Increasing number of Randarts

[Malatar]

Is there an edit file or some similar way to easily increase the number of random artifacts?

I think I'd like it if there were about 50% more, and if someone could tell me if there were a constant setting or something similar I could modify, I would greatly appreciate it...

Power level doesn't really matter. I'm just tired of so many randarts that are otherwise interesting having "aggravate" on them...

[PowerDiver]

The randarts are tied to the standarts, so you might be able to add artifacts to lib/edit/artifact.txt and get the result that you want. I'm not sure. You'd have to worry about getting the balance right, since the power of derived objects corresponds to the power of the standarts, or at least it used to.

If you compile the code yourself, it is not too hard to disable aggravation. Just one line somewhere. I think if you change

if (p_ptr->state.aggravate)

to

if (0)

in src/monster/melee2.c then aggravation will have no effect.


It would be better to muck with the randart code, but I never understood the randart code well enough to know whether changing it would produce unwanted side effects.

[Magnate]

Is there an edit file or some similar way to easily increase the number of random artifacts?

I think I'd like it if there were about 50% more, and if someone could tell me if there were a constant setting or something similar I could modify, I would greatly appreciate it...

Power level doesn't really matter. I'm just tired of so many randarts that are otherwise interesting having "aggravate" on them...

What version are you playing? The number of randarts with aggravation was dramatically reduced in 3.1.1

If that's still too many for you, you can either edit the source code (line 2681 of randart.c is the only one you need to change), or add more artifacts to artifact.txt to generate more randarts. Make sure you increase the number of artifacts in limits.txt too.

[Malatar]

Thanks for the very helpful replies. I'm playing the newest one in the nightlies. (r1903 I believe)

The last three times (in three different games) I've found one of the randart versions of the Elven rings, they all had aggravation on them. It could just be bad luck, of course...

I'll try copying and pasting a few of the artifacts in artifact.txt and then increasing the limit...

Perhaps the randart function should just take a three numbers for the input. # of small, medium, and large powered artifacts. Plus the light sources, One Ring, etc. Of course in that case you'd have the problem of not getting enough rings or other specific type of items... It's an interesting balance problem, indeed.

I appreciate the help!

[Magnate]

The last three times (in three different games) I've found one of the randart versions of the Elven rings, they all had aggravation on them. It could just be bad luck, of course...

It is. I have generated dozens of sets of randarts since cutting down the number of aggravators, and I've paid special attention to the elven rings. Fewer than one in three should aggravate now - more like one in five. To find three consecutive aggravating elven rings is pretty unfortunate.

[Derakon]

Fewer than one in three should aggravate now - more like one in five. To find three consecutive aggravating elven rings is pretty unfortunate.

I've long since lost count of the number of times that something unlikely has happened multiple times in a row to me in Angband.

.2^3 is only .008, or 1 in 125. Not hugely likely, I'll grant, but such odds seem to happen downright regularly with Angband's RNG.

[Magnate]

I've long since lost count of the number of times that something unlikely has happened multiple times in a row to me in Angband.

.2^3 is only .008, or 1 in 125. Not hugely likely, I'll grant, but such odds seem to happen downright regularly with Angband's RNG.

Indeed. Some people think that randarts should never aggravate, for precisely this reason. I am not one of them. When curses are reworked, annoying binary aggravate will go away. Until then, it stays on randarts just like it stays on standard artifacts.

[PowerDiver]

It is. I have generated dozens of sets of randarts since cutting down the number of aggravators, and I've paid special attention to the elven rings. Fewer than one in three should aggravate now - more like one in five. To find three consecutive aggravating elven rings is pretty unfortunate.

So 3 elven rings * two games * 1/5 > 1, meaning I can expect an elven ring to aggravate every other game. No wonder I gave up on randarts due to excessive aggravation.

[Malatar]

It's worse than that actually. At .2 probability (1/5), the odds for one or more of the 3 elven rings to have "aggravate" on them in just one game is .488, or just under 1 in 2.

[Magnate]

So 3 elven rings * two games * 1/5 > 1, meaning I can expect an elven ring to aggravate every other game. No wonder I gave up on randarts due to excessive aggravation.

Ok folks, don't quote me on the one in five.

[Pete Mack]

My problem about the elven rings is they don't grant sustains.
c) The Ring of Andeldur (+3,+4) (+3)
+3 strength, intelligence, wisdom, dexterity, constitution,
charisma.
Provides resistance to lightning, fire, cold, light, nexus.
Cannot be harmed by acid, electricity, fire, cold.
Feather Falling. Grants telepathy.

Radius 1 light.

Any one sustain isn't worth much, but having the right 3 or 4 is worth a lot when meleeing M.

[PowerDiver]

Randarts with melee, I was generally (say > 50%) forced to use a crown of might or shield of preservation for sustains because sustains are too rare on randarts that you use.

I remember being annoyed that gloves of agility etc did not provide sustains. I felt that I should have other options, but I never could manage.

[Tatami]

My problem with randarts are immunities. Last winner I had to kill the balrog uniques, vecna, the tarrasque, glaurung and ancalagon, carcaroth, with fire resist plus the spell. All hairy fights.

[Pete Mack]

The immunities turn up fairly often, though not always in a convenient place. (Sometimes they show up on a weapon much weaker than Taratol, Gothmog, or Ulmo.)

From the same character:

k) The Set of Gauntlets of Estolin [3,+16] (+2)
+2 dexterity, speed.
It causes your melee attacks to slay orcs.
Provides immunity to fire.
Provides resistance to fear, light.
Cannot be harmed by acid, electricity, fire, cold.
Sustains intelligence.
Prevents paralysis.

Since you usually only need one at a time, it doesn't matter so much that they show up scattered uniformly, the way it does with sustains.

EDIT:
as for Gothmog and Lungorthim without fire immunity, I just won't fight them. In my last win I left them alive. It made for two scary moments when M summoned them; for th first I teleported away while it was still safe to do, for the second I banished 'U'.

[Zikke]

Can't the elven rings be scripted to not aggravate as exceptions? That would be nice. Would help people not be afraid of using randarts.