Automatically extend transformations with low failure rate?

[bhauth]

Some players want to usually stay in lichform, ice form, etc. Recasting these all the time is an annoyance with no real effect on gameplay.

You can't just make Necromutation or Ice Form last forever, because then players could drink a potion of brilliance to cast them very early. But I don't see any issues with the following solution:

When a transformation would give a warning that it's "almost over", check the spell failure chance. If spell failure is yellow or grey, then automatically extend the transformation (without having to recast the spell) instead.

[Implojin]

For what it's worth, I think this ought to already be possible in Lua. Take a look at you.transform() , spells.memorised() , spells.fail() , and you can probably fire the recast by checking the combat log for the transform expiry text.

[Please note that I do not mean to imply that Lua fiddling is ever an appropriate thing for players to feel like they have to do.]

[svendre]

If this is something desired from a design standpoint, I think it's better to just switch it to a state of on until turned off rather than constantly recasting. Something needs to give in order to keep the balance. I proposed that potion effects get cleared on transformation to lichform.

[bananaken]

I like how hellcrawl does transformations; it works by replacing success rate with a MP reserved cost and allowing you to sustain that form without recasting. You still need to train skills to a similar degree since you need it to reduce the MP requirement to a realistic numbers.

[bhauth]

For what it's worth, I think this ought to already be possible in Lua. Take a look at you.transform() , spells.memorised() , spells.fail() , and you can probably fire the recast by checking the combat log for the transform expiry text.

I should have been clearer there: I meant that the transformation gets extended without having to recast the spell, because occasionally you wouldn't want to spend a spell extending it, and making it free means you don't have to ask the player every time. For example, there are many cases where you'll get that warning in the middle of combat but combat will be over before the transformation ends.

[Tamiore]

I like how hellcrawl does transformations; it works by replacing success rate with a MP reserved cost and allowing you to sustain that form without recasting. You still need to train skills to a similar degree since you need it to reduce the MP requirement to a realistic numbers.

This sounds like a pretty good idea. We just need to make sure the actual MP reserved cost gets high rather quickly with failure rates.

[bananaken]

I like how hellcrawl does transformations; it works by replacing success rate with a MP reserved cost and allowing you to sustain that form without recasting. You still need to train skills to a similar degree since you need it to reduce the MP requirement to a realistic numbers.

This sounds like a pretty good idea. We just need to make sure the actual MP reserved cost gets high rather quickly with failure rates.

Currently it'll reserve a minimum of the spell level, and anything that's not 10% or below failure rate will cause the MP requirement to shoot up. 20-30% seems to be the range where you start reserving achievable amounts of MP for high level stuff. If you go above that and you'll need crazy amounts like 200+ MP which is obviously impossible.

The numbers could always be adjusted to better represent a character that would normally re-cast a transformation as much as they want, though the MP reserved mechanic introduces a interesting tradeoff where you have to decide between a larger mana pool vs sustaining a form (or in the case of hellcrawl, transformations and any number of buffs). It's a pretty big quality of life change for me though, on par with showing hex success rates and wand stacking which ultimately encouraged me to use all those things more often because the tedium involved in using them effectively was removed.

[Veras]

I liked the reserved MP idea at first blush when I heard it suggested long ago and even then thought it was pretty definitively the right solution. Eventually someone pointed out a few issues, the most prominent of which is that the MP-only cost disproportionately affects different types of users. Heavy casters will feel the hit much harder than melee-oriented types that don't use much MP. I'm a bit averse to the idea with that in mind, but I like the avenue that the mechanic is heading down (removing tedium).

[charlatan]

Infinite-duration Transmutations are my favorite feature of Hellcrawl, hands down. It feels very nice to just stay in Spider Form or whatever instead of having to press so many buttons. That said, it is probably an overall buff for hybrid types, but the "skald" archetype has been out of fashion for quite a while now aside from a select few strong spells and less MP = less panic buttons (in hellcrawl a TM that trains UC/stealth XL1->3 and then casts spider form at XL3 will have just enough MP to sustain it, and can't use sticks to snakes as a result)

The other issue is spell hunger, which is fine in hellcrawl but in DCSS buffs would ignore spell hunger (so either remove it finally or make buffs drain hunger faster over time) and lastly, it's kind of annoying to switch TM forms because you have to untransform, rest to full, then use the new transformation instead and you end up having to do this a lot given how Ice and Spider forms cover each other's weaknesses, but it's still better than the old system IMO.