Stat zaps

[Magnate]

You know when I wrote the word option I knew Takk wasn't going to like it
Apart from that though again its a choice, harder for those that want it that way and otherwise for the others and it wont increase the TMJ problem in the dungeon itself.

I used to be a huge fan of options, I wanted them for every little thing. More choice can't be bad, I thought.

When I discovered Angband, Robert Ruhlmann (sp?) had just taken over as maintainer. He was very firm on options. Really, ruthlessly firm - I can't think of any he added. Then (after an inglorious interregnum) came Takkaria, and things got even worse - options started disappearing!

When I joined the devteam, I began to realise why maintainers dislike options. It isn't because they want to deprive people of choice - they go to great lengths to provide that in the design of the game. It's because they want to maintain ONE game, not 2^(N_OPTIONS). Fewer options means:

- it's easier to find and fix bugs
- it's easier to compare like with like (e.g. ladder, AARs, etc.)
- it's easier to balance the game

Lord knows the last is hard enough anyway, without making it harder.

I'm sorry for those people who want more options - I know exactly how you feel.

[Spacebux]

I used to be a huge fan of options, I wanted them for every little thing. More choice can't be bad, I thought.

It's because they want to maintain ONE game, not 2^(N_OPTIONS). Fewer options means:

- it's easier to find and fix bugs
- it's easier to compare like with like (e.g. ladder, AARs, etc.)
- it's easier to balance the game

Lord knows the last is hard enough anyway, without making it harder.

I'm sorry for those people who want more options - I know exactly how you feel.

Now that explanation is so much easier to accept than reading how "most" other players ought to be playing this way or that. Rather than boldly blasting the poster who objects to current development objectives with threats of banishment, you have succinctly and logically told me many things. Thank you.

Still, I have objection to the point and purpose of Stat-Zap Restoration at Level-Up; however, I think we can put to rest the call for maintaining another Birth Option. Unless you can find a simple way of inserting all the necessary tags....

I think most of the readers understand my objections, so I will not re-write them here.

[takkaria]

Then why not have both possibilities available. Instead of reducing and or replacing why not add and let the player choose which option they want to follow? So you could have stat restore potions in town as before and also stat restore on level up. You could have selling and buying in shops and also increased gold drops. This way players can choose what they want to do. I think the game is all about choice and if there are more choices then the enjoyment factor is increased, right?

Sure, we could add stat restore on level up and increase the amount of gold available. We could also allow warriors to cast spells, make stat gain potions easily available from 50', and add an ID service in town that identifies everything you're carrying for free. All these things would increase choice–I mean, you could choose not to use stat potions until you got to dl30, and you could choose not to buy things from the stores using all your extra gold. I don't think that these extra choices would significantly increase the enjoyment factor, though. In fact, I think they'd all make the game rather more boring in a variety of ways.

[Rizwan]

Well I did not mean to imply that it would be nice to have really stupid stuff like

... allow warriors to cast spells, make stat gain potions easily available from 50', and add an ID service in town that identifies everything you're carrying for free...

but if you thought that the game was really boring before stat restore on level gain then I can't argue with you but what I meant was that people were already playing with stat restore potions and if possible instead of just replacing that mechanic another, to keep the former and add the latter as as choice for the player to adopt as their style of play changes according to experience with the game. I understand magnates POV that it is hard for the dev team to maintain such a code but I guess it feels like play-styles are being regimented, you know ... like play this way or don't play (IMHO).