Tips for Identification

[Pete Mack]

Oh yeah. It hadn't occurred to me, but ID is much easier if you have the 'no selling' birth option enabled. Those {??} weapons with no (near) obvious features really do have zero value in that case. Selling for ID costs nothing then.
Yes, you get somewhat less gold overall, but there are no worries about ID, or tedium of lugging stuff back to town for resale.

[archolewa]

And then, after you've mastered the ID minigame (however you choose to do so), and have beaten the game a couple of times with it, you go into the birth options, flip on "know all runes at birth" and "know all flavors at birth" and marvel at how much faster and less tedious the earlygame is when you dont have to identify anything.

Knowing everything is my antidrug.

[whartung]

And then, after you've mastered the ID minigame (however you choose to do so), and have beaten the game a couple of times with it, you go into the birth options, flip on "know all runes at birth" and "know all flavors at birth" and marvel at how much faster and less tedious the earlygame is when you dont have to identify anything.

Knowing everything is my antidrug.

Yea, actually, this is what I do. I didn't find the ID game very interesting, just more busy work mechanics to extort limited bag size.

I'm sure its different in Ironman mode, or some other limited ruleset.

[Selkie]

Yea, actually, this is what I do. I didn't find the ID game very interesting, just more busy work mechanics to extort limited bag size.

I'm sure its different in Ironman mode, or some other limited ruleset.

Since we're doing dirty confessions, I also do this now. I got to the stage where the ID game was cracked and I was just finding it a bore. I feel a bit the same with the hunger games too, if I'm honest. But I suppose that has a bit more end game tactical play for stopping potion quaffing spam abuse

[archolewa]

I'm sure its different in Ironman mode, or some other limited ruleset.

Honestly, it was playing without WoR that finally made me swallow my pride and turn off the ID minigame. When I could just throw things at the stores, I found the ID game a lot like the hunger game: inoffensive, and I liked the flavor enough that I had no problem with it. Having to identify runes the hard way was SOOOOO tedious that I finally said "screw it" and turned it off.

Food is a bit more interesting without a town, mostly in that it incentivizes me to keep moving even when not fully healed. Mostly though I just carry a stack of Scrolls of Remove Hunger (lighter than rations), and eat whatever I find off the floor.

[Grotug]

I still find it somewhat fun/rewarding trying to figure out which ring is a Free Action among other runes, such as worrying whether or not I have disenchant or rPois on a new artifact/elvenkind; but I have more or less cracked it at this point. It can be kind of annoying lugging around weapons and trying them on the right types of monsters, though, especially when orcs are still dangerous, in which case learning slay evil is risky business (although I keep forgetting you can *throw* weapons at monsters to learn their runes!) Yeah, for me the rune-mini game is still fun.

[Pete Mack]

@Grotug--
FA, isn't *that* hard to figure out. All it takes is a -1 (or -2) speed amulet and a homunculous. Or boots. There are effectively only two tests for unknown boots: jumping in a pit, or getting hit by a minor paralyzer.

[Mondkalb]

Also: Potions of sleep. I really shouldn't set those on ignore. ^^

[Sphara]

Also: anything with SLOW spell can id FrAct.

[Pete Mack]

@Sphara-
Sure. But you need to wait around for it to cast the spell. Letting a u take a shot is easier. Sometimes I change th color on paralyzing traps till I ID FA.

[archolewa]

Also: Potions of sleep. I really shouldn't set those on ignore. ^^

This is actually something I appreciated about rune identification without the town. All of those "bad" potions now had a use. Especially sleep. Paralyzed by humonculus (or carrion crawler) has killed enough of my characters that I really wouldnt want to find out the hard way.

Didnt appreciate it enough to keep using rune ID, but you know. Just one of several ways I found the game improved without a town.