As some posters pointed out, the really deep, complex treatment of magic that the author wishes for might be difficult to implement for game play reasons, and I agree. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't strive for improvements. And many things that would improve magic in games are not that hard to implement. And the author already mentioned a few of them, and I'm only summing up here, for the most part:
- Explain how magic works (or how it is believed to work) in your universe. And do so in a way that every player learns it, not bury it in some books or something that most never read.
- Create more interesting spells. It is magic, after all, so there are few limits - why does it always have to be the fireball? With modern games visual fidelity, it should be possible to make spells like the "filling lungs with water" or "crumbling weapons" visually distinct.
- Make casting magic mechanically more interesting. Perhaps you have to use button combinations, mouse gestures, some action reliant on good timing, or whatever - actual game designers should have better ideas than I do. Very complex mechanics might not fit to a game's gameplay, but it should be possible to create something more intriguing than "press A".
Sometimes, you have to position, block, dodge and time well in melee combat, position well aim carefully with your bow in ranged combat, and with magic, you just have to press a button, it's the easiest thing. That doesn't feel right.
- Give magic negative consequences. This can be done in numerous ways. On a very basic level, gameplay-wise: Give magic the possibility to backfire (perhaps if you don't execute a spell well) - damaging the caster, no damage at all, summon hostile instead of friendly monsters or whatever). If you're using necromancy, blood magic or some other "dark" magic, and this magic is granted to you by higher beings in the game world, eventually the "responsible" higher being might demand some meaningful, painful sacrifice from you in a story. Using a lot of magic - if it is somewhat "dark" magic - could change the look of your character, negative consequences could affect NPCs you like, decidedly change the reaction of some NPCs towards you, letting the mage lose control over himself for a short time, or whatever.This all works even if magic is not the main theme of your game.
- Make the use of certain kinds of magic conditional on player (character) behavior. If some spirit, good or evil, grants you his magic, you can only use it as long as you behave according to this spirits moral values. A paladin may not be allowed to use poison. Or, if you can have sex with NPCs, like in your typical BioWare RPG, some warrior-monk can only use certain abilities as long as he's chaste.
All that stuff would not be so hard to implement, and would (or might) make these games more interesting. Sure, there'll always be more lighthearted games where magic should feel about as simple as bullets, flamethrower and grenades, but that's not the feeling that games like Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age or the likes aim for, I think.
- Explain how magic works (or how it is believed to work) in your universe. And do so in a way that every player learns it, not bury it in some books or something that most never read.
- Create more interesting spells. It is magic, after all, so there are few limits - why does it always have to be the fireball? With modern games visual fidelity, it should be possible to make spells like the "filling lungs with water" or "crumbling weapons" visually distinct.
- Make casting magic mechanically more interesting. Perhaps you have to use button combinations, mouse gestures, some action reliant on good timing, or whatever - actual game designers should have better ideas than I do. Very complex mechanics might not fit to a game's gameplay, but it should be possible to create something more intriguing than "press A".
Sometimes, you have to position, block, dodge and time well in melee combat, position well aim carefully with your bow in ranged combat, and with magic, you just have to press a button, it's the easiest thing. That doesn't feel right.
- Give magic negative consequences. This can be done in numerous ways. On a very basic level, gameplay-wise: Give magic the possibility to backfire (perhaps if you don't execute a spell well) - damaging the caster, no damage at all, summon hostile instead of friendly monsters or whatever). If you're using necromancy, blood magic or some other "dark" magic, and this magic is granted to you by higher beings in the game world, eventually the "responsible" higher being might demand some meaningful, painful sacrifice from you in a story. Using a lot of magic - if it is somewhat "dark" magic - could change the look of your character, negative consequences could affect NPCs you like, decidedly change the reaction of some NPCs towards you, letting the mage lose control over himself for a short time, or whatever.This all works even if magic is not the main theme of your game.
- Make the use of certain kinds of magic conditional on player (character) behavior. If some spirit, good or evil, grants you his magic, you can only use it as long as you behave according to this spirits moral values. A paladin may not be allowed to use poison. Or, if you can have sex with NPCs, like in your typical BioWare RPG, some warrior-monk can only use certain abilities as long as he's chaste.
All that stuff would not be so hard to implement, and would (or might) make these games more interesting. Sure, there'll always be more lighthearted games where magic should feel about as simple as bullets, flamethrower and grenades, but that's not the feeling that games like Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age or the likes aim for, I think.
