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Programs with AI or Rules Enforcement Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers New MTG Cards and Decks (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, Magic Duels)
[ TUTORIAL BASIC ] Coding your cards...
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[ TUTORIAL BASIC ] Coding your cards...
by jacque » 16 Sep 2013, 10:14
INTRO
I noticed there isn't a "Tutorial" in particular explaining how one could code their cards... Being a newbie, I didn't know what to do, where to start from... And I am sure there are others like me, out there, just like you...
I know how frustrating it could be waiting for some kind soul out there, to code the cards that you like, or are familiar with, specially for you, or coincidentally they have it in their DLC releases.
I hope this "Tutorial" helps you, in some way... It's not thorough, but it should get you by... =)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISCLAIMER
The author, Jacque, shall not be held responsible due to any untoward mishaps occurred using this "Tutorial". You will understand that using this tutorial is at your own risk.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
You'll need to download a few stuffs before you get started coding your cards.
1. RIIAK'S DOTP 2014 DECK BUILDER
1.1 DOWNLOAD
1.2 INSTALLATION
1.3 CONFIGURATION
2. GIBBED TOOLS
2.1 DOWNLOAD
2.2 INSTALLATION
3. DLCs from other Modders
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GUIDELINES
1.1 BEST PRACTICES
1.2 CARD'S PREFIX ID
1.3 CARD'S NAME FORMAT
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YOUR CARD: "HOLY DAY"
- I'll be using "Holy Day" as an example in this tutorial (very basic).
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CREATING YOUR CORE WAD
- You just two steps away from testing, using the card(s) you have just coded. In this case, Holy Day.
- In order to use Holy Day, you'll need to create your own "Core" wad. It'll contain all the new cards that you have coded.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LET'S PLAY!!!
- Well, what do you know... You've just created a new card of your own, and it's ready for use.
- Please note that it's always good to play-test the new cards yourself, before releasing it to the public.
- Have fun crashing your game!!! Oops, I meant coding... =)
Jacque
I noticed there isn't a "Tutorial" in particular explaining how one could code their cards... Being a newbie, I didn't know what to do, where to start from... And I am sure there are others like me, out there, just like you...
I know how frustrating it could be waiting for some kind soul out there, to code the cards that you like, or are familiar with, specially for you, or coincidentally they have it in their DLC releases.
I hope this "Tutorial" helps you, in some way... It's not thorough, but it should get you by... =)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISCLAIMER
The author, Jacque, shall not be held responsible due to any untoward mishaps occurred using this "Tutorial". You will understand that using this tutorial is at your own risk.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
You'll need to download a few stuffs before you get started coding your cards.
1. RIIAK'S DOTP 2014 DECK BUILDER
1.1 DOWNLOAD
- | Open
1.2 INSTALLATION
- | Open
1.3 CONFIGURATION
- | Open
2. GIBBED TOOLS
2.1 DOWNLOAD
- | Open
2.2 INSTALLATION
- | Open
3. DLCs from other Modders
- | Open
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GUIDELINES
1.1 BEST PRACTICES
- | Open
1.2 CARD'S PREFIX ID
- | Open
1.3 CARD'S NAME FORMAT
- | Open
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
YOUR CARD: "HOLY DAY"
- I'll be using "Holy Day" as an example in this tutorial (very basic).
- | Open
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CREATING YOUR CORE WAD
- You just two steps away from testing, using the card(s) you have just coded. In this case, Holy Day.
- In order to use Holy Day, you'll need to create your own "Core" wad. It'll contain all the new cards that you have coded.
- | Open
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LET'S PLAY!!!
- Well, what do you know... You've just created a new card of your own, and it's ready for use.
- Please note that it's always good to play-test the new cards yourself, before releasing it to the public.
- Have fun crashing your game!!! Oops, I meant coding... =)
Jacque
Last edited by jacque on 13 Oct 2013, 13:24, edited 6 times in total.
Learn making your own cards today!!!
Click on
if a post/reply helped you.
I stitch old cards together to make new ones...
~ Jacque, the confused
Click on
if a post/reply helped you.I stitch old cards together to make new ones...
~ Jacque, the confused
Re: [Tutorial Basic] Coding your cards...
by MC Brodie » 16 Sep 2013, 11:35
Awesome, thanks for putting this together. I have a few tips I'd like to add. Since I'm on my phone I'll make it brief but I can expand later.
-You don't need to unpack wads to view cards! In Riiak's deck builder you can right click the card and hit "View Code" and it will show you the xml file. Probably, the only time you'll need to unpack wads is if you want to see functions, localised text files, or general wad structure.
-As you stated, Riiak's deck builder is very helpful when making cards. It allows you to search the ability text so you can see how similar cards are coded. Sumomole gives an example of this a few days in the formal request thread. See the below for an example.
-A helpful card to use when play testing is TFMs Leyline of Diety. It allows you to take extra turns, tutor for the card you want, play cards for free and more. I suggest including it in your play testing deck. You can find find Leyline of Diety here.
Coding by Searching the Deckbuilder
The easiest way to code a card is extract pieces of code from working cards and compile it into your new card. Riiak's Deck Builder provides an efficient way to search a large library of cards for the code you need. Below is an example on how you can code cards by using the deck builder to search for similar abilities. For the example we'll code Blightcaster, which has the following ability: "Whenever you cast an enchantment spell, you may have target creature get -2/-2 until end of turn."
Step 1: The first step is to use thefiremind's web generator (found here) to set up the basic structure of the card. The web gererator does most of the busy work when creating a card. All you have to do is code the abilities. For Blightcaster, the web generator produces the following code:
Step 2: The next step is to break down the card's abilities into simple, searchable pieces. The ability from Blightcaster can be broken up into 3 segments: (1) "Whenever you cast an enchantment spell", (2) "you may have", and "target creature get -2/-2 until end of turn". Open Riiak's Deckbuilder and click on the "Set Advanced Filter" button (I prefer to use the Advanced Filter over the Basic Filter but I think you can use the Basic Filter for the same functions). Under the "String" tab paste in "Whenever you cast an enchantment spell", click "Add Filter" then click "Apply". For this example I'm only using cards that come with the Vanilla game so only two cards meet the criteria: Mesa Enchantress and Sigil of the Empty Throne. Right click Sigil of the Empty Throne and click "View Card". Here is the only tricky part about coding card: identifying the code for the ability you want to mimic. Since we are trying to code the "trigger" part of Blightcaster, find the "<TRIGGER>...</TRIGGER>" block for Sigil of the Empty Throne. Copy that code and paste it into our Blightcaster code inbetween the localised text and </TRIGGERED_ABILITY>.
Step 3: Now we just need to repeat Step 2 for the other 2 segments of Blightcaster's ability. Lets skip to the last segment before we do the 2nd. In Riiak's deckbuilder clear the advanced filter and this time search for "target creature get -2/-2 until end of turn". When you hit apply you'll see that no cards match this search criteria. Now we have to refine our filter. Clear the filter and this time search for "-2/-2 until end of turn". This time we hit some results and the ability for Farbog Bonefinger is essentially the exact same as Blightcaster's. View the code for Farbog Bonefinger and scroll down to the triggered ability. This time we want the action part of the ability including the <TARGET> declaration all the way down to the <AI_SIMPLIFIED_TARGETING>. Copy this code and paste it into our current Blightcaster code in between the <TRIGGER> and </TRIGGERED_ABILITY>. This is what we have so far:
Step 4: Almost there. We just have to add the "you may have" portion. Clear the filters in Riiak's deckbuilder and this time search for "you may have". A handful of options come up but lets just look at Goblin Arsonist. If you scroll down to the triggered ability of Goblin Arsonist you'll notice a "<MAY/>" tag. This iteration Stainless decided to make it easy on us and for "may" abilities, you only have to add this simple tag. Copy the "<MAY/>" and paste it into our Blightcaster code in between the <TARGET> and <TARGET_DEFINITION> tags. Let's look at our final code:
Step 5: That should be it. Save it, pack it, test it then add it to your decks. If you get a big card library, coding cards is as easy as copy and paste. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions. Here is a final screenshot of how the code comes together.
I couldn't find an easy way to host the pictures so I'll just attach them.
-You don't need to unpack wads to view cards! In Riiak's deck builder you can right click the card and hit "View Code" and it will show you the xml file. Probably, the only time you'll need to unpack wads is if you want to see functions, localised text files, or general wad structure.
-As you stated, Riiak's deck builder is very helpful when making cards. It allows you to search the ability text so you can see how similar cards are coded. Sumomole gives an example of this a few days in the formal request thread. See the below for an example.
-A helpful card to use when play testing is TFMs Leyline of Diety. It allows you to take extra turns, tutor for the card you want, play cards for free and more. I suggest including it in your play testing deck. You can find find Leyline of Diety here.
Coding by Searching the Deckbuilder
The easiest way to code a card is extract pieces of code from working cards and compile it into your new card. Riiak's Deck Builder provides an efficient way to search a large library of cards for the code you need. Below is an example on how you can code cards by using the deck builder to search for similar abilities. For the example we'll code Blightcaster, which has the following ability: "Whenever you cast an enchantment spell, you may have target creature get -2/-2 until end of turn."
Step 1: The first step is to use thefiremind's web generator (found here) to set up the basic structure of the card. The web gererator does most of the busy work when creating a card. All you have to do is code the abilities. For Blightcaster, the web generator produces the following code:
- Blightcaster Step 1 | Open
Step 2: The next step is to break down the card's abilities into simple, searchable pieces. The ability from Blightcaster can be broken up into 3 segments: (1) "Whenever you cast an enchantment spell", (2) "you may have", and "target creature get -2/-2 until end of turn". Open Riiak's Deckbuilder and click on the "Set Advanced Filter" button (I prefer to use the Advanced Filter over the Basic Filter but I think you can use the Basic Filter for the same functions). Under the "String" tab paste in "Whenever you cast an enchantment spell", click "Add Filter" then click "Apply". For this example I'm only using cards that come with the Vanilla game so only two cards meet the criteria: Mesa Enchantress and Sigil of the Empty Throne. Right click Sigil of the Empty Throne and click "View Card". Here is the only tricky part about coding card: identifying the code for the ability you want to mimic. Since we are trying to code the "trigger" part of Blightcaster, find the "<TRIGGER>...</TRIGGER>" block for Sigil of the Empty Throne. Copy that code and paste it into our Blightcaster code inbetween the localised text and </TRIGGERED_ABILITY>.
- Blightcaster Step 2 | Open
Step 3: Now we just need to repeat Step 2 for the other 2 segments of Blightcaster's ability. Lets skip to the last segment before we do the 2nd. In Riiak's deckbuilder clear the advanced filter and this time search for "target creature get -2/-2 until end of turn". When you hit apply you'll see that no cards match this search criteria. Now we have to refine our filter. Clear the filter and this time search for "-2/-2 until end of turn". This time we hit some results and the ability for Farbog Bonefinger is essentially the exact same as Blightcaster's. View the code for Farbog Bonefinger and scroll down to the triggered ability. This time we want the action part of the ability including the <TARGET> declaration all the way down to the <AI_SIMPLIFIED_TARGETING>. Copy this code and paste it into our current Blightcaster code in between the <TRIGGER> and </TRIGGERED_ABILITY>. This is what we have so far:
- Blightcaster Step 3 | Open
Step 4: Almost there. We just have to add the "you may have" portion. Clear the filters in Riiak's deckbuilder and this time search for "you may have". A handful of options come up but lets just look at Goblin Arsonist. If you scroll down to the triggered ability of Goblin Arsonist you'll notice a "<MAY/>" tag. This iteration Stainless decided to make it easy on us and for "may" abilities, you only have to add this simple tag. Copy the "<MAY/>" and paste it into our Blightcaster code in between the <TARGET> and <TARGET_DEFINITION> tags. Let's look at our final code:
- Blightcaster Step 4 | Open
Step 5: That should be it. Save it, pack it, test it then add it to your decks. If you get a big card library, coding cards is as easy as copy and paste. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions. Here is a final screenshot of how the code comes together.
I couldn't find an easy way to host the pictures so I'll just attach them.
- Attachments
-
Screenshots.rar- (1.78 MiB) Downloaded 532 times
Last edited by MC Brodie on 17 Sep 2013, 02:01, edited 5 times in total.
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Song of the Day: 46 and 2 (cover)
Song of the Day: 46 and 2 (cover)
Re: [Tutorial Basic] Coding your cards...
by RiiakShiNal » 16 Sep 2013, 12:42
Just a few quick comments:
- Under the Card Prefix you have me listed as using 14/_1404, but I only use RSN/8192 for my prefixes, Scion of Darkness, however, does use 14/1404.
- The current registered prefixes are available here (This is also where new modders can register their prefixes): Prefix/Id Registry
- We have a page for Best Practices as we figure out what a best practice is and should be here: Best Practices
- As stated by MC Brodie you can view code in the Deck Builder by right-clicking and choosing "View Card ..."; you can also export the XML for a card by right-clicking the card and selecting "Export Card XML".
- A better way to get the basic code for a new card is to use thefirmind's Web Generator to get all the localized text and the proper structure for the card, then you could look at the code of similar cards to get the ability code (for example look at Fog to get the ability code for Holy Day). Direct-Link to Generator
- Since you have already directed people to get my modified Gibbed Tools you might also want to put into your tutorial how to create compressed TDX files (will save space and prevent the super-shiny-can't-read-card issue that some people have with uncompressed images). For card images (standard size is 512x376) you could use the TDXConvertDXT1.bat batch file (listed in the modified Gibbed Tools thread) since card images don't need transparency.
Just getting started: Xander9009's DotP 2014 Community Wad
Need a deck builder: DotP 2014 Deck Builder
Problems Modding: DotP 2014 Frequent Modding Mistakes
Need a deck builder: DotP 2014 Deck Builder
Problems Modding: DotP 2014 Frequent Modding Mistakes
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Re: [Tutorial Basic] Coding your cards...
by jacque » 16 Sep 2013, 15:24
Good tips back there... I learnt a thing or two (at least) from what you just posted... Silly me though never bothered to "Right Click" in the Deck Builder before... I'll update the tutorial later. Thanks again!MC Brodie wrote:...
I really appreciate whenever you come in and point me to the correct direction, how to get things done. It saves me, and others a lot of time, tried (and still trying) to figure things out. I've updated some parts of the tutorial up there, and will continue to do so. Thanks a bunch!RiiakShiNal wrote:...
Learn making your own cards today!!!
Click on if a post/reply helped you.
I stitch old cards together to make new ones...
~ Jacque, the confused
Click on
if a post/reply helped you.I stitch old cards together to make new ones...
~ Jacque, the confused
Re: [Tutorial Basic] Coding your cards...
by Kieran » 17 Sep 2013, 07:32
This definitely a great starting guide jacque. And I'm sure with constant updates and community input this can possibly become a catchall reference for beginners and veterans alike. Good Job! And thanks!
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