Current master post 4.2.0

[wobbly]

I can't get the nightly on angband.live to run. I get to the splash screen & no further. Tried deleting my save & fiddling with font settings, no luck.

[Nick]

I can't get the nightly on angband.live to run. I get to the splash screen & no further. Tried deleting my save & fiddling with font settings, no luck.

I have the same problem - thanks for reporting.

EDIT: Attempted a fix, didn't work; the consequent new builds do have a fix to the book coloring inconsistency, though

[Ingwe Ingweron]

My $0.02 I think this is cool and would like to see it kept.

I assume gnomes still get their racial device damage boost, so a gnome mage would have a boost, albeit less than before.

[DavidMedley]

Physical vs Magical Traps

Is there a way to tell these apart, in-game? If not, that would be a cool addition.

[DavidMedley]

Yes - it's a percentage bonus to damage from when your device skill is greater than the object level. It can be up to 138%.

Artifacts already do not receive this bonus, correct? Or is there a higher device skill threshold?

[Derakon]

It used to be any magical item effect except for scrolls and potions, I believe. So wands, rods, staves, and artifacts all benefited damage-wise from your device skill.

I'm curious why you felt it necessary to remove this. It was a fairly significant differentiator between races.

[Nick]

I'm curious why you felt it necessary to remove this. It was a fairly significant differentiator between races.

Because it came up in the mage and rogue competitions that devices were completely OP compared to anything else.

It's possible that in fact it should be just halved or something, but I've started by removing it completely as the first step in a binary search Also, if it goes away, so much code simplification...

[Nick]

Is there a way to tell these apart, in-game? If not, that would be a cool addition.

There isn't, and it's a good point. I think the best way to do it would probably be in the trap knowledge menu.

[Derakon]

Because it came up in the mage and rogue competitions that devices were completely OP compared to anything else.

It's possible that in fact it should be just halved or something, but I've started by removing it completely as the first step in a binary search Also, if it goes away, so much code simplification...

Please forgive me for suspecting that you let your love of deleting code sway your judgement. Believe me, I've been there!

I don't think most players felt that devices were overpowered with the mage's old spell list, where even Greater Recharging had nontrivial odds of exploding high-level wands, and of course there was no way to tap wands for mana. I think the main complaints came from "purists", like Sky, who begrudged the need for devices moreso as a comment on the gaps in the mage's spell list than on the power of the devices themselves. (Sky, please correct me if I'm misrepresenting you)

[Nick]

Please forgive me for suspecting that you let your love of deleting code sway your judgement. Believe me, I've been there!

I don't think most players felt that devices were overpowered with the mage's old spell list, where even Greater Recharging had nontrivial odds of exploding high-level wands, and of course there was no way to tap wands for mana. I think the main complaints came from "purists", like Sky, who begrudged the need for devices moreso as a comment on the gaps in the mage's spell list than on the power of the devices themselves. (Sky, please correct me if I'm misrepresenting you)

You may well be right on all counts, but I stand by my binary search methodology. Let's see how people think the current situation plays.

[Voovus]

but I stand by my binary search methodology.

You maintainers are lucky men. You write code and code is patient. Unfortunate player that I am, I write on the susceptible skins of living @s.
- Catherine the Great (... with minor tweaks)


More seriously, can I assume that I don't need to repeat my earlier comment, that I have found a non-wand-breaking Recharge spell a good thing? I don't have time to playtest anything at the moment, but I'm fairly certain that I'll find the new version a step in the wrong direction.

[wobbly]

More seriously, can I assume that I don't need to repeat my earlier comment, that I have found a non-wand-breaking Recharge spell a good thing? I don't have time to playtest anything at the moment, but I'm fairly certain that I'll find the new version a step in the wrong direction.

May I ask why? It seems to me that turning every wand into a large rod stack is unideal.

[Pete Mack]

Agreed. I much prefer the model that wands should be reserved for when you jeed them, and rods should be used for the simple cases. With this observation, perhaps some rods should be deleted? I haven't carried a rod of fire bolts or the like in a looong time.

[Voovus]

In principle, I agree with the model where wands/staves are only used when you need them. I wouldn't mind scrolls of recharging being either weak, rare or going altogether. However, spell-based recharging only applies to mages and rogues, so it doesn't affect the value of wands for most classes and gives these two the option of a different playstyle.

For mages, wands aren't generally overpowered (tap spell excluded): fast casting doubles spell damage per round, so damage from wands, even annihilation, eventually falls behind spells. However, rechargeable wands add a lot of variety between games: finding an early drain life or speed or insertnamehere can significantly change the feel of the game for the next 1000'. or so.

For rogues, wands are an interesting choice because they are pretty bad at everything else!

[Chud]

May I ask why? It seems to me that turning every wand into a large rod stack is unideal.

I never really used them that way (with the exception of stone to mud), I used them as batteries instead, at least prior to the most recent tweaks. But otherwise, yes.