Temple Termagant
Posts: 6
Joined: Saturday, 4th October 2014, 23:28
Procedural Magic Roguelike ?
Example #1:
Example #2
Example #3
There are so many different approaches to magic, and I was just hoping to find a roguelike that provides a more involved experience. DC:SS utilizes a very tactical system of magic, but (as far as I've played) it remains select & fire, whereas I'm describing something more sandboxed, such as Unreal World with magic. Per Wikipedia: Magic Spell Systems, magic in DC:SS is a mix of memorization, point-based and skill based while divine worship mixes event-based with powers. I think it appropriates the best of all. I can't argue that magic in DC:SS isn't situational, because the particular spell depends on the circumstance, however I feel it could be more immersize from the player point-of-view, and in the process allow freer playing styles.
I have to admit I've been very influenced by magical frameworks presented in the writing of Roger Zelazny (Chronicles of Amber), Brian Sanderson (Elantris), and to a lesser extent Garth Nix (Seventh Tower). Along this vein I'm not advocating a reagent-only or procedural-only system which could become quite tedious but rather a melange whose emergent combinations provide maximmum flexibility. Merlin's escape from the crystal cave and ensuing skirmish embodies Zelazny's magic at its finest (Trumps of Doom). Thus I invision supporting multiple play styles, for example characters who
- visualize, manipulate and construct complex magical and mental energies (overlay to the current level map)
- hang spells in anticaption of specific combat situations
- wrap themselves in targeted reactive spells
- adapt to and capaitalize on the surroundings, laying runic traps, mesmerizing creatures, and warping time/space (tighten corridor, undo turn)
- work through familiars or daemons
So:
- procedural magic requires time, space and reagents, and knowledge but rewards in more powerful or complicated spells while draining less energy
- hung spells drain MP only when hung, eventually fade, and cost a fraction of the original price to cast
- reactive spells would be interesting tied to a turn based-situation. I imagine some interesting cascading effects like in UFO:AI. Nonetheless they can reduce gruntwork (cast Resist Missile when hit with projectile, cast ice shield when hit with ice attact, summon imp during combat) or save a player's life (blink when HP is low). Possibly consume reduced turn time, for example after casting a reactive spell, the time consumed by your turn is (time of turn's action + ~<=0.5 * time of reactive action). Like "you resist with great difficulty" but more immersive.
- the tactical utility of traps needs to explanation, but a balanced implementation is probably difficult. Should traps drain MP when spelled or when triggered, and in the meantime is there a maintenance cost?
I think in order to derive an emergent system a cohesize underlying framework would need to be conceived tying together these disparate notions. I'm fond of linguistic systems of magical evocation described in Elantris and implemented (crudely) in Arx Fatalis (stringing together runes with noun-verb-adj meanings) and a magical constructs themselves existing in separate plane (Zelazny) which can be manipulated by those with the skill. Procedural magic preserves the meaning inherent to the magical constructs themselves and thus is most powerful - aside from directly working in the magical dimension - while spoken magic though more concise, presents a level of abstraction that reduces the power. In each case - a word, an ingredient, a magical construct - represents a linguistic component, individual components can be woven together to generate spells of specific intent, or backfire with oft hilarious or deadly consequences.
Well I seem to have gone quite off-topic. If any of what I've described rings a bell for other games, please feel free to share. And if any of this was inspiring, well so much the better!
- For this message the author orbisvicis has received thanks:
- The Ferret