DAJ: tossing out ideas II

[will_asher]

(starting a new thread to separate ideas & feature talk from code stuff, no code stuff in the this thread, I promise.)

I may want to release DAJ 1.3.1 before the DAJ comp because I'm really close to getting rooms to work on cavern levels. I think It'd be cool to have 1-2 normal rooms on cavern levels sometimes.
I have the next three days off work to finish getting that to work and make a release. That should be plenty of time (I might even get it to work tonight).

[Camcolit]

I read about your variant and it sounds cool, going to give it a try.

[will_asher]

I'm currently implementing a new system of noise & waking up monsters. Every action has a noise value so that digging and fighting make significantly more noise than searching and walking. Also, monster's actions also make noise, so even if the PC is being very quiet, a digging dwarf or breathing dragon can wake up other monsters. (but if the monster is wakened by another monster, it may wake up without noticing the PC.)
There will be a stealth mode (combined with the old search mode), where your actions don't make as much noise, but you get a speed penalty (I'm thinking -5 to speed).

a couple other things I'm implementing:
- room effects similar to those described here: http://angband.oook.cz/forum/showthread.php?t=5001
- monster champions- certain monsters (captains/cheiftains, etc), have a % chance to be named & become a pseudo-unique

DaJAngband development is coming much slower than it had been two years ago, but it's still coming.

[Nick]

I'm currently implementing a new system of noise & waking up monsters. Every action has a noise value so that digging and fighting make significantly more noise than searching and walking. Also, monster's actions also make noise, so even if the PC is being very quiet, a digging dwarf or breathing dragon can wake up other monsters. (but if the monster is wakened by another monster, it may wake up without noticing the PC.)
There will be a stealth mode (combined with the old search mode), where your actions don't make as much noise, but you get a speed penalty (I'm thinking -5 to speed).

4GAI variants (O/FA, NPP, S) have more advanced use of sound than Vanilla. You might want to look - update_noise in cave.c, and the cave_cost array are the relevant things.

[Mikko Lehtinen]

a couple other things I'm implementing:
- room effects similar to those described here: http://angband.oook.cz/forum/showthread.php?t=5001

That's very cool! I decided to go with intereresting furniture instead of room effects myself.

monster champions- certain monsters (captains/cheiftains, etc), have a % chance to be named & become a pseudo-unique

The venerable Kamband had random names for every "person" monster. "Richard the novice warrior hits you." That was kind of cool even though they didn't have any extra powers.

[buzzkill]

There will be a stealth mode (combined with the old search mode), where your actions don't make as much noise, but you get a speed penalty (I'm thinking -5 to speed).

You might want to consider making the 'stealth penalty' a % of current speed rather than a static number, as an effort to keep it relevant into the end game.

[will_asher]

I didn't like the idea of changing teleother from a beam to a bolt, but I agree that teleother is a little overpowered as it is. So I was trying to think of an alternative way to nerf it.
Here's the idea I had today: The first monster hit gets no saving throw, but other monsters in the beam get a save against it.
In the code it would be an unresistable bolt followed by a resistable beam.

What do you think? Is this a good idea?

[buzzkill]

It's a compromise, surely, but not a terrible one. I know that DaJ already allowed a save for some monsters and I thought that was pretty neat? Will this change eliminate that, making TO 100% effective against at least a single target. If so, then you're sacrificing something, something that worked IMO.

Given the power of TO I have no problem with it being a no save bolt, highly effective but very limited (somewhat rare).

How about a secondary form of TO, the orb, where only the direct target is not granted a save?

[will_asher]

It's a compromise, surely, but not a terrible one. I know that DaJ already allowed a save for some monsters and I thought that was pretty neat? Will this change eliminate that, making TO 100% effective against at least a single target. If so, then you're sacrificing something, something that worked IMO.

Given that very few monsters currently have a chance to resist TO (fitting to their type of monster), and most of them are not particularly nasty, those few should still have a small chance to resist the initial bolt.

How about a secondary form of TO, the orb, where only the direct target is not granted a save?

That's an interesting idea except I don't see a reason for more than one form of TO.

[buzzkill]

That's an interesting idea except I don't see a reason for more than one form of TO.

An orb would give you greater control, as you would be able target enemies at the middle or back of the pack, at a higher cost of course. Maybe call at a sphere of nexus or something.