Angband 4.2.1: First Impressions, Part 2 (Blackguard)

[Sphara]

I'm perfectly happy about enchantment gap sitting at +15 and usually use the scrolls to upgrade ammunition (may try my luck with things like Haradekket and Sting).

What I'm not happy about, is relatively high chance of failure even with lowly arrows. Seeing an enchantment fail for something like 40 pack of +0+0 seeker arrows feels just a little unnecessary.

[wobbly]

What I'm not happy about, is relatively high chance of failure even with lowly arrows. Seeing an enchantment fail for something like 40 pack of +0+0 seeker arrows feels just a little unnecessary.

I don't remember the exact calculation, but I do remember that 20 +0+0 always works where as 40 is 50% e.g. it averages 2 scrolls to enchant 40 to +1 with either stack size. I suspect it's the same all the way through, stacks of 40 are half odds.

Also I use whirlwind. Particularly for things like nrulings or druadan mages. You know, stuff you'd usually use crowd control spells on. I don't whirlwind packs of great drakes but I wouldn't fireball them either.

[drquicksilver]

* the food system is just so broken. I spent most of the battle with Morgoth slowed by -5 to -10 simply because I was healing myself. It would have been fruitless if I had not constantly used rods of slowness on him. Basically, I need a postit note next to the computer reminding me to starve my character before the final two battles. It's just ridiculous. I've been in many situations now where trying to heal myself actually jeopardizes my survival. It makes no sense at all and is really aggravating.

As a counter-anecdote: over three wins (warrior, paladin, mage) in 4.2.1 I have never been slowed from extra food. I'm not sure if there is a big play style difference here but by just reading a scroll of remove hunger every time I got hungry, I always had the headroom to drink potions when I wanted to.

* Staffs of destruction are even more necessary for warriors than ever, because they are the only thing that can stop the character from constantly being chased by unique and greater balrogs and other super-powerful tunneling and rock-slipping monsters during the end game.

Interesting. I never used them, and used no scrolls of destruction outside of the final battle. Big Us I just killed, or teleported away, depending on convenience.

[whartung]

As a counter-anecdote: over three wins (warrior, paladin, mage) in 4.2.1 I have never been slowed from extra food. I'm not sure if there is a big play style difference here but by just reading a scroll of remove hunger every time I got hungry, I always had the headroom to drink potions when I wanted to.

Yea, that sounds like a play strategy.

I can't speak for you, of course, but perhaps you were stockpiling Remove Hunger scrolls simply for the reason reseting the food level, vs actually satisfying hunger (ala eating food). For example, I carry food to relieve hunger. Perhaps deep down I should carry RH scrolls and try my luck eating stuff off the ground.

Off the top of my head, the Remove Hunger and Honey Cake reset the food level (50 and 60% respectively), whereas food and potions raise it.

Being conscientious of the potion gorging issue suggests that a player that relies on them for healing essentially must make it a point so stockpile those kinds of items in order to better fight large monsters with lots of healing is necessary.

As demonstrated, however, while the gorging can be problematic, it apparently didn't prevent the person from winning the game, and it's not even clear if the gorging was at all responsible for the loss of the first 4 characters.

So, it's just Yet Another thing to be managed, of which the ?RH and ,HC one of the tools available to do that.

[mrfy]

Off the top of my head, the Remove Hunger and Honey Cake reset the food level (50 and 60% respectively), whereas food and potions raise it.

Healing potions decrease it, at least with the recent nightly versions.