Preparation for 4.1 release

[Nick]

We are in the final stages of preparing to release 4.1; there should not be any new features added from here, although there is the potential to make balance tweaks if things are obviously unbalanced. I am hoping to release soon after competition 205 finishes.

Here is the current list of things to be done before release - 20 bugs and 3 changes.
There are also a couple of small fixes (changes to =Searching bonus, and better description of permanently cursed items like =Teleportation) that are done in development.

So, now is the time to speak up if you can see any problem with this plan. Please let me know if:

• You know of a bug I have missed;
• You think a listed bug has actually been fixed;
• You disagree with any of the changes,

or if you have any other concern with the current state of the game which you think should be fixed before release.

I will say this again, but thanks to everyone for the continual constructive input generated on this forum. It truly is a marvel

[Ingwe Ingweron]

#2016 Change default starting stats?
- For some time I've been advocating for having starting stats be part of the gamedata editable class.txt, p_race.txt, files to make it easier for creation of new races/classes. I think it would work better than the current "automatic" stats.

Additional previously reported bug - "rolls underfeet", but when you "look" there's nothing there if the item has been ignored. Has this been already been fixed?

One other odd, low-priority, bug - if in character creation, one hits "p" for previous in a rolled character, the game will crash.

[Nick]

#2016 Change default starting stats?
- For some time I've been advocating for having starting stats be part of the gamedata editable class.txt, p_race.txt, files to make it easier for creation of new races/classes. I think it would work better than the current "automatic" stats.

So the way it currently works is:

 * 0. buy base STR 17
 * 1. if possible buy adj DEX of 18/10
 * 2. spend up to half remaining points on each of spell-stat and con, 
 *    but only up to max base of 16 unless a pure class 
 *    [mage or priest or warrior]
 * 3. If there are any points left, spend as much as possible in order 
 *    on DEX and then the non-spell-stat.

and Pete has suggested (I don't know if these are meant to be base or adjusted stats)

Class 	        STR 	DEX 	CON 	MAG
Warrior 	17 	16 	16 	0*
Half-caster 	17 	16 	14 	12*
Full-caster 	16 	12 	14 	17

My thinking is that you would only want to put stuff in class.txt, and it has to be done in terms of what starting (probably base) stats you are aiming for, and in priority order. So maybe a warrior would have:

start-stat:STR:17
start-stat:DEX:16
start-stat:CON:18

which would get to base 17 STR, then to base 16 DEX, then as much CON as you could with the remaining points.

I also think that this is a classic low-priority, everyone-has-an-opinion issue which can be argued over forever

Additional previously reported bug - "rolls underfeet", but when you "look" there's nothing there if the item has been ignored. Has this been already been fixed?

I think I thought it was, but I may have been wrong either time.

One other odd, low-priority, bug - if in character creation, one hits "p" for previous in a rolled character, the game will crash.

Amusing

[Pete Mack]

The trouble with class is that race also matters--half-troll should not get the same weights as high elf. Also, the abode ranking must be very recent, since until at least very recently, CON was always short-changed

[takkaria]

I think probably there are some graphics tiles missing for new traps, and the new 'healer' monster too.

[Nick]

I think probably there are some graphics tiles missing for new traps, and the new 'healer' monster too.

Oh yes, thanks for the reminder.

[Nomad]

Rods, staves and wands now get tagged with the {tried} inscription even when your attempt to activate them fails.

[debo]

Not sure if this goes without TRACing, but there were a number of complaints about how low breath damage is now with conebreaths implemented.

[Nomad]

There's still an issue with selling leaking information about unidentified objects - shopkeepers will always offer you the correct price for the item when you sell it to them, and yet still react gleefully as if they'd ripped you off.

[Nick]

Not sure if this goes without TRACing, but there were a number of complaints about how low breath damage is now with conebreaths implemented.

Breaths have been buffed a bit in a recent nightly, I'm waiting to see how that goes.

[Ingwe Ingweron]

Breaths have been buffed a bit in a recent nightly, I'm waiting to see how that goes.

In my opinion, the newly buffed cone breaths work very well, and they also make more sense thematically. The damage is now more commensurate with the perceived danger.

[Nomad]

The interface for using Remove Curse on an object with unknown curses is still a bit awkward. It doesn't reveal the undiscovered curses anymore, but if you use it on an item where the curses are all unknown, it just mysteriously fails to do anything without any sort of explanatory message. I think there needs to be a "You have not yet identified any curses on this item" type fail message to make it clear what's happening.

[Nick]

The interface for using Remove Curse on an object with unknown curses is still a bit awkward. It doesn't reveal the undiscovered curses anymore, but if you use it on an item where the curses are all unknown, it just mysteriously fails to do anything without any sort of explanatory message. I think there needs to be a "You have not yet identified any curses on this item" type fail message to make it clear what's happening.

How do you know the item has curses? I've lost track

[wobbly]

Everything shows up as cursed? (I assume that's just a priest thing, I haven't been keeping proper track)

[Nomad]

How do you know the item has curses? I've lost track

As soon as you've identified one type of curse, the {cursed} inscription appears on all cursed items, not just those with curses you've already identified. (So changing that behaviour would be an alternate way of fixing the issue, I guess.)