Spells - Channel

XXXconanXXX

Cocktails anyone?
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Introduction

Channel is a spell made by Blizzard that was strictly used for triggered abilities (Custom abilities and spells that use triggers to get their effect). Therefore, Channel doesn't do anything when cast, but has more customization options than you could think of.

Use channel to make custom abilities and spells that need a trigger.

Creating Channel

We will first want to go to the Ability Editor inside the Object Editor, and make a new ability. Look through the list under 'Hero' and you should come across an ability called 'Channel'.

The key parts of Channel

We have many more options in Channel than other abilities, here is the list of the most commonly used and key options:

Art duration: Art Duration is the Duration of the special effect you attached to Channel when the unit starts casting the ability.

Base Order ID: The Base Order ID is the ID of the spell. In Channel, if we change it, it actually HAS an effect. Changing the ID can help because if a hero has two abilities based off the same ability, their IDs get messed up and he'll try to cast both. Changing this in Channel will change it's ID to something different, meaning you can have multiple Channels on the same
hero.

Disable Other Abilities: The Disable Other Abilities feature will turn off the casting unit's other abilities during the Casting time and Duration.

Follow Through Time: Follow Through Time can determine whether or not the ability is channeling or not. If we want it to be channeling, set the Follow Through Time to he Duration of the spell and remember to set Disable Other Abilities to false.

Options: Options is very important. If you do not check the box that sais 'Visible' within Options, that means you cannot see or cast the ability when it's on a unit. This is the only one you need to worry about in Options for now.

Options' options:

~Targeting Image: This determines if the spell has the area of effect image like other abilities.

~Physical Spell: This determines whether or not the spell goes through Magic Immunity or not. If this option is checked, that means you will get no error when trying to cast it on units with the Anti-Magic Shell buff or who are magic immune.

~Universal Spell: This means it goes through anything. This option really isn't necessary unless your using stricter JASS methods, checking the options if it is Universal or not. But I will not get into that.

~Unique Cast: Another strict JASS method. You will most likely never use this, because it's more for 'tallying', and isn't used by the spell.

Target Type: Target Type is the type of target you select. If you want it to be instant meaning no target, if you target a unit,
ground, or both.

Area of Effect: Area of Effect is the same in all abilities, and it's the area of the effect of the ability. Mainly used for the targeting image (You HAVE TO have 'Targeting Image' selected under the Options menu) and for JASS methods. Set the area of effect to 0 if you want the normal, no-area of effect targeting image.

Buffs: In the Buff Editor, you can make a new buff for Channel. Buffs show up on the unit under 'Status' when you select them, and have a small icon and a description of the effect they are under.

Casting Range: Casting Range is the range of the ability.

Casting Time: Casting Time determines how long of a wait there is before executing the effect. If the Casting Time is set to one second, the animation will play, and it will wait until then to execute the effect.

Cooldown: Cooldown determines the length of time it takes before the player can cast that ability again.

Duration: Duration is the length of time for the effect. If the effect is area of effect damage over time, this will determine how long that lasts.

Effect: Effect is strictly the art that plays when the ability is cast. If you have an effect model you'd like to play during the ability, you'd make a new Effect in the Buff Editor and add it to the ability.

Mana Cost: Mana Cost is the amount of mana it takes to cast the ability.

Targets Allowed: Targets Allowed can be a little tricky. This determines who you can target when you select a unit target. If you put it to dead units, it can ONLY be cast upon dead units. Same with ground and air. So, if you want it to be cast upon air and ground units, you'd select both. If you put it for Ground, air, and hero, then it can only be cast upon flying or ground heroes. Selecting ground and air will suffice to cast upon heroes as well.

Tips of the trade

~When you want to select when a unit casts the ability, you want to use the action "Unit - Generic unit event; Unit - A unit begins casting an ability" or "Unit - A unit starts the effect of an ability". Be careful which event you pick, because if you put it to "begins casting an ability", the player can quickly cancel the spell but get the effect. This can be avoided by setting the event to "Starts the effect of an ability".

~When we want to determine which spell is being cast, use the Condition
"Ability Comparison; (Ability being cast) Equal to your ability". When we want to determine what level the ability is, you can use a quick if/then/else with the condition being "Integer Comparison; Level of ability for unit".
 

SD_Ryoko

Ultra Cool Member
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Some constructive Ryoko thoughts.

I am assuming the reader has some sort of knowledge of the Ability Editor, so I am not going to explain every peice of the ability
Never assume. I look at channel and have no clue how it works.

We will first want to go to the Ability Editor inside the Object Editor, and make a new ability. Look through the list
under 'Hero' and you should come across an ability called 'Channel'.
Users should do a search for channel.

The Base Order ID is the ID of the spell,
Better said, the Base Order ID is the command order string used in the game.

'Options' is very important. If you do not check the box that sais 'Visible' within Options....
But what do the other options do? :(

'Buffs' are the icons that appear on a unit when you cast an ability on it. Buffs have no effect by themselves....
Buffs are the icons AND the lasting caster/target artwork effects for things that hang around. Like Brilliance, the buff creates the blue ring around the units.

Casting Time is the amount of time it takes to cast the ability, before the effect even takes effect.
How is this different from follow through time?

Cooldown is how long it takes between casts.
before the ability can be used again.

Duration is self explanatory, because it's the duration of the cast.
How long it takes to cast? Or how long it lasts?

Effects is also self explanatory.
Effects are used for additional artwork and special effects, like earthquake on the ground.
 

Rinpun

Ex TH Member
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:eek:

That's what I forgot in my dummy abilities in halo.
 

XXXconanXXX

Cocktails anyone?
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Haha ok, thanks Ryoko. I'll edit it and clean it up. One thing though, Channel is like Locust and invulnerability, it is NOT listed in the default abilities, therefore you cannot search it.

I also messed up by saying Casting Time happens before Duration, but the Casting Time and Duration execute at the same time, right after the Follow Through Time.
 

SD_Ryoko

Ultra Cool Member
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XXconanXXX said:
Haha ok, thanks Ryoko. I'll edit it and clean it up. One thing though, Channel is like Locust and invulnerability, it is NOT listed in the default abilities, therefore you cannot search it.
OIC - Its only avail on the list? Then you should mention.

I am almost positive channel is on the left tree in the ability editor - I've seen it. It has that flowery icon.

What I meant by search, click somwhere on the tree, go Edit, Find, type channel, bingo.
 

SilverHawk

General Iroh - Dragon of the West
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Conan:
Thanks a lot! That really clarified a lot of it for me. Nice work!
 

XXXconanXXX

Cocktails anyone?
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Oh ho ho ho ho, I found it! It's under Nuetral Hostile, and it isn't a flowery(?) icon, accept it's the Ritual "give your life to me" icon.
 

DM Cross

You want to see a magic trick?
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Frist thing: Bumping this so others can see :D It's really good...

Second thing: "Give your life to me" icon = ...The icon for Death Pact, of the Death Knight?
 

BrokenX

New Member
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I thought Conan was being sarcastic? :confused: strange... things get so mixed up now days, and i don't even realize it.
 

XXXconanXXX

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Death Pact icon, but I forgot the name of it, so I used the lazy way and said what it does. It really is the "Give your life to me" spell, because it sacrifices a unit. :)
 
1

1stlancer

Guest
Beautiful guide, a version of this should be in the FAQs. This has answered literally every problem I've been having with my map, and now I'm on a roller coaster of productive joy.
 

AceHart

Your Friendly Neighborhood Admin
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"We" would like too, but, as the "original" author puts it:
" I wrote this pretty quickly, didn't really look over it "...

This will need some more work to be up to "tutorial" standards.

We'll see ;)
 

XXXconanXXX

Cocktails anyone?
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I made this for the intention to give people a quick answer to some easy questions about the Channel spell, I didn't write it to be in the Tutorials website. Then again, if any of the moderators feel it needs to be, then they can tell me and I'll fix it up.
 

AceHart

Your Friendly Neighborhood Admin
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Yep.

- I link to this thread for just about anything that says "I need a doesn't-do-anything ability"
- There is a real need for such an ability
- I'm using channel all over the place
- This is, sort of, the most "complete" writeup of "channel" this forum seems to have
- It does need some work
- Just because I think it needs work to be completed, doesn't mean I think it's bad
- Who cares about my opinion?
- Who cares about yours?
- At least one reader thinks this "is good", or "should be in the FAQ"

- And a couple other things... ;)

- Answers are never "easy"
- "Common sense" isn't


Now, whether this will ever be complete or completed, or whatever, who knows?
Still, there is a need, and this thread (at least until now) was a decent writeup.

Difficult to see, the future is.


Yours
AceHart
 

XXXconanXXX

Cocktails anyone?
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Ok, I guess I'll fix it up and add some things + redo some things.

AceHart said:
- Just because I think it needs work to be completed, doesn't mean I think it's bad
- Who cares about my opinion?
- Who cares about yours?
- At least one reader thinks this "is good", or "should be in the FAQ"

ROFLMFAO, it seems you had a little moud swing while writing those lines, eh AceHart?
 

SilverHawk

General Iroh - Dragon of the West
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If you are going to "fix it up" (which I do think you should do; it's a great help, just needs some work), then my one suggestion would be to explain the rest of the "Data - Options" functions and the things you claim are obvious. Though most of them are, some people may not think so. I do think that if you're up to it, making this into a full tutorial would be great. I use Channel a lot with my abilities, and you helped me a great deal. So I say, go for it! :D
 

XXXconanXXX

Cocktails anyone?
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Basically, the only thing I need to do with it is add the other functions which are in other abilities, add what the Options do, (For example, the options in the options menu can mean between a spell not having a cooldown, and a spell having one) and give an example on how to make a *WORKING* Channela bgility. The problem I've ran into alot is the spells ignoring cooldown, which I will add why and how to stop that.
 

SilverHawk

General Iroh - Dragon of the West
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Out of curiosity, would you consider putting a little bit on dummy units in there if you don't mind? :)
 

XXXconanXXX

Cocktails anyone?
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That's covered in another small tutorial about AI I'm making, whichc overs spawn and movements, micromanagement, getting units to cast custom spells, and so on. (throught riggers and through normal AI)
 
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