Variants

[dhegler]

I was looking to find a list of the main Angband variants still being maintained, along with what the main differences of those variants are. I can find the first list easily, but is there somewhere which tells me what all the main differences are?

[konijn_]

I was looking to find a list of the main Angband variants still being maintained, along with what the main differences of those variants are. I can find the first list easily, but is there somewhere which tells me what all the main differences are?

If you click on each link it will tell you whats special about the variant, I couldnt find a consolidated one-pager with what you'd like though.

T.

[will_asher]

Here's a list of Angband variants that shows the date of the most recent release, but I'm sure there are at least a couple which aren't on roguebasin.

http://roguebasin.roguelikedevelopment.org/index.php?title=Angband_variants

These are the ones from that list which have had a release since the beginning of 2008:
Angband/65
DaJAngband
FAAngband
Gumband
Hellband
Ironband
MAngband
NPPAngband
OAngband, OAngbandTK (I don't know if these are actually separate. they have the same date)
Portralis
Quickband
Steamband (not quite 2008: Dec 2007)
TinyAngband
ToME
UnAngband
XAngband
Z+Angband
Zaiband

[dhegler]

If you click on each link it will tell you whats special about the variant, I couldnt find a consolidated one-pager with what you'd like though.

T.

Drats. I am getting more and more bored with Vanilla, even with randarts. I think someone once suggested I try DaJAngband... I'd like to see more diverse dungeon levels, different objects, monsters, spells, but not have some large town/wilderness-type area like ToME. I have tried that a few times and I never even get to a dungeon... I like the quest idea though.

[Pete Mack]

OAngband is quite nice this way--it does have a somewhat different skillset.
DaJAngband appears to have a large number of spell realms, but I haven't played it yet.
NPP has another spell realm (nature), and interesting terrains and traps.
Steamband is a fast game, and a lot of fun.

[dhegler]

OAngband is quite nice this way--it does have a somewhat different skillset.
DaJAngband appears to have a large number of spell realms, but I haven't played it yet.
NPP has another spell realm (nature), and interesting terrains and traps.
Steamband is a fast game, and a lot of fun.

I tried DaJAngband quickly and looked interesting...

I just tried ToME, set up a character, was ambushed by a panther on my way to a mine or something and died. Are there any Help topics on ToME? I may give it a real try tonight.

[dhegler]

Actually, should I be playing 2.3 or 3.0? What is the difference in ToME?

[d_m]

Actually, should I be playing 2.3 or 3.0? What is the difference in ToME?

I would play the most recent 2.3.x release--last I checked 3.0 still wasn't totally done.

[Seany C]

I tried DaJAngband quickly and looked interesting...

I just tried ToME, set up a character, was ambushed by a panther on my way to a mine or something and died. Are there any Help topics on ToME? I may give it a real try tonight.

Lord Dimwit's Strategy Guide is helpful, if a little daunting in length.

http://wiki.t-o-m-e.net/Spoilers/Lord_Dimwit's_Advanced_Strategy_Guide

In terms of basic advice, if you're playing a fighter-type, set speed and attitude (via the char screen) to 'Berzerker' and 'Running'. Try the house quest (the > in the starting town) then the Barrow Downs (outside the starting town but on the same map) and you should be better suited to travelling long distances. Finally, bring a pick or a shovel - you need them a lot more than in V.

PS ToME 3 doesn't work reliably yet - 2.3.5 is the most recent stable version.

[dhegler]

Lord Dimwit's Strategy Guide is helpful, if a little daunting in length.

http://wiki.t-o-m-e.net/Spoilers/Lord_Dimwit's_Advanced_Strategy_Guide

In terms of basic advice, if you're playing a fighter-type, set speed and attitude (via the char screen) to 'Berzerker' and 'Running'. Try the house quest (the > in the starting town) then the Barrow Downs (outside the starting town but on the same map) and you should be better suited to travelling long distances. Finally, bring a pick or a shovel - you need them a lot more than in V.

PS ToME 3 doesn't work reliably yet - 2.3.5 is the most recent stable version.

Thanks for the help. Anyone mind giving me a paragraph of advice on what character to play that will not have me running away. For instance, I always used to suck at mages in Angband years ago until I took time to understand the game. Now the mage is the character I won the game with and I find warriors really annoying.

[fph]

Thanks for the help. Anyone mind giving me a paragraph of advice on what character to play that will not have me running away. For instance, I always used to suck at mages in Angband years ago until I took time to understand the game. Now the mage is the character I won the game with and I find warriors really annoying.

Mages are tricky because you have to choose in advance which magic schools to invest in. Some careful planning of your skill points is needed. Apart from sorcerors, which are overpowered at the end but a bit fragile at a certain point.
Warriors - if you don't like them in Vanilla, you won't like them in ToME too. Rangers and Rogues/assassins have a limited spell selection, but still need skill planning.
Paladins and mindcrafters are probably the easiest class to start with (if you don't like warriors). Invest in mindcraft for a lot of useful utility spells, then play as a melee fighter. Priests are quite similar.
All classes of the "loremaster" super-class and all those of the "mage" superclass apart from sorcerors are a bit tricky, do not use them as an absolute beginner.
Demonologists and necromancers are something unusual that may be fun. Allow yourself some time to become familiar with the game - tome has some unusual concepts such as skill points, two-pieces rods, praying.
After you know the game a bit, if you don't mind stairscumming and dying a lot, try Lost Souls for a couple of hours - they are kind of a crash course on diving.

[Derakon]

A few powerful combinations:

* Zombie RohanKnight Swordmaster: basically an uber-buff warrior-type. You'll only have to run from enemies that don't move and like to summon a lot (i.e. Quylthulgs).
* Vampire Dunadain Paladin: Not quite as powerful in melee as the above, but he gets access to Tulkas's Divine Aim spell (and, once you push Prayer high enough, gets the Earth spell Stone Prison, which is unbelievably useful). Plus you get Mindcrafting for all the utility spells you'll ever need.
* Vampire Dark-Elf Warper: this gets you a lot of useful utility spells for cheap, and then you boost Thaumaturgy for attack spells. Thaumaturgy is a little bit broken right now, though.

If you want to try more traditional magic, roll up a Sorceror. The trick here is that the Sorceror can learn all non-prayer spells by boosting the Sorcery skill (it acts as levels in all other schools), but each skillpoint in Sorcery decreases his max HP by 1%. So pick a class with lots of hitpoint potential.

You'll note that basically the only reason to ever not pick a vampire is if you can go with a zombie or skeleton instead. Or if you're going for a challenge game, I suppose. Experience is plentiful in ToME, so experience penalties are no big deal, and Vampires are almost universally better than "plain" versions of the races.

[Pete Mack]

Rogue.
No need to run when you have heroic stealth.
You can get by with walking, instead.

EDIT:
the real answer is late-game Paladin. With enough mana and healing spell, you can pretty much take on any foe. (The same holds for any fighting class with enough HP & !CCW, too--you can heal 150 points/potion, easily enough for more or less endless endurance.)

[Derakon]

Pete: the request for class suggestions was ToME-specific, and oddly enough Paladins in ToME don't get a healing spell, since they have no access to the Nature realm.

Mind you, high stealth is still very handy, especially in the first two mainline dungeons, which have breeding lice that can fly over the trees that serve as walls. They're why I removed MULTIPLY from my r_info.txt.

[dhegler]

A few powerful combinations:

* Zombie RohanKnight Swordmaster: basically an uber-buff warrior-type. You'll only have to run from enemies that don't move and like to summon a lot (i.e. Quylthulgs).
* Vampire Dunadain Paladin: Not quite as powerful in melee as the above, but he gets access to Tulkas's Divine Aim spell (and, once you push Prayer high enough, gets the Earth spell Stone Prison, which is unbelievably useful). Plus you get Mindcrafting for all the utility spells you'll ever need.
* Vampire Dark-Elf Warper: this gets you a lot of useful utility spells for cheap, and then you boost Thaumaturgy for attack spells. Thaumaturgy is a little bit broken right now, though.

If you want to try more traditional magic, roll up a Sorceror. The trick here is that the Sorceror can learn all non-prayer spells by boosting the Sorcery skill (it acts as levels in all other schools), but each skillpoint in Sorcery decreases his max HP by 1%. So pick a class with lots of hitpoint potential.

You'll note that basically the only reason to ever not pick a vampire is if you can go with a zombie or skeleton instead. Or if you're going for a challenge game, I suppose. Experience is plentiful in ToME, so experience penalties are no big deal, and Vampires are almost universally better than "plain" versions of the races.

Everyone - thanks for the help - this is EXACTLY what I was wanting to know. I don't mind playing a warrior-type for my first few tries. Warriors tend to get old for me once I hit dlvl 50 or so in Angband.