Basically, I have been going over creating a spell scripting system for a MMRPG lately, and need help designing and implementing a basic scriptinglanguage and testprogram for it (doesn''t need to be flashy) Personally, I have tried many types of script format, and cant get it to meet my needs, and I have come here for help. You can look at an outline of what I need here: http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=23085&forum_id=17&Topic_Title=A+unique+%28hopefully%29+magic+system+idea%2E%2E%2E%2E&forum_title=Game+Design&M=False&S=True Any help would be appreciated. Solthar Rygelsun

From what I read about your system, you don''t need a scripting system, since the players themselves won''t be ''scripting''. All you need to do is store those attributes in a struct/class and let the game calculate it''s effect (the difficult part).



Gyzmo
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The ENTIRE point of the system is to allow PLAYERS to create there own unique and unusual spells, and thus it does require some sort of system to manage this, and a scripting system generally seems the best approach

Maybe all you need is a .ini file kind of thing. A bit like in the Angband roguelike games (go to Roguelike games for links). They have tons of files that initialise the attributes for various stuff.

You could have something like :
[spell]
name="Fireball";
element=FIRE;
damage=2D6+3;
[/spell]

whatever ... you get the idea ?
Scripting is MUCH more complicated than the above example.
You could also use a system of runes, that the player could combine in any order, to create spells. I think the game using this was called Legends (VERY old game, it was an isometric gauntlet, I think it was Gremlins who did it.)

If you really really like the scripting idea, go on Flipcode.com and look for their scripting article. Massive.

youpla :-P

*Sigh*

Somehow, I dont think I''m being clear enough, but that''s probably my fault. What I want is for the player to be able to create there own spells IN GAME which means that you need some sort of system that will read the spells, and balance it, and all the other good stuff....

Oh, and if anyone has a better idea than a scripting language, feel free to describe it me, otherwise i will attempt one on my lonesome.

While it''s not necessarily a better idea than a scripting language, you may want to consider how the player will make the spells - I''m going to stereotype here and say the average gamer doesn''t want to spend time typing in all the attributes of a spell, so you should probably put an interface on top like icons or something - so you get spell stage development, and combining various elements of spell creation will affect the mana cost or something.

You could put your own scripting language under this, and it wouldn''t have to be especially friendly because you have an abstraction between the code and the user.

Maybe some useful rambling there.

-Mezz

You generally have the same idea as me, maybe include the option to actually use the language....


But that still means that I need a scripting language - and some help designing it - any takers?

I think what people are trying to say, and what I would agree with looking at what you have put in the Game Design Forum, is that you don''t actually want a scripting language. Your examples are not ''scripts'', they''re more ''specifications''. Or lists of ''properties''. I don''t see that the ordering of the commands you use in those examples really makes any difference. Maybe they do, in which case that is something you need to sort out.

Either way, you can''t just say "I want a scripting language for my spells". You really need to work out exactly what such a language would manipulate. As it stands, all I can see that you need for a spell is an array of string pairs. The first string for the attribute, the second string for the value. The spellcasting engine would go through the attribute-value pairs, setting up the spell as it goes.

By the way, not only am I already doing something very similar in a game of mine (construct your own spells by ordering runes), but it''s already been done in commercial games: the old isometric party-based rpg Legend was one such game, for example.

Ok, I read again, and indeed I did''nt understand correctly. You want your system INGAME. Now *TAHT* makes a difference. Then I''ll just repeat my suggestion. Use a system of runes, or something similar. Maybe some explanation :
I have an excellent system here, for a RPG, where you build your spell by writing a sort of sentence with runes.
For instance a fireball is : Fire - Move - On (target) - Him, Body + adjectives to characterise the ball (radius, range, speed, size, etc)
There is quite a number of runes, that you can combine with specific rules, and it works very well. It''s a bit vaue for a RPG but I am sure you could use something like that.

People would go around the place to learn new runes, they could try new combinations of runes (new snetences), etc. etc.
The trick is to make a system that actually creates the spell from the runes, rather than a system like in Ultima where the runes where just a coded sequence to identify a spell (you couldn''t create spells that weren''t in the manual).

If you are interested in more explanations, feel free to mail me.

As well, with such a system, then a limited scripting language would be very useful. If you do a script writer in game, you would be able to make it alot more foolproof.

As well, as I pointed out in my previous post, you don''t need a REAL script language. Plus if you do everything ingame, you wouldn''t need an interpreter, syntax analyser, and so on, so the scripting wouldn''t be so unrealistic. Did you read the Flipcode articles ?
I''ll try to come up with more thoughts on that later. (I have an old system I had for an RPG with 52 runes that could be combined to make quite a bunch of spells, maybe you wanna see those to give you some ideas of what you need)

youpla :-P