feature request - HEAVY_CURSE visible on pseudo

[PowerDiver]

Now that in principle excellent items may be cursed, and especially in a context where the way to remove a curse is to wield first, I believe it is necessary to be able to tell the difference between a simply cursed object and a heavily cursed object when you get pseudo.

[buzzkill]

I'd suggest that remove curse, like many other spells, be applied to any single item (pack or wielded), instead of all wielded items.

[PowerDiver]

I'd suggest that remove curse, like many other spells, be applied to any single item (pack or wielded), instead of all wielded items.

Since you're the only person who showed any interest, could you answer a question for me? Keep in mind this should be in a context of limited identify, for whatever reason, else the player would know curse vs heavy_curse from id.

If a player finds a cursed ego weapon and does not have remove curse, should he be forced to carry it around until he finds a scroll of remove curse, so that then when he casts and it does not work only then can he know if is junk? I suppose it could cause an interesting tradeoff on occasion, but I would just find it annoying.

[Colbey]

If a player finds a cursed ego weapon and does not have remove curse, should he be forced to carry it around until he finds a scroll of remove curse, so that then when he casts and it does not work only then can he know if is junk? I suppose it could cause an interesting tradeoff on occasion, but I would just find it annoying.

If you'd be inclined to wield the weapon under the current system, why couldn't you also wield it under buzzkill's? When you find the scroll, you can then uncurse the wielded item.

Maybe I'm not following.

[PowerDiver]

If you'd be inclined to wield the weapon under the current system, why couldn't you also wield it under buzzkill's? When you find the scroll, you can then uncurse the wielded item..

If you wield a HEAVY_CURSE item to id it you lose the game. You can never afford to wield-test a cursed item unless you know that it cannot have a heavy curse. My request is the ability to tell the difference upon pseudo, which also allows you to immediately toss heavy_curse items as junk without requiring waiting for a failed remove curse attempt. That's the matter under discussion.

[Colbey]

If you wield a HEAVY_CURSE item to id it you lose the game. You can never afford to wield-test a cursed item unless you know that it cannot have a heavy curse. My request is the ability to tell the difference upon pseudo, which also allows you to immediately toss heavy_curse items as junk without requiring waiting for a failed remove curse attempt. That's the matter under discussion.

Oh, yeah, I agree that that makes sense. I just also agree with buzzkill about targeting one item with curse removal rather than hitting everything you're wearing. (Did I once lose my only *Remove Curse* by reading it hoping to hit the Calris in my pack? Or am I misremembering?)

[Marble Dice]

I don't feel that being able to differentiate between LIGHT_CURSE and HEAVY_CURSE on pseudo is out of line. The reason the distinction is important is because pseudo is becoming more advanced. If an ID-by-use system is desirable, then you should have some way to distinguish the two, otherwise you can't reasonably ID cursed items by use. If you need an ?rcurse to differentiate the two, then that's not really ID-by-use because the ?rcurse just behaves as a more different ?ID.

Maybe ?rcurse should be changed anyway, but I think picking up on heavies with pseudo seems like a reasonable extension of the pseudo system. I know I always forget that the uncurse scrolls hit everything you're wearing instead of a target you pick. You'd need more scrolls to uncurse multiple items, but I've never had to use an uncurse scroll to uncurse more than one item anyway.

[Magnate]

If you wield a HEAVY_CURSE item to id it you lose the game. You can never afford to wield-test a cursed item unless you know that it cannot have a heavy curse. My request is the ability to tell the difference upon pseudo, which also allows you to immediately toss heavy_curse items as junk without requiring waiting for a failed remove curse attempt. That's the matter under discussion.

If wielding a HEAVY_CURSE item causes you to lose the game, and all such items are therefore junk, why is HEAVY_CURSE in the game at all?

Perhaps it should be limited to nonweapons, if it isn't game-over to wear them?

[Donald Jonker]

If wielding a HEAVY_CURSE item causes you to lose the game, and all such items are therefore junk, why is HEAVY_CURSE in the game at all?

I didn't want to be the one to say it.

We've got a special scroll set aside just for a few items, only 2? of which are actually worth using. Otherwise it's just a massive deterrent to test-id. Hassle hassle. Don't think it's worth it.

But for the nonce, Eddie's point is more than reasonable.

[Nick]

If wielding a HEAVY_CURSE item causes you to lose the game, and all such items are therefore junk, why is HEAVY_CURSE in the game at all?

Because it doesn't cause you to lose the game. It makes it a bit harder to win the game, and it ruins plans for a low turncount. Same with stat-scrambling from Nexus.

It all depends on your standards. If you've already won the game a squillion times, why waste time on a substandard game where you have to waste time waiting to uncurse something? But if your best ever character gets their CON and CHR swapped, or wields a Morgul weapon, you're not going to suicide and start again.

[PowerDiver]

Because it doesn't cause you to lose the game. It makes it a bit harder to win the game, and it ruins plans for a low turncount. Same with stat-scrambling from Nexus.

In the old days when you could enchant it up to break the curse, it wasn't so bad. But with the new changes, which will include more severe EXP penalties from drain_exp real soon now, and the change that enchants do not break heavy curses any more, I think wielding a morgul weapon has got to be at least 50% likely to cause death to a highly skilled player, and 90%+ to people without multiple wins.

Your point about turncount is also misplaced. If it takes you longer in real time to win from your current point than to start over from scratch, you have essentially lost the game. That is, if your goal is to win, rather than not to lose.

[Atarlost]

Stat swapping, probably not, though you're likely to get killed before you can fix things. A morgul weapon, though, is a death sentence for anyone using melee. Even a ranger is going to have problems because he won't be able to whack nuisance enemies without wasting ammo. Since *remove curse* isn't readily available in town and running around in the dungeon with a morgul weapon is pretty much suicidal you can only fix your situation if you already have a scroll of *remove curse* in hour home. The very people who might find it worthwhile to salvage the charachter are the people without the skill to do so.

[Pete Mack]

You can uncurse a heavily cursed object without *remove curse*. It just takes a lot if enchantment scrolls. As for the usefulness if light cursed objects: there are many amulets and rings, along with boots of wormtongue and bows of Nazgul.

That said, I agree with Eddie: heavy curse should show up on pseudo-id.

[PowerDiver]

You can uncurse a heavily cursed object without *remove curse*. It just takes a lot if enchantment scrolls.

Not any more, you can't.

http://angband.oook.cz/forum/showthread.php?t=1949

[Pete Mack]

Ack! Surely that's a bug????