Bugs and complaints on current master

[Ingwe Ingweron]

This is a slightly confusing, but it's two different types of darkness. The darkness that's cast as a spell is just removing light; the effect you were resisting was getting blinded, but it doesn't do you any damage. Then there's a stronger form of Dark that does damage - that's the one in Darkness breaths and storms. So the rune you learnt was the resist for the second one.

The above statement could add to confusion when saying there are "two different types of darkness ... darkness that's cast as a spell is just removing light ... but it doesn't do you any damage."

More accurately, perhaps -- there are two types of darkness. One merely "creates darkness", which may be cast as a spell, and the other is Dark, which may come as breath weapon or may be invoked as a spell in the form of a Darkness Storm.

E.g., Ungoliant - may breathe darkness (400) [this breath damage estimate decreases as the monster's hit points decline] or may cast spells intelligently which invoke darkness storms (475) [as a spell, this darkness damage will not decline even if the monster's hit points are diminished]; versus, say, an illusionist, whose spell merely "creates darkness".

[PowerWyrm]

I've already posted this bug once in a different game and different scenario (and I believe a different game version), but I am going to post it again:

The Drider surrounds you in Darkness.
Darknesss surrounds you.
You resist the effect!

You see a scroll of Identify.
You read the scroll of Identify.
You have learned the rune of resist Dark.

Surely I should have learned this rune when the Drider surrounded me in Darkness and I resisted?

The drider surrounded you with "darknesss" not "darkness", that's why you didn't notice.

[Nomad]

If you try a staff of Remove Curse when you're not carrying any cursed items, you get the "You have no curses to remove" message, but the staff does not ID.

[Derakon]

This is a slightly confusing, but it's two different types of darkness. The darkness that's cast as a spell is just removing light; the effect you were resisting was getting blinded, but it doesn't do you any damage. Then there's a stronger form of Dark that does damage - that's the one in Darkness breaths and storms. So the rune you learnt was the resist for the second one.

Why don't we change the "cover in darkness" spell into a weak darkness ball spell? The only mechanical changes would be a) it'd deal some damage, and b) it would only darken the squares hit by the ball instead of the entire room the player is in. Well, I guess and c) it would potentially damage neighboring enemies. The hard/soft division for light and darkness elements is weird and confusing IMO; make everything hard (i.e. damage-dealing) and you remove one more "weird undocumented thing" about Angband, without really losing anything important.

As an added benefit, Magic Mushrooms would theoretically be able to kill the PC.

[Nick]

The Drider surrounds you in Darkness.
Darknesss surrounds you.
You resist the effect!

You see a scroll of Identify.
You read the scroll of Identify.
You have learned the rune of resist Dark.

Surely I should have learned this rune when the Drider surrounded me in Darkness and I resisted?

This is a slightly confusing, but it's two different types of darkness. The darkness that's cast as a spell is just removing light; the effect you were resisting was getting blinded, but it doesn't do you any damage. Then there's a stronger form of Dark that does damage - that's the one in Darkness breaths and storms. So the rune you learnt was the resist for the second one.

[Nomad]

I like that basic items have multiple curses. Once a rune is learned, it's learned, so it's not a complete waste if you decide to blow all your scrolls on a single item. And what's wrong with having an item not being worth the trouble? I think curses and how many on a single object should be random, irrespective of the quality of an item.

I guess that my main issue is just that the number of triple-cursed items seems very disproportionate to the number of ID scrolls and in-dungeon Remove Curse you find, so it seems like by the time my characters get to dlevel 30-something they've already found multiple triple-cursed items and many single-cursed ones but maybe only five or six ID scrolls and one or two Remove Curse. It's never really feasible to carry all the cursed items you find in the early game around long enough to amass consumables to deal with them, even if you save ID solely for curses and never use it on positive runes.

Upping the amount of consumables would also improve matters, but I kind of like the challenge of them being scarce; it's just that if they are, then it feels like using them should provide more value/satisfaction than, "Welp, that's the first of the six scrolls I'll need to burn through on this +5 dagger before it's safely usable."

[Grotug]

I've already posted this bug once in a different game and different scenario (and I believe a different game version), but I am going to post it again:

The Drider surrounds you in Darkness.
Darknesss surrounds you.
You resist the effect!

You see a scroll of Identify.
You read the scroll of Identify.
You have learned the rune of resist Dark.

Surely I should have learned this rune when the Drider surrounded me in Darkness and I resisted?

[Grotug]

I like that basic items have multiple curses. Once a rune is learned, it's learned, so it's not a complete waste if you decide to blow all your scrolls on a single item. And what's wrong with having an item not being worth the trouble? I think curses and how many on a single object should be random, irrespective of the quality of an item.

[Nomad]

Minor old bug that seems to have resurfaced: Dragon Scale Mails of Craftsmanship show (+0, +0) in the name when you ID them, even though they never have Hit/Dam bonuses.

Also, another random observation on curses - it seems to be pretty common to get three on the same item, even at very low depths and on fairly basic items. That just feels like major overkill and makes it seem like it's not worth the effort and waste of scrolls involved in trying to ID and/or remove them. Not sure what the current mechanism is for adding curses, but I feel like getting more than one at the same time should be pretty rare or else reserved for higher-level items.

[Derakon]

I'm currently checking new object power calculations and it seems that most of the individual properties are way underpriced. No idea why... because power values in object_property.txt are identical as before.

That suggests that the pricing algorithm or the power calculation algorithm (which is presumably used by the pricing algorithm) has changed instead, no?

[PowerWyrm]

Amulet of ESP for 1700-ish in black market; while I am less troubled by pricing than most, that seems too low. Maybe something is wrong with the evaluation function, too ?

I'm currently checking new object power calculations and it seems that most of the individual properties are way underpriced. No idea why... because power values in object_property.txt are identical as before.

[Grotug]

Thanks. The character isn't currently on the stairs - how do I get to where it crashed from where the character is now?

I have no idea. :-/ It crashed attempting to descend a downstairs somewhere in the level, but I don't know where anymore.

[Estie]

Amulet of ESP for 1700-ish in black market; while I am less troubled by pricing than most, that seems too low. Maybe something is wrong with the evaluation function, too ?

[Nick]

A few thoughts on curses

Thanks. Curses are one of several areas which I'm just leaving to sit for a while so I can get people's reactions, so that's really helpful.

[Nick]

It just crashed again going for the downstairs. I'll send you the files soon.

Thanks. The character isn't currently on the stairs - how do I get to where it crashed from where the character is now?