SpellPack 2: Preliminary Spell List
by Jeff Faust · in Arcane FX (Public) · 09/22/2008 (11:12 am) · 11 replies
This list is likely to go through some additional adjustment, but here is the current list of spells and effects slated for SpellPack 2. (Every spell and effect on this list is currently implemented at least in part.)
Bolt from the Blue
Bron-Y-Orc Stomp
---- Ring of Dust
Chill Kill
Clusters of Fire
Desperate Annihilation
---- Bolt from the Blue
---- Five Bolt Battery
---- Ring of Chaos
---- Ring of Plasma
Dread Bull Portent
Fire in the Sky (Part 1)
---- Flaming Stick Trick
---- Ring of Fire
---- Shards of Vesuvius
Five Bolt Battery
Flaming Stick Trick
Green Legs and Scram
Mark of Kork
---- Clusters of Fire
---- The Letter K
Pillar of Fire
Ring of Chaos
Ring of Dust
Ring of Fire
Ring of Plasma
Shards of Vesuvius
Soul Mine
---- Clusters of Fire
---- Soul Nuke
Soul Miner's Slaughter
---- Clusters of Fire
---- Dread Bull Portent
---- Soul Mine
---- ---- Clusters of Fire
---- ---- Soul Nuke
---- Wandering Wisps
Soul Nuke
Soul Sucking Jerk
The Letter K
Wandering Wisps
Some items on this list are not really spells but more appropriately described as reusable effect elements. The hierarchy of the list is intended to show how some spells are constructed out of other spells and effects.
You may want to watch my areas on both YouTube and Vimeo as I occasionally post movies of these spells in action.
Bolt from the Blue
Bron-Y-Orc Stomp
---- Ring of Dust
Chill Kill
Clusters of Fire
Desperate Annihilation
---- Bolt from the Blue
---- Five Bolt Battery
---- Ring of Chaos
---- Ring of Plasma
Dread Bull Portent
Fire in the Sky (Part 1)
---- Flaming Stick Trick
---- Ring of Fire
---- Shards of Vesuvius
Five Bolt Battery
Flaming Stick Trick
Green Legs and Scram
Mark of Kork
---- Clusters of Fire
---- The Letter K
Pillar of Fire
Ring of Chaos
Ring of Dust
Ring of Fire
Ring of Plasma
Shards of Vesuvius
Soul Mine
---- Clusters of Fire
---- Soul Nuke
Soul Miner's Slaughter
---- Clusters of Fire
---- Dread Bull Portent
---- Soul Mine
---- ---- Clusters of Fire
---- ---- Soul Nuke
---- Wandering Wisps
Soul Nuke
Soul Sucking Jerk
The Letter K
Wandering Wisps
Some items on this list are not really spells but more appropriately described as reusable effect elements. The hierarchy of the list is intended to show how some spells are constructed out of other spells and effects.
You may want to watch my areas on both YouTube and Vimeo as I occasionally post movies of these spells in action.
About the author
Jeff Faust creates special effects indie middleware and games for Faust Logic. --- Blog: Effectronica.com --- Twitter: @FaustLogic
#2
For a variety of reasons, the raw logistics of getting these products released has become rather complicated, so it's hard to predict release dates. I'd seriously like to have something released Ofor TGE at least) by the end of the year.
Versions of both AFX 1.2 and SpellPack2 are planned for TGEA as well, but we'll probably have to do an AFX 1.1 upgrade to TGEA 1.8 first.
11/05/2008 (7:10 am)
The AFX 1.2 software release and SpellPack2 are strongly connected: SpellPack2 depends on AFX 1.2 and to a certain degree it's difficult to deeply test AFX 1.2 without SpellPack2. AFX 1.2 for TGE is on the edge of entering beta, while SpellPack2 is about 2/3rds complete. For a variety of reasons, the raw logistics of getting these products released has become rather complicated, so it's hard to predict release dates. I'd seriously like to have something released Ofor TGE at least) by the end of the year.
Versions of both AFX 1.2 and SpellPack2 are planned for TGEA as well, but we'll probably have to do an AFX 1.1 upgrade to TGEA 1.8 first.
#3
11/05/2008 (8:13 am)
Will spell pack 1 be rereleased for 1.2? I am assuming all the basic spells examples will also be included and upgraded to 1.2.
#4
The set that we are currently testing is a little closer to the latest TGEA variations, which means that some zodiac effects have been instrumented to take advantage of altitude information, but even that is optional. In the end, there will probably be a couple of specific changes that may require an adjustment to old effects scripts, but nothing sweeping. (The only thing I can really think of is a change to Explosion effects. They used to only use constraint position with a fixed normal of "0 0 1". Now the normal is determined by the constraint orientation. This is an improvement, but in rare cases, this may reorient the explosion in an old effect.)
Currently when I run AFX 1.2 CoreTech + SpellPack1 + SpellPack2, I have 51 slots filled in the spellbank and 9 different Selectron styles. What future users (who have all of these pieces) see will be very close to this.
Note, I wouldn't count that as 51 bonafide spells. I would place that count at more like 25-30. SP2 contains a lot of reusable elements that can also be demonstrated using spell in the spellbank. For instance, there's an element called "Up In Flames" which is basically an effectron that sets a Player on fire and causes him to flail his arms about. It's used by "Ring of Fire" to set any character on fire that passes across the fire ring. There is also an entry in the spellbank that simply sets the targeted player on fire, but it wouldn't be fair to call that a full-fledged spell.
11/05/2008 (9:59 am)
All the spells, effectrons, and selectrons, that come with AFX 1.1 and SpellPack1 work and will continue to work in AFX 1.2. AFX 1.2 is actually highly backwards compatible with effects created with AFX 1.1. The set that we are currently testing is a little closer to the latest TGEA variations, which means that some zodiac effects have been instrumented to take advantage of altitude information, but even that is optional. In the end, there will probably be a couple of specific changes that may require an adjustment to old effects scripts, but nothing sweeping. (The only thing I can really think of is a change to Explosion effects. They used to only use constraint position with a fixed normal of "0 0 1". Now the normal is determined by the constraint orientation. This is an improvement, but in rare cases, this may reorient the explosion in an old effect.)
Currently when I run AFX 1.2 CoreTech + SpellPack1 + SpellPack2, I have 51 slots filled in the spellbank and 9 different Selectron styles. What future users (who have all of these pieces) see will be very close to this.
Note, I wouldn't count that as 51 bonafide spells. I would place that count at more like 25-30. SP2 contains a lot of reusable elements that can also be demonstrated using spell in the spellbank. For instance, there's an element called "Up In Flames" which is basically an effectron that sets a Player on fire and causes him to flail his arms about. It's used by "Ring of Fire" to set any character on fire that passes across the fire ring. There is also an entry in the spellbank that simply sets the targeted player on fire, but it wouldn't be fair to call that a full-fledged spell.
#5
In actual release, most of these same spells will include some minor updates, but this was a good test to make sure that AFX 1.2 really is "highly backwards compatible with effects created with AFX 1.1", as I claimed in the previous post.
11/13/2008 (2:06 pm)
Today, as a testing exercise, I took all of the spells in their exact form from the AFX 1.1 for TGE ComboPack release and dropped them into the current dev version of AFX 1.2. As far as I could see, they all ran fine and looked identical to to the way they look in AFX 1.1 and they didn't generate any console errors. In actual release, most of these same spells will include some minor updates, but this was a good test to make sure that AFX 1.2 really is "highly backwards compatible with effects created with AFX 1.1", as I claimed in the previous post.
#6
04/05/2009 (3:17 pm)
Will these pack be release on T3D? Also are you working on any other pack?
#7
While we have endless ideas for additional AFX content, we've currently ramped down our further development considerably to be in line with actual revenue and we are not actively working on any additional packs.
04/06/2009 (8:30 am)
@ Kory James -- Any port of AFX for Torque 3D is uncertain at this time, but it's definitely not something that will be available anytime soon. Historically, we've found that it doesn't pay off to port to an engine before it reaches a certain level of completeness and settles into a steady state of minimal change. In fact, it's quite costly. (IMHO, TGEA reached minimal capability at 1.0.3, completeness at 1.7.1, and steady-state at 1.8.1.) As a result, we are taking a conservative, wait-and-see approach with Torque 3D.While we have endless ideas for additional AFX content, we've currently ramped down our further development considerably to be in line with actual revenue and we are not actively working on any additional packs.
#8
thanks
04/06/2009 (8:37 am)
Does your team do contract work for FX? because in the future I will be need some added FX into my game for T3D. If so when T3D is release I will try to email you more details.thanks
#9
04/06/2009 (10:52 am)
So when can we expect to see Spell Pack 2? Its been a while since the first one.
#10
04/06/2009 (11:16 am)
SpellPack2 depends on the completion of AFX 2 (formerly AFX 1.2) and must follow the release of AFX 2. AFX 2 must follow the release of AFX for TGEA 1.8.1 which was recently completed. There really is not a whole lot of work left, but the current revenue stream allows for only a very moderate development effort and this dictates a very slow pace. 
#11
Sorry I know this is not the place to ask you a question, but I was not able to find your email to send you a query.
Just please take a look at my forum question regarding using AFX to make a melee system. I have an idea for exactly how to do it quite simply...only problem being that I need some help with how to do this :D
From Max
04/12/2009 (3:44 am)
@JeffSorry I know this is not the place to ask you a question, but I was not able to find your email to send you a query.
Just please take a look at my forum question regarding using AFX to make a melee system. I have an idea for exactly how to do it quite simply...only problem being that I need some help with how to do this :D
From Max
Torque Owner Kory Imaginism
innovative imaginations
thank you keep up the amazing work