Trying to make a character have forked lightning for their attack

[vantheman]

I'm completely new to this stuff. Messing with it, because someday, I'll use it!

I tried just changing the attack animation and telling it to hit multiple targets, but turns out the editor doesn't work like that. Forked lightning is a lightning effect, can't just stick it there for the attack animation of a unit, and I didn't even see an option to have the basic attack hit multiples(though I did find a tutorial for that).

So I figured, I'll make it so the character can't attack, stick an auto casting-instant cool down-no mana Forked lightning ability in the slot and call it "Attack".

No. Lo and behold, there isn't a checkbox in the abilities that says "auto casting".

Or I'm missing it.

So I grabbed an auto casting spell. Heal. Went down the list, turning it to forked lightning, item by item. What? This one has number of targets, damage per target, etc. etc, and this one only has "HP gained". And....I can't change it! What?! I can't even change what an ability itself does, I just have to find another that does what I want it to? Why does it even deal with conflicts like "Damage dealt" or "HP gained", why doesn't it just have me enter a positive or negative? And why the hell can't I just set the value of what friggin' type of ability it is? Is an auto casting multi hit that friggin' out of reach programming wise, just because they didn't make one for the damn game itself? There's auto casters, there's multi hits, but there's no way in hell to put them together, because they're seperate, and you can only go as far as they did.

Sorry. I'm annoyed, is all.

So, my alternative plan, is let an AI have the unit, and share control with the player.

I did something like that with Warchasers - I wanted to play it single player, so I went in an futzed with it so that the computers gave me shared control, and then I had all 4 heroes, but the AI would use potions I picked up with it, and use abilities when it felt like it. So I'm thinking, maybe with the AI editor, I can get an AI to rapidly cast a 0 mana 0 cooldown forked lightning, and the unit will be under the player's control, so it'll be just as good as having forked lightning come out of the attack command.

Maybe I could work some sort of trigger magic. I made a lot of trigger heavy starcraft maps a long time ago, and I almost **** my pants when I saw all the different things this editor can do. You give me camera control now?! Sweet. Me a 3d major, me love making camera keys.

Anybody? Suggestions? Solutions? "Get off my board you crazy man"s?

 

[sheep]

dident read you post but of your titel i thourht you shout read the FAG before asking there... you are trying to make a multishot thing.. right

 

[vantheman]

No, I read that, and that's not what I'm trying to do. The multi shot won't have the forked lightning effect. The visual effect is the reason I want forked lightning specifically, or I would just use that multi shot, since it'll play pretty much the same.

 

[Anonymous235]

Forked Lightning Attack

Isn't there a trigger that'll let you do everytime a unit attacks (make sure u make the conditions to only that specific units) order unit to cast "forked lightning"? Then all u'd have to do is make forked lightning(button pos 1,1).

 

[vantheman]

Aha triggers. My logic hails from a place called Starcraft campaign editor, not used to having control over such specific events. The power, the power. Thanks a lot.

 

[Jazradel]

To allow a unit to have a lightning attack use an ability called Lightning Attack. I think the Night Elf Chimera has it.

To do what you want use an ability called Orb of Lightning and a ability based on Forked Lightning. Set the percentage to 100%.

Alternativly you can set the units damage to zero and use an invisilbe unit to cast forklightning on the attacked unit.

 

[WastedSavior]

Back to your heal idea, When you go to the heal part, hold shift then click it, and you can go into negatives.. Hope that helps..

 

[vantheman]

Eh, not really, because it still won't hit multiple enemies.

Orb of lightning and ability based on forked lightning? Percentage to 100?

So, I stick a clone of orb of lightning on the character, and have the stats - effect of that spell be a forked lightning ability?

I think I see where your going, since the orb of lightning automatically adds itself to the attack.

I tried it and the character(a bow character) didn't shoot anything. No projectile, no damage. Maybe I screwed something up just playing with the same map for hours....I'll start over and try just these steps.

 

[vantheman]

YES! It works! As Jazradel said, stick an orb effect on the character, because orbs are automatically linked to the attack. Then make it so instead of giving you stun or cold or something like that, the orb does FORKED LIGHTNING!! I just slaughtered the f*** out of the test orcs. Thank you message board!

And the neat thing is the character still does an attack underneath. Hmmm, now if I made that a lightning ball looking thing, and then did the barrage multi-shot thing and made the shots bounce.....Then we'd have the viciously omnipotent appearance I'm going for.

 

[MooMooMan]

heres a way to do it,

make multi shot, just like the tutorial tells you too, then change the projectile fired to "forked lightning".

then set this as a default active ability, if its on a unit, or a normal ability, if its on a hero.

BAM!(lol reminds me of the toothpaste comercial)
u have your forked lightning hero/unit.

 

[Jazradel]

Using Multishot won't work because it doesn't support Lightning Effects. It will only show the flash as it hits the target.

No problem. Be aware that multiple orb effects won't stack but I gathered you already knew that from your response. Good Luck on your map.

 

[metallic_boy]

This may seem sorta irellavant, dont flame me for it. Its only a thought.
If an ability, or a concept. In this case 'the forked lightning attack' is putting you through hell to make, and something else can give the exact same function, why bother doing it? this forked lightning attack is EXACTLY like a multishot in FUNCTION, but looks different. Even if your trying to make a theme or whatever.

Another thought (an actual soloution!): try giving your dude multishot and then getting a dummy on attack to cast a 0 dmg forked lightning. Alternatively, make the hero's dmg = to 0 and make a dummy cast an x dmg forked lightning.

Hope this helps
~metallic boy

 

[-fool-]

set attack sprite and sounds to lightning and all, and set targets max to like 5. so it can get 5 people max... and it looks like chain lightning.