customizable spell effects

[kinshadow]

I just had a random idea.  How about customizable spell visual effects?  Nothing big, just a few simple parameters allowing characters to change the color or patern of the particle effects in select spells.  Allows characters to role play a liitle more and customize their char.  An example would be a wizard named Flame who\'s spells take more of a red hue. Or a wizard named Chaos who\'s particles tend toward multi-color and have a greater threshhold factor for the particle path.  Obviously, not all spells would be able to be changed and magic paths would have to be taken into consideration.  What do you guys think?

[Brutus Maximus]

Would be pretty neat, although, I\'m sure there are more important things to be done.


Nice idea though

[kinshadow]

I was just getting opinions on if it was something desired or worth the extra time it would take in the long run.  There currently isn\'t particle considerations in the game engine (though they are in the render engine) that I am aware of and it is good to get in ideas as soon as possible to facilitate coding flexibility.

[Vengeance]

Are you volunteering to code that up for us, kinshadow?

It sounds cool to me, actually.

- Vengeance

[Holy_spike]

Great Idea!  I\'m personally more of a mage guy so I would agree .  But it does seem like a little too much work, and it might crash the server often as many people will have many spells that are personalized.

[kinshadow]

Originally posted by Vengeance
Are you volunteering to code that up for us, kinshadow?

Well, actually I sent Matze Braun a developer application a couple days ago.  I\'ve been tinkering since then and hope to make some meaningful contributions once I get my feet wet.

Originally posted by Holy_spike
But it does seem like a little too much work, and it might crash the server often as many people will have many spells that are personalized.

Actually, that depends on how you implement the particle system for the spells.  The real work is done by the client.  The server just has to say \"Bob the Mage has a red taint of 55% and a incresed particle threshhold on 44%\" and the client simply adds a little to the paths or the color when rendering spell XX.  Each person only has one set of custimizable vars, so its only gets transmitted with the original char info and only add negliible bandwidth.  The vars will have to probably be ignored on more complicated/process intensive effects.  Not to mention, that it would probably be worth the extra effort if players like it ... I\'ve never heard of any other MMORPG doing something like this.

[Vengeance]

Actually acraig is now the leader of the engine team.  MatzeB has slowed down due to being very busy with his first year in college.  You can send him a PM here or come see either one of us in the dev channel.

Glad to have you on board,

- Venge

[Ragnarok]

I love this idea, customizability is what its all about, but let it be known that \"Lag\" will always be the most feared magik of the realm  

[kinshadow]

Originally posted by Ragnarok
I love this idea, customizability is what its all about, but let it be known that \"Lag\" will always be the most feared magik of the realm  

Well, any effects of this nature would be completely cosmetic.  Thus, if your machine can\'t handle the marginal extra load, then you could turn the feature off.

Also, as a possibility for customizability could deal with \'auras\'.  Either a 2D transaperent sprite or a volumetric haze that changes color depending on a either a user-defined value or a \'karma\' (good/evil) like value.

[LirainIzar]

This sounds like a really great idea, especially if it doesn\'t cause a noticable lag.  Were you thinking of making it available to everyone, or perhaps after a certain level is reached or quest is accomplished?  I kind of like the idea of having to earn special effects

[kinshadow]

Originally posted by LirainIzar
This sounds like a really great idea, especially if it doesn\'t cause a noticable lag.  Were you thinking of making it available to everyone, or perhaps after a certain level is reached or quest is accomplished?  I kind of like the idea of having to earn special effects

Now that is a good idea.  Earning visual effects could be a good non-\"unbalancing\" (errrr...) play feature.  This could also be tied toward the game age of the character..some reward for veterans of the game.  Perhaps the higher the level of caster and older (in playtime) you get more configuarability or taken on a specific quality.  Of course, there are only so many variables you can manipulate.

There could also be a secret progession to the effects.  Deeds you do vs. the magic path you take vs. level vs. number of toadstools you\'ve stepped on, could give your char a certain look.  Specific looks or effects could also be the objects of quests.

The end result is a question for the rules and settings people I guess.  What kind of magical history would thrive on a mainly cosmetic system such as this?  

[Ragnarok]

I like the idea of using it as a reward system, ie, the more powerful the spell, the brighter or more vibrant it is.  Something tells me that making the spell bigger would induce lag though...

[[shem]]

sound like a good idea, it would be nice to see in the game