r/creativecoding • u/techno_adi_king • 3d ago
Introducing MANA — A Programming Language for Magic
Introducing MANA — A Programming Language for Magic
Hey everyone! I'm working on a project called MANA, an experimental programming language built around the idea of programming magic.
I'm also developing a visualiser that brings the magic to life, allowing spells and magical effects created with MANA to be seen in action.The visualiser will allow you to use magic in a visual manner than plain code.
The goal is to create a language where magic isn't just a collection of hardcoded effects, but a system governed by its own rules. MANA is designed around concepts such as spells, elemental interactions, magical physics, summoning, and planes, allowing magical behaviour to be defined through code.
MANA is open source, and I'm sharing it here to welcome suggestions, ideas, and contributions from anyone interested in the project. I'd appreciate constructive feedback on the language, its features, and its future direction.
What features would you like to see in a language like this? What could make it more useful or easier to work with? What would you want to build with it?
Whether you're interested in programming languages, game development, simulations, or simply the concept itself, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
If you'd like to contribute directly, share suggestions, or discuss ideas for the project, feel free to DM me or contribute through the GitHub repository.
GitHub repository:
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u/Mysterious-Two2633 3d ago
Maybe I'm dumb as rocks but.. what is this for? I don't get it.
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u/techno_adi_king 3d ago
Well it depends, as I said it's just a fun little project for me. It's more useful for game developers and world builders tho for some it can be a medium of enjoyment
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u/Mysterious-Two2633 3d ago
But what utility does it have? Or is this more like creative writing with code?
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u/techno_adi_king 3d ago
The creative part comes next when I publish the visualiser, but until then creative part is the code in itself cause no one I think has made a language for magic. Utility well depends maybe game development or just fun ig
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u/gyurka66 3d ago
ok, but what does that mean? What is the product when you compile a "spell"?
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u/techno_adi_king 3d ago
A spell in the definition on my language is simply how you use the mana around you to create a change in the world. When you compile a spell you can release it on a target or just a random thing and it will cause a change in that object for that session. Think of like a world engine that stores data just for that session
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u/TrueYahve 2d ago
Do you mean like a love charm in real life?
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u/techno_adi_king 2d ago
I didn't understand that analogy?
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u/TrueYahve 2d ago
I'm trying to decipher what spell means for you. Is it real life? Is it some rpg setting? Is it a crpg? Please don't say any, say what you wanted to use it for in the first design.
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u/techno_adi_king 2d ago
Is it fine if I show you , I have the visualiser somewhat ready, and what I mean by spell well it's a method to use magic just avada kedavra or wingardium leviosanin harrypotter
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u/sun_alfa 3d ago
Dude nothing wrong to use ai tools in coding if it speeds you or if you think you'll have more time to dedicate on design thinking etc.. instead of technical issues. But at least take an effort to write yourself the post when you advertise the repo, even your comments replies are AI, that just comes off as lazy and disrespectful tbf, if I wanted to talk to a chatbot I would have asked to an agent with your code as context
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u/TrueYahve 3d ago
What's the primary goal of MANA?
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u/techno_adi_king 3d ago
Aa of now it's just a skeleton of what I suppose it can become currently without me uploading the visualier it can just work as a magic tester. But after I do release it it can help game designer, world builders story writer or even just magic fans to make their dream of making magic come true
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u/Dornith 3d ago
In concrete terms, for what class of application would someone use MANA and what does MANA do that makes it better for that class of applications than any of the existing alternatives?
Game designer and story writers are two completely different fields, neither of which directly relies on coding to do their jobs so this description doesn't really clarify anything.
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u/techno_adi_king 3d ago
For the most basic if you want to create a spell you can use this language for doing it easily in no other language can you make a spell that easily. Take python youd have to make an engine capable of doing that first then rules syntax etc. It's true than people are not really gonna use it much, well it is not intended to be. It's just for fun
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u/Dornith 3d ago
if you want to create a spell you can use this language for doing it easily in no other language can you make a spell that easily.
What is a "spell" in this context? This is not an industry standard term as far as I'm aware.
Take python youd have to make an engine capable of doing that first then rules syntax etc.
This makes it sound less like a language and more like a game engine.
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u/techno_adi_king 3d ago
It's not an industry standard to be fair, cause in the entire industry i doubt u'd find a language written specifically for magic, that is the only real differnece so it's like a DSL but leaned towards a language, but that's only because as of now it's just a basic version it will take form as I develop it. And yea you can call it an game engine ig
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u/Hefty-Distance837 3d ago
AI slop
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u/techno_adi_king 3d ago
Kindly check the code before you slander. The code was developed my me over last few months as a side project with my studies. This is just a hobbyist project which I will continue to perfect given enough support. The documentation was written by the ai so that it will be easier for people to understand. So pls check before you slander
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u/thicket 3d ago
Where by “slander”, you mean “describe what I did”?
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u/techno_adi_king 3d ago
Yea describing what you did. It's fine if you are saying it atleast by checking the code please don't comment without checking 😭
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u/musclecard54 3d ago
1 repo on your GitHub. 1 single commit for the entire project.
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u/techno_adi_king 3d ago
Isvthat an issue as far as I know u can upload an entire folder as a single commit
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u/musclecard54 3d ago
It’s a huge red flag that this was just a series of prompts to Claude. You have a full suite of automated tests but don’t have any commits other than the initial one of the entire repo…
I honestly don’t care much if people use AI to build stuff, but the problem is when they try to pretend they didn’t. It’s very obvious to anyone who actually works as a software engineer in any capacity.
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u/techno_adi_king 3d ago
Actually it wasn't , the upload was done by Git, and it allows for uploading a full folder and the reason it's just a single commit is that it's the final ised form of v1, with more updates I'll be adding more commits. And I have agreed on the usage of ai , but it just hurts when people say it's just prompts to ai , I myself coded the syntax and rules that decide the magic, as well as the physics form factors that apply
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u/livingFaithGame 3d ago
reddit is overrun with anti-ai cultists.
they won't have read any of the documentation, or used the software at all.
they just search reddit for anything AI related and then slap a slop post on it.
don't interact with them - they aren't here in good faith
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u/Blaze-Programming 3d ago
> The goal is to create a language where magic isn't just a collection of hardcoded effects, but a system governed by its own rules.
It’s not X it’s Y