Keymaps help for version =+4

[joeljpa]

I spent a good amount of time searching this forum and even the official docs at https://angband.readthedocs.io/en/latest/index.html, but not much detailed explanation is given on customising the game, especially the potentially super-useful keymaps in the new version.

I think I can find my way around inscribing and keymaps from spells since I've done it long time back in the older versions when macros existed.

But what I want now is relatively harder for a really simple thing: a keymap to automate digging in any way..is it possible?

Say a directional keymap for digging? Like how the run command works? Anything to automate this menial task of dig, move forward, dig, move forward? Lke the basic option of autodig in Nethack?

[fph]

It's not really much better than the T command, but do you know that ctrl+dir digs?

[Sky]

does it though?
i remember at some point it used to, but then stopped working. We had a generic "do obvious command" (with ctrl?), so if you were walking into a wall it would dig, if you walked onto a chest it wold disarm it, and so on.

[fph]

It works for me right now (Roguelike keyset, though). (EDIT: with -msdl2 under Linux).

[Sideways]

Ctrl-DIR (which maps into +DIR, + being "alter grid" aka the generic "do obvious command" Sky mentioned) is your best bet, but not guaranteed to work on all platforms. At least digging automatically repeats itself 100 times, so you don't have to do that manually as well

Mapping directional digging into a single keypress would be potentially dangerous, since if you pressed that key by accident you could lose 100 turns unless interrupted.

[fph]

Random attempt at fixing ctrl+dir if it does not work for you (does it, though?): if you are using the numeric keypad, try both with and without Num Lock; I remember that being a problem under some conditions.

[luneya]

As a general rule of thumb, you don't want to dig multiple squares in a straight line. The most common reason to dig multiple squares is to build an ASC, which requires a zig-zag pattern. The second most common is to breach a vault--but to do that, you still should be digging in an ASC zig-zag so that you have a safe retreat route for when the vault monsters wake up.

Classes that focus on ranged attacks might want to build a straight approach to a vault, but they won't want to be digging for it; they should prefer stone-to-mud so that they can dig the corridor from a distance.

Since "dig a straight line" isn't a useful feature, nobody's going to code for it.

I spent a good amount of time searching this forum and even the official docs at https://angband.readthedocs.io/en/latest/index.html, but not much detailed explanation is given on customising the game, especially the potentially super-useful keymaps in the new version.

I think I can find my way around inscribing and keymaps from spells since I've done it long time back in the older versions when macros existed.

But what I want now is relatively harder for a really simple thing: a keymap to automate digging in any way..is it possible?

Say a directional keymap for digging? Like how the run command works? Anything to automate this menial task of dig, move forward, dig, move forward? Lke the basic option of autodig in Nethack?

[DavidMedley]

you don't want to dig multiple squares in a straight line.

What about making a shortcut from here to there?

[mrfy]

I dig in a straight line a lot. Early in the game while getting $ out of treasure in the walls, then later to make shortcuts between rooms and corridors. Faster to dig than go around.

Even with my mage character last game (first winner with 4.2 version) I rarely dug a zigzag to take down high level monsters and uniques. Didn't really need to.

[Adam]

You might as well approach vaults with a long diagonal corridors where you can abuse LoS.
I don't do that but it's also a valid case for tunneling in the same direction.

[fph]

You might as well approach vaults with a long diagonal corridors where you can abuse LoS.
I don't do that but it's also a valid case for tunneling in the same direction.

I don't get this: how can you abuse LOS if your tunnel is a straight line? It seems to me that in every case when one digs in a straight line, actually zigzagging is better, because it gives you many more options to abuse LOS.

[Adam]

I don't get this: how can you abuse LOS if your tunnel is a straight line? It seems to me that in every case when one digs in a straight line, actually zigzagging is better, because it gives you many more options to abuse LOS.

20 diagonal + 1 move up/down. Then you have a 20 long corridor where you can hit monsters while they don't see you.
If you place some runes in the tunnel, the monsters can't even get close to you.

[luneya]

20 diagonal + 1 move up/down. Then you have a 20 long corridor where you can hit monsters while they don't see you.
If you place some runes in the tunnel, the monsters can't even get close to you.

The problem is that when you build this by digging, you're stuck at the end closest to the monsters, whereas you really want to be standing at the other end. These sorts of structures are best prepared by repeated application of wand of stone to mud from the far end. That procedure can be handled by the existing keymap system.

[joeljpa]

Thanks all for your replies. I think I would have benefitted from some of your solutions had I been playing the "vanilla" way....

But no, I've been playing it on Android after I saw this thread and still am. It has renewed my interest in my quest to conquer this classic too and add it to my roguelike resume.

Thanks once again, I'd probably try them when I end up playing it on my computer next time.

[whartung]

20 diagonal + 1 move up/down. Then you have a 20 long corridor where you can hit monsters while they don't see you.
If you place some runes in the tunnel, the monsters can't even get close to you.

How does this work?

How do the monsters not see you along a diagonal corridor?

The closest I get to abusing LOS is the Knight Move to stick an arrow in them before the turn a corner.