Magic Missile

[natef]

Hello!

I'm trying to modify Magic Missile so that by tenth level I'll have 10 missiles. But i can't seem to get it right. I'm using Near Infinity and i've tried copying and pasting the spell effects, but it doesn't work. I've also tried creating my own additional spell effect, but when i returned to the game it crashed as soon as i selected mage spells.

 

What is it that I'm supposed to do? Is there another part of the spell i need to rescript? Or am i using the wrong spell? (SPWI122.SPL)

[Demivrgvs]

I'm modding too several spells and i've run in some crashes too for no apparent reason.

I never really understand why but some things cannot be done to spells...probably to make magic missile fire more than five missile you have to change the projectile file.

[Miloch]

The best place to go for a reference for this sort of thing is the IESDP and look at BG2 Effects, IE File Formats for spells, etc. If for example you give a spell effect an invalid value or even certain supposedly "valid" values, it will cause crashes.

[igi]

As I recall, the magic missile projectile is hard-coded, and cannot have more than 5 missiles.

[Caedwyr]

Would it be possible to just play the 5 magic missile animation twice?

[Demivrgvs]

I didn't know magic missile projectile was hard-coded...but than again it's just strange i've pointed out the problem with the first try!

 

But i was thinking...what about making the spell work as a relased minor spell sequencer or something like that? A spell sequencer can fire up to 15 magic missile at once...so maybe there's a way to reproduce it.

 

Furthmore you can just raise the damage dealt by the missiles and you'll get the same effect.

 

P.s Actually i think magic missile is already a really great spell...especially if you keep in mind it's a 1st level spell!

[devSin]

There are up to 10 or 11 magic missile projectiles. The travel algorithm is the same for all of them, though, so it's not as cool as it might sound (they all spread out in a straight line -- with the maximum number, it takes a comparatively long time for the final missiles to even hit the target, not to mention that they fly out through walls and stuff).

[Echon]

11 is the maximum amount of missiles. They use the projectile types 68 to 78.

 

-Echon

[igi]

5, 10, 11, whatever. It's still hard-coded.

[Caedwyr]

One trick I've seen done before, is having the magic missile spell have a chance to trigger a second casting of a magic missile type spell (the second iteration doesn't cast a third iteration). This would give you multiple waves of missiles and may do what you are looking for.

[Azkyroth]

On a related note, is there a known way to have a similar "barrage of #" effect with different projectile BAMs, or is this particular feature hardcoded?

[devSin]

Hardcoded. It's possible you could change the magic missile BAM, but as far as I know, this behavior is unique and unavailable for use with generic PROs.