Suggestion: Invisibility Potion (with pixel art)

[evilmonkey]

I suggest we include an invisibility potion to our list of potions. This potion could allow players to walk around without being noticed by aggressive monsters (i.e. Skeletons, Skulls, Snakes).

This potion could allow players with lower levels to fight against a single skeleton without being noticed by surrounding monsters. Like other potions, there will be a time limit for the effect; and a single potion could cost 500gp to limit overuse. Also, lower level players will be able to explore dangerous maps by taking the potion.

Further considerations:

* what graphic effect will the potion create? (i.e. metallic blue pixel effect surrounding character).
* could we include an NPC and maybe even a quest to contextualize the new potion?
* could players brew their own invisibility potions?
* how do we amend the code so that aggressive monsters do not seek out players (when they take the potion)?
* what will happen when a player attacks a monster next to another aggressive monster (will the other monster not attack)?

Thanks for reading my suggestion.

[o11c]

Mob AI is kind of nasty.

[Nard]

Your idea is likely to be doable now, though not releasable: According to to your description, the effect is a combination of @hide and @invisible GM commands. So the visual effects and mob behaviour are already available. The side effect (issue) with @hide is that you are also invisible to online list and who commands, thus it would require some intervention on server code to be usable in game . Note that the ability to hide from mobs also prevents you from attacking, which is rather normal ...
The invisible status could also be triggered with a (level3+?) spell, A scroll...

[o11c]

It's not like @hide because he's still in combat with one enemy, and @hide makes it impossible to be in combat with any enemy.

[Chay]

Regarding the proposed pixels:
If you only want to change the color of an item there is no need to make a new .png file for that, most clients (particularly Manaplus) use a dye system that changes the color of prototype graphics to the desired values (if they don't all they get is odd colored snails), this for example is the prototype file for your potion:

b.png (398 Bytes) Viewed 5483 times

other than that client checks items.xml (which is in the client-data directory) with which colors to dye, for the iron potion it is:

Code: Select all

image="use/potions/b.png|G:#c05000,f0a000,f0f09f"

"G" is for "Green" the dye channel that is adressed, #c05000 (darker Yellow), f0a000(medium yellow),f0f09f(light yellow) it replaces the green colors from dark to light with those yellow ones.
Client will then display it as this:

yellow.png (418 Bytes) Viewed 5483 times

If you want it to look like your invisibility potion this dyestring will lead to a similar result to your proposed graphics:
G:#013a74,0174e7,a0c9f1 (#013a74: darker Color; #0174e7: medium color; #a0c9f1: light color) leading to this:

blue.png (419 Bytes) Viewed 5483 times

(usually you indeed chose colors oldstyle way but then try to condense it to a dyestring by using your preferred colorpick tool)

--aye Chay

[Nard]

It's not like @hide because he's still in combat with one enemy, and @hide makes it impossible to be in combat with any enemy.

You are right, and this is the main problem, because @invisible does not allow:

[...] This potion could allow players to walk around without being noticed by aggressive monsters [...]

Anyway, I am sure that you will agree with the idea that player should have to pay his invisibility with something. The impossibility to fight (or at least with a strong penalty) seems a minimum to me. The strategic advantage is far worth it.

[Reid]

I was thinking about such potion in the future of Evol, though, I had some problem to script that one, how would you do it?

[Matt]

Does not seem to be too invisible for me...

[wushin]

Typically systems for Invisibility work like this:
A) Attacker is invisible until they attack, and gain atk bonus
B) Attacker is partially obscured during combat and gains def bonus
C) Sometimes both or more.

A) Defender level, range to invisible & PC perception plays part in "popping" someone out of stealth.

1) The player would have to be "special" hidden from Mobs/Players
2) Stealth Checks added

Artwise, easiest would be finding a way to reduce the player sprites that are invisible to 50%-70% transparency and removing them from being seen on other clients, except for a successful stealth check.

[o11c]

I was thinking about such potion in the future of Evol, though, I had some problem to script that one, how would you do it?

You might look into how SC_CLOAKING and OPTION_HIDE2 and OPTION_CLOAK work.

[evilmonkey]

We could also consider how this potion will affect other quests. For example, invisibility potion may allow players to complete Angela's quest without teaming up with other players. I think this is a good thing because some players like to team up, but others like to quest alone. The invisibility potion will empower players to choose different strategies to complete quests rather than being limited to just using the strategy of teaming up with other players.

However, we wouldn't want the potion to negatively affect the level of difficulty of a quest.

Regarding the proposed pixels:
If you only want to change the color of an item there is no need to make a new .png file for that, most clients (particularly Manaplus) use a dye system that changes the color of prototype graphics to the desired values

Thanks for mentioning that Chay-- I'm new to working on TMW project, so I like learning more about these technical details. Keep them coming.

Artwise, easiest would be finding a way to reduce the player sprites that are invisible to 50%-70% transparency and removing them from being seen on other clients, except for a successful stealth check.

We could make a set of invisible sprites and add them alongside the various attack sprites. However, I'm still stumped as to how we can stop the aggressive monsters from seeking out players in the vicinity. I think it would be cool if the potion could not only stop aggressive monsters from attacking (unprovoked), but also stop monsters from joining an attack when another monster is being attacked (i.e. angry mushrooms).

[Nard]

You might look into how SC_CLOAKING and OPTION_HIDE2 and OPTION_CLOAK work.

Why not OPTION_INVISIBILITY & OPTION_HIDE2?

We could make a set of invisible sprites and add them alongside the various attack sprites.

There is no need of additional sprites if the server and the clients are aware of invisibility

However, I'm still stumped as to how we can stop the aggressive monsters from seeking out players in the vicinity.

this is precisely what OPTION_HIDE2 is supposed to do.

[evilmonkey]

Why not OPTION_INVISIBILITY & OPTION_HIDE2?

Sounds good. How can I test these commands? I would be happy to configure TMW on my computer so that I can tweak around with these settings. And just out of interest, how can I find all of these commands?

Cheers.

[o11c]

Why not OPTION_INVISIBILITY & OPTION_HIDE2?

Sounds good. How can I test these commands? I would be happy to configure TMW on my computer so that I can tweak around with these settings. And just out of interest, how can I find all of these commands?

Cheers.

There isn't any *working* command, only some possible inspiration code. I don't think this is likely to get on the main server.

[evilmonkey]

Cool, thanks for your feedback.

So what is OPTION_INVISIBILITY & OPTION_HIDE2? Are these functions within the Mana World code? Or are they codes used by another platform/engine?