Start at clvl/dlvl 20

[Derakon]

You've already registered your opinion; now you're just being silly.

[Tiburon Silverflame]

Note that it can also just be a character creation/birth-time option...you can start at level 1 with the usual starting gear and reset depth 50', or you can start at level 20 with whatever particular starting kit (I'm thinking non-magical soft leather armor, wicker shield, long bow, 20 arrows, rapier or mace, leather boots, leather cap, lantern, 2 flasks of oil, 3 CCW potions, 5 Identify scrolls, and 3 WoR scrolls, plus about 1500 gp) makes sense, and recall depth 1000'. Note that kit is WAY below what any 20th level character, even a power-diver, is gonna have. I give the cash so a caster can buy some extra books, for example, because I didn't include the 2nd and 3rd books in the kit.

Hmm...hows about, if you give them that kind of *reasonably* complete kit, then they *start* on level 20, or at least their Recall flag is set so they'll find themselves on 20 rather quickly?

But something like that...lets newbies play the early game to learn the tricks, lets power-divers have the fun/risk of hitting L20 with *crappy* gear and lets the vets bypass the uber-tedious early stages.

[miyazaki]

Note that it can also just be a character creation/birth-time option...you can start at level 1 with the usual starting gear and reset depth 50', or you can start at level 20 with whatever particular starting kit (I'm thinking non-magical soft leather armor, wicker shield, long bow, 20 arrows, rapier or mace, leather boots, leather cap, lantern, 2 flasks of oil, 3 CCW potions, 5 Identify scrolls, and 3 WoR scrolls, plus about 1500 gp) makes sense, and recall depth 1000'. Note that kit is WAY below what any 20th level character, even a power-diver, is gonna have. I give the cash so a caster can buy some extra books, for example, because I didn't include the 2nd and 3rd books in the kit.

Hmm...hows about, if you give them that kind of *reasonably* complete kit, then they *start* on level 20, or at least their Recall flag is set so they'll find themselves on 20 rather quickly?

But something like that...lets newbies play the early game to learn the tricks, lets power-divers have the fun/risk of hitting L20 with *crappy* gear and lets the vets bypass the uber-tedious early stages.

Personally, I will never use this. I consider it a cheat.

[fizzix]

Personally, I will never use this. I consider it a cheat.

I won't use it either, but not because I think it's cheating, but that I often find that the first 20 levels give the largest variation in gameplay. What I use to survive is different in every game. The doldrums of the first 20 levels doesn't compare to me at all as the doldrums of hunting for stat-gain potions, or the doldrums of hunting dlevel 99 kitting for Sauron and M.

However, anyone's patch/variation that makes the game more enjoyable for them or others, is fine by me.

[Nero]

I am getting a memory error, its only getting to like line 47 before it stops. Its at the data.append line.

Any help this time?

[Derakon]

Did you try without the "python" like I suggested?

Windows' command line isn't identical to OSX's commandline. In your case, since you already have Python installed with proper file associations (I can tell from your error message), you'd not need to type "python" in the command above. Otherwise it's the same.

[Nero]

Yeah, now I am getting a memory error

[ewert]

You all understand how horribly unbalanced this is mage vs. warrior? And to lesser extent any other class vs. warrior.

A mage can go naked in dlvl 20 at lvl20 with spellbooks 1-2-3 (for which he has money with that script). Heck, if no lucky art or ego drops happen, my mage prolly is near naked at that dlvl still ...

Personally, I am of the "blaze past the first 20-30" till stat gain. But I'm itching to finish my NPP druid (just messing around at 98, he could kill S and M easy already =P), just so I can start a new char. =P I may blaze past the low levels, but as someone said, they provide probably the most varied experience per playthrough as levels go.

[Sirridan]

Personally, I am of the "blaze past the first 20-30" till stat gain. But I'm itching to finish my NPP druid (just messing around at 98, he could kill S and M easy already =P), just so I can start a new char. =P I may blaze past the low levels, but as someone said, they provide probably the most varied experience per playthrough as levels go.

I personally like 50-80, where things show up that you don't quite have the gear to handle, but there's a nice mix of things you can, and sometimes you act bravely and it pays off majorly, and at times it doesn't and you end up rerolling.

This is of course assuming you don't clear every level and you pretty much just dive after you find that =rPoison (unless you're a kobold )

[ewert]

I nowadays totally skip 40-95 really. =P Zooooooom. Stat gain some multiple attacks or spellcasting stat and con at 30-40 (depending on char strength either 30 or 40). Drop to 95, start getting good gear. Oh, and play carefully.

[Derakon]

Well, after losing my latest character to a 7-headed hydra (should've drunk my potion of speed...then maybe I would've been able to get unblinded long enough to escape), I gave this script a shot. Unfortunately, the savefile it generates isn't considered usable by Angband; the open-file dialog won't let me select it. The file's too big to attach to a post, so I've just put it online here.

[Sirridan]

Really? I just tried and it worked fine for me, here's the screen shot. I'm using V3.1.2v2 by the way, not sure which revision though.

[TT][BC=black][COLOR=white]
                                                                                                                       
[COLOR="#00FFFF"]Half-Troll   [/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]##################################################################                                        
[/COLOR][COLOR="#00FFFF"]Defender     [/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]................................................................[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
[/COLOR][COLOR="#00FFFF"]Paladin      [/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]................................................................[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
[/COLOR]LEVEL     [COLOR="#00FF00"]20 [/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......[/COLOR][COLOR="#C08040"]1[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#########[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]....[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].........[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#########[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]...................[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
[/COLOR]NXT     [COLOR="#00FF00"]1549 [/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]##########[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]....[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].........[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#########[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
[/COLOR]AU       [COLOR="#00FF00"]352 [/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]##########[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]....[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].........[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#########[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
[/COLOR][COLOR="#C0C0C0"]|    [/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]~       #[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]##########[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]....[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].........[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#########[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
[/COLOR]STR:   [COLOR="#00FF00"]18/60 [/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]##########[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]....[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].........[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR][COLOR="#0040FF"]5[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]##[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
[/COLOR]INT:       [COLOR="#00FF00"]3 [/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]##########[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]....[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]2[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]####[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]........................3[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#####[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
[/COLOR]WIS:      [COLOR="#00FF00"]16 [/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]................................................................[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
[/COLOR]DEX:       [COLOR="#00FF00"]6 [/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]................................................................[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
[/COLOR]CON:   [COLOR="#00FF00"]18/40 [/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]................................................................[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
[/COLOR]CHR:       [COLOR="#00FF00"]6 [/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]................................................................[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
             #[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]...................................................[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
[/COLOR]Cur AC    [COLOR="#00FF00"]-1 [/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].........[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR][COLOR="#C00000"]6[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#[/COLOR][COLOR="#008040"]4[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#####[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]..........[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
[/COLOR]HP   [COLOR="#C00000"]20[/COLOR]/ [COLOR="#00FF00"]250 [/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].........[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]...[/COLOR]...[COLOR="#804000"]#######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]..........[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
[/COLOR]SP    [COLOR="#C00000"]2[/COLOR]/  [COLOR="#00FF00"]27 [/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].........[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR]......[COLOR="#804000"]#######[/COLOR]......[COLOR="#804000"]#######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"]..........[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]###[/COLOR][COLOR="#606060"]7[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]##[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
             #[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].........[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]######[/COLOR]...........@.......[COLOR="#804000"]#######[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......................[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
             #[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].........[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#####[/COLOR][COLOR="#FFFF00"]8[/COLOR]....[COLOR="#606060"]ttt[/COLOR].........................[COLOR="#808080"].................[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
             #[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......[/COLOR]...........[COLOR="#606060"]ttttt[/COLOR].......................[COLOR="#808080"]..................[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
             #[/COLOR][COLOR="#808080"].......[/COLOR]...........[COLOR="#606060"]ttttt[/COLOR].......................[COLOR="#808080"]..................[/COLOR][COLOR="#804000"]#                                        
             ##################################################################                                        
[/COLOR]Town                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                       
             Study (20)                                                                                                
[/COLOR][/BC][/TT]

[PowerDiver]

Shouldn't there be a significant penalty for skipping 1/5 of the game? Hard to start easy to win chars get a ridiculous benefit. Perhaps -1 to all stats, permanent not temp loss, would be about right.

[Sirridan]

Shouldn't there be a significant penalty for skipping 1/5 of the game? Hard to start easy to win chars get a ridiculous benefit. Perhaps -1 to all stats, permanent not temp loss, would be about right.

Feel free to make your own version of the script, I just looked at save.c to see how the player record was put to file, and thats how I found the offsets I needed to change.

The script skips the bytes devoted to saving stats, so lowering stats would indeed be easy to change.

[Zikke]

Shouldn't there be a significant penalty for skipping 1/5 of the game? Hard to start easy to win chars get a ridiculous benefit. Perhaps -1 to all stats, permanent not temp loss, would be about right.

That's not enough of a penalty. It basically takes all of the hardest parts of rolling a priest or mage out of the game.

I'm still hoping none of this thread ever actually makes it into the game...