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Oh, I see. Thanks for the info!

thefiremind wrote:

Novitius wrote:Training Grounds
Dark Confidant
Grixis Charm
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

This is what's left after removing the cards that SoulStorm listed as already available. But Training Grounds and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth cannot be coded, so only Dark Confidant and Grixis Charm remain.

SoulStorm wrote:How about the following cards for my latest deck idea?

Master Biomancer
Hornet Queen
Loaming Shaman
Glen Elendra Archmage

Thanks!

I'm fascinated by Master Biomancer, too... I think that the new Simic will be much more fun than the old ones (except Experiment Kraj which is one of my favorite cards, but it cannot be coded).

I'll see what I can do for those cards (Dark Confidant and Grixis Charm included).

EDIT: Here are the cards for Novitius:

DARK_CONFIDANT_83771.zip

GRIXIS_CHARM_137927.zip

Notes:

• Both are untested.
• Dark Confidant, despite its fame, didn't have a proper hi-res picture available, so I merged a very cropped hi-res picture with a full low-res picture. If you look very closely you can see the difference, but it was the best deal I could think of.
• Grixis Charm needs some localised strings in TEXT_PERMANENT:
  
  • CARD_QUERY_PERMANENT_IN_HAND = Return target permanent to its owner’s hand.
  • CARD_QUERY_CREATURE_LOSES_4_4 = Target creature gets -4/-4 until end of turn.
  • CARD_QUERY_CREATURES_YOU_CONTROL_GET_2_0 = Creatures you control get +2/+0 until end of turn.
  If you don't know how to do that, check the XML files inside the TEXT_PERMANENT folder of most mods and use them as templates, it's not that hard to understand and you can do it with Excel or Notepad (or similar software). The card works even without them, it's just a bit ugly to see the "raw" strings in the mode choice.

Cards for SoulStorm coming later.

EDIT 2: And here are the cards requested by SoulStorm:

SoulStorm request 24-01-13.zip

I made a single ZIP file just to avoid clogging the post with attachments. I tested Master Biomancer and Loaming Shaman because they were a bit more complicated, and they work. The other cards should work as well (I hope ).

The -4/-4 Doesn't work for the Grixis Charm. The other two functions are good. Also, I don't have clue what card might have Localized string text to change it....

I fixed Grixis Charm. If you ask me what was wrong, I can't tell exactly: I tried to code a couple of things in a different way and now it works. I edited the original post with the fixed version.

Localised text that replaces query strings isn't on cards. I wrote:

thefiremind wrote:check the XML files inside the TEXT_PERMANENT folder of most mods and use them as templates

and if you take a look there, you'll see XML files that aren't cards, but Excel tables. I made a sample just for Grixis Charm: so make a TEXT_PERMANENT folder in your mod if you didn't make one before, and extract this ZIP file into that folder. You tested Grixis Charm before, so if you test it after doing this, you'll recognize the difference. Then I'm sure that if you open CARD_UI_TEXT_NOVITIUS.XML you'll understand how it works (and how to add additional entries when needed).

thefiremind wrote:There it is. I made it so that the card is revealed only if you choose not to use it, because if you use it, then everybody can see it without the need to reveal.

The picture is hi-res because it has been previewed in a GTC art gallery article (when the actual card wasn't previewed yet).

What a terrible card you choose to make.



EDIT: Firemind, thank you good sir. I will check it out.

NEMESiS wrote:EDIT: Firemind, thank you good sir. I will check it out.

No problem. By the way, sorry if I wrote Novitius instead of Nemesis on the filename, you can rename it (any name is OK as long as it's not used in other mods)... I got confused by the multiple quotes...

thefiremind wrote:

NEMESiS wrote:EDIT: Firemind, thank you good sir. I will check it out.

No problem. By the way, sorry if I wrote Novitius instead of Nemesis on the filename, you can rename it (any name is OK as long as it's not used in other mods)... I got confused by the multiple quotes...

No worries, considering that the card is now fixed I forgive you. lol

Thanks again

I tested Vigor without the extra code and with the deathtouch code. Removing the extra code didn't help, but the deathtouch code gave the results one would expect. Unfortunately, that still causes the AI to behave a bit wierd. The AI won't block with its highest power creature, which is an improvement, but it does block with a creature with enough power to kill the creature if it wasn't protected by Vigor.

So at the risk of becoming an annoyance , is there a way to force the AI to block Vigor protected creatures with their lowest power creatures? This would still create odd situations if the AI controlled Engulfing Slagwurm, which is the perfect blocker, or another creature with a similarly effective counter, but I can't think of a better solution. Perhaps you have some ideas I haven't considered?

Something needs to be done with the AI attacking into Vigor protected creatures as well. Requiring evasion, or enough trample damage to kill the opponent outright would probably work, though I don't know if that can be done.

Another oddity is fight cards such as Ulvenwald Tracker.

And sadly, just when I thought the AI was handling Engulfing Slagwurm a bit more intelligently, it attacked with a 64/64 Primordial Hydra while I had the Engulfing Slagwurm available as a blocker.

I appreciate the help Firemind but if I've gone overboard in the request department I understand. I know I've asked you to go to a lot of trouble for two cards.

SoulStorm wrote:The AI won't block with its highest power creature, which is an improvement, but it does block with a creature with enough power to kill the creature if it wasn't protected by Vigor.

If you think about it, it has a meaning: that's what you would do against a deathtouch creature (trade with something that can beat it without being too important). I have another idea, but it will make impossible to use removal spells/abilities between attackers and blockers' declarations: adding indestructibility together with deathtouch:

Code: Select all

characteristics:Characteristic_Set( CHARACTERISTIC_DEATHTOUCH, 1 ) -- this is the existing code
characteristics:Characteristic_Set( CHARACTERISTIC_INDESTRUCTIBLE, 1 ) -- this should be added

If you are happy with it, feel free to try.

SoulStorm wrote:Something needs to be done with the AI attacking into Vigor protected creatures as well. Requiring evasion, or enough trample damage to kill the opponent outright would probably work, though I don't know if that can be done.

I think we are going on a neverending road... there will always be some scenario where the AI won't be able to decide correctly. Just to start, there are particular kinds of evasion that cannot be checked: for example there's no code that can tell you if a card has protection from something.

SoulStorm wrote:And sadly, just when I thought the AI was handling Engulfing Slagwurm a bit more intelligently, it attacked with a 64/64 Primordial Hydra while I had the Engulfing Slagwurm available as a blocker.

That's understandable, too: you would attack against a Dawn Elemental with a trample creature because the trample damage would pass anyway. You could try giving Engulfing Slagwurm deathtouch and first strike before attackers are declared... but then again, creatures with first strike and trample would ignore it just like Primordial Hydra.

SoulStorm wrote:I appreciate the help Firemind but if I've gone overboard in the request department I understand. I know I've asked you to go to a lot of trouble for two cards.

I appreciate challenging tasks like this, the problem is that we are trying to "hack" over bugs because we can't fix them properly, and this usually doesn't give great results.

So can one of you gentlemen make me Valley Rannet and Sanctum Plowbeast? I have a soft spot for those cycling cards.

NEMESiS wrote:So can one of you gentlemen make me Valley Rannet and Sanctum Plowbeast? I have a soft spot for those cycling cards.

Just a tip... wouldn't those be the perfect cards to take your first attempt at coding a card? Bolas' deck contains Igneous Pouncer and Jhessian Zombies: if you start from one of those, there's no code to invent. Defender can be copied from Carven Caryatid or any other official card with defender, and X-cycling can become Y-cycling by substituting all instances of X with Y in the code (where X and Y are basic land types of course). Then you have to change the name, the IDs, the cost, the sub-types, power/toughness, and the localised text (that you can fetch automatically with my tool, even if the comma-separated abilities will be merged into 1 and you'll have to divide the text manually).
Everybody here started with cards that required no new code to be made, and raised the difficulty level while learning. It's not really that hard once you get the hang of it.

thefiremind wrote:

NEMESiS wrote:So can one of you gentlemen make me Valley Rannet and Sanctum Plowbeast? I have a soft spot for those cycling cards.

Just a tip... wouldn't those be the perfect cards to take your first attempt at coding a card? Bolas' deck contains Igneous Pouncer and Jhessian Zombies: if you start from one of those, there's no code to invent. Defender can be copied from Carven Caryatid or any other official card with defender, and X-cycling can become Y-cycling by substituting all instances of X with Y in the code (where X and Y are basic land types of course). Then you have to change the name, the IDs, the cost, the sub-types, power/toughness, and the localised text (that you can fetch automatically with my tool, even if the comma-separated abilities will be merged into 1 and you'll have to divide the text manually).
Everybody here started with cards that required no new code to be made, and raised the difficulty level while learning. It's not really that hard once you get the hang of it.

I will give it a try, my goal is to eventually upload a custom made deck here. I already know what the deck will be and I just need some cards including Abrupt Decay (I have Consume the Meek, Supreme Verdict and Maelstrom Pulse that I can probably merge together). Wish me luck!

You can find Abrupt Decay (and other RTR cards) here.

Good luck then! If something doesn't work, don't be afraid to ask.

thefiremind wrote:You can find Abrupt Decay (and other RTR cards) here.

Good luck then! If something doesn't work, don't be afraid to ask.

Great news! I managed to create both cards and are 100% functional and have proper art. I am sure everyone has been patiently waiting for the arrival of these cards. :p

Valley Rannet and Sanctum Beast


Now I need to go teach myself how to make a brand new deck.....

thefiremind wrote:I think we are going on a neverending road... there will always be some scenario where the AI won't be able to decide correctly.

You're absolutely correct, my compulsiveness got the better of me. The reality is, 9 time out of time, once these cards hit the board, if the AI can't remove them, you're going to win regardless of how the AI attacks or blocks.

SoulStorm wrote:

thefiremind wrote:I think we are going on a neverending road... there will always be some scenario where the AI won't be able to decide correctly.

You're absolutely correct, my compulsiveness got the better of me. The reality is, 9 time out of time, once these cards hit the board, if the AI can't remove them, you're going to win regardless of how the AI attacks or blocks.

Anyway, I was thinking... these aren't really difficult cards to understand in my opinion. The AI should look at least 1 turn ahead when computing what to do... unless you did something to the AI difficulty. Is your difficulty set to Planeswalker? Did you try to edit DIFFICULTY_SETTINGS.XML?
Another thing: are you making your tests with a deck that contains more than 15 copies of the same card (basic lands excluded)? I know it makes testing easier, but sometimes it makes the AI behave strangely (that's why encounter decks have copies same card with different names and IDs).