Apologies if this is discussed elsewhere.
I'm currently enjoying the current build, but I am still finding the magic system unintuitive. Conversly the tech research system has been working well for sometime, so I suggest copying many of the elements of this into the spell system. This is less of a game play change, and more of a suggestion as to how to use the existing game assests to streamline Elemental for slicker, easier to learn gameplay.
In short I propose two changes.
Make Arcane Research and unlocking new spells as similar as possible to Tech Research.
- Create a second research screen in the UI, similar to the tech research one, for arcane research.
- Add several new tech trees, named after the elements or spell research trees needed. (I.e. Earth, Air, Death etc.) in addition to Civ, Warfare, etc.
- Have these branch and have prequisites like the existing tech trees (I.e. you need lightning bolt to learn chain lightning, thunder storm etc. in the air tree. Later spells may not be available to research. )
- Remove the magic research tree, and cut it up so its various improvements end up either in the new spell research trees, or in the civilisation tech tree (Ie earth shard harvesting is under Earth magic, monestarys is under civ research)
- Add some general benefits to certain trees, beyond just unlocking spells. (ie. Earth spell tree has a global improvement to farms) to add flavour and reward specialising in magic beyond the combat benefits.
- Unlocking spells does not grant you the ability to cast them, it simply unlocks them for your civilistion. Once your civilisation has unlocked a spell, each casters can then individually learn them at a city.
Make the spell book system work like the item inventory system.
- Casters start off with an empty spell book and cannot cast spells.
- To providea caster with a new spell, the player must first unlock spell for their civilisation with spell research.
- Secondly they must buy the spell in the city, in the same way as the item shop (ie, you research long swords, now you can buy the item for your champion - you research chain lightning, now you can buy the spell for your champion.)
- Giving a champion a spell costs resources (gold, crystal, mana, gems, shards?)
- Each caster needs to learn each spell themselves individually, and spells cannot be shared for free.
- A caster is limited to the number/level of spells in their book by their intelligence.
- A casters mana and spell power is limited by their essence. ( so a stupid caster can be magically powerful, but will be inflexible. A smart caster can be magically weak, but will can access wide range of spells.)
- A player would need to manage carefully which casters gain which spells, rather than them each having access to vast numbers of spells.
In terms of the UI, the magic system should recycle what it can from the tech research and item inventory system, so that once you know how to use one, the other is obvious. Overall i think this would remove unessecary over complication in the game.
I would not want the first half of the OP, I think they need to be distinct and feel different.
The second half might be worth considering. Maybe the champs start with 2 spell slots yet would need improvements to increase their spell amount.
I don't think I like the second half of the OP either (agreeing on not liking the first). It would work decently on small maps with short distances and few champions, but would get way too cumbersome to deal with on the biggest maps and lots of champions. If I have a bunch of armies 20 turns away, why should I have to drag them all the way back to a city to learn a new spell I just researched? And why must I do that to the 10-15 Champions I want to give the spell to? It's a very clunky system, and doesn't really add much in terms of fun. Mostly it adds the opposite.
There might be some merit in using a spellbook-as-inventory to organize your spells, though, as the current system is Bad.
Simply have a spellbook similar to DnD, i.e. a wizard model. Simply force them to "remember" spells. Once in a city they can switch spells with no cost. Switching outside of a city would cost something. Anyone can learn any unlocked spell, if they have the book or somesuch.
Well, I like it! The first part at least, for the second part I'd go with GoaGalneGbilski's suggestions. I just don't like paying for new spells So for you strawbdragon!
The problem is that, to me, the magic research feels a bit like an afterthought. Correct me if I'm wrong, but right now you research the ability to use a certain spell book, you wait until you have produced enough arcane research points, and then you just buy the spell you want, say Summon Fire Elemental. That just seems a bit lackluster to me.
Wouldn't it feel more natural, and fun, if you went through a tech-tree to get to the powerful spells? For example; Summon fire sprite -> Fire Mephit -> Azer -> Fire Elemental -> Efreet -> Elemental Lord.
This would mean that the most powerfull spells of each branch would only be available to sovereigns who specialize in that branch.
I would use different schools of magic as research branches though, rather than the spell books. So instead of Earth, Fire, Air, Life, Death, etc as branches, I would use Offensive magic, Enchantment, Summoning, (maybe Crafting and a category for strategic map spells like Famine, Raise Land and Volcano, can't think of a good name right now), and then have the techs available in those branches be dependant on the spell books you have.
I really like the second part.
the fist part I'm too sure about, I think if they fix up the current Arcane Research it would make if a lot more user friendly
What if instead of actually researching specific spells with arcane research you researched understanding in books/paths. Only extremely powerful specific spells would have to be researched seperately. Then the spellcaster himself (herself) would have to spend time in a city with a specific building actually studying in order to learn a specific spell that was within the knowledge level of your civilization. This would decouple magical power somewhat from empire size because your casters would have to spend a valuable resource (time) that does not increase with empire size in order to become powerful spell casters.
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