"Ritual Spells"

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Hmm, how do I preface this...?
Okay.

I'm assuming casting spells in AoC will have various casting-times (because generally this is true for most MMORPG's.). Some spells might be Instant-cast, some 1 second, 3 seconds. Maybe resurrection spells might take 10 seconds...etc...

So I'm thinking about Fantasy Novels, Fantasy Movies: The Big NUKE spells that are going to save the day, are the ones that take 30+ seconds to finish. And during that time, the Mage/Sorcerer/Wizard NEEDS the rest of the party to hold-back the monsters/enemies until he/she can complete his/her casting. Then, when it's complete and ready: They rain holy-hellfire down and obliterate the enemy.

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So, the point of this post:

In large-scale battles (Sieges, or vs. World Bosses) it would be exciting to have a similar experience; A long casting-time Ultimate/Powerful Spell that delivers wide-scale damage. Or a massive AoE buff/heal to the group.

BUT! Staring at a casting timer is boring. Right?

So, wouldn't it be fun; that during that casting-time, the Spellcaster is playing a small mini-game during this 'concentration period.'

I imagine: a Magical Glyph that is being drawn on the player's HUD. And they must re-create/trace the Glyphs accurately with their mouse pointer. Or something similar to this idea. Making the casting-time actually a fun and immersive experience. Maybe the spell damage is increased with a perfectly executed magical-glyph drawing?

Anyways, it was just a little thought I had.
A little 'concentration test' for Spellcasters, while they are long-casting a powerful-spell. If they need to move their character or get distracted for whatever reason, well; they can't exactly concentrate the way they needed to and the spell's effect is diminished or cancelled entirely.

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Comments

arsnn

So if i remember correctly there are group spells.
For instance summoner party can summon a huge golem to help them in sieges for example.
Im not sure what to think about the mini game thing though, could work but also could be tedious.
Intrepid did try out some kind of minigame for generall spells (or weapons im not sure) where you had to press buttons at certain timing.
This was way back when the starting development and the overwhelming feedback was negative.

daveywavey

But, they always deactivate the bomb at 00:01.

I actually don't mind the long castings. Gives me a moment to relax a little. And, there's always the danger that you'll be interrupted.

Sathrago

I'm fine with big ritual spells that require time and protection to pull off devastating moves. That is what I think the archwizard will do.

Nagash

Time to start the NECROQUAKE!!!!!

Virtek

Super nifty idea, @Lore Dynamic !
I like it!
Even something as simple as a "balancing" or "aiming" mini game where you need to pay attention to keep a needle in the "big bada BOOM!" window...

^.^

Tacualeon

I like the idea of mini-games.

My thoughts
1) Battlefield 30 seconds ritual spells might be too extreme. Broken, or you will never get to use them. Bad for balance and player experience.
2) Depending on the game, the fight might be over in 30 seconds.

Ritual spells like revives and heavy summons sounds right for 10 seconds casting.
Direct raw damage is scary at 10 seconds casting, but kinda your fault if you stand in the same place.

I hope casters don't have 10 seconds cc.

Lore Dynamic

Tacualeon wrote: »

I like the idea of mini-games.

My thoughts
1) Battlefield 30 seconds ritual spells might be too extreme. Broken, or you will never get to use them. Bad for balance and player experience.
2) Depending on the game, the fight might be over in 30 seconds.

Ritual spells like revives and heavy summons sounds right for 10 seconds casting.
Direct raw damage is scary at 10 seconds casting, but kinda your fault if you stand in the same place.

I hope casters don't have 10 seconds cc.

Yeah, my first thought actually turned towards PvP situations. In which case; ritual-casting (long-casting) would be a no-no. Because stationary = dead.

If such a spell were ever utilized, it would have to be verses large World Bosses, where the caster has back-up and time to complete their spell. Tanks/DD's to keep the mob distracted for the duration.

Opposing Players are too smart to allow a caster to just sit there like a duck, freely casting. Unless there are alternate/clever ways to avoid notice/damage. (Invisibility / Stone-Skin)

Tacualeon

If you pay for it, the might create a spell for those ocassions.

Personally, I would take a 4-5 seconds heavy damage spell I can enjoy more often.

Sathrago

Archwizard Forbidden spell: Mana Bomb
The Archwizard draws ancient arcane runes upon the ground, allowing allies to channel mana into the spell (max of 8). This spell drains all the magic of the participants and translates it into magical damage. The mana bomb can then be directed as the Archwizard chooses, dealing damage in a wide area equal to the mana spent to cast the spell.

Specifics that I feel would make the spell more balanced/achievable without making it one shot enemy raids.

1 to 3 min cast time
Up to 8 other players can help channel their mana into the spell.
While casting players are immune to cc but cannot make any actions other than leaving the spell.
If anyone involved in the ritual is slain or cancels their channel, the ritual ends.
The damage is spread evenly amongst all enemies hit. (example: mana bomb deals 100 damage total hits 10 enemies. This would deal 10 damage to each enemy)

Tacualeon

I have read about some games where they decided that stealing mana as a mechanic was very anti-fun for the receiving end.

Spell would have 2 big strenght:
1- Anti-fun
2- Aoe deterrance.

Sathrago wrote: »

dealing damage in a wide area equal to the mana spent to cast the spell.

I do like this maná scaling idea, just not for a spell that also drains. Wouldn't that be a bit of overkill?

Sathrago

Tacualeon wrote: »

Sathrago wrote: »

This spell drains all the magic of the participants and translates it into magical damage.

I have read about some games where they decided that stealing mana as a mechanic was very anti-fun for the receiving end.

Sathrago wrote: »

dealing damage in a wide area equal to the mana spent to cast the spell.

I do like this maná scaling idea, just not for a spell that first drains too.

Spell would have 2 big strenght:
1- Anti-fun
2- Aoe deterrance.

You misunderstand what I meant. The people joining give up the mana its not like it rips it away from nearby allies.

The idea is that the spell scales with power according to how much mana these 8 players instill into it.

Tacualeon

I understand. What situation would be the most optimal for this spell?

Sathrago

Tacualeon wrote: »

I understand. What situation would be the most optimal for this spell?

large scale battles, mainly siege and castle warfare. You could also have some silly shenanigans with people hiding nearby to try and get it off on unsuspecting people. The idea is mostly for big fights though.

Amma

After casting the spell for the 1.000 time, and having to play some minigame for the 1.000 time, i think afterwards i will have to stab someone or i will never cast that spell again. So my personal opinion is: Please no!

Lore Dynamic

Amma wrote: »

After casting the spell for the 1.000 time, and having to play some minigame for the 1.000 time, i think afterwards i will have to stab someone or i will never cast that spell again. So my personal opinion is: Please no!

That's a good point. ^_^

Kneczhevo

Lore Dynamic wrote: »

Amma wrote: »

After casting the spell for the 1.000 time, and having to play some minigame for the 1.000 time, i think afterwards i will have to stab someone or i will never cast that spell again. So my personal opinion is: Please no!

That's a good point. ^_^

And, that's why people are against any sort of minigame. The first hundred times is fun, after that it's just another artificial grind.

Lore Dynamic

Kneczhevo wrote: »

And, that's why people are against any sort of minigame. The first hundred times is fun, after that it's just another artificial grind.

What if it was optional? (not required for a successful spell cast). But, participating in the glyph-drawing (or whatever) would boost damage to some degree. Or increase AoE radius?

EDIT:

Heck, even choosing to use the spell is optional. Just because a player has access to it, doesn't necessarily mean they have to equip it for use. /shrug

Perhaps it might be fun to those that find the idea entertaining.

maouw

I love this idea!

The trick to the mini-game is to make it have meaning.

Say if the minigame has you matching elements, every match you make increases the amount of mana you can pool toward the combined spell.
Furthermore:
Matching L shaped elements increases the AoE radius of the combined spell
Matching Q shaped elements increases the duration of the combined spell's effect
Matching T shaped elements increases the raw damage of the combined spell
etc.

This gives the mages a way to customize the group spell depending on the need.

I would also add an element of cooperation:
if you make an elemental match, the match will be passed to a random other team member who can attempt to make the same match and boost it to a tier 2 match before it goes into the pool, or he can leave it and create a different elemental match.

It would also makes sense to me if the group spell is unstable magic - so the more power goes into the spell, the less time the team has to find each match - so if a team gets too greedy for elemental matches and they don't finalize the spell, it implodes in their face at a heavy mana cost.

Also, group spell should definitely require some sort of setup. Not something you can start doing willy-nilly.

perseus01

I would think that nobody would want to Ritual Spell-Cast unless there was high-end PVP engagement or scenario-battles such as castle sieging. High-end PVP based solely on numbers engaged to turn the tides of battle. Ritualistic spells for castle sieging could prove useful such as the elemental fire-walls Steven has shown.

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