Angband 4.0beta status

[Nick]

All right, I think I've spotted the problem! Having just started afresh in the newest version of 4.0, turns out I didn't actually have a lore.txt file. It looks like lore.txt is A, only created when your first character dies, and B, only being updated on character death, not when you save during an ongoing game. So when you exit and restart, monster knowledge is wiped back to the state it was at your most recent character death, and does not retain anything new that your still-living character has learned since then.

Ah, thank you - my problem was not killing my test characters often enough

Also thanks everyone for the ring testing. I had an idea it might be order of pickup, but hadn't checked.

[Ingwe Ingweron]

A question for you, Nick, about the class.txt file. I notice that the class must be assigned a "primary spellcasting realm" in the magic line. Does this mean that hybrid spellcasters will still be prevented? E.g., I wanted to create a hybrid Numenorean Ranger type class that had some of the priest spells, some of the mage spells, rather than only mage as currently.

[Nick]

A question for you, Nick, about the class.txt file. I notice that the class must be assigned a "primary spellcasting realm" in the magic line. Does this mean that hybrid spellcasters will still be prevented? E.g., I wanted to create a hybrid Numenorean Ranger type class that had some of the priest spells, some of the mage spells, rather than only mage as currently.

The spell realm currently determines the spellcasting stat, and names like "spell" vs "prayer" and "magic book" vs "prayer book". How the magic system operates is determined largely by class flags - so a mage gets CHOOSE_SPELLS and CUMBER_GLOVE in their flags: line, for example.

Which books the class can use, and which spells they contain, and exactly what those spells do, are completely editable, though. So you could certainly have a class which cast from both red and green books, but they would be confined to a single spell stat, and have the same rules on learning, gloves, blessed weapons, etc

I would actually prefer a bit more flexibility, but I eventually decided that doing things like allowing a different spell stat (which I seriously thought about for a while) or applying different flags for casting from different books was a lot of coding work for minimal improvement.

[MattB]

But I want an ice cream.

[Ingwe Ingweron]

The spell realm currently determines the spellcasting stat, and names like "spell" vs "prayer" and "magic book" vs "prayer book"....

I guess I remain confused about exactly what "spell realm" (1 or 2) actually does, since everything you've mentioned here is handled elsewhere.

Flags handle Cumber, Zero Fail, Choose Spells, Beam
book line handles magic book vs. prayer book
magic line handles: level of first spell, weight that hurts spell, [REALM], number of books

Does the [REALM] number actually do anything, then? Hmm, maybe that's how the program knows whether to call what @ cast was a spell or a prayer?

[Derakon]

I guess I remain confused about exactly what "spell realm" (1 or 2) actually does, since everything you've mentioned here is handled elsewhere.

By my reading, the realm determines if your casting stat is INT or WIS, and the text for messages like "you cannot learn any more [spells/prayers]". And that's it.

[Ingwe Ingweron]

By my reading, the realm determines if your casting stat is INT or WIS, and the text for messages like "you cannot learn any more [spells/prayers]". And that's it.

Of course, makes perfect sense. Thanks, Derakon and Nick.

[Nick]

No update today. The next one will probably break savefiles, to fix the ring swap problem.

Now some questions and comments about bugs I have been trying to fix:

• AC not displaying correctly, slowing remaining even after a heavy item is dropped - I can't reproduce either of these. If someone can, please give me a savefile.
• Monster memory vanishing - I can't reproduce that either. Remember that now all monster memory is in the lore.txt file - and that's added to and accessed by all characters. If you get the latest beta version, you will need to copy the lore.txt from your old version, or you will have no monster memory. As far as I can tell, both by looking at the code and by testing, lore.txt is being correctly written every time the game is exited. Kill counts are stored in the savefile, so those numbers in the monster history come from the savefile, but monster information doesn't.
• The activation macro thing - I don't think that's actually a bug. Aa5 would not aim at the closest thing, Aa' would, and that works exactly the same macro or typed directly. The reason the 5 at the end behaves like that is that numbers are already macros (so, eg, 4 is ;4 for step left), for moving or standing still. If you give a number in a keymap where a direction would make sense, the keymap can use it, but if you try to use it in a keymap as a direction it won't work, because you can't nest keymaps.

So the rings, a bunch of message issues and some display problems are the main things that I can reproduce at the moment. Plus a few display improvements that need doing. Anything else, please try and get a savefile, or failing that a really solid description of exactly what's going wrong.

[Thraalbee]

Artifact text still not perfect. When I look at this one lying on the floor all is fine (matches text below from the artifact.spo) but when I pick it up or wield it and inspect then suddenly the recharge time displays as 0. If used it takes the ~50 turns to recharge so it is only a display problem

the War Hammer of Disil (3d3) (+14,+10) [+16] <+3>
--------------------------------------------------
+3 wisdom.
+3 constitution.
Slays demons (powerfully).
Branded with fire.
Provides resistance to disenchantment.
Cannot be harmed by acid, fire.
Blessed by the gods.  Prevents paralysis.  

When activated, it heals 40 hitpoints, cut damage, and cures blindness and
confusion.
Takes 49 to 54 turns to recharge.
Your chance of success is 96.4%


Min Level 35, Max Level 127, Generation chance 12, Power 192, 12.0 lbs
Based on Barukkheled.

[EDIT] I just realized this happens because my speed goes down from 0 to -1 when I pick it up. With -1 speed it displays as 0 but at 0 speed it displays correctly.
Should be easy to fix. [EDIT]

[Thraalbee]

Attached savefile contains Sind. Switch between body armours and AC display is not updated correctly. Save and reload and always ok.

[Nomad]

• Monster memory vanishing - I can't reproduce that either. Remember that now all monster memory is in the lore.txt file - and that's added to and accessed by all characters. If you get the latest beta version, you will need to copy the lore.txt from your old version, or you will have no monster memory. As far as I can tell, both by looking at the code and by testing, lore.txt is being correctly written every time the game is exited. Kill counts are stored in the savefile, so those numbers in the monster history come from the savefile, but monster information doesn't.

Aha, I've pinned it down! I'm playing the Windows version, and it turns out that lore.txt is only being created/updated if you exit the game 'manually' using the ^X command or in-game Enter menu, but NOT if you exit using the standard Windows interface (i.e. by choosing File > Exit from the menu or clicking the X in the right-hand corner of the window).

[Ingwe Ingweron]

....Anything else, please try and get a savefile, or failing that a really solid description of exactly what's going wrong.

Was the " Sauron and artifacts only appearing once unless “reset” by closing and reopening" bug ever addressed?

[Ingwe Ingweron]

...The activation macro thing - I don't think that's actually a bug. Aa5 would not aim at the closest thing, Aa' would, and that works exactly the same macro or typed directly. The reason the 5 at the end behaves like that is that numbers are already macros (so, eg, 4 is ;4 for step left), for moving or standing still. If you give a number in a keymap where a direction would make sense, the keymap can use it, but if you try to use it in a keymap as a direction it won't work, because you can't nest keymaps....

In 3.5.1, the Macro works perfectly and in 4.0 it does not.

Both 3.5.1 and 4.0 map the [5] key as "," stand in place. Both 3.5.1 and 4.0 require "Direction ('5' for target, '*' or <click> to re-target, Escape to cancel)?" when targeting activatable attack items. The macro [Aa5] works perfectly in both 3.5.1 and 4.0 if the weapon is charged.

In 3.5.1, if the weapon is depleted, the macro works perfectly, returning "That item is still charging." message.

BUT, in 4.0, if the weapon is depleted, the "That item is still charging." message is immediately cleared by a "Type '?' for help." message.

In my opinion, either 3.5.1 was doing it wrong somehow, or it is a 4.0 bug. There's no difference in the mapping of the [5] key between the two versions, so what gives?

[MattB]

Aha, I've pinned it down! I'm playing the Windows version, and it turns out that lore.txt is only being created/updated if you exit the game 'manually' using the ^X command or in-game Enter menu, but NOT if you exit using the standard Windows interface (i.e. by choosing File > Exit from the menu or clicking the X in the right-hand corner of the window).

Aha! Genius!

[Nomad]

In the category of hilariously trivial issues: potions of Slime Mold Juice aren't being identified when you quaff them. (Possibly a side effect of the earlier fix for potions of Cure * Wounds being accidentally IDed by their food properties when quaffed?)