Competition 132

[Nick]

Competition 132 is now available from the competition page; it is an NPPAngband Dunadan Ranger. Note that there is a special version of NPP for the comp; details on the page.

Note also that comp 131 has about a day to go.

[nppangband]

A few quick notes:

On the comp page it spoils how fame in increased. I forgot to mention fame is decreased by failing quests. The percentage decreases to TOTAL fame for failing a quest are:

Monster quest: 55%
Guardian quest: 55%
Pit/Nest quest: 35%
Themed level quest: 35%
Wilderness quest: 30%
Vault/Artifact quest: 50%
Arena level quest: 20%
Labryinth quest: 30%
Greater vault quest: 10%

Also, the comp ladder isn't yet sorted by player fame. Is it Pav that fixes that?

[Nick]

Also, the comp ladder isn't yet sorted by player fame. Is it Pav that fixes that?

Yes it is - I've emailed him. I think it defaults to xp/turns if nothing else is set up.

[Fendell Orcbane]

Spell books that are a % cheaper aren't stacking. I just thought I'd point that out : )

[Mikko Lehtinen]

Spell books that are a % cheaper aren't stacking. I just thought I'd point that out : )

There might be an option for that? In Halls of Mist it's in Game-Play Options, "Merge discounts when stacking".

[nppangband]

There might be an option for that? In Halls of Mist it's in Game-Play Options, "Merge discounts when stacking".

Same in NPP. It is under interface options, 'h'.

[nppangband]

Same in NPP. It is under interface options, 'h'.

A note/spoiler on deferring quest rewards. The type and quality of quest rewards offered depends on player fame and the quest type chosen. Deferring a reward stores the fame increase from the current quest into a variable called deferred_rewards. Deferring multiple quest rewards increases the deferred_rewards amount. The sole use of this variable is to combnie it to player fame for the sake of computing quest rewards. This variable is cleared when the player either 1) chooses a quest reward, or 2) fails a quest.

So deferring a monster quest will only add 10 to the player fame for calculating rewards. Even deferring several monster quests in a row won't help all that much. But deferring quest rewards from several dangerous quests will probably make a noticable difference. But in the end, quest rewards are subject to the whims of the RNG just like everything else in the game, so it could end up helping a great deal or not at all.

Until the comp table sorter is updated, here are the scores (updated):

Murphy: 488 (Dead)
Roch: 391 (Dead)
Shinedog: 236 (Dead)
Mtadd: 177
ShadowTechnology: 113
Fendell Orcbane: 102
NPPAngband: 58
Darin: 57

[nppangband]

The latest standings:

Murphy: 488 (Dead)
Roch: 391 (Dead)
Shinedog: 236 (Dead)
Mtadd: 177
NPPAngband: 174
ShadowTechnology: 139
Fendell Orcbane: 136
Darin: 64 (Dead)
Gorbad: 55

[nppangband]

Updated scores:

Murphy: 830
Murphy: 488 (Dead)
Roch: 391 (Dead)
ShadowTechnology: 346
NPPAngband: 308
Shinedog: 236 (Dead)
Mtadd: 177
Gorbad: 147
Fendell Orcbane: 136
ranger jeff: 67
Darin: 64 (Dead)

[ShadowTechnology]

I'm SO screwed... I think.

Updated scores:

Murphy: 830
Murphy: 488 (Dead)
Roch: 391 (Dead)
ShadowTechnology: 346
NPPAngband: 308
Shinedog: 236 (Dead)
Mtadd: 177
Gorbad: 147
Fendell Orcbane: 136
ranger jeff: 67
Darin: 64 (Dead)

So, I'm on my first Wilderness Quest. I'm trying to gather 20 scroll fragments, but still need 5 more and things are getting really crowded. The hot mud is taking over the level, and the remaining monsters are concentrated in the habitable bubbles. At this point I would happily abandon the quest if I could. I am surrounded by tough foes and low on HPs, so I try to use my teleport staff. I get a message I've never seen before: "Failed to find a suitable spot for you". Could this mean that there are no "safe" spots within 100 squares of my bubble? Can I override and teleport to an unsafe spot (and take damage from the hot mud or fire)? If I stay, I can only survive 1 or at most 2 rounds even if a do nothing but suck down CCW potions. It's shoulder to shoulder and several Dreads and a Death Knight are pounding on me. No time to activate and wait for my rod of WoR to kick in. No stairs, no teleport level. Any ideas? This is a particularly devious quest Nick! Well done.

[Gorbad]

I just failed my first wilderness quest... and I think also my last one. Maybe it gets doable with Immunity, but this was madness. Nowhere to regain spell points, nowhere safe, and you need to move to get those scroll fragments....

[nppangband]

So, I'm on my first Wilderness Quest. I'm trying to gather 20 scroll fragments, but still need 5 more and things are getting really crowded. The hot mud is taking over the level, and the remaining monsters are concentrated in the habitable bubbles. At this point I would happily abandon the quest if I could. I am surrounded by tough foes and low on HPs, so I try to use my teleport staff. I get a message I've never seen before: "Failed to find a suitable spot for you". Could this mean that there are no "safe" spots within 100 squares of my bubble? Can I override and teleport to an unsafe spot (and take damage from the hot mud or fire)? If I stay, I can only survive 1 or at most 2 rounds even if a do nothing but suck down CCW potions. It's shoulder to shoulder and several Dreads and a Death Knight are pounding on me. No time to activate and wait for my rod of WoR to kick in. No stairs, no teleport level. Any ideas? This is a particularly devious quest Nick! Well done.

The message means the game searched every square on the level and could not find a place for you to teleport. Even the few open spots by stairs are filled with monsters. So teleportation isn't an option, and even teleporting away monsters might not work either. Can you teleport level to escape? It would fail the quest, but at least you would survive. You only lose 30% of your fame if you fail a wilderness quest.

I think in 6.1.0 I need to slow down the rate the lava spreads a little, and light up the whole map at the start, to let the players find some of the fragments on the floor before things get ugly.

[debo]

Hot mud on an island? Is this Angband or the Playboy mansion???

[ShadowTechnology]

The message means the game searched every square on the level and could not find a place for you to teleport. Even the few open spots by stairs are filled with monsters. So teleportation isn't an option, and even teleporting away monsters might not work either. Can you teleport level to escape? It would fail the quest, but at least you would survive. You only lose 30% of your fame if you fail a wilderness quest.

I think in 6.1.0 I need to slow down the rate the lava spreads a little, and light up the whole map at the start, to let the players find some of the fragments on the floor before things get ugly.

This character is toast (muddy toast). I made a copy of the character at the time I posted last night, and ran "what if" scenarios on copies of the copies. I concluded, after 31 simulations, that this was truly a no-win situation. However, I discovered some interesting behaviors. Teleport self consistently failed with the message about no safe place to put me. Teleport other actually worked, for a while. In most cases I only got one or two shots off. In one of the 31 sims, I was able to survive for about 6 game turns. The most immediate threats were gone, but were being replaced by other monsters from elsewhere on the level (other bubbles)? As I continued to try to TO, the line of monsters in the target direction would blink for a moment, but go nowhere. (no error message from the wand). I assume at that point every single space on the level (including spaces that were not "safe" for me) were full. Phase Door failed just like teleport self. *Destruction* would have been fun to try, but wasn't an option.

If I had the coding skills, I would make the teleport spells look first for an open space, then for a space with an item or a stairs, then for a space with a trap or hostile terrain. Only as a last resort would it simple fail (and even then, it wouldn't use a turn or a charge (like staff of perception when you have nothing to ID).

In retrospect, trying out Zarcuthra (with aggravate monster) on a Wilderness Quest was probably a BAD idea. I might have been able to find and retrieve more scroll fragments before all hell broke lose using stealth. But as it was everybody was awake and gunning for me the moment I came close. Even if I had survived, I burned through most of my books, scrolls, arrows, and staves (literally), and a bunch of potions (figuratively).

[nppangband]

I barely survived mine, and that was with an overpowered weapon and bow or the depth. I could kill almost anything in a single shot and I could barely keep up. This can be fixed by slowing down the spread of lava and wizard lighting he level at the start.

So comp players please be warned : wilderness quests are extremely fun but very very difficult. Do not try without lots of speed, a powerful character and a potion of enlightenment.

Agreed about aggravation as well. That tends to be more dangerous in NPP than vanilla.