Testing the combat system

[Incantus]

After some chicanery, I finally got a version of cards.db with the modifications, and the card worked perfectly (A non-flying creature was unable to block my Armored Ascension-enchanted creature), so I think I've got the feel for the editor now.

What kind of chicanery did it require. One thing to note about the CardEditor is that it automatically syncs the cards to disk everytime you switch to a new card (or click on the sync button). There is no save option since it automatically saves. Also, I recommend adding new cards to a new .db file, not the cards.db file, which I often update as I add new cards or update broken ones. Just place the new file in the data subdirectory and Incantus will be able to load it (make sure it ends in .db)

Now all I need is to figure out how to require a certain color of mana be spent on X...

That capability is not implemented yet.

[MageKing17]

What kind of chicanery did it require. One thing to note about the CardEditor is that it automatically syncs the cards to disk everytime you switch to a new card (or click on the sync button). There is no save option since it automatically saves.

The "chicanery" was just discovering that fact.

Also, I recommend adding new cards to a new .db file, not the cards.db file, which I often update as I add new cards or update broken ones. Just place the new file in the data subdirectory and Incantus will be able to load it (make sure it ends in .db)

I didn't know it would automatically read all .db files, but I saved a backup of the original cards.db anyway. I'll put my work into a separate .db file from now on (which simplifies things, anyway).

That capability is not implemented yet.

Oh well. Not like I'm dealing with a lot of dual-color decks in these little tests.

[The Scientist]

perhaps we should use the #incantus again on IRC (efnet)? I might be able to help out sometimes.

[cort]

If i use Mind Rot and the opponent has only one card in his hand then nothing happens, otherwise it works fine. In my opinion if the opponent has two cards or less in his hand they should be discarded automatically.

Also when i have no cards in my hand it still shows that i have 1 card (1st picture), all tough it disappears if the last card i play is a land card (2nd picture.

It also appears that if i reduce the opponents life to exactly 0, after i get the message that i won, the game crashes. It probably explains this and this.

If the life counter is <0 then everything is ok. Well, almost everything. The red strip that appears in combat the phase remains from last game (3rd picture).

[Incantus]

OK, I fixed the problem with Mind Rot (and discard effects in general), and the UI bugs with showing an empty hand. However, I still can't seem to reproduce the crashes at the end of the game.

http://www.mediafire.com/?twj1jtzmigt

[MageKing17]

Just use something like Blaze when you've got a sufficient amount of mana to perform an amount of damage equal to the remaining life. If it doesn't crash... something's different with your computer.

Any idea how a card like Tetravus might be made? Can you keep track of what created a token?

[Incantus]

Just use something like Blaze when you've got a sufficient amount of mana to perform an amount of damage equal to the remaining life. If it doesn't crash... something's different with your computer.

Yeah, i've tried that multiple times. I never seem to get a crash.

Any idea how a card like Tetravus might be made? Can you keep track of what created a token?

Nope. That's the one major flaw in my current design. It's really hard to do effects that refer to previous events (what i refer to as memory effects). I'm still trying to figure out a clean way of doing them that generalizes well (so i don't have to hard code each one).

[Marek14]

One solution would be to allow creating dummy objects. These would sit in the game, they might even be visible to player, but nothing in-game would count them for any purpose.

This could take care of things like delayed triggers.

For Tetravus, however, the situation is a bit more complicated. Tetravus, the way it's written, can sacrifice any Tetravite the permanent has previously created. And there are scenarios when a permanent creates a Tetravite without knowing that it will need to remember later who created it. They are pretty convoluted, but might involve, for example (if we pass on Artificial Evolution Shenanigans):

I have Death-Mask Duplicant, Soul Foundry, Mizzum Transreliquat and Tetravus. I copy Death-Mask Duplicant with Mizzium, removing Chameleon Colossus from my graveyard. Then I copy Soul Foundry, which allows me to make a copy of Colossus. Then I permanently copy Tetravus, and at the beginning of my next upkeep, I should be able to sacrifice the copied Colossus (as it has all creature types, including Tetravite).

So, the only solution I see right now is to make tokens always record which object in the game created them.

[MageKing17]

So, the only solution I see right now is to make tokens always record which object in the game created them.

Which wouldn't be terribly difficult, if each individual card had an internal ID number and you added an entry to the token data object (assuming the engine even works like that) pointing to that ID. It'd come in handy for more than just wacky things like Tetravus, and convoluted scenarios like you just posted.

[cort]

Could it be possible to make it such that you can't see the opponents hand during your turn?
And maybe when you finish your turn the screen goes dark with some kind of message like "opponent: press any key to start your turn" or something similar.
This way two players could play on the same computer without seeing each others hands.

[Incantus]

Hi Cort,

That is possible. The problem is that you would have to switch seats every time priority was passed, which would get old pretty quickly.

Incantus