jatill semi-retirement thread

[jatill]

So half way into the race, I have succumb to fatigue. Or in other words, I am burned out on coding manalink, and am done for now. I had planned on doing 65 more cards, and a couple really cool draft enhancements, but I'm not feeling it any more. This is partly due to the lack of help I receive currently (except from Orion!), and partly due to the fact that I've been doing this mostly non-stop for the last 6 months. If anyone ends up picking up the torch where I am leaving it, below are a few notes, for reference. I expect I'll be back after some period of time, but that may depend on how entertaining the new Magic video game is So here's my final update, which is only a couple bug fixes.

http://www.savefile.com/files/1997761

Updates:
Fixed Zombie Master / regen interation for SOME Zombies
Do not ask to pay Hybrid costs when animating a creature

---

Reference:
Outstanding tasks:
-Add custom (user-defined) sets for drafting
-Add singleton draft (i.e. any card appears only once in the draft)
-Update the AI base value fields in the csv. If anyone wants to tackle this, let me know. I've got the 1st 400 cards done. If someone does do this, I would feel compelled to complete the above draft enhancements.
-Add 65 more cards. These are the ones I had intended on adding. They are all pretty simple, I think, since I tried to do the hardest ones first.

Standard:
Volcanic Fallout
Reveillark
Maelstrom Pulse
Overrun
Nettle Sentnel
Heritage Druid
Regal Force
Bramblewood Paragon
Knight of Reliquary
Might of Alara
Cloudthresher
Zealous Persecution
Bloodbraid Elf
Shriekmaw
Demigod of Revenge

Vintage:
Living Wish
Cunning Wish
Gorilla Shaman
Land Grant
City of Traitors
Goblin Welder
Thoghtseize
Goblin Charbelcher
Tinder Wall
Chalice of the Void
Echoing Truth
Sleight of Hand
Quirion Dryad
Mystic Remora

Legacy:
Dryad Arbor
Natural Order
Lorescale Coatl
Quirion Ranger
Wickerbough Elder
Ad Nauseum
Infernal Tutor
Ill-Gotten Gains
Grim Lavamancer
Wall of Roots

Personal Picks / Wishlist Cards:
Brain Freeze
Wargate
Mayael's Aria
Battle of Wits
Flagstones of Trokair
Sneak Attack
Form of the Dragon
Enduring Ideal
Coalition Relic
Living Plane
Serra Sanctum
Enchantresses's Presence
Psychatog
Avalancehe Riders
Fulminator Mage
Lord of Extinction
Isocron Scepter
Mind Over Matter
Squirrel's Nest
Opposition
Priest of Titaina
Serrated Arrows
Cursed Scroll
Mystic Enforcer
Jester's Cap
Seal of Fire
Suq'Ata Assassin
Swamp Mosquito

[Juzam Djinn]

Dear jatill,

I can understand that you feel burnt out after 6 months of coding day by day and I would like to thank you so much for doing such a great job!

I hope you can recover fast and maybe in a few month you will go on with this project. I started playing Magic 1997 when Visions was released and stopped 2004 but never could get completely rid of the game. Today I'm playing again once a week with my brother and two friends. With them I started to play 12 years ago. What I want to say is that if you are infected bye the virus you always have to live with the virus . There had been a time when I sad that I would play MtG never again...

If I can help you with the project in the future I offer you my help .

[aww1979]

The answer to this is probably buried in some other thread, but is there any good documentation around about how to create cards using the C technique?

[mathusalem]

I understand. It is true that you have single handedly made wonders for quite a long time.
Well have the rest you deserve. Maybe this will be a wake up call and someone else will pick up the torch.
I personnaly thank you for all your work and for fullfilling not only my list but even the list I didn't dare to write down (Meddling mage ! whaow !) and for the hundreds of cardes that now make this game truely fun to play.
Thanks for a fantastic card pool.

You highly deserve your shrine and the column alley that goes up there. I hope you like marble, I was thinking about griffins to flank the alley, but the sculptors say that if you prefer Rams or sphynxes, they 're hip.

[jatill]

The answer to this is probably buried in some other thread, but is there any good documentation around about how to create cards using the C technique?

This may be enough to get someone started. I'm always willing to answer questions, of course.

http://www.slightlymagic.net/wiki/Codin ... C_Tutorial

[aww1979]

Okay, I'll take a look. I know C++ programming somewhat, so it's more a matter of learning how to apply it to this project, rather than learning programming, too.

[Bog Wraith]

Thanks for everything jatill.

I hope that someday, you will be able to crack the 2000 card barrier with Snacko's or someone else's help. I've done what I can to help along the way, I'm sorry I didn't have the time to do more but real life get's in the way of the best laid plans.

With the economy the way it is and for me, having to try to keep myself busy in my own business, the time commitments for much of anything else simply isn't there right now.

I do want to once again thank you for all you have done. In my mind, no one has done more in recent years then you have to make ManaLink everything, and more, of what Mok originally set out to do. Even if nothing more ever comes from this game, you gave us so much that will keep this game fresh for YEARS to come!

Many folks here from Harry to Mathy to Orion and GMZombie and many others have all done tremendous work, and helped to make ManaLink what it is today.

Thank you again my friend, for everything!

[FranAvalon]

thx very much, jatill. You bring some of my favorite cards in this "last" releases. Now, i can remember my old living plains + tabernacle deck.

Take rest, enjoy with your new projects, and if you have a few free time, try the app from my forum (subliminal advertisement)

I think that you did happy a lot of people, and that is great.

Best wishes

Fran

[gmzombie]

Well i figured this would happen sometime and while i am sad that this has happened i do see why this did happen. Everybody is thankfull that you brought this game this far man. I wish that we could have been able to do some art changes as i think i have found what we would need to do in the magic.c but since im no coder i was only able to ask peeps. But that is besides the point you have done a great job at this and I hope this isnt the last time you code something for us. I may not be a coder but i will always do my best to help as much as i can. You said something about ai base values? is that something in the csv that can be changed cause i will help with that. i know how to do that at least.anyways this is not a farewell just a see ya on the flip side. thanks friend

[aww1979]

Not sure if that's too small to read, but that's what I got after following the instructions on the link you gave, Jatill. I'm not sure what to do after that.

edit: made pic bigger, hopefully that's good

[Wally]

No worries jatill, take it easy, you definitely deserve a break after the effort you have put in. You have pretty much single-handedly brought much of modern Vintage and Legacy to an ancient game. And I'm amazed! People will be playing with your creations for years to come. Much kudos!

[SEE]

Not sure if that's too small to read, but that's what I got after following the instructions on the link you gave, Jatill. I'm not sure what to do after that.

I think I had the same problem. Way I fixed it:

Delete anything in c:\magic\src\ . Copy the contents of the \src\ directory (including subdirectories) in the latest update to c:\magic\src\ .

[SEE]

So half way into the race, I have succumb to fatigue. Or in other words, I am burned out on coding manalink, and am done for now.

Sorry to hear this!

[0rion79]

Yes, Jatill. Thank you a lot, really. You've done an amazing work bringing a lot of variety to the game.
I can understand how fatiguing it has been for you but, from the other side, you have had the advantage that nobody has entangled you with parallel releases and you have had a lot of freedom.
Rest now, and come back when/if you feel so.
In the mean time, I really hope that the other expert ones will help mathusalem in enhancing game graphic and that something can be done about some uncompleted matters.

Not only ranking cards in the CSV (0 is already a value that tells the AI that a card is fine to be used) but enhancing AI strategy for cards (Eg. Voice of All always comes into play with protection from white) and, if possible, increasing order in Deck Editor.

Again, thanks a lot to you for all of your efforts and your time, and for naming me even if I've done just 5% of work if compared to yours

[EviL_CLonE]

You did enough man! You don't have to give any explanations.
As everyone in the Manalink Community (It sounds like a religion or something weird... cool!) I thank you for all the work done.
Enjoy the game you have created.