Angband doors

[fizzix]

@Hariolor: I'd be fine changing the mechanic and allowing you to jam the door without carrying anything. Assume there's enough junk lying around on the dungeon floor to allow jamming. Then, make jammed doors harder to break down. Zephyr hounds, panthers and tigers should not be able to bash down a door. Neither should orcs. Trolls and giants however...

@nullfame: I mentioned a possible solution to this a while back. It involves a little extra AI that is very context specific, so it may not be worth it. It also requires monster memory of its previous move (something we might want to implement anyway) The idea is if the previous move was spent opening a door, and the UI says that the current move should also be spent opening a door, a bash command should be given instead of an open command. (Or a door-destruction spell where appropriate.)

[Laie]

I'm much in favor of just locking doors. Basically, it seems to be lock-picking in reverse... maybe a little more difficult and time-consuming, but not an entirely new concept. But, please: no "Rods of (Un)Locking". Locking doors should take some time and effort. Not necessarily much, but noticeable.

Or... perhaps a "Rune of Warding" that may only be placed on doors? Possibly even repeatedly... it could pretty much work like spikes, only that it holds more and is magical. No weight as such, but it consumes mana or charges or something.

However, I definitely do not like the idea that some doors can only be opened with the right key. For one thing, it seems just silly that in every such case, someone happened to lose said key nearby (and always on your side of the door), and then "the door is locked, you need a key" reminds me too much of first-person shooters.

[Hajo]

Many (most?) walls are tunnelable. This restricts the idea of indestructible doors that needs a certain key to areas which have permanent walls, like vaults or similar. For such an area the idea seems to fit well, though.

[UniqueName]

Unlocking and Picking.
If you can't figure out how to unlock a door you don't belong in the dungeon. You might not even be able to leave your home. Picking doors doesn't make a lot of sense. How can both sides of a door be picked? Nonetheless, let's say we keep the mechanism of picking. Disarming an unlocked door or chest will lock it with the same chance as picking. The first jam should be free. Stick your sword, crud, whatever in the locking mechanism and wreck it. So an unlockable bolt is keeping the door closed. Subsequent jams can use spikes. This is equivalent to bracing the door but maybe any item can be used to brace the door? So if you use a arrow it's not very sturdy but if you use a MoD more power to you. Now you have a use for TMJ.

[buzzkill]

... Disarming an unlocked door or chest will lock it with the same chance as picking. The first jam should be free. Stick your sword, crud, whatever in the locking mechanism and wreck it. So an unlockable bolt is keeping the door closed. Subsequent jams can use spikes. This is equivalent to bracing the door but maybe any item can be used to brace the door? So if you use a arrow it's not very sturdy but if you use a MoD more power to you. Now you have a use for TMJ.

Jam a door with almost anything. Heavier items work better. Brilliant.

[fizzix]

Jam a door with almost anything. Heavier items work better. Brilliant.

"You jam the door with a scroll of trap/door destruction"

[Hajo]

Do we get potions of slime mold juice if we jam doors with slime molds and a monster bashes the door open, still?

[nullfame]

Jam a door with almost anything. Heavier items work better. Brilliant.

+1. You jam the door with a shard of pottery. Bring back broken sticks, skeletons, etc.

[Sirridan]

Flask of oil on the door could work too, forcing the monster to bash since it's too slick to open normally.

[Atarlost]

You could fudge it without state memory. Every round give a monster capable of both opening and bashing a chance to bash instead of open if the AI says open. If the chance is low enough it won't come up much in normal movement during the time a typical player spends on a level these days, but if the player is repeatedly slamming a door in the monster's face it'll eventually wind up rolling the bash chance and putting an end to that silliness.