Spellcast

[cidbahamut]

I figured we could use a thread for discussing spellcast and all its quirks, as well as to compare XML files, get feedback and generally get ideas of how to further tweak our spellcast setups.

My Red Mage XML is getting to the point where I'm pretty happy with how it works and I'm running out of things to add to it. Let me know if there's anything you guys think needs tuning or have suggestions for stuff I might want to add.
[XML] RDM_3.0 - Pastebin.com

[Aksannyi]

Re: Spellcast

I'll watch this thread, mostly because I was a bigtime spellcast whore when I played and the rules of spellcast haven't changed nearly as much as the game has. (I can feel useful again)

[Taskmage]

Re: Spellcast

Do either of you know how to construct a rule that will check to see if a spell is waiting on its recast timer?

[cidbahamut]

Re: Spellcast

Do either of you know how to construct a rule that will check to see if a spell is waiting on its recast timer?

No, but now I have something to research on my lunch break.

---------- Post added at 02:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:04 PM ----------

Most definitely pseudo code

<var name="AspirIsDown>false</var>

<rules>
<if spell="Aspir">
// AspirIsDown = true
// wait %Recast seconds
// AspirIsDown = false
</if>
</rules>

I think you can pull that off with the <command> tag and some windower mumbo jumbo. Dunno the syntax for it myself but that's where I'd start.

Edit: I should probably mention that this will be all kinds of unreliable if you get interrupted while casting, since it'll still toggle the variable to indicate that the spell is on cooldown even if you didn't finish the spell. Not sure how you'd fix that, so it's definitely something you want to watch out for.

[Cotners]

Re: Spellcast

Do either of you know how to construct a rule that will check to see if a spell is waiting on its recast timer?

I dont know about a rule in XML, but the command /echo recast "Spell Name" will show you the recast time in your chat log if you dont use the windower plugin.

[Aksannyi]

Re: Spellcast

I don't know anything about that sort of rule. But I basically abused the shit out of recast and YarnBall in my every day life.

[cidbahamut]

Re: Spellcast

I'm guess it's more for something along the lines of automatically downgrading from Fire IV to Fire III if the former is on cooldown but you still want to be hitting with the same element.

[Taskmage]

Re: Spellcast

I'm guess it's more for something along the lines of automatically downgrading from Fire IV to Fire III if the former is on cooldown but you still want to be hitting with the same element.

Cure4>3 and Sleep2 >1 but otherwise, exactly.

[Aksannyi]

Re: Spellcast

Hmm, I don't know. But that sounds like something that could be in the realm of capability. I think I may have heard something along those lines, too, where it automatically spell corrects for certain instances. I never used it, myself, but now that you mention it I think there is something like that.

I think there was something like that where it would automatically cast Cure III if your Cure IV timer was down. I want to say that I never used it (or if I did, I never noticed it proc'ing) but now I'm thinking I may have used something similar. But most of the time, I was watching my recasts so well that I never had to worry about timers being down on WHM. On BLM, I was using those timers to keep myself from pulling hate. And on RDM ... lol, who are we kidding, nearly everyone in LS had RDM, I was almost never on RDM.

Dammit, I wish I still had my old XMLs now. I'd love to dig into them and see what kind of shit I had set up. My spellcast was a beast.

[cidbahamut]

Re: Spellcast

Yeah...you want to make sure you don't get locked out of the spell then, because the variable will get changed even if you get interrupted and don't finish the spell, which could be very bad.

[tdh]

Re: Spellcast

Do either of you know how to construct a rule that will check to see if a spell is waiting on its recast timer?

I've been trying to find a rule like this for some time

My spellcast rule for any Ninjutsu casting on SAM checks to see if Hasso or Seigan are active, and killing them so not to destroy my recast time on the spells. Problem is I've mashed that macro in the past when the spell wasn't up, and ended up killing a JA that I needed.

Nothing in the - in my opinion, weak - documentation has even leaned in this direction. I know Shuri asked me about it the other day as he knew I had tried at one point to do something along those same lines.

Presently my spellcast project, that has had no progress, is to build a rule that equips specific WS gear based on buffs or debuffs active. Basically switching my Fudo build based on Berserk, Stalwarts drink active, attack down, etc; that also works with my Sekkanoki rules.

[Aksannyi]

Re: Spellcast

My favorite was using spellcast in tandem with the Cancel plugin, which would recognize that my Sneak or Stoneskin was still up and cancel the buff from me so that when the spell cast, it wouldn't give me that retarded "no effect" shit. I used it for casting Ichi over Ni, as well, but I didn't /NIN that often.

There are specific clauses for the use of the Cancel plugin, and it will do the cancel action at midcast. So running through the tree on the way to the Aery, I wouldn't have to stop, hide somewhere, cancel my sneak, and then cast. I could stop, hide somewhere, and cast. Minor time saver but wonderful. Not sure if that's what you were using, tdh. But I think it works the same way. It sees that a buff is active, recognizes that you're casting a spell, and takes those buffs off in time for the spell to be cast.

[cidbahamut]

Re: Spellcast

I haven't gotten into Cancel yet, mostly because I don't have /NIN, but also because I don't trust the timing of it and I'd always have those niggling doubts about "what if it drops stoneskin and I get hit while it's down but with stoneskin up it would have taken all the damage and I'd be better off".

Also /SCH messes with cast times like nobody's business.

[Cotners]

Re: Spellcast

It seems to me that too much of the game can be automated with spellcast.

[Aksannyi]

Re: Spellcast

I haven't gotten into Cancel yet, mostly because I don't have /NIN, but also because I don't trust the timing of it and I'd always have those niggling doubts about "what if it drops stoneskin and I get hit while it's down but with stoneskin up it would have taken all the damage and I'd be better off".

Also /SCH messes with cast times like nobody's business.

The only time I've ever had a problem with it is when I unloaded Cancel by mistake, and I didn't realize it before casting Sneak - which has no effect - and then running like hell to the zone.

For Stoneskin, I just liked that I wouldn't accidentally cancel some other buff by manually taking it off, and since I also used StatusTimer, I'd know to cast when I had about 8 seconds left on Stoneskin. It was usually down for no more than three seconds I think, and generally you shouldn't be unable to withstand one - maybe two - hits without SS.