Removing unnecessary options

[Matthias]

Huh, strange. Is that because we're missing a tile? If so it seems like it would be good to create a new tile.

Indeed that seems to be the case.
At the moment using 'torchlit=yes', torchlit grid shares a tile with permalit grid (the second might have a monster in LOS though), while using 'torchlit=no' torchlit grid shares a tile with magic_mapped grid (the second might have items though).
I'm going with =no for obvious reasons, but a new tile would solve both issues.

[ThunderToads]

I don't use the display/remember torch-lit grids options. I don't like having the yellow glow around my character, I know how big their light radius is so I don't need it.

I also turn off the warning bell.


I would recommend not removing any of these options. They don't do any harm and there will be players out there who like them (like me), so why take that away from them? Don't fall prey to a 'tidiness' fetish! A small, compact set of options menus is highly overrated. Big, sprawling, full o choices is the way to go.

[nullfame]

I value squelching enough that I would rather change the spell so you didn't have to remember that there might be invisible objects to mess it up. Remembering to turn hide_squelch off, check adjacent squares, and turn it back on is the kind of game play I'd like to get rid of.

This.

It would make create doors slightly more powerful but not overly so. I think it is more important for the game to produce consistent, expected results. Creating doors and only getting 7 is strange. Unhiding squelch is tedious.

At the very least a different terrain color for "floor with squelched item" would be appreciated if people don't want create doors to, uh, create doors.

[Derakon]

I would recommend not removing any of these options. They don't do any harm and there will be players out there who like them (like me), so why take that away from them? Don't fall prey to a 'tidiness' fetish! A small, compact set of options menus is highly overrated. Big, sprawling, full o choices is the way to go.

If an option is genuinely useless, it should be removed, for two main reasons:

* It increases the burden on developers slightly to have to maintain support for it
* It increases the burden on new players to figure out what all the options are for and whether or not they should be turned on

d_m is simply running an informal poll to help discover which options actually are useless. I doubt any option will be removed if there's a single player here who says they use it.

[Twilight]

Quick poll... does anyone use the following options?

Interface options:
* hide_squelchable=no

Display options:
* view_yellow_light=no
* view_bright_light=no
* view_granite_light=no
* view_special_light=no
* view_perma_grids=no
* view_torch_grids=no

Warning and Disturbance options:
* ring_bell=yes

There are other options which can be argued about, but these were the settings that I never used, and which I can't imagine anyone strongly disagreeing with. But maybe some of them are controversial, which is why I'm asking.

For as long as I remember I've used (with ASCII - always!):

* view_granite_light=no (I just find this option ugly)
the other light options =yes

I also use that "unhide squelchables" trick at times, but as others have said, you could always turn off the individual squelch(es).

I never use this:

* ring_bell=yes

[Tiburon Silverflame]

I think I set all the options you mentioned, to Yes, as well.

Insofar as Create Door is concerned, if it ONLY destroyed squelched items, then I don't really see that this changes its power at all. As far as the player's concerned, squelched items don't exist anyway.

OK, I suppose there would be cases in a vault where you're (potentially) surrounded by junk and want to guarantee you'll break LOS with everything. So maybe it's a small power increase. Still, I'd rather have this behavior. For comparison: when item-gathering monsters cross a square with squelched stuff, do they pick it up, and the usual message that would appear just gets squelched?

Hmm, there's a monster ability that would be affected as well...create traps. If create doors trashes squelched, so should create traps.

[Timo Pietilä]

Hmm, there's a monster ability that would be affected as well...create traps. If create doors trashes squelched, so should create traps.

I think in Sang (and maybe in NPP) traps and items can exist in same square. Makes them much nastier, but also allows vaults and stuff with traps and items co-exists much better.

[fizzix]

I think in Sang (and maybe in NPP) traps and items can exist in same square. Makes them much nastier, but also allows vaults and stuff with traps and items co-exists much better.

I think this approach should exist in Vanilla as well. I could be wrong but I think this is a holdover from before items stacked.

However, you can't make it so items and open doors coexist because then you have the same problem of attempting to close a door with a hidden squelched item there. Alternatively, you can have the act of closing the door push the item to the square opposite the door from you.

[Magnate]

Quick poll... does anyone use the following options?

Interface options:
* hide_squelchable=no

Display options:
* view_yellow_light=no
* view_bright_light=no
* view_granite_light=no
* view_special_light=no
* view_perma_grids=no
* view_torch_grids=no

I set all these to Yes ... so I think I'm in the same camp as you.

[PowerDiver]

* view_yellow_light=no
* view_granite_light=no

I have those set to no, and I think I tested multiple combos and prefer it that way.

[Matthias]

ring_bell=yes
I just noticed I am using that one as well, though I guess I could live without it

As for those other options: I assume those exist because they were a new feature at one point, but were made options for players from before the change right? Or do they affect performance too much for really old systems?

[d_m]

It sounds like several people like view_yellow_light=no and view_granite_light=no. So those will probably stay.

And until tiles are fixed we need to keep view_torch_grids=no available.

I think the bell is going to be dead soon, and if the spells which interact with items on the floor are "fixed" I think we can remove hide_squelchable=no.

Just to clarify: I don't want to remove any options which people really love, but I want to try to reduce the number of cases we need to support, as well as the learning curve for the game. Also, I am planning to potentially add an option for animating flicker (monsters who change color) and wanted to see if I could clear some space for that.

[PowerDiver]

if the spells which interact with items on the floor are "fixed" I think we can remove hide_squelchable=no.

If this is not an option, it may need to be a command. The problem is when you screw up your squelching, either by accident or due to a bug. You get and barely notice a message about something being squelched, and want to look to see what is squelched nearby.

I also use it sometimes after killing a unique to see what it dropped when nothing shows.

I really used it a lot when debugging squelching.

Whether these reasons are enough, I am not sure, but think hard before you remove it. I agree that there is a downside to keeping it, so I am ambivalent at the moment.

[zaimoni]

For a particularly noxious ironman experience, back in V2.7.9 I tried:

* view_perma_grids=no
* view_torch_grids=no

The results were less than playable, as might be expected. view_perma_grids isn't even a worthy ironman option, so I'm fine with removing it.

[Nick]

Unless you can remember which one(s) you use and explain the benefit(s), your post will be disqualified!

Same as Eddie, so I can be safely ignored.