OK if this is the case i hope you ranger GMs can pop out another spell th is month.


Category Abilities, Skills and Magic (24)
Topic Magic - Suggestions, Discussions and Thoughts (21)
By DR-RIGBY from PLAY.NET (Moon Mage Guru)
On Nov 15, 2001 at 12:37
Subject State of Magic: General Changes (12579)

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Greetings all mages,

It's time to come into the light just a bit and explain some things that have been going on behind the scenes regarding the Magic System as a whole, and explain where things will be going in the next several months. Obviously, I can not detail precisely what will be happening, but a general overview has been a long time coming. First, a quick reminder of where we stand.

The Magic System has had several GMs in control of it over the years, each with their own visions and directions. Each has done some remarkable things with the system, but as with any system that goes through varied ownership, the Magic System was slowly changing until it became "Frankenstein" -- a mix matching of parts, patches, changes and adjustments. When GM Atrathien began training Guild Gurus to write spells, it was a boon as far the balance of workload and productivity for us GMs; but then we began what could easily turn into a descent into a truly fractured magic system. The base philosophy of how magic worked on an In Character level was becoming flawed as more and more people had input into how the system worked.

All of this needed to be fixed.

The first step began two years ago, as the Magic Team gathered with a number of other GMs and worked out the basis for how magic works. It took nearly a year to get all the details worked out, but once we did, we ended with an official document for GMs known as "Magic in Elanthia." This is the bible of magic for DragonRealms, and all GMs who write spells and magical effects are expected to follow it closely. Even such things as magical devices, Sorcery and Necromancy are defined in this document. Step one was effectively complete.

The task then turned to looking at inconsistencies in the Magic System itself, many of which were longstanding issues that had never been resolved. With our completed guide in hand, the inconsistencies became glaring apparent. Some small headway was made, but the bottom line was that the entire system needed to be overhauled before we could get any real projects done.

Some months ago, you may recall GM Valdrik referring to a "secret project" we were developing for the magic system. In fact, there were several such projects. We had some starts and stops on these due to other things taking priority (updating spells for horses, for example). There was also some confusion on exactly how much control individual Guild Gurus had when writing spells, which necessitated us writing an official approval process first.

So, finally, and after only a handful of small, non-spell things being released to the magic masses, we have arrived at a point where it's time to effectively close off the system with construction tape and begin to fix it.

As such, you can expect the following:

* Spell Releases: We are soon entering a spell moratorium, which means one more spell release for this month, and then NO new spells for several months while we rebuild the system.

* Spell Comparing/Consistency: Right now, it's impossible to compare any two spells efficiently. Five mana of one spell does not equal five mana of another spell, even if both have the same minimuim prep. This will change in the sense that GMs will be able to say positively "This is the effect of X spell at 50% power compared to Y spell at 50% power." Players are not likely going to be able to compare spells, but this is worth noting since it means we, as GMs, will have much more control over design and QC. There is actually a tremendous amount more in this bulleted item, but most of it is system reworking for consistency as well as things I can't discuss.

* Contested Spells: This is your list of Spell Vs Stamina, Spell vs Agility, Will vs Will. All of the equations are being rewritten, since the current ones break apart at high levels of skill (among other problems). Expect them to behave more consistently when we are done, but also expect some adjustments in your playing style if you use them -- particularly of note, expect changes which will differentiate contested spells from TM spells. Why cast a TM spell if non-TM ones work just as well? This question will be addressed.

* Critter Magic: When all is said and done, critters will be using the exact same targeting code as well as the exact same spell code that players do. For example, an Adan'f shadow mage will be casting the same Dinazen Olkar spell that Moon Mages do, will have all the constraints of available mana when casting, and all the benefits/disadvantages of a targeted magic spell that players do.

* Spell Re-QC and Re-Balancing: Every single spell in the game will undergo a re-QCing process. This will be to update spells so that critters can use them as well as to make use the most current QC and approval procedures. Additionally, this will make the spells work with the new internal consistency of the system. Expect changes in power, effectiveness, ease of casting, and especially mana caps. Assuming that the spell doesn't require a complete rewrite, existing bugs will (hopefully) be addressed and fixed. Guild Gurus will likely be recruited to help with this, one of the final stages of the total rewrite.

* Scroll System: Once critters are working properly, the scroll system will be corrected. We hope to get away from guilded spells almost entirely, with scrolls being the way you can pick up critter magic.

* Targeted Magic: As part of the magic rewrite, TM will be completely updated to take into account critters using the same code that players use as well as to fix things such as the infamous shield problem. New features which have been approved will also likely be included. These changes will bring targeted magic closer in line with the combat system. Of course, there are certain base differences... You don't run out of mana swinging a sword, nor do you use a spell slot to pick up that sword.

GM Valdrik and myself will be doing the bulk of updating the base system's code, but we are quite pleased to announce that GM Damissak will be taking on the rewrite of the Targeted Magic system. As those of you familiar with GM Damissak know, he's a very efficient and communicative GM, so I'm very excited to have him helping out Team Magic with this massive project.

Due to the nature of this change, it's not something we can implement in bits and pieces. The base system and all 150+ spells have to be changed over at once, which will take several months to complete work and several more months to test. In the meantime, magic development will be halted with some exceptions: Glyphs, communes, beseeches, cantrips and enchanting are not directly controlled by the same code as base magic (but ARE subject to the Magic in Elanthia document), and so work can continue on these independantly.

Bardic magic is a special case, and we are working closely with the Bard Team on what will happen with enchantes. One option we are discussing is bringing them within the framework of the base system, but at this time nothing has been firmly decided. Updates will be via Bard Team or the Magic Team as we are ready to discuss them with players. Note that there are no plans to force Bards to use a "prepare, cast" routine just like a spell for enchantes -- whatever happens, Bards will continue to play, sing, chant, etc their enchantes to make them work.

I'm sure there will be a lot of questions, many of which we probably can not answer until we are further along in the process. When all is said and done, we will have by far a more consistent, enjoyable and reliable system of magic, and it is likely you will all understand the IC backgrounds better as well.

Sincerly,

GM Rigby