MAGIC SYSTEM OVERHAUL: PART 1

Greetings everyone!

As of the 14th of March, part 1 of the Magic System Overhaul for AoC went live.
Due to having to meet deadlines and keep AoC up-to-date with the base game, we’ve had to split this update into multiple parts.
Part 1 introduces a new Balancing System, Reworked Animations for Magic Types (hand magic), and new Heavy Attacks for each Magic Type along with some special abilities.
For more details on this, see below.

OVERVIEW

• Magic Balance System: Part 1
  With this patch, a new setting has been added to the AoC Server Settings called Magic Balance.
  This is the first iteration of the Magic Balance System, which aims to bridge the gap between Melee/Ranged classes and Magic classes.
  This update aims to improve upon the magic combat, making it more fluid, faster, and with the addition of new heavy attacks.
  With that in mind, the balance system will reduce the overall magic DMG when going above a threshold of 350 in armor value.
  This will give the player a debuff to notify them that their magic is weakened by the armor.
  In regards to Magic Armor (specifically Elvanor & Felgarth), when the Balance System is on, the armor will automatically update when a piece of clothing is equipped.
  This will set the total armor value to 100. However, the armor cap is set to 350 because when you invest points into GRIT, your base armor value is increased.
  Maxed-out Grit and Magic Armor will put the character at 340 in armor value, which allows the player to utilize all the benefits of the magic armor without any impact on the magic DMG.
  For servers that do not want to utilize the balance system, you’ll be able to easily turn it off in the AoC Server Settings. However, do note that with the new changes to magic, the magic is significantly more powerful and is highly likely going to cause imbalance for servers that utilize any PvP content, such as Battlegrounds, etc.
• Magic Usage Requirement: Part 1
  Along with the Balance System, there is also a new requirement system for magic.
  Using any magic-related content, such as Fire Magic or a Fire Magic Staff will require the user to know Fire Magic beforehand.
  As things currently stand, starter staves for certain factions will now require their base magic to be learned. The staff will indicate what magic is required in the tooltips.
  Essence Magic will still be usable upon learning the Ancient Arts. Staves may get some changes moving forward in regard to this.
  For now, you will require your magic type to be learned before you can utilize staves such as the Phantom Scepter, etc.
  This is also a system that we aim to expand upon more moving forward.
  Ideally, we wanted to have this system as a Server Setting as well to be turned on and off, but we may not be able to do that.
  Nonetheless, we will continue to research this area and see if we can offer admins a way to customize this experience for their servers.
  As AoC continues to expand, our goal is to make more and more content customizable for servers so that you can play the mod the way you want to.

FURTHER AHEAD

We’re not usually sharing ideas and plans for future content for the sole purpose that it may not pan out.
That said, we’re going to make an exception and share with you a potential roadmap focused on what we want to achieve moving forward.
DISCLAIMER: All of this is subject to change. Do not consider any of this as content that will 100% be added to the mod.
This is purely what we hope to deliver in the near future and we can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to pull this off.
There are a lot of limitations to modding, and we also have to meet deadlines. This means the content may need to be rushed, pushed back, or scrapped altogether in order to make the AoC mod playable.

• Magic Balance System: Part 2
  Our goal is to continue to expand upon the Magic System to make the magic gameplay more rewarding for both the user and the opponent.
  Balancing content for PvP and PvE, however, is a tough nut to crack. Moving forward, we aim to bridge that gap by making PvE content that scales better to the new settings. This means fewer enemy HP sponges and more demanding combat. That said, we have to work within the confines of the base game as when modding you have to create a lot of loopholes in the most basic of functions, so what may be the best approach on paper may not be a possibility with what we have access to.
  In addition to bridging the gap between NPCs and players, we’re also looking at creating Outfit Bonuses.
  As an example, if you play as Elvanor and you wear a full Magus Armor Set, you’ll get additional benefits and bonuses added that focus on specific areas of magic.
  We’re also looking into giving you new animations for Magic Staves to improve upon and make the staff combat more fluid.
• Magic Usage Requirement: Part 2
  Building on the Magic Usage Requirement System, Accuracy and Skill Progression will play a significant role.
  This means that as you level up your magic, your Magic Accuracy will improve, you’ll be able to cast magic faster, etc.
• More Server Settings
  With our focus on more customizability, we aim to give admins the option to tweak more settings in regard to the Magic Balance System.
  This includes Magic DMG Value Cap, which is the armor cap of which your magic damage is reduced.
  Additionally, we also plan on creating a Magic Armor Cap setting, which will allow you to set the upper cap of Magic Armors.
  Right now, Magic Armors cap at 100 armor points, so the goal is to allow servers to tweak this themselves to fine-tune it to their liking.
• Economy Update
  The economy of AoC has been a major concern as of late, which is why I wish to address this in this post.
  With AoC, our goal was always to create a living economy based on the ability to trade content between factions, etc.
  This ultimately adds to the gameplay, in my opinion, by being able to work together and trade items/content with each other.
  Unfortunately, recent changes to the base game have caused some issues in this department with the introduction of the Construction Hammer.
  While this made building more accessible, it also made it impossible to trade content with other factions, such as Crafting Stations, etc.
  With our recent patch, we’ve added the ability to craft AoC Faction Unique Crafting Stations on the Construction Platform as well as within the Construction Hammer.
  Though this kind of approach is fine for a handful of things like the few unique crafting stations, but it’s far from ideal beyond that sort of content.
  This is why we’re exploring new ways to deal with the overall economy for AoC.
  We want to really expand and enhance this part of the game, allowing for a more dynamic and living economy that can expand upon the gameplay experience.
  All of that sounds good on paper, but we’ll see what we’ll actually be able to pull off. We can’t make any promises on this, but rest assured, we’re definitely looking into this aspect of the mod.

So a quick summary of potential future content:
– Outfit Bonuses
– Reworked Mage Staff Animations
– Accuracy and Skill Progression based on Magic Level
– New Server Setting to set the Magic DMG Armor Value Cap
– New Server Setting to set the Magic Armor Cap
– Economy Improvements

If you haven’t read the patch notes for our recent patch yet, you can find them below.

Patch Notes

V.3.87

Changes & Fixes:
– Updated to the latest game version
– Performance and optimization improvements
– Updated Dark Angel to be an Heirloom weapon (LvL 120)
– Updated Panties to increase swimming speed
– Updated Armors and Weapons for AoC NPCs
– Updated Construction Platform to create Faction unique Crafting Stations (as well as the Construction Hammer)
– Adjusted new vanilla content to work with AoC
– Improved Accuracy with Magic Weapons
– Reworked Magic System
– Renamed recipe Knight’s Weaponry to Sword & Shield
– Renamed Grandmaster’s Memory Potion to Reset Potion
– Renamed various armor pieces based on visual updates
– Fixed an issue with Volcanic Heat and Tempest Gust applying the wrong temperature bonuses
– Fixed a material issue with the Soul Prison
– Fixed various issues with icons
– Fixed an issue with the material on Mask of the Elements
– Fixed various bugs

AoC Menu:
– Added Magic Balance to Server Settings (Can be turned on and off)

Animations:
– Reworked Magic Idle Animation
– Reworked Fire Magic Casting Animations
– Reworked Earth Magic Casting Animations
– Reworked Air Magic Casting Animations
– Reworked Water Magic Casting Animations
– Reworked Divine Magic Casting Animations
– Reworked Arcane Magic Casting Animations
– Reworked Blood Magic Casting Animations
– Reworked Soul Magic Casting Animations
– Added Magic Equip Animation for all Magic Types
– Added Magic Unequip Animation for all Magic Types
– Added custom idle pose for the Blade of the Harbinger

Journey:
– Added Uncharted Lands
– Added The Faction Hall

Magic:
– Reworked Heavy Attacks for Magic Weapons
– Reworked Magic Armors
– Added Magic Balance System
– Added Special Ability to Water Magic
– Added Special Ability to Air Magic
– Added Special Ability to Arcane Magic

Visuals:
– Updated Blade of the Harbinger
– Updated Armor for North Watch Sub-Faction
– Updated Armor for Order of Arcanum Sub-Faction
– Updated Eye Glow for Magic Weapons
– Updated Loading Screens

Quests:
– Added Shackles of Fate