Patch 84 - Feb 6, 2009: Spell Disruption, Firefield, Boats

[Derrick]

• Correction to spell interuption formula
  • A mathmatical error was found, and corrected in the formula used to determine if your spell is interrupted when you take damage while casting.
  • The net effect of this fix varies accross damage, magery skill, and casting circles.
  • Rather than asking specific questions about this change, as we will not be releasing the formula for spell disruption, the best method of discoving the difference will be experimentation.
• Some Magic Weapons drops adjusted
• Fixes break-in boat exploit
• Firefield interval slowed and damage (per interval) increased

[Hemperor]

nevermind fireball and lightning disrupting far less than harm now... i greater healed through an EB (yes the damage hit clearly during the spell) is this supposed to happen?....

[CmaN]

Spell disruptions have felt random and silly since I started here. I think the problem got worse with the introduction of short damage delays of 1 second.
From december:

"Spell disruption formula changed and now accounts for the circle of the spell being interrupted. Based on (copy of) the OSI code for disruption."

and later in same patch "The spell disruption formula was interpolated from OSI code and we're very much looking forward to feedback on this change."

Then why did Harm have to get buffed in its ability to disrupt? I think something got lost in interpolation, because it doesn't make sense that harm trumps other direct damage spells in interrupt efficiency.

Why doesn't damage = interrupt? No formula differential for spell levels, and no "interpolation of OSI code". Simply put: system feels broken. Damage application after spell cast feels like its taking too long, even with a literal 1 second delay, and interrupting a spell cast with anything but harm or a curse is just throwing the dice. The continued direction this is system is taking is just weird, and doesn't feel like OSI. I don't have a proposal for change, I just know this doesn't feel right at all, and never has.

[Derrick]

The first disrupt system was based on a patch note, the second was based on the actual code we discovered but there was an error in the actual coding (by me), and the most recent change is the correction to that.

Under the current formula lightning and EB should have a much surer chance of disrupting than harm, with the exception that harm has no damage delay with lightning and EB have a damage delay, making harder to actually land the damage at precicely the right time to interrupt. More damage means better chance, it doesn't matter which spell you use to do the damage. The circle of the spell being casted however is a factor, as well as the magery of the caster being interupted.

The reason that it's not just damage=interrupt, is that that simply wasn't ever the case.

[CmaN]

The reason that it's not just damage=interrupt, is that that simply wasn't ever the case.

How then, on OSI, could a person stop his casting by taking the damage from a trapped chest.

Example: starts casting summon water elemental, breaks a chest.

Also, where is this literal 1 second damage delay defined at? Under this system, there is next to no reactive spell interruption. Greater heal (4th) has a cast of.. 2 seconds? Base time for spells that are not a curse or harm is 1 second, not including cast time.

[Derrick]

8th circles spells will be disturbed by any damage amount regardless of magery level.

I'm a little confused by the rest of your question.

[Faust]

How then, on OSI, could a person stop his casting by taking the damage from a trapped chest.

I have already confirmed on the Ultima Online Demo that verifies the patch notes that ALL damage does not disrupt 100% of the time. When I get the chance tonight we will see if a trapped chest breaks casting on there like you have claimed.

Also, where is this literal 1 second damage delay defined at?

This is a very easy process to test on the demo too. If you cast the fireball spell and let go while holding the spell down you are able to get a target up at exactly the same time that the damage hits. The fireball spell takes 1.0 seconds to cast.

[CmaN]

does this 1 second you refer to include the projectile travel time?
it is gimpy to get hit by any spell and see the damage universally applied 1 second later.

[Faust]

All animations are cosmetic in Ultima Online including the spells. The damage delay for damaging spells, ranged weapons, and even the fire breath for those related creatures that use it has and still is 1 second in Ultima Online. The only reason anyone thinks it was anything but this are those that played on RunUO shards previously since it's set by default in the scripts for this.

The only spell that never had the damage delay was harm. This was later changed in early '99 for the explosion spell since it already had a 2 second delay until the damage occurred. The only other spell that was ever changed later on was the lightning spell when the AOS expansion was released.

[Blackraven]

Fixes break-in boat exploit

Yar!.. *sigh*

[fooka03]

Fixes break-in boat exploit

Yar!.. *sigh*

Doesn't mean you can't still rob people blind, just gotta know how to do it the proper way

[Severity]

Derrick would you mind clarifying what magic weapons drop was adjusted? I'm just curioius what changed as I noticed a switch in some loot.

[Derrick]

It's pretty hard to fully yet briefly desrcibe what the effect of the changes might have been becuase the loot tables are shared across multiple creatures, generally though you may see an increase in magics and gold and a decrease in gems.

[Severity]

Ok thanks