Mana Storm: Frame rate drop

[Crazyedd]

Aero's new mana storm seems to really eat up my CPU. The game runs fine with most of what goes on. However, whenever I cast the new mana storm everything just slows down to the point where I have to not look at the mana storm to allow everything to run smoothly.

I'm currently running WC3 on its highest settings. I'll see if this goes away if I reduce spell detail or something like that.
Tbh, I think it's just the 'cloud' animation that it uses, it seems to be too detailed for there to be so many on the screen at once.


However, on a slightly off note. I like the new ideas for the behaviour of the mana storm.

[watermelon]

Why didn't you come test today? :O

I didn't notice a big frame rate drop when I casted Mana Storm in today's test game but then again, I already had bad control of Aero for some reason.

[Crazyedd]

Oh shit, I forgot about that. I thought there were no games on anymore

It may just be my computer. I was using the command for more spawns whilst playing, so that may have factored a little.

So, you guys still doing games then? I'll definitely come for that.
Although, I use the university's internet, and it's a bit weird with online games. Sometimes it lets me play games and sometimes I join and don't DL the map for some reason.

[watermelon]

You should check the steam group even if you're not in it. =P

We should have games tomorrow at 4 pm EST.

[DarnYak]

Yea the graphic is too intense as it is - its not suppose to make the whole battlefield obscured. I originally thought this was a bug with the cloud spawning but now that its working properly its clearly the effect itself.

DarnYak

[Crazyedd]

Why not make the effect a large disease cloud? But in a different colour.
It might be less obscuring.

[DarnYak]

That's what it was suppose to be, more or less.

DarnYak

[Crazyedd]

Maybe you could alter the height of the cloud?
Make it so the cloud only just sticks up out of the ground. That way, the cloud is still there, and you can still see the units.

Or possibly redesign the spell design entirely. You could make it behave similar to the ring that the outposts/castles/keeps produce when you want to see how far the spawntowers can be created from it. I think that's in this game.

Basically, you click something on the outpost and it generates a large ring around the outpost. It's very interesting to look at and you probably wouldn't have too much trouble implementing it.
You could rename the spell 'Anti-mana Field' and make it behave in the same manner as the mana storm. The only difference is that the area is denoted by a large 'ring' (or some other type of shape) made up of multiple spell effects near the edge of the ring. When a player enters the ring they get attacked by the 'ring' in the same way the storm attacks them.

I think the way it would behave is similar to the dark ranger's (I forgot her proper name) spell which summons the ghosts around a target hero. Except in this case the 'target hero' is the centre of the ring, and the 'ghosts' are the spell effects that denote the ring.


Sorry if that wasn't very clear. I'll try and explain it more coherently later on.

[watermelon]

I think the cloud should be higher than what it is right now because it's a Mana Storm. =P
If the spell graphic did change to something like "Anti-mana Field," it wouldn't really seem related to Aero. Unless they're rings of tornadoes or something like that.

[DarnYak]

Or I could just tone down the particle density.

DarnYak

[Crazyedd]

Actually, I was thinking of something tornado related.

My idea would have been a giant tornado which can be controlled (although it moves slowly and will move freely if not directly controlled).
The tornado seeps mana from unit nearby. The mana it seeps is kept in the tornado, dealing a small percentage of the mana to random enemies by throwing them in the air (like the seawitches 'Geyser'). It could throw heros in the air based on a percent of the mana vs the hero's strength. Therefore, high strength heros could only be effected by the tornado once it's reached a high amount of mana.

After a certain amount of time the tornado explodes, dealing AoE damage to all units equivalent to a percentage (preferably a large percentage) of the mana it had on death.


I didn't want to recommend that because it sounds kind of iffy to implement, and would be a pointless removal of an already good spell.


EDIT:^^^Didn't know you could do that. Make it nearly see-through or something.