Dumb Sil questions

[Nick]

Setting aside issues of light and knowledge of the map (i.e. attempts to fire into the unknown), I believe you have LOF if there is a straight line from the centre of your square to the centre of the target's square (going through the very corner of an obstruction is fine). And that you have LOS if there is a straight line from the centre of your square to any part of their square. So LOF implies LOS, and LOF is symmetrical. I believe this is all inherited from NPP, and is an elegant way of doing it.

OK, that's exactly what I needed to know. I've decided to start off with essentially the NPP/Sil LOF algorithm, but with the view bits removed because I'm using the (less efficient but simpler to follow) newer Angband view algorithm. Your information will be good when (or if) I get around to trying to rewrite LOF in a similar way.

If I'd kept developing Sil, I'd also like to have implemented things like smoke and portcullises that block LOS but not LOF and vice versa. Chasms were kind of a first step at this (blocking movement but not LOS or LOF). I believe you (Nick) enumerated the possibilities many years back and I thought it was a great contribution to roguelike theory.

Windows would be another interesting one

[Nick]

Can you destroy artifacts?

[Thraalbee]

To get three Silmarils out of the crown you have to sacrifice one weapon that will break when attempting to cut it out, regardless of type. Fits with the lore. Not sure but I think it is the second. Might be the third.

[wobbly]

You can't 'k' them but they can be broken on the crown, lost to lack of floor space or lost to leaving the level(even if not seen)

[Nick]

Thanks, that's what I thought.

[MITZE]

Can you destroy artifacts?

Sort of.

Artifacts made of mithril can be melted down at a forge, giving you mithril to forge into something else. I don't think you can deliberately destroy artifacts like you can normal objects though.

[Nick]

What is the actual deal with guaranteed forges?

What I know:

1. They are absolutely a thing in Sil-Q, with guaranteed forges at 100', 300' and 500'.
2. I can find no evidence for them in the Sil 1.3.0 code, with the only "guarantee" (that I can find) being that if you have gone 5000 turns with no forge, the game will generate one on the next level.

Am I correct? Are there, or were there ever, Sil-Q-style guaranteed forges in Sil? I particular, is or was there a guaranteed forge at 100'?

[wobbly]

There was 1 guaranteed at 100' (50' if you took the up stairs on 1st level) and a probability counter that eventually hit 100%

[Nick]

There was 1 guaranteed at 100' (50' if you took the up stairs on 1st level) and a probability counter that eventually hit 100%

OK, I've found it.

[MITZE]

(50' if you took the up stairs on 1st level) and a probability counter that eventually hit 100%

Both of these are news to me!

[westwinnd]

Next question.

Found an possible exploit/feat, preventing from descending two levels downward (i.e. from 800' to 900'), when spending too much time exploring level.

One should blow a Horn of Blasting, to collapse floor and fall one level down.^^

[Nick]

If you're using the Angband-like keyset and hjkl movement, is there any way to use an item?

[backwardsEric]

If you're using the Angband-like keyset and hjkl movement, is there any way to use an item?

At least with the Mac front end and Sil 1.3, ctrl-u works to use an item.