Larian Studios Forums Beyond Divinity (English) Suggestions More Magic Systems

Ummm... where have you seen that word?

jeet's post, right before your previous.

Oh. So it is. CTRL+F didn't find it. Bizare...

So if I understand correctly,
as your mage stands on spot A the mana in that spot increases more and more.
The more experience your mage has, faster the mana increases or the greater quantities the mana increases at?
The same applies to leaving a spot except in reverse...the mana decreases.
The more experience your mage has the slower and less the mana decreases.
?
That saves the mage time

It gives him more to think about in regards to movement
he can move to spot B and avoid damage from attacks

but he could also stay at spot A and in two turns be able to cast with more power in less time

A more experienced mage could leave a spot
while it remains 'on fire', extra potent
for him to go back to if he needs to use that kind of magic
for a heavy spell
or simply to reposition himself better for an attack using that kind of magic


If enemy magic users use the same principle
a mage or magic-using monster with fire specialization
that uses fire attacks primarily
a specialization the mage is not efficient in
the player mage kills that NPC on the spot it has been charging
fire in for some time
he can run to that spot
with the fire magic amplified
to use a fire spell he has augmented by the extra power provided by the dead NPC
to kill a stronger enemy who has a weakness in fire

Lunch break's almost over
I'll be back!

That is what I was thinking. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Another way to look at it is a leaky bucket. As long as you are in the hexagon where the Water tap is, the bucket fills up. The more experienced you are, the bigger the bucket is and the quicker you can fill it. You can use the Water as you stand there and it will keep on replenishing.

Once you leave the tap, the bucket starts leaking. It leaks quickly at first because of the water pressure, but slows down as it becomes less full. You can still use the Water, but it isn't replenishing because there is no Water tap. With experience, you can plug the hole slightly, reducing the rate of leakage.

And then you also have a balloon for Air, a sack for Earth (from the Earth Tap), and a keg of gunpowder for Fire. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />

i hope larian will use that instead of the usual & therefore boring 'mana' term. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />

jeet, turn-based elements are ok provided it remains hidden as what bioware does with NWN. i just hate turn-based methodology for the fact that i suck in it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

anyway, please may i have some more bucket-balloon-sack-keg theory?

I believe everything you said. If a next Larian game was to be 3D so much the better. But i do like 2D maps. And if they make such a game and do somethin g with my idea then the simpler the better, agreed? So I don't mind much. But squares seem limited. And stop signs connect really cool. Sucking up mana from the land becomes omnidirectional, not patterned into 4 directions. That is all.



Yes, that is why I liked the pentagram idea but it maynot be feasible. Not because of any limitation. I don't see a problem if there are regular spots with no magic if you can't combine pentagram shaped pieces of land. To me the fact that land holds mana is part of the fundamental principles of magic if you like. Magical energy in the land is patterned. Why and how? Tjhat is just in the story of the game if it is necassary. Just a Law of Magic. It makes no difference it is just the argumentation.


Of course. What I was saying is that you use a spell to get Mana Vision. Like clicking on the repair spell icon and then on an item to be repaired. Or same as the Wizards Eye where you select and then target a dark area and it becomes visible.

Another trick is if you could zoom out on the land. Using scroll wheels on the mouse. When you zoom out the view changes to the mana layout view where you can see the shades reprresenting kinds of mana and their intensities per area.


I disagree. Using my system magic becomes more complex yet realstic. What you are talking about is mana pools in various places that regenerate for some mysterious reason. My system explain why. Such a pool is a magical structure that has an inate ability to gather mana from the land around it and present it to those wo cannot tap into it directly using their arcane skills. A quick fix or tank station along the way so to say.

My system brings magic where it belongs. it gives it a source which is nature. Now mind you that in another game it could be found in other things. But that is all in the argumentation, the storyline and the world you create as a game developper.

But yes, if I have 4 magical energies we need 4 colours. Is that a problem? White or silver for spirit and blue for mana in general. But wyhen the game interface shows individual mana types you see 4 cool colors. Earth could be brown, water cyan, air is yellow and fire is red. Or use purple for spirit and white for water or whatever.

The purpose is of course as I said, that being a mage is more rewarding and specific. You gain exp per color so to say. And so you ca become a true water Wizard. It would mean you close off subquests and that means that the main quest must still be able to be followed so you need multiple entrance possibilities for the quest. meaning if you need to solve a puzzle in a labyrinth you should as a player have the choice to solve it using water or fire depending on the circumstances. So less linearity.

The tiles would be best as a shape with more than for sides probably. The better to 'do the circle thing' in drawing magic from the land. I didn't know Divine Divinity has square tiles. It seems that the tiles are shapes with more sides than stop signs, as the player can move in more than seven directions.
But if it is possible for the player to move in a variety of directions even with square tiles, than maybe it doesn't matter using square tiles for mapping graphics on the land and matching it wtih magic value on the map.
In all those games including Divine Divinity&#8217;s urns of manna and health in dungeons and in the hall of the seven races, those manna and health regeneration sources themselves regenerate after a while and they may be used again.



Many games have lone tiles that trigger special magical events for the player when clicked or walked on.
The idea here is that there is magic in all or most of the tiles in the land.

That most, 100% of all tiles have a magic value:
that vary in magic type,
is the source of energy for casting powers, rather than an internal source for magic represented by a blue mana bar which the mage taps for all spells regardless of energy type,
augements the mages existing magic attack strength, healing potency, asthetic, etc.

The mage acesses the magic by standing on the spot, not by clicking on anything.

I like your idea. however, the hexagons are close together, they border on each other. So that gauge wold pretty much stay filled. I think it will work if you stand still and the gauge fills up. As soion as you walk you lose contact with the land. Tapping mana takes some small effort and concentration. In a way you can link it to your concentration ability.

Another option is that you lose 50% of what you tapped. That means you can move once and still have some of the mana that you sucked up.

Also, I envision not much change in a forest area. All the mana you tap there save a few spots, like my example of some evil shrine, will be the same. Earth mana.