Add auto-explore to Angband 4.0

[Dwarf]

You are saying that you would not have run into those paralyzing monsters with auto-explore? In twisty corridor that's always the risk, starting from dlvl 1, unless you do detect monsters and deliberately avoid the monster in question.

I wasn't saying that. In a twisty corridor you will at worst run to a single monster, with a pack behind it. Besides, this is what the current auto-run does, a feature you are already most likely using. Teleportation can put you in the middle of a pack, this is what causes teleportation auto-deaths.

If you want to make auto-explore as smart as human and being able to detect monsters and then avoid them, then what is the point of playing the game? Just get a borg and use it as screen saver.

There wouldn't be a point. Good thing nobody has suggested that in the thread.

[Timo Pietilä]

I wasn't saying that. In a twisty corridor you will at worst run to a single monster, with a pack behind it. Besides, this is what the current auto-run does, a feature you are already most likely using.

I do detect monsters before engaging running, and running stops fairly regularly at things. Auto-explore would not do that, if I have understood the whole concept correctly.

[Dwarf]

I do detect monsters before engaging running, and running stops fairly regularly at things. Auto-explore would not do that, if I have understood the whole concept correctly.

The DCSS version stops after visual sight of a monster, picking up an item on a non-ignore list, and when there seems to be nothing left to explore. In addition the movement speed is slow enough for the player to halt the auto-explore. You can try it to see how it works.

[Derakon]

In any case, I think you're being needlessly apocalyptic about Angband's chances. Yes, there are definitely things we need to do to improve the user interface, and we could certainly stand to be friendlier to newbies. You said you gave 4.0 a look-see, well, 4.0 is wholly a cleanup of the code, with (ideally) no gameplay-level changes, but the idea is that 4.1 will follow fairly closely on its heels with actual changes.

In the meantime, Angband is not going to die. I mean, people still play NetHack, for crying out loud, and it hasn't had an update in twelve years!

[Antoine]

I think it would be awesome if Angband had an auto-explore command that had a significant chance of getting you killed on deeper levels.

A.

[Timo Pietilä]

In addition the movement speed is slow enough for the player to halt the auto-explore.

Gah! That would be absolute show-stopper for me, if I could see the movement I would have constant urge to hit the computer for doing stupid things and I would need to regain control.

Completely independent borg is different, that's like watching someone else play.

[debo]

In any case, I think you're being needlessly apocalyptic about Angband's chances. Yes, there are definitely things we need to do to improve the user interface, and we could certainly stand to be friendlier to newbies. You said you gave 4.0 a look-see, well, 4.0 is wholly a cleanup of the code, with (ideally) no gameplay-level changes, but the idea is that 4.1 will follow fairly closely on its heels with actual changes.

In the meantime, Angband is not going to die. I mean, people still play NetHack, for crying out loud, and it hasn't had an update in twelve years!

I personally think angband needs to be released on steam greenlight and that it should be built using docker containers, or it will be doomed forever.

[krazyhades]

I personally think angband needs to be released on steam greenlight and that it should be built using docker containers, or it will be doomed forever.

goddamn it debo, I know it was a joke, but I was filled with a brief bolt of white hot fury

[AnonymousHero]

... using docker containers.

Don't you mean... Rocket/rkt? (Seeing as you're so fond of them.)

[Nivra]

Flash-based Angband!

Port it to a Flash Engine and post it on one of the flash game websites!

OK. I think we've gone fully off-topic now.

PS> I fully agree auto-explore will get you killed, unless you include all telepathically detected enemies, in which case why bother? Also, as others have stated, if you walk into a room, there may be a pack of hounds that you can't see outside of your light radius. auto-explore will step into the room, and you're dead. It breathes... It breathes... It breathes... You die. It's not just about twisty corridors. Angband has asymmetric line of site. So unless you code auto-explore to use Monster LOS (which is stupid and creates a cheat in the game), then it Will Always Get You Killed.

[kandrc]

I'm pretty sure Dwarf was trolling.