Editing Morphing

[[File:Jl2ESeg.gif|thumbnail]]

The process by which a tuxemon enters a new [[Life Stage]]. Can be permanent or temporary. 

== Discussion on Github ==

* https://github.com/Tuxemon/Tuxemon/issues/540

Has some thoughts that haven't been reproduced here yet.

== Discussion ==

=== Basics ===

Monsters range in level from level 1 to level 100. The number of [[experience]] points an individual monster has determines its level.

Monsters mostly gain experience points through battling other monsters. There may be other ways of gaining experience points as well.

Most monsters can “morph”, evolving from one variety to another. This morphing is typically one-way and permanent, but that does not have to be the case. No monster permanently morphs more than twice; some monsters only morph once or never.

=== Current implementation of experience points and levelling ===

•    When an enemy monster is eliminated, all player monsters that did any amount of damage to it are given an equal portion of (its total experience points / its level).
•    A monster increases in level if its total experience points meet or exceed (its level * its Experience Required Modifier) ^ 3. I believe the Experience Required Modifier is currently hard-coded to 1 for all monsters.
•    A monster increases as many levels as it is entitled to.
•    Morphing occurs when the player actively triggers it at a terminal. 

This results in some funny behaviours:

•    Level 1 monsters give no experience points.
•    It takes a monster defeating between five and three monsters of the same level to increase in level – with low level monsters needing to defeat more monsters to level up. In most games it’s quicker to level up at lower levels and it gets progressively slower.
•    I suspect that this is quite quick levelling up compared to other games, and compared to the story that we have planned. 
•    All monsters of the same level give the same experience points (not necessarily a bad thing, but it is unusual).
•    Monsters can have more experience points than their level would suggest; they potentially “should” be many levels higher.
•    A monster could make a contribution in battle without damaging the opponent, e.g. using a technique that makes them confused or enraged. Currently, they wouldn't receive experience points for participating in that battle.

=== Questions to consider ===

•    Do we want monsters that only used non-damaging techniques to share in the experience points of the defeated monster?
•    How many equally-matched battles do we want a monster to be involved in before it gains one level?
•    Do we want lower-level monsters to gain a level after more or fewer equally-matched battles than higher-level monsters?
•    How much more experience points should higher-level monsters give than lower-level ones? Is defeating a level 10 monster worth twice as much as defeating a level 5 monster? Or four times as much? Or more?

=== Proposed procedures ===

==== After battle ==== 

    At the end of each battle the player wins, check each of the player’s monsters that increased in level during that battle.
    If one of them has a morph-option specified that is “triggered by: level”, check the “trigger” for that morph option.
    If the number in the trigger is less than or equal to the monster’s level, check any further conditions.
    If those conditions are also met, play the animation.
    If the player presses “cancel” at any point during the animation, end this process and check the next eligible monster, if any. The current monster does not morph.
    Otherwise, delete the monster and replace it with the monster listed as “destination” under the morph-option. The new monster has the same position in the party, experience point total and custom name (if any) as the old monster.
    Check the next eligible monster, if any.

==== When an item is used ====

    If an item from the Morph Items category is used on a monster, check if that monster has a morph-option specified that is "triggered by: item".
    -- If it doesn't, show the dialogue: "It doesn't seem to respond."
    If it is triggered by item, check if the "trigger" for that morph option is the item's name.
    -- If it doesn't, show the dialogue: "It doesn't seem to respond to that item."
    If the item does match the trigger, check any further conditions.
    If those conditions are also met, play the animation.
    If the player presses “cancel” at any point during the animation, end this process and check the next eligible monster, if any. The current monster does not morph.
    Otherwise, delete the monster and replace it with the monster listed as “destination” under the morph-option. The new monster has the same position in the party, experience point total and custom name (if any) as the old monster.

==== Potential animation ====

Mock up: https://wiki.tuxemon.org/index.php?title=File:Jl2ESeg.gif

*    Fade in from black to:
*    A background with the Chinese character for the Type that monster belongs to, along with the front sprite of that monster.
*    The dialogue: “NAME is morphing!” appears. The monster’s Cry sounds.
*    Flash of white.
*    Music plays. An animation related to the Type plays, as the monster shakes, eventually hiding the monster.
*    Flash of white.
*    The Type animation is replaced with a still GIF related to the Type, plus the front sprite of the new morphed form. The new monster’s Cry sounds.
*    A final sound effect plays. Dialogue shows based on type:
*    -- “NAME rose from the rubble” (Earth type)
*    -- “NAME emerged from the flames”
*    -- “NAME formed from the water”
*    -- “NAME was crafted” (Metal type)
*    -- “NAME has sprouted” (Wood type)
*    Fade to black.

== Methods of morphing ==

So far, there have been four conditions for morphing suggested:

•	The monster reaches or exceeds a particular level 
•	The monster reaches or exceeds a particular level, and meets another condition 
•	The monster has an item used on it; the morph is permanent 
•	The monster has an item used on it; the morph is temporary 

A lot of the conditions depend on systems that haven’t been implemented yet (and may not be wanted to be implemented):

•	Gender
•	Stat differentiation within the same variety
•	Happiness
•	Learning other techniques

Others are presumably able to be implemented without other systems:

•	When a monster of a particular type is in their party
•	When they are in a particular location 

In one case, a monster would be eligible for two morphs at the same time: Vivipere reaching level 25 or higher. 
That is because Vivipere’s gimmick is that you have to figure out what its conditions for morphing are. To morph into Vivitron, it has to reach level 25 or higher. But it morphs into Vivisource or Viviteel at level 24 or higher (which one depends on gender), so at level 25 it would be eligible for Vivisource/Viviteel and Vivitron. 
Therefore there has to be some way to establish an order of priority if a monster is eligible for two or more morphs. 

=== Leveling up ===

In this model, a tuxemon changes Life Stage when they reach a certain level or, if their morph is stopped then, at any subsequent level. 

=== Conditional morphing ===

In this model, a tuxemon changes Life Stage when some special condition is met. They may also be required to be a certain level.

* Tuxemon of different genders may morph into different tuxemon, or only one gender may morph. For example, [[Aerodin]] morph from level 24 - into [[Aerostag]] if male and [[Aerodeer]] if female.
* Tuxemon may morph when levelling up, but only if a tuxemon of a particular [[Type]] is in the same party. For example, [[Floodby]] requires another Water type to be in their team.
* Tuxemon may morph when levelling up, but into a different tuxemon depending on their [[Stats]]. For example, [[Katacoon]] evolves into [[Sumchon]] if its [[Armour]] Stat is higher than its [[Melee]] Stat, and into [[Bugnin]] if the opposite is true. This kind of morphing requires [[Stats#Experiences|Stat increases from Experiences]] to be implemented, which is not currently the case. 
* [[Fuzzlet]] was intended by its creator to morph into [[Fuzzina]] when it became happy enough, but happiness is not a part of the Tuxemon mechanics. 
* Tuxemon may morph when leveling up in a particular location. 
* Tuxemon may morph when leveling up if they know a particular technique. 

[[Vivipere]]'s gimmick is that its morphs are all conditional. It morphs into [[Vivitron]] at level 25, which does not sound conditional, except that it morphs into [[Vivisource]] or [[Viviteel]] (depending on gender) at level 24, meaning that it would only morph into Vivitron if it is deliberately stopped from morphing at level 24.

==== Item morphing ====

Some morph-causing items are consumed when used; others are not. In [[The Spyder in the Cathedral]], the default plot, the player is given a choice between five tuxemon - the "[[new releases]]":

* [[Dollfin]]
* [[Magmaturtle]]
* [[Memnomnom]]
* [[Budaye]]
* [[Grintot]]

They have a special feature, as does [[Botbot]], that they can be made to [[morph]] by exposing them to an item purchased from a Pillar. The morph lasts for one battle, and consumes the item. This means that trainers do get more variety (since there are at least two morph options for each new release tuxemon), but have to keep spending money. 

Eventually the protagonist gets access to [[Booster Tech]], an open source tool that's re-usable and where the morph lasts indefinitely. The Booster Tech can also be used to revert the morph, returning the tuxemon to the previous life stage.

=== All morphs ===

{{#ask: [[Evolutions::+]] 
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|? Has Evolution
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