[WIP] Belua Sanguinare Revisited

[MofoMojo]

Heh...great idea for the vampire speed stuff, guys! Makes me annoyed that I'm never here for the brainstorming sessions...I always have class around this time. Or finals, as the case has been :wallbash:

 

MM, is that upon dual-casting the normal conjure spell? Or are those..unalterable. The reason why I attached those properties to dual casting instead of just making a new spell was to leave the original ability (telekinesis or weapon conjuring), while allowing for the vampire specific bonus (magic floating weapon!) from the unused-dual cast for those two, and also cutting down on the number of spells people have to contend with.

 

Of course, it might just not be possible, so...I should really try to look into the CK more to see what kind of conditions are possible.

 

Soooo.... I got dual casting working AND got the dual weapons working now. So, I didn't know if when you said "double-casting" if you meant, cast once you get X behavior, cast a 2nd time you get Y behavior. That I couldn't do, so I took liberty to assume you meant dual casting. I could have just asked, but I know how busy you are and rather than wait for opportunity I can go ahead and get POCs done and you can correct me if I'm wrong when you have the chance and it's no big loss because of the value of going ahead and working out the POCs. Obviously, I know now you DID mean dual casting. :)

 

So yeah. At this point, we can create dual cast versions of ANY of our spells that are CAST using a players hands. I.e. That being said, we don't really have that many different spells at the moment. We just need to come together on which spells are base spells and what are their dual cast counterparts...

 

Here's the thing on Telekinesis/Bound Weapon and why I considered adding a unique spell over dual casting alternatives:

 

• 
   
  
• Regular alteration mages may already have telekinesis/Bound weapon
  
• If we modify the base spells then people with the mod loaded but not vampire's will have access to the new version as it will replace their old version
  
• We can create a second one, but then it looks silly if people have two spells called telekinesis/Bound Weapon
  
• We don't want to get into taking base spells away from the player and replacing them with our versions because we then have to give them back if they get cured and it becomes a housecleaning nightmare if quests get STOP/STARTed from console.
  

 

So, next on the list is just to see if we can cast something....on a weapon.... and get it picked up and used by our invisible guest.

[MofoMojo]

It doesn't? I'm confused how the slow time thing even works then. I thought when it is cast, everything is slowed, but your player isn't quite as slowed as everything else, giving you a speed advantage.

 

For a Vampire, it seems there should be some small speed multiplier in addition to the slow time then to simulate the extraordinary speed and superhuman reflexes they have. I guess it could be way overpowered like that... hmmm.

 

 

Ok I think we're under the same impression just using different semantics. Yes, technically the slow time slows EVERYTHING, but then the game engine does speed the player back up so it feels like they're moving a relatively similar speed to before the slow time kicked in. I haven't touched that mechanic at all. So when I say making speed multiplier adjustments I'm not really taking into account the ones the game engine does FOR YOU when you kick in slow time.

 

That would work. Or could you make it:

 

When the spell is cast:

• If PlayerIs.... holding down the sprint key- Apply additional SpeedMultiplier
• If PlayerIsNot... holding down the sprint key- Apply Slow Time Effect

lol not sure if that's possible. It sounds like something that could only be done with SKSE. Having the Sprint key modify the spell seems like it would be the ideal way to do it though. I have my sprint input as one of my mouse buttons (M5) for convenience. If I could hold that down and tap Z to use Vamp Speed with the speedmultiplier and press Z by itself for the SlowTime effect, that would be awesome.

 

Unfortunately we don't know when the player is holding a key down but again, you're right that with SKSE we might could detect that. For now that why the effect would just kick in if you cast it while sprinting (assuming we took that route). Alternatively we CAN just increase the sprint speeds and lower them when indoors to something more manageable.

 

-MM

[nskin039]

I don't know if this is planned but it is really needed. You need the ability to create Thralls by choice.

 

You should be able to go up to an NPC and ask to feed/drink from that NPC. If the NPC doesn't like you he will refuse and/or attack you. However if the NPC likes you enough (or you charm him to like you) he will let you feed from him (then a feeding animation plays showing you bite the NPC's neck). A message will then display saying your bite is beginning to enthrall the NPC slowly addicting him to your bite (or something similar)

 

Once you feed enough times from that specific NPC (maybe based upon the number of times you fed on that NPC and the difference in the illusion level of the PC and NPC) that NPC will become your Thrall. A message will display saying your constant feeding has completly drained the mortals free will. This mortal is now your Thrall (or something similar).

As a Thrall you can feed from him at any time (assuming he has good health) and is permanently available as a follower. The Thrall is also added to your faction and will fight for you and not report your crimes.

------------------------------------------

 

I also think vampire's need a new conversation topic called "Peer into my eyes." If an NPC really likes you (or if you have significantly higher illusion than the NPC) that NPC will become hypnotized and become your servant (follower) until dismissed. If successful the NPC will become hyponotized and the message response will be a series of slowly appearing dots on screen (. . . . . . . . ) simulating the NPC has lost his own will. The NPC will now do your bidding until you dismiss him when he will return to normal. If you aren;t liked enough, the NPC will refuse in anger and the hypnosis will fail.

[MofoMojo]

I don't know if this is planned but it is really needed. You need the ability to create Thralls by choice.

 

So...I'm slowly building that framework right now and that's where I'm kind of headed with it. Here's how I'm thinking of doing this

 

1) Keep track of last victim fed

2) After X feeds they will become a Thrall and get a follower package

3) You can continue to feed on them, after X more feeds you will have the option to Sire them, or not.

4) If you sire them, you open the Thrall slot and can now fill it with another character as a thrall, but may/maynot sire them.

 

Perhaps limit you to one sired vampire and one thrall for .... I won't say initial release, but initial implementation.

 

I spent a lot of time tonight making no progress on the "Animate Weapon" type effect of "Telekinesis. The biggest problem being that items under telekinesis don't register in the effect scripts as targets. So I switched to a new idea, and that's to allow you to cast "Soul Servant" on a target and if the target dies, their soul becomes one of our disembodied actors from the "Summon Axe" POC but they're wearing the armor and whatnot of the character you killed. Everything should theoretically work but I need to be able to create a summons via spell and having some trouble there. I have some alternative approaches that I'll try tomorrow night but I think we can put a fork into the idea of casting telekinesis on a weapon and have it animate. I just can't get a reference to the weapon at all. Something of a problem that many people haven't been able to solve yet.

 

-MM

[Jakisthe]

Thralls, and the greater topic of NPC interactions/conversation topics, are something we're likely going to implement until after we have the base vampire hammered out, mostly because of the complicated-ness of trying to connect everything with a new AI script...but it is planned for future iterations.

 

MM, wouldn't the holding a key down be effectively the same thing as the SKSE hotbutton extender thingy? It would detect if they're holding a hot button down, and..well, do whatever? I'd assume. I forgot about already having the spell for existing Amages though..but does double-casting do anything for the likes of telekinesis anyway? I honestly don't know for vanilla. Anyway, don't tempt me with new dual-casting ideas, lest I get all caught up in wacky new spells...as if we're not busy enough!

 

Phil, when time slows via non-sprinting vampire speed/that shout, I think you're right...it slows everything down, including the player, but not quite as much. The way it's set up now, I think, will have the effect you want; just slow time, and THEN start sprinting. That'd have them going fast and with superfast reflexes :thumbsup: . If you reverse that order, you simply run REALLY fast..which might be what you want, hence why it's implemented like that. Two options from the single vampire speed power: super fast running (on top of the inherent sprint modifiers) or super fast reflexes (and able to use the sprint modifiers while slowing down time).

Edited March 16, 2012 by Jakisthe

[nskin039]

Perhaps limit you to one sired vampire and one thrall for .... I won't say initial release, but initial implementation.

 

I think that you should be able to create multiple Thralls. Imagine having a Thrall in every city. They look and act normal but they are secretly loyal to the vampire faction. You create a Thrall who owns a home and then you can crash their house and hide out till nightfall when you can go on the prowl. (I was hoping to have at least one per city).

 

Siring on the other hand, should be more limited.

[nskin039]

Are the bat or animal transformations working yet? I'd love to see what they look like.

[Jakisthe]

Transformations are a sticky topic, since they require animations for every step of the way. On top of that, there is, apparently, no bat model in the game, so I'll have to make it from scratch...and organics aren't the easiest thing to model :/

 

Interesting idea for the thralls though!

[elricshan]

Transformations are a sticky topic, since they require animations for every step of the way. On top of that, there is, apparently, no bat model in the game, so I'll have to make it from scratch...and organics aren't the easiest thing to model :/

 

Interesting idea for the thralls though!

 

about the the bats. in the bleak falls barrows before the worwall it comes a few bats flying to you from the wordwall so maybe you can take one of them and make it bigger or make the player become a bat flock. as for the transformation maybe you can just make the screen blur like when you feed in one of the old wids

[Darksun45230]

 

about the the bats. in the bleak falls barrows before the worwall it comes a few bats flying to you from the wordwall so maybe you can take one of them and make it bigger or make the player become a bat flock. as for the transformation maybe you can just make the screen blur like when you feed in one of the old wids

Doesn't that teleport spell already add the bat animation?