Do you stair scum?

[Wraitheist]

I hate to admit it, but whenever I play a cleric or mage, I end up stair-scumming a lot until I get a lot of escape options. I'd say that until I get scrolls or a staff of teleportation AND a wand of teleport other, I don't step off the stairs unless there is treasure to pick up in my LOS or a set of > stairs are fairly close by. This changes a bit after I get these things. Do you all do this, too, or do you actually explore the levels? If so, do you find yourself dying a lot more often?

[ChodTheWacko]

I'd say that until I get scrolls or a staff of teleportation AND a wand of teleport other, I don't step off the stairs unless there is treasure to pick up in my LOS or a set of > stairs are fairly close by. This changes a bit after I get these things. Do you all do this, too, or do you actually explore the levels? If so, do you find yourself dying a lot more often?

You get good items far quicker by killing monsters than searching levels.
So Stair scumming is not only boring (imho), but also inefficient.

I usually play mages. For low levels, I play character level = dungeon level,
until I reach char level 20 or so, then I sink down to dungeon level 30 to start potion hunting.

Let me ask you this - what are you so scared of? You are a mage, for crying out loud. You have detect monster. Use it. Constantly. Then there are no surprises. If you see a monster which can instantly kill you, THEN head for the stairs.

But really, there are only a handful of monsters which are a real threat.
As long as you carry scrolls of phase door, and Potions of cure serious wounds (to cure blindness/confusion), you should be fine. Just don't get stupid with pack monsters - take them one at a time.

Worst case scenario, read a scroll of word of recall and then run via phase
door. Sleep is incrediby useful for running away too.

Wand of teleport away is very useful but not critical initially. Teleport is very safe, intiailly, since monsters are sleeping when first generated.

- Frank

[Svladd Cjelik]

I play Z and my short answer is yes. I play human mages and stair scum till I hit Clvl 20ish, after which I lilke to explore every last corner of the Dlvl before I descend again. (I have been known to scum for stat potions at about 1500'-1600'. Shame on me I know...

However...

On the off chance that I choose to roll a Dwarf Paladin or Half-Troll Warroir (which I sometimes but rarely do), I just kill things and clear entire level from the get go.

[Narvius]

Well, partially yes.
As a mage, I dive to 500', then stay there clearing the level multiple times, recalling when I'm done each time. When I have Identify I begin to slowly go down until I hit 1000', which happens very rarely, so I don't have any patterns for after that. If I'm really impatient, I stair scum for nearby down-stairs.

[Slick]

I'll only stair scum at the town level and only if in need of some basic common item that isn't currently in the stores: CCW, Restore Life Levels, those kinds of things.

[Narvius]

Ah, yes, right. I sometimes town-stair-scum for longbows and !Restore [Stat].

[takkaria]

Ah, yes, right. I sometimes town-stair-scum for longbows and !Restore [Stat].

Is townscumming part of the character of the game? If some items were permanently available in the shops a la the general store, would it impact gameplay at all or just make it less annoying?

[roustk]

Is townscumming part of the character of the game? If some items were permanently available in the shops a la the general store, would it impact gameplay at all or just make it less annoying?

Now that ammo, torches, food, and WoR are always available at the General Store, I don't feel that anything else is required. Certainly not restore stat (or life levels) potions or any type of weapon or armor.

I might argue for making the eight town books always available (but most likely only one copy of each). I could also see ensuring that scrolls of Phase Door are always available, but that is a close call.

Logic:
* Food is the *only* item required for living.
* Playing without light or WoR is unbelievably annoying.
* Ammo is fragile and important to fighting (so long as bows are unbalanced).
* Playing with a missing book is slightly annoying.
* Playing without phase door is dangerous (but not crazy).
* Playing with drained stats/experience is common.
* Everyone starts with a weapon, and neither bows nor armor are required for survival.

Kevin

[Djabanete]

Is townscumming part of the character of the game? If some items were permanently available in the shops a la the general store, would it impact gameplay at all or just make it less annoying?

I haven't played Vanilla for a while, so take this with a big grain of salt, but for me the answers would be YES and "much, much less annoying." When I need something fairly basic I'll scum for it until I have it, and it would make things a lot less tedious if these items were permanently available.

[Poop Loops]

Is townscumming part of the character of the game? If some items were permanently available in the shops a la the general store, would it impact gameplay at all or just make it less annoying?

Sometimes the magic shop doesn't have an Identify scrolls, which if I'm playing a warrior I need. Other times I want a phase door. Restore stats is a big one, too. I only townscum for those things and for stat potions if I have like 27000 to spend for one.


So stat potions would impact the game, but scumming for restore potions would just make it less annoying. I am not going back to level 20+ if I have my strength or dex lowered as a warrior, wis, str, dex as a paladin, or int or con as a mage. It's just not happening.

Moreover, at that point I can afford plenty of food and torches, so it doesn't impact my wallet or anything either. Just kind of time-consuming.

[Narvius]

I agree on the books.
There's enough food in the shops.
How about making !Restore [Stat] always accessible in shops, but more expensive? This would be a new way to use money.
The same for missiles - make them 2 or even 3 AU a piece, but unlimited amounts of them.

[rdermyer]

I think the availability Stat Restores are mostly fine as it is. I normally snag one or two even if I don't need them if I have money after scrolls and potions and put them in my house in case there aren't any when I do need them.

[Narvius]

Me too. But by the time I do have enough money, I'm stat drained already.

[Garrie]

Well sorry for hijacking the post...

!restore stat isn't that big a concern. Buy one of each the first time you get a chance and leave it in your home. Dive faster and you will trip over !stat gain. Buy 'shrooms of restoration at the black market. "just get over it".

Making them permenantly available would make stat drain a much less feared attack, because you would know you could get your stat point back just by ?WOR + $.

[Garrie]

Yes, I stair-scum. Most violently to get away from not-quite-insta deaths.
Mind you I dive, I don't clear levels, if I cannot get to a > quick enough it's a <> shuffle to try again. I don't mess around resting to make sure I get a feeling.