, the game automatically builds your deck using a cool algorithm, so as soon as everybody picks the last card from the last pack, your deck gets made and you start playing right away. You can even customize the draft server (by "you" i mean "me" at least until I update it) by changing how many picks each pack has, the number of packs each player opens, and the number of picks until a pack is thrown away. At the most extreme, you can do a draft Hearthstone style, where each pack only gets to one player, then gets thrown away. I lacked the presence of mind to put a launcher for the draft server in the release, but I will have instructions for how to do it on the wiki soon.
This program has come a long way, but there is a lot more to do. I've already wirtten a bunch of code that will support "collections" (which is similar to Quest Mode in Forge). Throughout the coming year, I will be adding to the program when I have time. For the moment, I'm going to keep it closed-source, but I'm not closed to the possibility of releasing the source code in the future.
You can download the assets base by clicking here. You need to run the launcher before anything else so it downloads the client. I would also recommend you read the For Players page of the wiki. It has some pretty important notices.
I was planning to upload a gameplay video of me and some of my friends playing Commander on it, but the past few weeks have been chaotic for all of us, so I'll have to make it later. I'll edit this when that happens. You'll have to experience it first-hand until then.
I took a screenshot of the engine as it approached several milestones. I thought I'd share them with you just for fun:
It's called Multiverse. I've reached a good release point for the engine where most cards in Magic's history can be made using the scripting engine. So far, I've made close to 800 cards - everything from vanilla creatures to lands to Slivers to Experiment Kraj and even Divine Deflection (which works 99% of the time). There's a very wide variety of cards for scripters to look at and learn from (and make decks with, of course).
The program has its own documentation wiki, which can be found here. I've tried to keep it as current as possible. I'm also making a video tutorial series for those who learn more visually by following examples.
Now, let's talk about the real reason you clicked on this thread The program's actual features!
Multiverse has a buggy (but stable) launcher from which most of the program's other functions are accessed. The launcher downloads engine updates automatically, so users only have to download the assets base once. All card info is loaded from the server you connect to, and card art is loaded on-the-fly from gatherer. This program supports online multiplayer, although currently I've limited it to only allow you to play on local area networks (for legal reasons). The deck editor is still being developed. Currently all it does is search for cards. You can edit decks manually using your favorite text editor (the file format is pretty straightforward).
The rules engine for Multiverse supports pretty much everything except for attacking and blocking requirements (like "lure" and "attacks each turn if able" effects. Attacking and blocking restrictions work fully). It's also missing some "unique" effects that only one or two cards do (like Mindslaver or Goblin Game). You can read all about what's not supported on the For Players page of the wiki.
Multiverse has its own Draft Server, which allows players to play drafts (duh). Unlike traditional drafts, though, the game automatically builds your deck using a cool algorithm, so as soon as everybody picks the last card from the last pack, your deck gets made and you start playing right away. You can even customize the draft server (by "you" i mean "me" at least until I update it) by changing how many picks each pack has, the number of packs each player opens, and the number of picks until a pack is thrown away. At the most extreme, you can do a draft Hearthstone style, where each pack only gets to one player, then gets thrown away. I lacked the presence of mind to put a launcher for the draft server in the release, but I will have instructions for how to do it on the wiki soon.
This program has come a long way, but there is a lot more to do. I've already wirtten a bunch of code that will support "collections" (which is similar to Quest Mode in Forge). Throughout the coming year, I will be adding to the program when I have time. For the moment, I'm going to keep it closed-source, but I'm not closed to the possibility of releasing the source code in the future.
You can download the assets base by clicking here. You need to run the launcher before anything else so it downloads the client. I would also recommend you read the For Players page of the wiki. It has some pretty important notices.
I was planning to upload a gameplay video of me and some of my friends playing Commander on it, but the past few weeks have been chaotic for all of us, so I'll have to make it later. I'll edit this when that happens. You'll have to experience it first-hand until then.
I took a screenshot of the engine as it approached several milestones. I thought I'd share them with you just for fun:
- Milestone Screenshots | Open