Effects

Versatile recursively-defined effects affecting the game world. They are defined as nested, parametrized blocks. Some of them affect children (meta-effets), other cause a direct effect, e.g. damage (base effects). For example:

  <effect type="list">
    <effect type="timed">
      <time value="3.0" />
      <effect type="modify">
        <mod-aspect value="speed" />
        <amount value="2.0" />
      </effect>
    </effect>
    <effect type="graphical-effect">
      <time value="3.0" />
      <namevalue="trail" />
    </effect>
    <effect type="particle">
      <time value="0.8" />
      <particle value="shield" />
    </effect>
    <effect type="chance">
   	  <chance value="0.8" />
   	  <effect type="recastable">
   	    <recast value="1.0" />
   	    <time value="5.0" />
        <effect type="heal">
          <amount value="0.1" />
        </effect>
      </effect>
    </effect>
  </effect>

As you can see, there's one common effect format <effect type="[...]">[parameters]</effect>. The type is one of these listed below and parameters depend only on effect's type. The parameter's order doesn't matter. Parameters are mostly simple objects that look like <name value="[...]" />, but in some cases there's one (when using a meta-effect), or more (only list) sub-effects.

Base effects

damage - parameters: aspect (string), amount. Deals damage.
heal - parameters: aspect (string), amount, [show-amount (empty)]. Heals self.
modify - parameters: aspect (string), amount, mod-aspect (string). Modifies one target's aspect.
AIState - parameters: TODO?
restore-mana - parameters: aspect (string), amount. Restores caster's mana.
drain-mana - parameters: aspect (string), amount. Drains target's mana.
console - parameters: text (string). Executes a console command.
bullet - parameters: bullet emitter
stun - parameters: none. If not used under timed meta-effect, duration defaults to 1 second.
graphical-effect - parameters: time, name (string). Displays a graphical effect.
noEffect - parameters: none. Does nothing, I don't know what is it for.
linked-graphical-effect - parameters: time, name (string). Displays a graphical effect from the source to the victim, only on which works is "lightning".
knockback - parameters: amount. Depends on the mass of an actor being knockbacked, but usually the value less than 2 is enough :)
jump - parameters: TODO?
summon - parameters: summoner
inject - parameters: TODO?
transfer-life - parameters: amount. Hurts mosters, heals caster.
transfer-mana - parameters: amount. Like above, affects mana instead of health.
annihilate - parameters: TODO?
increase-next-ability-level - parameters: amount. Increases the effective level of next used ability.
heal-target - parameters: amount. Heals target.

Meta-effects

timed - parameters: time (float), sub-effect.
Effect stops after a given amount of time. Not all effects work with this, e.g. sub-effect time doesn't. There is something called "default recast" of an effect - for life/mana gain it's 0 (fluently), for state changes +INF (only once), for the rest 1s (for example, with effect bullet bullets are spawned every second).
recastable - parameters: time (float), recast (float), sub-effect.
Works just like timed, but here you can change the "default recast time".
area - parameters: area (float), filter (string), sub-effect.
area is the area radius, and filter tells, which objects should be affected by sub-effect.
chance - parameters: chance (float, 0 to 1). Effect will be executed with given probability - 0 means "never" and 1 "always".
list - parameters: sub-effect, sub-effect2, [...].
The only way to join effects into a group, two sub-effects won't work where there's only one expected.
delayed - parameters: time (float), sub-effect.
Delays the sub-effect's execution.
retarget - parameters: target-chooser, sub-effect.
Auto-targets the sub-effect.
non-cumulative - parameters: sub-effect.
Works only with timed or recastable effects, prevents the sub-effect from being cumulated.
check-level - parameters: amount, sub-effect.
Checks if the ability level is high enough. If not, sub-effect won't be executed.

Parameters

amount & all other float parameters - can pass the exact value by value or calculate the formula from calc.
text - can be either <text>command</text> for a single command or
```
<text>[
  command1
  command2
  ...
]</text>
```
for a block of commands. Notice the square brackets around the command block!
summoner - defined as follows:
```
<summoner>
  <ttl value="20"/>
  <min-radius value="1"/>
  <count value="2"/>
  <template value="data/physicals/healer-ghost.xml"/>
</summoner>
```
ttl, min-radius, count are float parameters, so they can be also used with calc instead of value.
- ttl - the amount of time, after which the summons will die.
- min-radius - describes the circle around the summoner, in which summoned creatures shouldn't spawn.
- count - how many summons will be spawned?
- template - summon's template file.
target-chooser - defined as follows:
```
<target-chooser>
  <filter value="hostiles"/>
  <range value="5.0" />
  <angle value="90"/>
  <aim-at-ground value="1"/>
</target-chooser>
```
range can be also used with calc instead of value.
- filter - which type of targets should be choosed.
- range - the maximum distance from the chosen target and the caster.
- angle - cuts down the angle to prevent shooting back (degrees).
- aim-at-ground - TODO?