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questions about Create attacks

Started by JeenLeen, May 16, 2013, 02:55:59 PM

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JeenLeen

A couple questions about Create attacks and non-Create attacks that create units, with a possible request depending on the answers. 

In the manual, it states
Quote
25. creates – if this is a Create attack, place the charname or classname (if a character with
a charname of random) of the character being created here. If creating a destructible
object in this way, use the spritetype instead. (For instance: if you want to create a
Wooden Barricade, put BarricadeWood.)
• If this is not a Create attack, you will most likely want to leave this set to none. If
you put something else in here for a non-Create attack, it will signal to the game that
it should spawn the named character or object in place of any character killed by the
attack. (For instance: if you have an attack called Petrify, you can set the creates
property to Boulder to make the game replace any characters killed by Petrify with a
boulder.)
• For non-Create attacks, rather than specifying a particular character or object, you
can set creates to -CLONE- to simply replace the dead character with a new copy of
itself.

26. createdOnTeam – this tells the game whether thing being created is added to the
attacker's team, or whether it is an object without a team. If the former, set this to
MyTeam; if the latter, set this to Objects.
• If this is a non-Create attack and createdOnTeam is not set to either MyTeam or
Objects, the game will spawn the character or object on the same team as the
character that was just killed. If this attack's creates property is set to none, just leave
this blank.

Is this correct: if a non-Create attack has a value for "creates" but has "createdOnTeam" blank, the thing created that replaces the unit killed remains on the same team that the dead unit was on.  For example, if I made (for some reason) a Light attack with creates=PsyHealer and createdOnTeam="" called TransmuteToHealer, then I use it on EnemyArmy's Swordsman, kill it with the attack, it would then turn into a Healer on EnemyArmy.  That correct?
On the other hand, if "createOnTeam" was set to MyTeam, the Healer would be a member of my army.

Is it possible, or will it be possible, to spawn a unit aligned to another team than one's own?  Basically summoning a unit that fights for a team you are also fighting against.
If no, I can see not taking time to make it possible.  The only times I can think of using such a power would be in a multi-PC free-for-all where summoning a member of party B might help weaken party C (assuming I couldn't summon anyone to my own party), or possibly as a plot device to have an enemy summon innocents (i.e., very weak NPCs) on an allied team, perhaps having the plot branch in a certain direction if too many get summoned and killed.  (Tactically, that wouldn't help the enemy at all, but it could be cool plot if one can motivate the player to actually care about the NPCs.  :P)

A couple other questions:
As a tangent, in a campaign mode, if you use create attacks to spawn new members of your army, do they stay persist as members as the battle ends, or just last for that given battle?  If they persist, would that cause the game to crash if you summoned too many allies (more than the maximum party size)?

If you destroy an object with a damaging non-Create attack that uses create (say, the TransmuteToHealer from above), would the Healer be spawned, or does it only work if a unit is destroyed?  (I am not recommending it work this way, but curious.)

Edited: corrected a typo

CraigStern

Quote from: JeenLeen on May 16, 2013, 02:55:59 PM

*things*

That correct?

Yes.

Quote from: JeenLeen on May 16, 2013, 02:55:59 PMOn the other hand, if "createOnTeam" was set to MyTeam, the Healer would be a member of my army.

Also correct.

Quote from: JeenLeen on May 16, 2013, 02:55:59 PMIs it possible, or will it be possible, to spawn a unit aligned to another team than one's own?

The only three options are to keep the character on its original team, spawn it on your team, or spawn it as an object. There are no plans to add other options.

Quote from: JeenLeen on May 16, 2013, 02:55:59 PMin a campaign mode, if you use create attacks to spawn new members of your army, do they stay persist as members as the battle ends, or just last for that given battle?

They just last for that battle.

Quote from: JeenLeen on May 16, 2013, 02:55:59 PMIf you destroy an object with a damaging non-Create attack that uses create (say, the TransmuteToHealer from above), would the Healer be spawned, or does it only work if a unit is destroyed?

This feature works only when characters are killed, not destructible objects. (This is a deliberate limitation for the sake of balance because of how many destructible objects most levels have.)