Pause between spells! Options

[Sikret]

This tutorial contains a false comment inside one of its codes:

This is a technique used to account for the pause between spellcasting. It cuts off spellcasting actions when they cannot be performed,[...] So, you might have the following block:


IF
    !GlobalTimerNotExpired("castnattack","LOCALS")
    HaveSpellRES("spwi999",Myself)
THEN
    RESPONSE #100
        SetGlobalTimer("castnattack","LOCALS",6) // Timer always set to 6, as that is the duration of the pause
        SpellRES("spwi999",LastSeenBy(Myself))
END

Well, this is wrong!

As I have mentioned elsewhere the duration of the pause is NOT 6. I don't know how many modders might have been misled by the fasle comment inside the code which says "as that is the duration of the pause", but it's now perhaps the time to let people know that it is false.

The duration of the pause varies from spell to spell (it's not 6 for every spell). I know the exact duration of the pause for each and every spell, but the easiest way to implement the correct duration of the pause is to use "SpellNoDec" instead of "ForceSpell" as it is implemented in Improved Anvil.

[Sikret]

You need the timer, because it is a cast n attack stuff. If i recall correctly SpellCastNoDec has time, if you don't have a delay, the forthcoming attack will break it, no?

No, it won't! The forthcoming action will not start till the spell is finished.

Furthermore, I didn't start this topic to discuss "cast and attack". It was about the delay between spells and I informed everyone that they can use "SpellNoDec" without any need to a timer if they want to ensure the delay between spells.

The error which I reported from inside the tutorial was also about a false claim about the delay.

PS: Cast and attack can also be performed without the timer, but I'm not going to discuss it here and now, because this thread is about the delay only.

[Sikret]

You need the timer, because it is a cast n attack stuff. If i recall correctly SpellCastNoDec has time, if you don't have a delay, the forthcoming attack will break it, no?

No, it won't! The forthcoming action will not start till the spell is finished.

Furthermore, I didn't start this topic to discuss "cast and attack". It was about the delay between spells and I informed everyone that they can use "SpellNoDec" without any need to a timer if they want to ensure the delay between spells.

Since SimDing has recently linked to this post (from another forum), I need to clarify a point:

The timers he refers to exist in IA's scripts but not for the reason he said and had in mind (i.e. not because the action will be interrupted by the forthcoming atatck and not because ensuring the pause between spells as SpellNoDec does take care of it).

The timer does something quite different. Without the timer the creature running the script will pick his target for the next action prematurely. For example, he will cast his first spell and will immediately pick his target for his second spell even though he can't yet cast it (for the pause). Consequently, if this newly and prematurely picked taregt becomes invisible during the pause, the creature will lose his target for the spell. The timer is there to ensure that the creature will not try to pick his next spell's target before its due time.