FAangband 0.3.4

[Nick]

There will probably be a while until the next version, as I am going (gulp) to attempt to write a port to the DS. Believe this or not as appropriate.

Well, somewhat to my surprise, a DS port now exists. It is still very rough, and will (I hope) improve a lot. In particular, it currently uses the top screen as the map, and the bottom one as a keyboard; the buttons are more or less useless (although I think one of them may be needed to progress at some stage in the birth process...). It currently supports one savefile, and (tiny) ascii graphics only.

It is very largely ripped off from the excellent NethackDS, but still has a long way to go to emulate its beauty.

If anyone wants to look and laugh, it's now available at

http://angband.oook.cz/faangband/Downloads.html

I will update this without notice as it improves, and post notice when it is in something like final form.

[Nick]

Pickup_inven is an Angband 309a option, if you step over an item that if picked up would stack with another item, and wouldn't slow you down, autopicksup for you.

OK, that will probably get in sometime.

Dumping options is weird, gives an error message of "Failed to create temporary file \s4rg.."

Yuck. This sounds like a permissions issue, so having admin privileges should make it work; I thought that problem was fixed, though. I'll have to check what's going on there.

Wielding a torch/lamp during the day shouldn't use fuel. Angband doesn't use light fuel when in the town during the day.

Very good point. I've been annoyed by that, but never thought to do anything about it...

Edit: AH HA! I've tracked it down! enter a store. push i. push the letter of an item that the store won't buy. select d. Crash bang boom all the way down the stairs as the unamused storekeep kicks you out of the universe.
Edit Jr.: In fact, i,any item, and Any key after that, even ESC causes massive damage of the space time continuum. Bad mojo for a new feature.

OK, that is BAD, and I don't know why it's happening, and I can't see how to blame permissions. I'll try to track that down.

[Irashtar]

I'm using Vista whenever I get the crashes, if there's any crash detail file that would be useful, I'd gladly post it for you.
Pickup_inven is an Angband 309a option, if you step over an item that if picked up would stack with another item, and wouldn't slow you down, autopicksup for you.
Dumping options is weird, gives an error message of "Failed to create temporary file \s4rg.."
Wielding a torch/lamp during the day shouldn't use fuel. Angband doesn't use light fuel when in the town during the day.

Edit: AH HA! I've tracked it down! enter a store. push i. push the letter of an item that the store won't buy. select d. Crash bang boom all the way down the stairs as the unamused storekeep kicks you out of the universe.
Edit Jr.: In fact, i,any item, and Any key after that, even ESC causes massive damage of the space time continuum. Bad mojo for a new feature.
Sir Edit III: seems that the destroy confirmation lets you squelch. kewl.

[Nick]

3 times I've had this game crash while in stores, can't figure what's causing it exactly though, seems to be me hitting the wrong key.

That's new. Which OS are you using (guess: WinXP) ?

Can we have pickup_inven to pick up things we already have?

I'm not sure what you mean here.

'K' to quickly add squelches is also a must have.

Do you mean instead of '=', 's' to go to the squelch menu? This doesn't seem like a big saving, but it's a possibility.

[Irashtar]

crashes

3 times I've had this game crash while in stores, can't figure what's causing it exactly though, seems to be me hitting the wrong key.
Can we have pickup_inven to pick up things we already have?
'K' to quickly add squelches is also a must have.

[buzzkill]

I think the detect traps is just right, as you said, given how violent some of the traps are. Summon traps at high level dungeons are brutal, and dropping through a trap door is the most frustrating thing when you're trying to find the source of that Superb feeling.

Obviously I'm not the most experienced player. I've never even made it to the bottom of any dungeon. I'll agree that summoning traps do seem to be the most dangerous. I'm just going for a more real feel. Nothing should be absolute or perfect (certainly not such a low level spell). You could detect most traps, by detecting traps multiple times. You'd be certain to find all (or nearly all) the traps most of the time. In a critical spot you could use the infallable short range option. The above methods combined with manual searching and 'items of searching' would give you very good coverage.

For me, roaming the easier levels, detect traps is just a 'throw away' spell. Sure I use it, cause it works perfectly, and costs almost nothing. Otherwise I could do without, and probably would do without it if it was less effective.

At higher levels, when certain traps=instant death, multiple castings or *advanced trap detection* would be the way to go.

I enjoy the game because it's difficult. If stubmling into a trap nearly costs you your life so be it. But I'll defer to those of you with more experience, that probably includes you (yeah, even you).

And while I'm ranting... how come you can dodge a magic missle or stinking cloud by hiding behind a tree or rock. Don't magic missles ALWAYS find thier mark (that's thier charm)... and how do you hide from a cloud?

[Zikke]

For what it's worth, I think the day/night time is a bit long, but I wouldn't make it too short or else there will be many more situations where you're creeping around something nasty and the sun pops up.

I think the detect traps is just right, as you said, given how violent some of the traps are. Summon traps at high level dungeons are brutal, and dropping through a trap door is the most frustrating thing when you're trying to find the source of that Superb feeling.

[Nick]

An on screen clock, identical to ctrl-T, just always on screen. So I can watch the minutes tick away.
An on screen turn counter, and/or trip counter (turns since you last left town).
Any or all of these could easily fit on the left side of the screen (maybe make them optional).

That sounds possible. In a subwindow would be another option.

And speaking of time... doesn't it seem to pass very slowly..... I mean, you could walk from one end of the map to the other in just a day of two, couldn't you? Shouldn't it move a little faster.

I've been thinking that too. Maybe five times as fast, or even ten.

Also the ability to (R)est (till healed or daybreak) at home (uninterupted), while in town.

Yes, the current rest until sunrise/set was a bit of a last minute hack for one version, IIRC. It could be neatened up.

And 'find traps' seems almost too good. It unerringly finds (and permently identifies them) every single trap over a fairly large area. I'd like to see it with an set of options. Either find every trap in a smaller area or find most traps over a larger area. The caster/user could select which at the time of casting. You could also introduce *find traps* which could do both.

The current way seems about right to me - especially given the danger of some of the traps (summoning traps in wilderness are frequently instant death). Any other opinions?

You can give evil NPC's and rogues the ability to set traps (arrows, poison darts, spiked pits) and bait them with shiney trinkets.

Quite a few monsters have the create traps spell - baiting is an interesting idea, but the current situation that objects can't sit on traps would have to change.

How about roving bands of mixed types. Sure, gangs of paladins are annoying, but mixed gangs of warriors, mages, and assasians would be better (esp. if they attacked intellegently, fighters in the front, mages and archers hanging back, and so on)

That one's been on the agenda for a while, along with some AI changes. Next version, I hope...

...and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Let me know if I'm annoying everyone.

Suggestions always welcome.

[Bandobras]

Very interesting ideas and, IMHO, and quite fitting to Angband. Actually, some of them are already in FAA, IIRC.

[buzzkill]

A few thing I's like to see in FA.

An on screen clock, identical to ctrl-T, just always on screen. So I can watch the minutes tick away.
An on screen turn counter, and/or trip counter (turns since you last left town).
Any or all of these could easily fit on the left side of the screen (maybe make them optional).

And speaking of time... doesn't it seem to pass very slowly..... I mean, you could walk from one end of the map to the other in just a day of two, couldn't you? Shouldn't it move a little faster.

Also the ability to (R)est (till healed or daybreak) at home (uninterupted), while in town.

And 'find traps' seems almost too good. It unerringly finds (and permently identifies them) every single trap over a fairly large area. I'd like to see it with an set of options. Either find every trap in a smaller area or find most traps over a larger area. The caster/user could select which at the time of casting. You could also introduce *find traps* which could do both.

You can give evil NPC's and rogues the ability to set traps (arrows, poison darts, spiked pits) and bait them with shiney trinkets.

How about roving bands of mixed types. Sure, gangs of paladins are annoying, but mixed gangs of warriors, mages, and assasians would be better (esp. if they attacked intellegently, fighters in the front, mages and archers hanging back, and so on)

...and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Let me know if I'm annoying everyone.

[Nick]

Yep, those are the two ways. Note that you have to know there's a trap there before you can disarm it.

[PowerDiver]

Did you 's'earch whilst next to it to first find the trap?

Alternatively, though I cannot vouch for FA, using identify on a chest shows its traps in V.

[takkaria]

OK. I got what is probably a stupid question. Can you, and if so, how the hell do you disarm a small chest? I recently encountered a small chest in a level 5 wilderness while feeling 'very lucky'. I tried to 'D'isarm it, but FA responded there was nothing to disarm. I was healthy, and a little heavy, so I didn't want to carry it. After quickly scoping for enemies I decided to open it where it lay (with my L7 paladin). I didn't think anything like this would occur on a L5 map. Well, out popped several cold hounds, a chemera, a drider, and a water spirit (along with a few pieces of armour that I never got to examine). I ran like hell for the exit, and almost made it before the water spirit took me down. Is the 'summon monster' effect just part of the fun of opening chests or was this a trap?

Did you 's'earch whilst next to it to first find the trap?

[buzzkill]

OK. I got what is probably a stupid question. Can you, and if so, how the hell do you disarm a small chest? I recently encountered a small chest in a level 5 wilderness while feeling 'very lucky'. I tried to 'D'isarm it, but FA responded there was nothing to disarm. I was healthy, and a little heavy, so I didn't want to carry it. After quickly scoping for enemies I decided to open it where it lay (with my L7 paladin). I didn't think anything like this would occur on a L5 map. Well, out popped several cold hounds, a chemera, a drider, and a water spirit (along with a few pieces of armour that I never got to examine). I ran like hell for the exit, and almost made it before the water spirit took me down. Is the 'summon monster' effect just part of the fun of opening chests or was this a trap?

[Seany C]

In fact, I currently have a list of crash problems:

• Running (XP only)
• Tunnelling, etc. (XP, maybe Vista)

Are these correct? Does anyone have any others?

Those two are the only ones I've picked up on XP - Numlock fixes the running bug but not always the tunnelling crash.

Just a random thought but could the tunnelling crash be caused by a change in player state (from 'Full' to normal, or normal to 'Hungry, etc)? This only crosses my mind as the tunnelling crash often only occurs after several hundred turns whereas the 'running without numlock' crash happens every time you try it...