MTGForge 01/04 (unofficial BETA) version

[DennisBergkamp]

Next version is done!
The "default" version includes Chris's cards.txt, card-pictures.txt and Gando's rare.txt, uncommon.txt and common.txt (for drafting balance gameplay issues). I also included the original rarities files, which I put in the subdirectory "\originalRarities".

Lot of bug fixes:

- Planeswalkers' abilities can now only be used during your turn.
- Creature cards with flash are fixed.
- Shatter should work now (come to think of it, I don't think I've tested this yet).
- RegenerateMe is fixed.
- Intuition: unselected cards end up in Computer's graveyard now.
- Viridian Shaman / Uktabi Orangutan will actually destroy an artifact if the AI plays it.

New cards:

- Godsire
- Wydwen, the Biting Gale
- Court Archers
- Elspeth, Knight-Errant
- Ratcatcher
- Scarblade Elite
- Broodmate Dragon

Implemented the Exalted keyword. There should be a few other Exalted besides Court Archers that could be added easily through cards.txt.

Known issues:

- AI goes ape when he gets a Cavern Harpy in play.
- Scarblade Elite, I haven't actually tested this card yet (I just realized).
- Elspeth, Knight-Errant: third ability will not make tokens that come into play later on Indestructible. Non-Planeswalker permanents you play from your hand should be Indestructible though.
- Winnower Patrol is still messed up: multiple copies in play and weird things start happening.
- For most of these new cards, AI functionality is still lacking/very limited.

[GandoTheBard]

Good job I will check it out shortly.

[Mr.Chaos]

Thanks for this update, I really appreciate it.

- AI goes ape when he gets a Cavern Harpy in play.

Finally! Some technobabble even I can understand.
(but do not ask me to explain it, it is more of a feeling than an actual understanding. )

[DennisBergkamp]

Hmmmm, so Scarblade Elite doesn't work yet (although I just fixed it for the next version).

Also, I was playing against the computer and he cast Duress, I only had one (creature) card in my hand. This caused the phase to get stuck. I also fixed this (also for Ostracize).

[Chris H.]

The three cards:

Aluren
Cavern Harpy
Wydwen, the Biting Gale

have cosmetic problems with the text description of their special abilities that are displayed. I noticed similar problems with several cards that pre-exist the new beta test cards.

I can't see anything wrong in the cards.txt file. I took a look at the source code file CardFactory.java and could not see anything obvious.

Wydwen, the Biting Gale ability is suppose to state:

"Flash, Flying

U B, Pay 1 life: Return Wydwen, the Biting Gale to its owner's hand."

Instead I'm seeing:

"Flash, Flying

Wydwen, the Biting Gale - Creature 3 / 3"

This is not an important problem that needs to be fixed. It creates some curiosity as I try to pinpoint the cause.

[Chris H.]

- Planeswalkers' abilities can now only be used during your turn.

I put a Planeswalker, Ajani Goldmane, into play. I discovered that I could still use the Planeswalker abilites as an instant rather than now as only a Sorcery. I was able to use them on my turn and the computer's following turn.

[GandoTheBard]

By the way since you seem to have sacrifice working how bout adding some cards like Fallen Angel and Phyrexian Ghoul to the mix?

[GandoTheBard]

the Meadowboon leaves play ability still only works when it goes to the graveyard. It should happen if it is removed, put back in the library or bounced too.

[Chris H.]

I put a Planeswalker, Ajani Goldmane, into play.

The middle ability for Elspeth, Knight-Errant "+1: Target creature gets +3/+3 and gains flying until end of turn." can be used multiple times in a single turn. I was able to pump up a 1/1 Soldier creature token to a 25/25 before I grew tired. This ability appears not to increase the number of Loyalty Counters.

[DennisBergkamp]

The middle ability for Elspeth, Knight-Errant "+1: Target creature gets +3/+3 and gains flying until end of turn." can be used multiple times in a single turn. I was able to pump up a 1/1 Soldier creature token to a 25/25 before I grew tired. This ability appears not to increase the number of Loyalty Counters.

Wow, that sounds like a bug for sure
I'll check it out.

About using planeswalker's abilities during an opponent's turn, I haven't been able to do this (with Ajani Goldmane).

[Chris H.]

Implemented the Exalted keyword. There should be a few other Exalted besides Court Archers that could be added easily through cards.txt.

I found five additonal creatures which make use of the new keyword: Exalted. The new creatures include:

Akrasan Squire
Guardians of Akrasa
Outrider of Jhess
Rhox Charger
Waveskimmer Aven

The DataBeta0104v1.zip files contains updated card-pictures.txt and cards.txt files which are to be used with the MTG Forge 01 04 Beta.

The OriginalRarities0104v1.zip files contains updated common.txt, uncommon.txt and rare.txt files. These files have not been modified to provide a play-balanced experience with draft games.
.

[DennisBergkamp]

Awesome Chris, thanks a bunch! By the way, can you reproduce that Ajani Goldmane bug and tell me how / what happens exactly? No matter what I try, I can't seem to use his abilities during my opponents turn

the Meadowboon leaves play ability still only works when it goes to the graveyard. It should happen if it is removed, put back in the library or bounced too.

I didn't code this card, but I'll check it out. I think there's currently only a setDestroy() method, which does stuff whenever a creature gets destroyed. What we probably need is a more generic method.

[mtgrares]

Great works, thanks.

the Meadowboon leaves play ability still only works when it goes to the graveyard. It should happen if it is removed, put back in the library or bounced too.

The only way to fix Meadowboon, and other cards like it, is to modify each card that removes a card from play. Some cards that I remember off the top of my head that remove a card from play are: Swords to Plowshares, Archon of Justice, Crib Swap, Oubliette, Oblivion Ring, Ashes to Ashes, Faceless Butcher. Basically all of these cards need to call Card.getDestroyCommand() and then execute() that Command, this is what GameAction.destroy(Card card) does.

Card probably needs both a Card.getDestroy() and Card.getLeavesPlay(). Both of these methods should return a Command object. (Command is just an interface than has the method execute().)

[mtgrares]

I feel sorry for DennisBergkamp having to wrestle with my code, lol. Most of my code made sense at the time, that is my only defense

[DennisBergkamp]

Card probably needs both a Card.getDestroy() and Card.getLeavesPlay(). Both of these methods should return a Command object. (Command is just an interface than has the method execute().)

Exactly.

But getLeavesPlay() would be a bit trickier I think, since whenever we destroy a card right now, we call card.destroy() (and getDestroy() will get triggered). Unfortunately, getLeavesPlay() doesn't get triggered as easily, since we're not using methods like card.returnToHand(), or card.removeFromGame().

I feel sorry for DennisBergkamp having to wrestle with my code, lol. Most of my code made sense at the time, that is my only defense

Haha, it's been quite fun actually! I think your main defense would be that writing MTG with all its rules and little intricacies is just really difficult. For a one man project, you've done an incredible job, and I actually understand most of the code you've written. Sure, there's some limitations, but there's 1100+ cards in there now, and many more can be added. First Strike and Double Strike would be amazing though, if you could hack that in at some point