Beta package updated with grasping vines graphics.    I'd say we are ready for release unless someone finds a problem in the near future.   Any comments on the graphics used for the summoned weapons?

@ Murteas: just had a super quick peek at the summoned weapons graphics and I think they look great on the models.  My only feedback is around the icons:

> Dagger: remove the blood from the handle, it does not add anything and looks a little weird.  The blade and nimbus are plenty.  You cannot see handle in game anyways, better to have the icon match the model's effect exactly. (IMHO) 

> Shillelagh: I did not get a chance to see this one in combat yet; if the golden glow at the tip is not in tactical, then I think it should be removed from the icon.  The runes look so good on the model (while being subtle) that I would leave it there for modifications.

Couldn't deep test them yet, but had to be sneaky to get the look I did...  

You fooled me on the weapon models, I really like what you did.  Looks good and distinct from Artifact.  I am going to make a bad ass Iced tile this weekend if I have to go into the back mountains to get a picture to do it. 

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New SUBMOD Murteas Upgraded Weapons

In support of Murteas Grimoire v0.30 (supports .33) I am releasing a sub mod that integrates the two summoned weapons into Kenata's Updated Weapons (1.4-1.51).  Just drop the file into your Updated Weapons folder in the mod directory.  It is available here:

https://www.wincustomize.com/explore/elemental_war_of_magic/27

Please report any issues, feedback, etc about this sub mod in this thread.

Friday 1/14/11

Attention: minor tweak for different OS XML engine valuation algorithms; everyone please download the fresh file to see all art & abilities in v0.30.

( problem seen on Win 7-64 Ultimate)

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Gentleman well done.  This weekend we have earned a break for playing & . 

Hi guys .

I dug up some art for spell paintings for  you, mostly projectile related stuff. If you like those, I'll make the icons for you as well. Note that I am not the original author, but I had permission to edit and use the original art, which I did. Played with some color channels, effect and blur filters and such.

Sure thing!

Edit:

Worked a little more on the spell paintings, increasing color saturation, sharpness and added some edges so they don't stand out so drastically from the original art. They still stand out, but I can't really convert them to a 'painted' feel of the original art without  loosing a lot of detail... colorful backgrounds also didn't really work with them, so... use them untill you find something better, I guess .

Original art I used with permission is by konekokasumi from deviatnart.

Paintings:

Inactive spell icons: (look for red ticks by Murteas' and M Agrippa's spells)

Active spell icons:

Files bundle: DOWNLOAD HERE

Note that I made both FG and BG icons and you MUST use both, else things will look bad. So, for example, when assigning stuff to arcane missle spell, put this:

<Image>rheia_arcanemisslepainting.png</Image>

<IconFG>rheia_arcanemissle_icon.png</IconFG>

<IconBG>rheia_arcanemissle_icon_bg.png</IconBG>

Hope you like them!

oddrheia Wow, I wander away for a few days to try something, and you knock out the book art for an entire chapter +1!  Thanks, it looks really good.  I kind of like that the spells will have a different (but attractive and consistently thematic) look from the rest of the spells.  Makes them stand out more in the chapters. The art is also perfect for both sets of medallions; if someone else wants to make more "painted" spellbook portrait ones then please feel free, but I think the medallions should be great moving forward.

My only feedback is around the "Howling Wind" graphics; I like them but I think their color space needs to be made more yellow to fit with other "Air" art. Currently they come off a little too green and thus earthy, especially in the medallion.  Thanks again for generating these, they help with the mod feeling like a natural part of the game immensely.

@Magog_AoW: I believe that all 4 of the battlefield spells are currently using stock particles and effects from the main game.  I know others had said they would work on some particle effects for us, and I am unsure of what they are doing or have gotten done.  If you want to sign up to create a custom particle effect just post to the thread.  More spells are to come, so even if we don't use something created for one of these I have a couple of other ides up my sleeve.

List of the ones with custom PARTICLE effects outstanding, will maintain it Heavenfall community contribution style:

Orange is reserved

Green is submitted and approved

Battlefield

Grasping Vines  (Magog_AoW)

Howling Wind  (Magog_AoW)

Flame Burst  (open)

Freezing Rain  (open)

Sheltering Hands  (Magog_AoW)

Ring of Fire  (open)

Icy Barracade  (open)

Cantrips

Leap (open)

Clear Land (open)

Thoughts from a Weekend of Play Testing:

1) The game is now dangerously fun when properly modded.  As in I have drank half a pot of coffee so far this morning at work and did not see the bed before 2am this weekend.  This is the good kind of dangerous.

2)  Grasping Vines effect tile in v.3 == Golden.  Really nice work on this John_! 

@Murteas: I think you should pull the lore text off of this description, it shrinks the entire block of text too much to read easily.  If / when they change UI to have more lore/flavor available for spells via the interface, then we can always add it back in.

3) The art upgrades for Shelliagh & Dagger look really good on the guardian models, makes them stand out even more.  Combined with my sub mod they also give them some special abilities that play nicely.  Not sure if AI will use them yet, as the one time I faced down a "Destroyer" I used Grasping Vines to hold him safely away from me. 

4) The AI IS using some spells well at least; it is also summoning the special weapons.  (Have a screenshot of Golem King holding the Dagger of Death while threatening me)  Sar the Returner killed my severely weakened (but retreated behind line) champion fighter with it so he would have enough juice next turn to use Arcane Arrow on my pet umberdroth, killing him too.  Having Sar kill my entire army around me intelligently with spells was the first time I have felt anything like a "Wizard's Duel" going on in this game, and it was awesome.  (seemed to wait to really unleash until I had chewed through his units and weakend mine)  Has anyone seen the AI use the new Battlefield spells yet?

5) I did not have a chance to do a new Ice tile this weekend; in wizardly fashion I got distracted summoning forth the Felbeast from the graveyard of Gnilbert's mod.  Unfortunately I was not able to contain the creature, and it busted loose to roam the wilds (planning on submitting to ACP pending no objections).

On the good side I now know how to create a monster.    Rob Zombie musical score optional.

I think the summoned monsters are currently kind of weak, and could use some additions.  I don't want to just add a bunch of graphically cookie cutter stuff to the game though, it gets old.  Therefore I wanted to put out a call / challenge to the artists & modelers out there: Create some new skins / models and lets add some summons!   

Criteria: should fit in with larger game asthetic, and you need to be willing to listen to feedback about the rule set. (I wanted balanced fun toys, not the unstoppable uber hulk of doom "L33t Broken") 

Suggestion: I loved Master of Magic; could someone do a "Phantasmal Spearman" model?  I was thinking something translucent like the ghosts, only glowing and blue.  Can keep it armed with a spear so that it picks up "Pierce" under Updated Weapons to play similar. 

Thoughts? 

One of my favorite spells from MoM was the Mud Spell.  It turned a large swatch of the tactical battlefield into a mud pit and reduced the movement of all units moving through it to 1 per turn.  It was a great equalizer when you found yourself faced with a superior force. 

v.031 is up.   See the changelog in the first post.   Thanks to everyone who is contributing.   Sounds like we may want to focus on 2 areas next:

Summoning 

and

Area of Effect spells.

Other thoughts?   Suggestions?   

I can see that this could outpace my time to keep up with people's needs, if that happens, we can move this to a community managed mod and I can help with releases, etc, but others can manage incoming requests, priorities, resources, etc.   For now we'll see if I can keep up.  

"Mud" is in  the current vanilla game spell lists, just not enabled.  I liked that spell too, but I think we should leave it for the devs since they have a plan.

@ Murteas:

> I say we split the load; since the Summons take so much effort I will volunteer to manage that creation process / coding.  This process will be driven by what we get for submitted art.

> Why don't we wait for 1.19 and its better AI to do AoE for Tactical?  That way we will have more of an idea how to make spells the AI  will use well.  Since Strategic spells ARE used well currently, we could think about adding some of those to increase options.  Some rough ideas I had:

Water > Snowfall: Drops huge piles of snow  on tiles, increasing the overload movement cost to move  through them.  This should affect multiple squares on the overland map simultaniously.

Earth > Barren Mine: Causes the earth to become hard and barren; stops production of a mined resource for X amount of terms (way to shut down Gold / Crystal / Ventari mines for X number of turns)

Fire > Barrier Wall: Causes an inferno to leap up around knowledge producing resources, barring entry to the scholars who work there (way to shut down Arcane Temple / Lost Library for X number of turns)

Air > Brutal Storm:  Causes a huge hailstorm that flattens crops, breaks trees, and scatters bees to the wind (way to shut down Farm / Wild Wheat / Appiary / Orchard for X number of turns)

These would all require custom tiles to be displayed on the main map.  Thoughts?

I'll take a stab at Gift of Fortune, Shilleagh, & Dagger of Death graphics later. Might not be till the end of the week though, have some other things in the backlog .

I'll try to make a Grasping vines effect for you.

M. Agrippa,

some of what you suggest is possible, but the stealing may not be.  I haven't been able to get a spell to effect both the caster and the target at the same time, it is one or the other.   That doesn't prevent the curse type of spell however.   

So I would love to see those type of spells, I'm just not sure we can do them yet.   I am willing to try though.     I like the more strategic spells, so I guess bottom line is my vote is yes.