Comp 177

[debo]

is up. It's an FAangband longbeard necromancer. Enjoy suffering. This seems like a hard character to start with disconnected stairs.

http://angband.oook.cz/competition.php?showcompo=177

[debo]

Also, I just found a really good thing. If on the comp savefile you go into 9 with the rogue keyset on, and then you hit 'b' a bunch of times in the store, your @ will actually move sw a bunch and then you can hit esc to get out of the menu to see where you ended up.

Lemma: I accidentally uploaded a savefile that uses the rogue keyset, sorry. Go to = -> interface options if you aren't a vikeys person.

[debo]

I think I may change the savefile so you can pick whatever you want for your first specialty.

Edit: Comp has been updated. At clouded's suggestion, we also moved to a character race that starts with a decent ego weapon. GLHF

[Nick]

A few tips:

• Use 'M' not just for a map of the current level, but also for nearby levels
• See the middle-earth map (?,5,5) to see a large scale map with where dungeons are, etc
• Look out for a Magestaff - these activate to restore about 10 mana, and are really useful early
• Buy a lantern
• I recommend Soul Siphon or Clarity as first specialty

[tumbleweed]

Managed to die within three steps out of town. Nice.

a one foot beard

Dwarven Designer Stubble. Fashionable.

[Gorbad]

Doing pretty well, so far in about 24 attempts, I've managed to kill a grand total of 1 monster, a metallic red centipede.

Of course I died immediately after to the next monster resisting nether.

Is there any place that is slightly easier for a character that can barely manage to hit an aimless looking merchant?

[debo]

Yeah, it seems wilderness mode is sort of ridiculous. I've changed the savefile one last time, to use hybrid mode. Please redownload.

There could be hidden weird things in hybrid mode that are nasty too, but at least you can start on some version of DL1. There are probably better choices than dwarf if you're doing it this way, but hey.

[tumbleweed]

After reading the last couple posts I'm actually kind of proud that I managed to kill a whopping two foes (and a couple hapless townies) on my very first try with the longbeard. Apparently I got rather lucky with the rng and my sling there, before I managed to get myself killed by trying to ID what turned out to be a wand of haste monster through experimentation.

[the Invisible Stalker]

Yeah, it seems wilderness mode is sort of ridiculous. I've changed the savefile one last time, to use hybrid mode. Please redownload.

Wilderness mode is fine; it just requires some adjustments to play style. And please stop changing save files on live competitions.

[debo]

Wilderness mode is fine; it just requires some adjustments to play style. And please stop changing save files on live competitions.

Come to think of it, maybe I should change it to a half-troll necromancer

[Nick]

This latest character is quite doable, but a bit tricky to get going. Tips:

• Not having any attack but Nether Bolt to start is really hard - especially since undead are immune to it. Pick your battles, carry as much ?Phase as you can afford, and be prepared to run
• No selling and disconnected stairs also make it hard - I recommend a first circuit of DL1 to get enough cash to buy a ?Recall, then a next dive to at least 5 or 6 to start getting more money
• Dig for gold - Dwarves are good at that
• Things get much better once you get the dispelling spells - Dispel Evil + Soul Siphon is the best thing ever

[debo]

Digging for money does help alot (I'm used to this from some of the poscheng mage class starts) -- I scummed enough to pack a -magicmissile as a sidearm and it was pretty handy until I ran out. You can do OK with a sling + bullets also.

[debo]

Congrats to elliptic for winning Comp 177, and to Invisible Stalker for his early win to light the way. Honorable mention to ranger jeff who made it pretty far

Next comp will be up in a few days. Hopefully