Repository for the wizard-centric roguelike CASTER EDITION.

This game is in the very early stages of development.

I am currently working on the spellcasting system. The game uses a procedural generation system, which can generate around 25,000 unique spell effects. Each spell is generated by randomly selecting a target selector (Y enemies within X range, All enemies in a line of length L, All enemies in line of sight, etc) and an effect type. There are around 1100 unique combinations of these at the moment. Once a spell is actually cast, depending on the resources used to cast it, it is assigned one of 15 different elemental subtypes. The elemental subtype determines how exactly a spell's effect will manifest. For many spell effects, this is definitely more than just a new coat of paint (ie, most spell effects are modified according to elemental subtype in ways that are more than just "You hurt him, but this time it was a blue fireball instead of red").

The game aims to be unique by attempting to emulate one aspect of spellcasting that I feel is ignored in many games with spellcasting elements: the experimental nature of becoming a competent spellcaster. It would be difficult to explain in writing how exactly this is achieved, but I can gladly add an explanation later if enough interested parties ask me to. Of course, as the game reaches completion, the unique spellcasting mechanics will become more apparent.

I will warn the reader now, that the way I intend to make spellcasting in this game unique compared to other games may make the game frustrating to play. I believe this potential frustration is why most games don't attempt to make spellcasting experimental in nature, but its something I want to do for fun.

Once the spellcasting system is complete, the game engine would be mostly finished as well (as many things need be implemented for spellcasting to be fully functional), and the groundwork that is layed out for the procedural spell generation system might benefit someone else who wants a unique magic system in their game.

#How do I play If you'd like to play right now, simply clone the repo or download as zip, and launch the executable. Of course, you can rebuild from source if you have g++. main.cpp has the command you should use to rebuild the file

To actually experience CASTER-EDITION's core mechanic, the spells, you can simply use the key combo that will instantly teach you a new spell -- shift+c. This will spit out some numbers, the first of which is really important. This is the 'goal number' of that spell. Every spellcaster in CASTER-EDITION needs a 'Cantus,' which is a 4-letter word that they chant while casting spells. Press Ctrl-C to enter your cantus. Your cantus is displayed on the sidebar, along with the 'value' of the Cantus, which is simply a sum of the 4 integers between 1 and 26 represented by the letters in your cantus. If the value of your Cantus is sufficient close to the goal number of the spell you are trying to cast, the spell will be a success. If you experience any spell instability, please let me know.

Your spell takes on one of 15 different elemental subtypes, which are all the possible combinations of the 4 classical elements. The relative magnitude of each letter in your cantus (a being the lowest and z being the highest) determines what elemental subtype the spell will take one.

When the game is out of beta, the spells' goal numbers will be unknown to the player, as Caster Edition is meant to be a game of experimentation and learning. I am trying to capture the difficulty I believe would come with learning to master a spell, which is something glossed out of most RPGs, both video games and tabletop games.