Random questions - randarts and artifacts

[dhegler]

I think there should be a way to revert to randarts mid-game (in case like me you forget to turn it on at birth). Is there any way to really take advantage of that potential feature? Also, I thought someone told me to switch birth options the next time I created a character and it would "stick" to randarts = yes. Well, it didn't for me in 3.1.1 and now I am stuck without randarts ofter playing up to level 26 dlvl 20 and finding the Phial, realizing what had happened.

Also, is anyone else upset that uniques don't drop more artifacts like they used to in early(ier) version of Angband? Perhaps I am crazy, but I just remember getting a lot better stuff from uniques...

I saw someone mentioned that we should "flavor" item drops to the monster who dropped them. That would be a great idea IMHO, if it is at all possible. Mages (h's) would drop spellbooks, potions, scrolls, etc with a small chance of anything but their base items, etc. What the heck is that swordsman doing with that spellbook anyway?

[PowerDiver]

I thought someone told me to switch birth options the next time I created a character and it would "stick" to randarts = yes. Well, it didn't for me in 3.1.1

I remember telling someone here to change the option ASAP. That means while playing the current game in prep for the next. I hope it wasn't me who steered you wrong.

You have to change the option before the birth for it to take effect at birth. Unfortunately, I think the startup has changed since 3.0 so that you can no longer access birth options through '=' until after birth. I know I haven't figured that out the couple of times I tried it. I have to start, change, suicide, restart.

DL20 is not that deep. Quit and restart. Well, double-check the birth options menu first of course! It's a pain, but you'll be glad you did.

[bron]

I saw someone mentioned that we should "flavor" item drops to the monster who dropped them. That would be a great idea IMHO, if it is at all possible. Mages (h's) would drop spellbooks, potions, scrolls, etc with a small chance of anything but their base items, etc. What the heck is that swordsman doing with that spellbook anyway?

There was a discussion about this sort of thing almost exactly 1 year ago (http://angband.oook.cz/forum/showthread.php?t=1180). I think it would add a nice "flavor" without really changing the game play significantly. Don't think that the idea ever went anywhere (the other thread eventually wandered off into a discussion of parsing the *.txt files).

[konijn_]

I think there should be a way to revert to randarts mid-game (in case like me you forget to turn it on at birth). Is there any way to really take advantage of that potential feature? Also, I thought someone told me to switch birth options the next time I created a character and it would "stick" to randarts = yes. Well, it didn't for me in 3.1.1 and now I am stuck without randarts ofter playing up to level 26 dlvl 20 and finding the Phial, realizing what had happened.

Also, is anyone else upset that uniques don't drop more artifacts like they used to in early(ier) version of Angband? Perhaps I am crazy, but I just remember getting a lot better stuff from uniques...

I saw someone mentioned that we should "flavor" item drops to the monster who dropped them. That would be a great idea IMHO, if it is at all possible. Mages (h's) would drop spellbooks, potions, scrolls, etc with a small chance of anything but their base items, etc. What the heck is that swordsman doing with that spellbook anyway?

Personally, I feel the game should offer artefacts + randarts like any decent variant.

T.

[fizzix]

Personally, I feel the game should offer artefacts + randarts like any decent variant.

T.

I don't think this is necessary. Although if you can alter egos to have more than one random effect and more than one random pval, you'll pretty much get that.

[Magnate]

I remember telling someone here to change the option ASAP. That means while playing the current game in prep for the next. I hope it wasn't me who steered you wrong.

You have to change the option before the birth for it to take effect at birth. Unfortunately, I think the startup has changed since 3.0 so that you can no longer access birth options through '=' until after birth. I know I haven't figured that out the couple of times I tried it. I have to start, change, suicide, restart.

No. You can press = at any time during character creation to get to birth options.

However, since the "quickstart" feature came in, you don't do character creation at all. So if you want to change birth options, you have to press N to reject the offered quickstart character, and go through the normal character creation process (which now offers pretty well optimised stats IMO, so it's not hard).

[Magnate]

There was a discussion about this sort of thing almost exactly 1 year ago (http://angband.oook.cz/forum/showthread.php?t=1180). I think it would add a nice "flavor" without really changing the game play significantly. Don't think that the idea ever went anywhere (the other thread eventually wandered off into a discussion of parsing the *.txt files).

It didn't go anywhere because it's a colossal amount of work for relatively little gain. There are over two hundred other things that I would rather spend my time improving, and though I can't speak for other devs, it won't happen until someone decides to code it.

(Don't get me wrong, I'm not against it - I just think there are many higher priorities.)

[Magnate]

I don't think this is necessary. Although if you can alter egos to have more than one random effect and more than one random pval, you'll pretty much get that.

I don't see the point of non-random artifacts at all - with the exception of a tiny handful of themed mega-items. That said, fizzix is absolutely right - the time to make this change is once we have sorted multiple pvals. No idea what Takkaria will think, but if it were me I'd introduce an extra tier of items between ego and artifact, with more powers. Then we could reduce the artifact set quite a lot, and still have plenty of variety of kit.

@dhegler: artifacts are fixed at birth, so no you cannot revert to or from randarts during a game.

[PowerDiver]

No. You can press = at any time during character creation to get to birth options.

However, since the "quickstart" feature came in, you don't do character creation at all.

Silly me, I think of quickstart as a means of character creation. I'm sure you are right that my failure to change birth options was after a quickstart.

[Nick]

I don't see the point of non-random artifacts at all - with the exception of a tiny handful of themed mega-items.

Well, the point is that the game is at least notionally Tolkien-themed. The classes aren't, the objects aren't, only a few ego-items are, the races are filtered through D&D, the monsters largely aren't; artifacts are just about the main thing that stops the game from degenerating into bland generic hack and slash.

[Magnate]

Well, the point is that the game is at least notionally Tolkien-themed. The classes aren't, the objects aren't, only a few ego-items are, the races are filtered through D&D, the monsters largely aren't; artifacts are just about the main thing that stops the game from degenerating into bland generic hack and slash.

Interesting view - I don't share it at all. The Tolkein theme is hale and hearty, judging from the fact that the place is called Angband and the two bosses are called Sauron and Morgoth. The fact that some non-Tolkeinishness has crept into the rest of it is not a problem IMO.

Besides, your point supports randarts, since they all have Tolkein names!

[Nick]

The Tolkein theme is hale and hearty, judging from the fact that the place is called Angband and the two bosses are called Sauron and Morgoth. The fact that some non-Tolkeinishness has crept into the rest of it is not a problem IMO.

Besides, your point supports randarts, since they all have Tolkein names!

Well, it's not just the names. A lot of thought has gone into making many of the standard artifacts have properties that fit - or at least descriptions that give some Tolkien flavour. This was largely what attracted me to the game in the first place, so I'm a bit attached to it.

[d_m]

Well, it's not just the names. A lot of thought has gone into making many of the standard artifacts have properties that fit - or at least descriptions that give some Tolkien flavour. This was largely what attracted me to the game in the first place, so I'm a bit attached to it.

Agreed.

In fact, things like FA, Un and ToME please me with their attempts to create a Middle Earth overland with important towns, sites, etc. (despite such things not being popular in the V purist crowd).

[dhegler]

I remember telling someone here to change the option ASAP. That means while playing the current game in prep for the next. I hope it wasn't me who steered you wrong.

You have to change the option before the birth for it to take effect at birth. Unfortunately, I think the startup has changed since 3.0 so that you can no longer access birth options through '=' until after birth. I know I haven't figured that out the couple of times I tried it. I have to start, change, suicide, restart.

DL20 is not that deep. Quit and restart. Well, double-check the birth options menu first of course! It's a pain, but you'll be glad you did.

lol - I think ti might have been you, don't worry about it. Anymore it takes a few hours of playing to get to that point for me. No big deal. I just started another character as a rogue to try out, and remembered on that one...

I do agree with others that a level between ego and artifact would be a nice bonus... Even if you want to pare down some of the static artifacts... What makes the begin-game so interesting for me is the amount of different items you keep find and can actually use! Once you get your stats maxed out, you find a "usable" item about once every few hours (at least in my experience).

[Nightmarjoo]

What the heck is that swordsman doing with that spellbook anyway?

He's collecting loot, hoping for just one more nice ego or dungeon spell book before he recalls, sells it all, and trades the gold for stat potions in the black market!