MTGForge 03/03 (unofficial BETA) version

[DennisBergkamp]

I know it's only been about a week, but I want to release a new version before I start messing around with rewriting the Power/Toughness logic. I'd like to have a shot at it anyway, since it would eliminate a lot of bugs, and allow a LOT of new cards to be added

For this release, I meant to kind of focus on only fixes this time, but I couldn't resist and added around 30 new cards as well

Features / Fixes:

- Added a menu to specify card picture size (Tiny, Small, Medium and Large), this currently only works once though before starting a new game (after one or more games have been played, you have to restart the program to change card sizes again). Access this on the main menu, Menu -> Specify Card Size. Default setting is medium.
- Changed size of the columns of the bottom table in the Deck Editor to match the top table.
- Boosterdrafts use a separate deck file now (booster-decks), this fixed all my booster-draft related bugs
- Added AI functionality to Patrol Signaler.
- Fixed Dragon Roost token name.
- Fixed Meglonoth / Shield Sphere (will actually get -0/-1 now).
- 0/x creatures should attack now if Doran, The Siege Tower is in play (not 100% sure if this actually works...) .
- Other (non-basic) lands are also threaded now in the land stack.
- The AI can use dual lands very efficiently now, this includes multi-mana-producing permanents.
- Fixed Convalescent Care (stopped using stack, draw should work now).
- When Valor is put into a graveyard from play, the in-game message still says that the controller's creatures have vigilance instead of first strike (they actually do have first strike, the message is wrong) <- this is fixed now.
- Lucent Liminid won't show up twice anymore (just in creature section).
- Rewrote Oblivion Ring: its ability should trigger now when it comes into play, not before paying its casting cost. This allows the Zur, the Enchanter + Oblivion Ring combo. I will probably do the same with Oubliette someday.
- Fixed Marrow-Gnawer (can't remember what I fixed?).
- Fixed Dark Depths text.
- Fixed March of souls token name.
- Hacked Giltspire Avenger, should be able to use its ability at the End of Turn Phase now.
- Fixed Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker, both for AI and computer.
- Char, Psionic Blast, Lightning Bolt, Volcanic Hammer, Lightning Helix, Tribal Flames and Shock will now be cast at human player if handSize >= 8.
- Changed p/t of Springjack Shepherd tokens to 0/1.
- Sometimes focus on the Ok button gets lost whenever a spell/ability targets something, this should be fixed now, so now hitting space/enter to skip ahead should now (almost?) always work.
- Fixed Rakka Mar's tokens.
- Some minor fixes in cards.txt (Giant Mantis, Giant Spider).
- Added things to the AI blocking code, so it will always try to block a double striker if it would deal lethal damage to the computer.

New cards:

- Lots of Rebel cards: Cho-Manno, Revolutionary, Amrou Scout, Blightspeaker, Ramosian Lieutenant, Ramosian Captain, Ramosian Sergeant, Ramosian Commander, Ramosian Sky Marshal, Defiant Falcon, Ramosian Revivalist, Amrou Seekers. (Sorry, no Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero yet). The "Rebel search" ability is implemented throuh the keyword "SearchRebel:{manacost}".
- Lots of Mercenary cards (this was a piece of cake after the Rebel keyword) : Cateran Brute, Cateran Enforcer, Cateran Kidnappers, Cateran Overlord, Cateran Persuader, Cateran Slaver, Rathi Assassin, Rathi Fiend, Rathi Intimidator. These all use the "SearchMerc:{manacost}" keyword.
- Some more expensive tutor substitutes: Cruel Tutor, Diabolic Tutor.
- Ravenous Rats.
- Corrupt.
- Hatching Plans.
- Nether Spirit.
- Some Slivers: Plated Sliver, Sliver Overlord, Fury Sliver, Essence Sliver.

I guess the main things that could use testing is obviously the new cards, but also Oblivion Ring, Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker and especially the new Land threading / AI multi mana abilities. Build some decks with different types of lands, then make sure AI Land Stacking is enabled, then see in what order the AI will play its lands.

[Chris H.]

Thank you for this update.

Over the next couple of days I will try to upload any additions needed for the data files.

I will test the new multi-mana card and land threading additions. I'm sure there are others that would like to check this out. If everything works out OK, I will then modify the AI decks that I have recently constructed.

[GandoTheBard]

Awesome work Dennis. I noticed you included the mercenaries too No conspiracy though? Anyway Id like to request for the next update that you alter the folder that Forge defaults to for import/Export to same folder instead of the highly illogical "My Documents" folder that it currently defaults to. I wouldn't save my name in that folder lol. Microsoft Defaults are rather stupid. For my machine I tend to save everything datawise (nonregistry specific) off of the desktop so desktop/forge/etc for example for the updates. This seems more sensible than using some obscure folder that is otherwise never used. In fact when I export my decks they reside in the Forge main folder so I don't have to repeat my work.

[DennisBergkamp]

Oh, I forgot Conspiracy. It's a very easy card, I'll finish it for the next version, along with some of the other cards you requested Gando

I noticed the same thing about the default export path, always had to browse back to the MTG folder to export my own decks, so I'll check and see if it's changeable.
The all-decks2 file is still included with this release, it would be better obviously if we could replace this with a better decks file.

[Rob Cashwalker]

Oh, I forgot Conspiracy. It's a very easy card, I'll finish it for the next version, along with some of the other cards you requested Gando

How would you select creature types? Let the user type it free-form in an InputBox sort of window?

Wow... this is quite an extraordinary release.... Lots of neat abilities. Great idea to make the keyword for the rebels. Might as well re-code all other tutors to use something similar....

P/T logic, like basePT + PTbonuses + PTcounters = currentPT? Go for it!

[DennisBergkamp]

How would you select creature types? Let the user type it free-form in an InputBox sort of window?

Yeah I was just thinking about that, I guess the card isn't THAT easy. I'll either have some sort of text inputbox, or maybe a list of creature types existing in MTGForge. Rules-wise, I guess InputBox wouldn't break anything. However, spelling and capitalization (I could make it case-insensitive, I suppose) would have to be correct from the user's input.

P/T logic, like basePT + PTbonuses + PTcounters = currentPT? Go for it!

You got it! I'm messing around with it right now, not really getting stuff working yet though for some reason. This'll probably need a lot of work...

[GandoTheBard]

How would you select creature types? Let the user type it free-form in an InputBox sort of window?

Yeah I was just thinking about that, I guess the card isn't THAT easy. I'll either have some sort of text inputbox, or maybe a list of creature types existing in MTGForge. Rules-wise, I guess InputBox wouldn't break anything. However, spelling and capitalization (I could make it case-insensitive, I suppose) would have to be correct from the user's input.

P/T logic, like basePT + PTbonuses + PTcounters = currentPT? Go for it!

You got it! I'm messing around with it right now, not really getting stuff working yet though for some reason. This'll probably need a lot of work...

The way it is done in MDDO seems to be the way to do it. Use a drop down list of types. Oh and remember Conspiracy does NOT overwrite a creature's types. It just adds to it.

[Rob Cashwalker]

Conspiracy DOES change the creature subtypes.

Current Oracle wording:

As Conspiracy comes into play, choose a creature type.
Creature cards you own that aren't in play, creature spells you control, and creatures you control are the chosen type.

If it added, then it would say "in addition to their other types".

During Time Spiral block, I had been working on a Thrull deck based on Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder and Conspiracy. Basically, as long as the thrulls Endrek created became something else, then I wouldn't have to sac him after making 7 thrulls....

I had also tried to turn generic tokens into slivers with Hivestone, but that card says "in addition to", so thrulls were not the token of choice there.

@Dennis - I don't think it's feasable to make a list of creature types for display in MTGForge. It would have to be a free-form text box with some error checks and case-massaging. On second thought, we might be able to get around this once and for all by modifying the CardList.getType(string Type) (or whatever it is exactly) to become case-insensitive.

[GandoTheBard]

Conspiracy DOES change the creature subtypes.

Current Oracle wording:

As Conspiracy comes into play, choose a creature type.
Creature cards you own that aren't in play, creature spells you control, and creatures you control are the chosen type.

If it added, then it would say "in addition to their other types".

During Time Spiral block, I had been working on a Thrull deck based on Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder and Conspiracy. Basically, as long as the thrulls Endrek created became something else, then I wouldn't have to sac him after making 7 thrulls....

I had also tried to turn generic tokens into slivers with Hivestone, but that card says "in addition to", so thrulls were not the token of choice there.

@Dennis - I don't think it's feasable to make a list of creature types for display in MTGForge. It would have to be a free-form text box with some error checks and case-massaging. On second thought, we might be able to get around this once and for all by modifying the CardList.getType(string Type) (or whatever it is exactly) to become case-insensitive.

Ah yes I forgot that. I'm not sure what I was misremembering. (I claim senility.) My Conspiracy Theory deck involved searching out rebels that were not ordinarily rebels with Linn Sivvi and other fetchers. It worked horribly most of the time but was great fun when it worked. (The main problem was often getting a conspiracy in play since at 5 cmc it is tremendously slow. Well at the time 5cmc that didnt auto win was slow.)

I have been harping all along to use case insensitivity lol. I guess this is a good reason why.

[Chris H.]

The all-decks2 file is still included with this release, it would be better obviously if we could replace this with a better decks file.

You can remove the 5 repaired deck files and their card listing text files. I am combining these five deck files with the other 60 card decks that I exported from the original all-decks2 file.

I am also including all of the decks from our deck forum. These decks will be provided as individual deck files which can be imported one-by-one. I hope to be finished in a few weeks. This archive when finished can then be placed on the google download page.

In the meanwhile, you can safely delete those 5 repaired decks from your beta distribution. This will help to clean up the root directory.


I have given your request some thought. I think giving the people on google the ability to download a zip file with a large collection of individual deck files that they can then import one-by-one might be best. If we include an all-decks2 file with 100+ decks people might find themselves getting lost with a such large selection of unfamiliar decks.

[Chris H.]

Attached below you will find the updated card-pictures.txt file as a zip file. This file will provide you with the jpg card pictures for the 30 new cards. This card-pictures.txt file is for the Forge 03-03 release.


EDIT:

You should use the newest version of this file which can be found at the link below:

http://www.slightlymagic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=925&start=15#p10216




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[DennisBergkamp]

Thanks, Chris
You might have noticed, I've added pictures to some of the new cards already. The Rebel cards for instance: I was testing some of their abilities, until I got so annoyed with the big blank boxes that were supposed to be cards, so I just added all of their card pics.

[Chris H.]

Thanks, Chris
You might have noticed, I've added pictures to some of the new cards already. The Rebel cards for instance: I was testing some of their abilities, until I got so annoyed with the big blank boxes that were supposed to be cards, so I just added all of their card pics.

I noticed.

When you add the jpg url to card-pictures.txt you add them to the top where I can easily see your additions.

BTW: I like the look of the new tokens. They were a nice addition.

[Chris H.]

Attached below you will find an archive containing the three rarity files. These files represent a complete listing for all of the included cards and have not been play balanced. This is for MTG Forge 03-03 Beta.

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[mtgrares]

As always, thanks. New cards are totally awesome, I love Ravenous Rats and Corrupt. Yeah X spells can't be coded since the SpellAbility needs to know how much mana was paid. You could add a method to SpellAbility like setManaX(int n) and getManaX() which returns an int, that way SpellAbility.resolve() could be able to get X. PayManaCost_Ability would have to call setManaX().

PayManaCost_Ability may be the incorrect name but whatever PayManaCost class that handles activated abilities could call setManaX()