Version 2 Update

I have some major pieces workings like the user interface (GUI) and the logic to play cards. The GUI looks the same but I had to add a small section for the mana pool, so you can actually get mana burned this time around. The mana pool is for any cards that make mana like Dark Ritual or Seething Song. The Card and SpellAbility classes are the same, except I added a few methods to SpellAbility so it could have more than one target. Most spells/abilities only have one target, but a few, a troublesome few, have more than one, like the new Cone of Flame card in 10th Edition.

I know I want to include cards with protection. The problem is that protection covers multiple areas like regular damage, combat damage, blocking, targeting, and enchanting. I have a few simple enchantments workings like Angelic Blessing. It seems really weird playing with enchantments since MTG Forge never had them before.

I haven’t worked at all on the AI, although it seems like it will work like previous versions. I have gotten the computer to play Remove Soul, which makes the game seem more interactive, since you know the computer might respond to a spell. I would just love it if the computer played Terror during combat. I really want to be able to have the computer use Giant Growth during combat, so that it keeps you guessing some of the time.

My goal is to include a puzzle mode, where the board is already setup and you have one turn to beat the computer. This would help players learn some of the more tricky parts of Magic like combat tricks. Users could also submit situations to me, and I could add them.

A quest mode to become world champion would really help make MTG Forge a full-fledged video game. You would start out with a basic 2 colored deck, and you would have to play other players for money in order to buy booster packs or individual cards. You would participate in constructed, draft, and sealed tournaments. I might also program a DCI rating that went up or down depending on if you won or lost. The rating would not be a “real” rating, but it would still add some interest value.

For what’s its worth, MTG Forge will just be you against the computer. If you want to play against another human player (with the rules) try out sourceforge.net/projects/mtgproject

And for discussion, what feature do you want programmed into MTG Forge?