Competition 132

[nppangband]

The standings:

Murphy: 872
Murphy: 488 (Dead)
ShadowTechnology: 462 (Dead)
NPPAngband: 403
Roch: 391 (Dead)
ranger jeff: 350
Fendell Orcbane: 296
Shinedog: 236 (Dead)
Mtadd: 177
Shinedog: 141
Gorbad: 132
Darin: 64 (Dead)
caruso: 0

Pav - are you there? Can I request help with the competition page? The comp criteria is max player fame, which is the third line of the character dump. Thanks for any help you can give.

[nppangband]

Murphy: 1069
Fendell Orcbane: 535
ranger jeff: 514 (Dead)
Murphy: 488 (Dead)
ShadowTechnology: 462 (Dead)
NPPAngband: 403
Roch: 391 (Dead)
Gorbad: 384
Shinedog: 335
Mtadd: 256
Shinedog: 236 (Dead)
Darin: 64 (Dead)
caruso: 0

[nppangband]

One correction to the info on the competition page:

Killing a unique does not increase your fame by 5 if the level of the unique less than the player level.

The updated standings:

Murphy: 1269
Fendell Orcbane: 557
Mtadd: 581 (dead)
ranger jeff: 514 (Dead)
Murphy: 488 (Dead)
ShadowTechnology: 462 (Dead)
NPPAngband: 438
Roch: 391 (Dead)
Gorbad: 384
Shinedog: 335 (Dead)
Shinedog: 236 (Dead)
Darin: 64 (Dead)
caruso: 10

[nppangband]

Congratulations to Murphy for the first game winner! Now we all have a ceiling to aim for.

Murphy: 2329 (RETIRED)
NPPAngband: 623
Fendell Orcbane: 557
Mtadd: 581 (dead)
ranger jeff: 514 (Dead)
Murphy: 488 (Dead)
ShadowTechnology: 462 (Dead)
Roch: 391 (Dead)
Gorbad: 384
Shinedog: 335 (Dead)
Shinedog: 236 (Dead)
ShadowTechnology: 85
Darin: 64 (Dead)
Darin: 42
ebizzell: 32
caruso: 10

[caruso]

Bugs, suggestions and feature requests

I'm on Vista.

Bugs

• The cursor disappears when you look at a creature.
• The layout of the description of most creatures and items is scrambled.
• 'l'ooking up the description of "Defer quest reward" in the guild does not bring up the help screen.
• Shopkeepers show no reaction if you sell a worthless item to them
• There is no message saying "The <foo> flees in terror!". I know this isn't necessary, but somehow I miss this message

Here's how I changed some of the options:

• Automatically display drop-down lists: yes. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see why it shouldn't. When I was new to Angband, I found it very frustrating that I had to look up my 'i'nventory manually every time I wanted to use an item, until I found this option.
• Open/Close/Disarm without direction: yes. You are really old-school in that respect, eh?
• Shimmer multi-coloured things: yes. That one turn you lose when confusing two similar opponents with each other may be decisive...
• Notify on object recharge: yes. After all, a recharged rod or artefact can really turn the tide in a battle.
• Set base delay factor: 8, or thereabouts. I suppose everybody wants to know from where their character is taken under fire.

Other suggestions

• When picking up an item there should be no prompt to choose an item if there's only one item there. After all, the game tells you which item you're standing on.
• The game should display the weight of each item in your inventory when you want to drop something.
• Deactivate macros in shops. I suppose no one is using macros for shopping, right?

Feature requests

• If you 'I'nspect a pile of ammunition, have the game calculate the damage based on your wielded sling, bow or crossbow.
• It just says "You hit the such-and-such" when I hit an opponent with my frost-branded weapon. I suggest it should say "You hit the <foo>." if the creature is resistant, "You freeze the <foo>." if it is not and "You freeze the <foo> badly." if it is vulnerable, like in Angband.

Question
It says "Verify before descending from quest level". So, you don't fail a quest if you go upstairs instead?

Sorry for tossing out so many issues at the same time... I never had access to the internet when I remembered that I had prepared this list.

[nppangband]

I'm on Vista.

Bugs[*]The cursor disappears when you look at a creature.

This is a strange one. AFAIK it only happens with quest monsters. I have no idea why. Someday I will figure this out.

[*]The layout of the description of most creatures and items is scrambled.

I can't visualize this one. Can I request an example?

[*]'l'ooking up the description of "Defer quest reward" in the guild does not bring up the help screen.

Good point. I will add one.

[*]Shopkeepers show no reaction if you sell a worthless item to them

ONly with store-no-selling on, because the item is worth zero, and that is how much they paid. I will come up with a more interesting reaction.

[*]There is no message saying "The <foo> flees in terror!". I know this isn't necessary, but somehow I miss this message

This is still called whenever a projectile (ie anything that causes damage that isn't melee, a thrown weapon, or ammunition from a bow.) causes a creature to flee.

Here's how I changed some of the options:[*]Automatically display drop-down lists: yes. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see why it shouldn't. When I was new to Angband, I found it very frustrating that I had to look up my 'i'nventory manually every time I wanted to use an item, until I found this option.[*]Open/Close/Disarm without direction: yes. You are really old-school in that respect, eh? [*]Shimmer multi-coloured things: yes. That one turn you lose when confusing two similar opponents with each other may be decisive...[*]Notify on object recharge: yes. After all, a recharged rod or artefact can really turn the tide in a battle.[*]Set base delay factor: 8, or thereabouts. I suppose everybody wants to know from where their character is taken under fire.

Agree with most of that, but you would be amazed at how passionate people are about their options. I far too frequently assume other people play the game the way I do, but it is actually quite the opposite. There are almost as many viewpoints on now the options should be set as there are angband players.

[*]When picking up an item there should be no prompt to choose an item if there's only one item there. After all, the game tells you which item you're standing on.

Try setting the "prompt before using floor items" to false. That will eliminate the prompt. It also does it for using items as well.

[*]The game should display the weight of each item in your inventory when you want to drop something.

Good idea. It's in the queue.

[*]Deactivate macros in shops. I suppose no one is using macros for shopping, right?

Probably not. How do the macros inhibit the shop ui?

Feature requests

• If you 'I'nspect a pile of ammunition, have the game calculate the damage based on your wielded sling, bow or crossbow.
• It just says "You hit the such-and-such" when I hit an opponent with my frost-branded weapon. I suggest it should say "You hit the <foo>." if the creature is resistant, "You freeze the <foo>." if it is not and "You freeze the <foo> badly." if it is vulnerable, like in Angband.

Question
It says "Verify before descending from quest level". So, you don't fail a quest if you go upstairs instead?

Sorry for tossing out so many issues at the same time... I never had access to the internet when I remembered that I had prepared this list.

On verify_leave_quests, that's a bad description. It should be verify before leaving quest level. The ammo thing is tricky. I have to do a couple other changes to the source before I can implement that in a practical manner. It will happen eventually. I like the idea about different messages for elemental weapons.

Thanks for the feedback!

[nppangband]

The latest standings (dead characters marked in red).

I think I can catch Murphy if I don't fail any quests. I don't have much time but I should be able to finish before the time the comp ends.

Murphy: 2329 (RETIRED)
NPPAngband: 856
Mtadd: 581 (dead)
ranger jeff: 514 (Dead)
Murphy: 488 (Dead)
ShadowTechnology: 462 (Dead)
Roch: 391 (Dead)
Gorbad: 384
Shinedog: 335 (Dead)
Fendell Orcbane: 290
Darin: 240
Shinedog: 236 (Dead)
ranger jeff: 230
ShadowTechnology: 144
Darin: 64 (Dead)
ebizzell: 47
caruso: 35

[caruso]

This is a strange one. AFAIK it only happens with quest monsters. I have no idea why. Someday I will figure this out.

Actually it happens with every creature in the game. I can vaguely remember there was a similar issue in Angband, but it must have been years ago...

I can't visualize this one. Can I request an example?

It's mostly line breaks, and sometimes one half of a description appears on the left side of the screen and the other half on the right side. I think it happens with most any weapon that you 'I'nspect, and other descriptions as well.

This is still called whenever a projectile (ie anything that causes damage that isn't melee, a thrown weapon, or ammunition from a bow.) causes a creature to flee.

I know. Maybe it's because I'm a non-native speaker, but I think the wording "The <foo> flees in terror!" adds some humour to the game, so personally I would like to see it after a melee too. Well, it's probably too subjective to discuss this.

Agree with most of that, but you would be amazed at how passionate people are about their options. I far too frequently assume other people play the game the way I do, but it is actually quite the opposite. There are almost as many viewpoints on now the options should be set as there are angband players.

Thought so... I should have mentioned only the most important one: "Automatically display drop-down lists". Much more convenient for beginners who may not even notice that you can display the drop down lists manually (I didn't), while experienced players who find lists annoying will know the game well enough to just change the option.

Try setting the "prompt before using floor items" to false. That will eliminate the prompt. It also does it for using items as well.

Thanks

Good idea. It's in the queue.

Even better if the game would also display how many pounds of overweight you have, if it doesn't do so already. Unfortunately, I can't check this right now.

Probably not. How do the macros inhibit the shop ui?

Well, I'm using a QUERTZ keyboard and set up a macro for y (m1c) and x (m2e). When I pressed 'x' in a shop, the cursor always jumped to slot 'c', no matter where it was.

The ammo thing is tricky. I have to do a couple other changes to the source before I can implement that in a practical manner. It will happen eventually.

You might want to adopt the way Angband explains to the players (when 'I'nspecting a melee weapon or ammunition) how the damage of melee and ammunition is calculated...

Thanks for the feedback!

You're welcome!

[buzzkill]

Thought so... I should have mentioned only the most important one: "Automatically display drop-down lists". Much more convenient for beginners who may not even notice that you can display the drop down lists manually (I didn't), while experienced players who find lists annoying will know the game well enough to just change the option.

The only people I can think of who wouldn't want auto drop down lists are those who play with their inventory displayed in a sub-window, so if this setting could be (initially) dependent on the sub-window setting, then everyone might be happy.

[Derakon]

Well, I'm using a QUERTZ keyboard and set up a macro for y (m1c) and x (m2e). When I pressed 'x' in a shop, the cursor always jumped to slot 'c', no matter where it was.

Use keymaps, not macros. The only difference between them is that keymaps can only be engaged when the game is waiting for the player to take a turn (i.e. there's no active prompt). While this does mean that you can't use keymaps to clear -more- prompts, it also means that they won't be invoked when you're in a store.

[nppangband]

The latest standings (dead characters marked in red).

Murphy: 2329 (RETIRED)
NPPAngband: 945
ranger jeff: 599
Mtadd: 581 (dead)
ranger jeff: 514 (Dead)
Murphy: 488 (Dead)
Darin: 471
ShadowTechnology: 462 (Dead)
Roch: 391 (Dead)
Gorbad: 384
Fendell Orcbane: 364
Shinedog: 335 (Dead)
Shinedog: 236 (Dead)
ShadowTechnology: 144
Darin: 64 (Dead)
ebizzell: 47
caruso: 35

[caruso]

Use keymaps, not macros. The only difference between them is that keymaps can only be engaged when the game is waiting for the player to take a turn (i.e. there's no active prompt). While this does mean that you can't use keymaps to clear -more- prompts, it also means that they won't be invoked when you're in a store.

Thanks! Will try it next time.

Come to think of it, it is pretty understandable that shopkeepers do not lament the "buying" of a worthless item for 0 gold...

One tiny bug: If an opponent wakes up while you're standing next to it, the order of the messages reads as if the opponent attacks first and wakes up only afterwards.

Feature request: Display the amount of overweight, if any, in the inventory screen and drop prompts.

Questions: What is a Potion of Life good for?
What exactly does Bark Skin do? Please expand the description in the spellbook if possible.

Praise: I like the sub-quests Keeps you on your toes from as soon as DL 3 on, if you want.

[Derakon]

The Potion of Life is the top-tier healing potion; it'll fix basically everything that's wrong with you...except hunger, I believe. I suppose there might also be NPP-exclusive ailments that I'm not remembering that Life wouldn't fix, but in practice it's something you save for really big fights.

[nppangband]

What exactly does Bark Skin do? Please expand the description in the spellbook if possible.

Praise: I like the sub-quests Keeps you on your toes from as soon as DL 3 on, if you want.

It temporarily raises your armor class by something like 50, making you tough to hit in melee. Very useful. It might be a little overpowered for a ranger. If you (b)rowse the spellbook it will give you a detailed desciption.

Potion of life heal poison, blindness, confusion, and hallicinations, restore all stats, heals all cuts, and eliminates stunning, and heals up to 5000 hp (far mor than any character will ever have. As derakon correctly said, it is the top-shelf healing potion. If you (I)nspect an item, it will give you an explanation of what it does.

[caruso]

Use keymaps, not macros. The only difference between them is that keymaps can only be engaged when the game is waiting for the player to take a turn (i.e. there's no active prompt). While this does mean that you can't use keymaps to clear -more- prompts, it also means that they won't be invoked when you're in a store.

Thanks, that helped I thought macros and keymaps were identical

It temporarily raises your armor class by something like 50, making you tough to hit in melee. Very useful. It might be a little overpowered for a ranger. If you (b)rowse the spellbook it will give you a detailed desciption.

Sorry, I didn't notice the additional info displayed at the bottom. And indeed, my ranger can almost always rely on his melee skills, even without Bark Skin. On the other hand, I haven't even made it to DL 20 so far.

Potion of life heal poison, blindness, confusion, and hallicinations, restore all stats, heals all cuts, and eliminates stunning, and heals up to 5000 hp (far mor than any character will ever have. As derakon correctly said, it is the top-shelf healing potion. If you (I)nspect an item, it will give you an explanation of what it does.

Thanks! However, I was referring to the shop service "Purchase Potion of Life", the help section of which does not reveal what a Potion of Life actually is.