Comp 193

[bron]

So I've been messing around with this a little, and I have to agree that the stat drain problem is a serious issue. The code itself turns off the "store services", which would allow the player to purchase restoration services at the Alchemist. I also note that while the code refers to store services as an "OPTion", it is not exported to the Birth menu (i.e. there is no way to turn it on, other than hacking the code). Does this stuff just not work?

[Antoine]

So I've been messing around with this a little, and I have to agree that the stat drain problem is a serious issue. The code itself turns off the "store services", which would allow the player to purchase restoration services at the Alchemist. I also note that while the code refers to store services as an "OPTion", it is not exported to the Birth menu (i.e. there is no way to turn it on, other than hacking the code). Does this stuff just not work?

Store services are meant to be unavailable - I implemented this in a quick hackish way.

IMO the best fix to the stat drain problem is to bring !Restoration shallower - I will do this in the next release - feel free to make the change in your copy in the meantime.

A.

[bron]

One possible fix would be to (a) close the game, (b) go to line 1317 of /lib/edit/object.txt, which should read:

A:20/2:40/4

and (c) change this to e.g.

A:15/2:40/4

making !Restoration native to DL 15 instead of DL 20.
A.

ok, now I'm really confused. I had assumed that the 'A'llocation depths were being cut in half i.e. that if it says A:20 that that really meant dungeon level 10. These numbers are literal? Stat gain potions don't occur until level 40? I thought someone said that there are only 50 levels? Yes/No ?

[Antoine]

[scratches head]

In fact it seems to be me that was confused.

You should cut in half the depths shown in object.txt. Therefore, a better fix is to change the aforementioned line to something like:

A:20/2:30/2

Sorry about that
A.

[ranger jeff]

Lol I changed it as you first suggested and was fine. Though maybe I was just fortunate to not get drained before 1) getting a rod of detect doors/stairs/TRAPS, 2) getting a ring of might, and 3) potions of restoration starting to drop in the mid teens. Though I've also been playing archery (elves are better with missiles than melee, right?) so I probably didn't melee anything that could have drained me. Well, Ghosts, but who cares about WIS/INT with a fighter?

Honestly right now I'm finding the challenge of Minimal was all in the low levels. Sure I'm still playing cautiously, I'm sure one of the new monsters coming up will give me hell (Pit Fiends I hear, but I have rChaos, and red D's and chromatic D's are to be avoided to the end - yes I read the one ladder post that made it down to 48...) But for now I can plow though pretty much any lone monster without consuming any resources. And pits can be picked apart a few at a time. So my experience is, very tough start leads to cautious play, which leads to tedious level clearing in the mid-game. Probably not the right balance.

[Antoine]

Lol I changed it as you first suggested and was fine. Though maybe I was just fortunate to not get drained before 1) getting a rod of detect doors/stairs/TRAPS, 2) getting a ring of might, and 3) potions of restoration starting to drop in the mid teens. Though I've also been playing archery (elves are better with missiles than melee, right?) so I probably didn't melee anything that could have drained me. Well, Ghosts, but who cares about WIS/INT with a fighter?

Honestly right now I'm finding the challenge of Minimal was all in the low levels. Sure I'm still playing cautiously, I'm sure one of the new monsters coming up will give me hell (Pit Fiends I hear, but I have rChaos, and red D's and chromatic D's are to be avoided to the end - yes I read the one ladder post that made it down to 48...) But for now I can plow though pretty much any lone monster without consuming any resources. And pits can be picked apart a few at a time. So my experience is, very tough start leads to cautious play, which leads to tedious level clearing in the mid-game. Probably not the right balance.

Keep trucking and we can take stock afterwards and figure out what needs changing?

A.

[ranger jeff]

Sure. And I spoke too soon, just decided Dracoliches are to be avoided after getting mana blasted 4 rounds in a row (at +23 speed) and having to use 3 !healings to keep above 500hp (its attacks seemed to be capable of over 400hp damage.) But they're kind of like that in Vanilla, too, a bit out of depth and definitely dangerous. Now if it dropped guaranteed up to six excellent objects...

[debo]

Huge congrats to ranger jeff for taking comp 193, and for being the first-ever Minimal winner.

Kudos also to elliptic who took both 2nd and 3rd place.

Hopefully we see a release of the discussed minimal changes sometime in the next 4 years :-)

[Antoine]

@debo - hmf! Greatness cannot be hurried