I'm thinking of implementing a spellcasting system into my CnM map, and I already cleared up some terrain to do so. I would appreciate some feedback on the concept before I get to work on it, however.

1. How should I actually "cast" the spells? A standard unit-to-beacon caster, a building unit creation caster, a EUD selection caster, or reaver scarab build casters?
-Mice have 4 spells each, Cats have 5 each

2. How should I regulate mana/spellcasting restriction?
-Using vespene gas would be an obvious choice, but that means I have to restructure the current map since I'm using vespene gas as "high yield minerals" at the moment.
-Ignoring mana and making each spell "cool-down" separately is a viable option and extremely simple to implement as well as display to the user.
-Of course a mana-like system is preferable.

3. Are these spells balanced? If not, what should I change/replace/remove?

Mice spells:
-Emergency Warp: Teleports mouse to a random location on the map. 1/4 chance of teleporting player right next to the cat.
-Repulsing Field: Activates shields for the mouse (normally at 0/20). Lasts 10 seconds.
-Blink: Mouse is teleported off the field and transported back immediately, making the cat lose focus of the mouse.
-Decoy; Creates a hallucinated mouse at the current location of the mouse.

Cat spells:
-Dimensional rift: Creates a "recall" effect at five random locations on the map and teleports all mouse units in those areas to the cat.
-Emergency Fold: Teleports cat to a random location on the map, may occasionally fail.
-Pulse Wave: Cancels all current mining orders for all mechanical workers (SCV, Probe).
-Hemoalchemy: Instantly transforms all currently owned biological units (aside from the main cat) to minerals at 100% purchase price.
-Nuclear Judgment: Launches unstoppable nukes at the mice, one per mouse right on top of the unit. Deals 0 damage to everything except probes.

P.S. How do I create "vespene tank" and other resource units with triggers in-game?

An interesting idea you have here... The only POSSIBLE imbalanced features are the teleporting because it sorta takes away from what good versions of CnM did right in terms of all the mice trapping themselves in and the cat having to sit and attack a wall, where as soon as it died it would be remade and all the other pro tricks. Wow run on sentence but w/e.

You can't make vespene tanks with trigs... You have to pre-place.

Actually I just had an idea for possible, and currently untested, creation of tanks, but it would be immensely impractical. Specifically you would use the hallucinated powerup glitch on the gas tank that a miner holds...

Do tell! I've been dying to know how some maps are continuously creating resource chunks.

Use a gateway for the mice, and starport for the cats.
If mice will have the 'warp" spell, it should be the most expensive spell, and should have a medium cooldown. (else the mouse will wait till the cat is near, send some marines to the cat, then warp. The cat will auto target the rines, and if the mouse warps to cat, he would simply cast warp again.)

Nuclear Judgment:
1) wont this just be a gg?
2) can the mice dodge this spell?

Decoy:
Move the mouse to a separate area, then randomly choose one:
1) create halu then teleport mouse back
2) teleport most back then create halu

Emergency Fold:
I don't really see the point in this spell. If the mice have enough units to surround and kill the cat, then it should be gg. It's quite annoying when a player who is obviously about to lose, just drags the game out.

Nukes take 10 seconds or so to fall iirc; if the mouse didn't trap himself in with a fail wall it's possible to dodge.

All the spell cooldowns are somewhere in the order of 20+ seconds, sometimes on the order of minutes.

The problem with building casting is that I am currently using almost every building in the tech tree; as the mice are expected to produce their own units to fight the cat rather than spam-puchasing them from the shop, I used up most of the potential "spellcasters". Additionally, it has no indication of cooldown (unless I add/remove tech buildings, which would take out many more buildings from my buildable category).

On second thought, I might as well just make a CnM with AoS elements... It'll be hard to go wild with spellcasting in the current framework.

Cats with Dimension rifts? wtf?

Why don't you just make another game altogether O.O

Ima say a big fat NO to all of them....
read my latest post in cat and mouse caves.. i aint gonna repeat my reasoning



Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Mar 18 2010, 12:18 am by UnholyUrine.

Well, I actually like your approach to simplifying CnM; since I'll most likely be developing a separate game, mind sharing some ideas for the spells that you think would be appropriate for a CnM?

(and I can make the nuke spell work without preplaced ghosts, but it sometimes fucks up and nukes off-target by like 50 miles.)

Cat n mouse with spells, thats not really sticking to the original point is it? Might as well name it Catch the magician or something, niche wise.
If you do rename it or change the concept, im sure it would be pretty good map.