Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.adom (More info?)

Just completed my first ascension in Nethack, so I think I will take a
break and try some other roguelikes...


ADOM looks pretty cool...Static overworld....quests....



However, my short experience with the game so far is that the interface
is pretty bad....Just to see inventory requires multiple keypresses,
and moving back and forth through several screens, unless there is a
button I am missing that quickly displays you pack contents. Some of
the commands are a little weird...Multiple key presses for basic
commands....no obvious way to see the message buffer, etc etc....


Is there a newbie guide out there somewhere with some tips on getting
up and running in this game??


Yes...I know that there is on-line help that details all the commands
and basic gameplay...I am generally familiar with roguelikes - Angband,
Nethack, SlashEm, TOME, etc...What I am looking for is basic gameplay
help...You know....This is the area you start out in....this is a how
you identify items...this is a comparison of the basic classes and
races....


The online guide is nice, but very dry and succint. I don't necessarily
want to be completely spoiled on the game, or know that a dwarf gains
..02355 exp points more than a gnome (well, not yet at least)...Just to
get a few tips on basic survival and gameplay patterns....



Oh...and the control setup is horrible. Are there any macros, or ways
to change keybindings in the game??

Thanks in advance!!

Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.adom (More info?)

Brigand wrote:

> However, my short experience with the game so far is that the interface
> is pretty bad....Just to see inventory requires multiple keypresses,
> and moving back and forth through several screens, unless there is a
> button I am missing that quickly displays you pack contents.

There is "i" for equipment and "I" (capital-"i" ) for inventory. You can
leave either by pressing space.

> Some of
> the commands are a little weird...Multiple key presses for basic
> commands....no obvious way to see the message buffer, etc etc....

Message buffer is ":m".

> Oh...and the control setup is horrible. Are there any macros, or ways
> to change keybindings in the game??

Many people (including myself) consider ADOM's interface (especially the
inventory management) the most newbie-friendly of the big roguelikes. If
you find it clumsy, maybe this is simply due to the fact that it is
different to what you are used to. You'll get used to the interface quickly.

I guess that doesn't help much :-), so now for something more constructive:

* You can rebind keys by changing the adom.kbd file found inside your
ADOM directory (on DOS/Windows) or ~/.adom.data/.adom.kbd file (on
Linux).

* There is an interface enhancement to ADOM called "ADOM Sage",
which adds quite a few convenience features:
http://www.jbc.edu/~josh/adom-sage/

* The ADOM FAQ and FAQ for this newsgroup might be worth reading:
http://www.andywlms.com/adom/adomfaq.html
http://www.andywlms.com/adom/rgrafaq.html

* You should also go through the list of keyboard commands from
within the game ("?"-"k" ), as it includes those you asked about
above. The list may be a bit daunting due to its length, but it's
worth it.

* ADOM's online manual ("?"-"m" ) is really worth reading. :-)

Oh, and welcome to the group!

Malte

Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.adom (More info?)

I failed miserably to keep a straight face when I read that
Malte Helmert <helmert@informatik.uni-freiburg.de> wrote:
> * There is an interface enhancement to ADOM called "ADOM Sage",
> which adds quite a few convenience features:
> http://www.jbc.edu/~josh/adom-sage/

One of the convenience features ADOM Sage offers is to allow you to
define macros for sequences of commands that you really think should be
bundled into a single command. If you want to be able to apply First
Aid as a single-key command, for example, and you've quick-marked (using
the 'A' command) the First Aid skill as 0 (as I always do), you can bind
a macro to the command sequence 'a0' (in sage.cfg) and then map that
macro to a single key (in sage.kbd).

Another nice feature Sage offers is the 'repeat last command' tool,
which I find comes in handy when repeatedly applying Detect Traps or
Pick Pockets in the same direction.

> Oh, and welcome to the group!

Yes, welcome :-)

Leon (aka Oliphaunt)

--
I really didn't foresee the Internet. But then, neither did
the computer industry. Not that that tells us very much, of
course - the computer industry didn't even foresee that the
century was going to end. -- Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)

Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.adom (More info?)

Brigand wrote:
> Yes...I know that there is on-line help that details all the commands
> and basic gameplay...I am generally familiar with roguelikes - Angband,
> Nethack, SlashEm, TOME, etc...What I am looking for is basic gameplay
> help...You know....This is the area you start out in....this is a how
> you identify items...this is a comparison of the basic classes and
> races....

There is no guide like the one you seek. However, there are quite a few
people in this newsgroup who would be willing to answer specific
questions you may have.

Identifying items is done in a few ways. You can see them in a shop,
use them, or read a scroll of identify over them. Because of the nature
of some of the items in ADOM, it is sometimes unsafe to identify by
using them -- basic to lots of roguelikes. Of course, as you're
learning the game, you'll have to do a few unsafe things in order to get
the hang of it.

A good comparison of the races and classes is provided in the adom
online manual. It lists skills and race/class abilities.

You start out in the top right. (that's a big grin you see on my face)

The first stop of many players is Terinyo. You can pick up a few
different quests from that town. (At least six, though not all right
away.) There are a couple of other places people often go in the
beginning. One of them is the bandit town with a name that is an
acronym of Holeinthewall. The strategy of going there first is related
to a quest you'll encounter later in the game. Another spot people tend
to go in the beginning, but only for a visit, is the small cave NW of
Terinyo -- if you stay long, you'll see why folks tend to visit only.

I think the best advice I can give is to experiment. Just mess around
with the game until you have some questions.

-Ryan

Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.adom (More info?)

Brigand wrote:
> However, my short experience with the game so far is that the interface
> is pretty bad....
> Just to see inventory requires multiple keypresses,
> and moving back and forth through several screens, unless there is a
> button I am missing that quickly displays you pack contents. Some of
> the commands are a little weird...Multiple key presses for basic
> commands....no obvious way to see the message buffer, etc etc....

Reread the command list. There's a couple of different ways to view the
inventory.(to exit _any_ of the inventory menus, press z or space.)
One of the quickest methods(if you know what you're looking for) is to
go to your (I)nventory and push one of the following item category
keys:
[',(}/]{=\!?"%$*
Each key stands for a category of item. I'll list their meanings.
[ Wearables(armor, shields, boots. to be (i)equipped)
' Necklaces(amulets. to be (i)equipped)
, Bracers
( Melee Weapons(note: any item can be (i)equipped as a melee weapon)
} Missile Weapons(to be (i)equipped. uses missles through the (t)hrow
command)
/ Missles(ammo and throwables. to be (i)equipped. note: when
(i)equipped in the Missle slot, any item can be (t)hrown)
] Tools(items which can be (u)sed when (i)equipped in the Tool slot.
note: any item can be used[provided it has a function outside of the
normal commands] by typing :u )
{ Instruments(to be (i)equipped in the Tool slot. can be (u)sed)
= Rings(can be (i)equipped)
\ Wands(can be (z)apped)
! Potions(to be (D)rank. sometimes useful to equip in Missle slot and
(t)hrown. note: any item can be (!)dipped into a potion, with varying
effects)
? Scrolls(to be (r)ead)
" Books(see Scrolls)
% Food(to be (e)aten)
$ Valuables(can be (i)equipped in Missle slot. Merchants who use gold
coins as Missles have some kind of bonus)
* Gems(can be sold)


> Is there a newbie guide out there somewhere with some tips on getting
> up and running in this game??

Not that I know of, not without *some* spoily info. If you want to play
like a newly born newb, then there's no guide. Considering I have ample
time, and how I so enjoyed writing the above information, I'm thinking
of making a quickie-guide to ADOM for the heck of it.

> This is the area you start out in....this is a how
> you identify items...this is a comparison of the basic classes and
> races.... [snippeth]
> Just to get a few tips on basic survival and gameplay patterns....

The manual that is included in the zip(NOT the "online help." it's a
seperate file that's named "manual.DOC" Strange that nobody else even
mentions it...) has info on classes and races.

Food is extremely important. It's also the only steady resource you can
buy. Don't save your gold for that $4000gp plate armor, while you have
to eat mushed Kobold for lunch. Buy as much food as you can carry.
Rations don't rot, so you can even drop them off near a staircase and
come back when you need to eat.
If you're in a real fix and need something to keep you from starving to
death, it's best to not eat anything magical(i.e. Blink Dogs,
Manticore, etc.), be very careful when eating humanoid corpses - you
can become VERY sick or worse, and use common sense when it comes to
everything else. Rats aren't healthy. Spiders and snakes are poisonis.
Other than that, you should be okay. My best recommendation, which is
the safest I can make, would be Bats. Giant Bats, Bats, Huge Bats.
They're all safe to chow down on.

Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.adom (More info?)

eliah.phos@gmail.com wrote:
> Brigand wrote:

<snip>

> If you're in a real fix and need something to keep you from starving to
> death, it's best to not eat anything magical(i.e. Blink Dogs,
> Manticore, etc.), be very careful when eating humanoid corpses - you
> can become VERY sick or worse, and use common sense when it comes to
> everything else. Rats aren't healthy. Spiders and snakes are poisonis.
> Other than that, you should be okay. My best recommendation, which is
> the safest I can make, would be Bats. Giant Bats, Bats, Huge Bats.
> They're all safe to chow down on.

Pretty much any humanoid creature is safe to eat, with a few
exceptions. Kobolds make you sick, and dark sages (if cursed) can
negatively affect your mana and literacy. Orcs, goblins, bandits,
outlaws, hurthlings, ogres, etc, are all very safe to eat.

And, as to other sources of food...

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When you finally reach the Caverns of Chaos, the Arena (located around
level 4 or so) has an excellent, cheap source of food available:
Cooked Lizards. One, sometimes two ratling traders will sell these.
Don't buy the other ratling junk, though. Just the lizards. Also,
stomafillia (an herb) satiates. If blessed, it can take you from
starving to bloated in just one little bite.

Also, if you're desperate, potions can satiate a little. In fact,
Berzio and Toughness potions satiate a lot. Also, if starving,
praying to your deity can satiate you. Keep in mind, this is a
terrible waste of piety, but, piety is useless to you if you're *dead*.


--
My projects are currently on hold, but I do have
some junk at the site below.

http://www.freewebs.com/timsrl/index.htm

--

Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.adom (More info?)

I failed miserably to keep a straight face when I read that
on Fri, 05 Aug 2005 22:45:02 -0400, Zachary Palmer <zep01@bahj.com> wrote:
> rdougher wrote:
> {snip}
>> Another spot people tend
>>to go in the beginning, but only for a visit, is the small cave NW of
>>Terinyo -- if you stay long, you'll see why folks tend to visit only.
>
> Heh.. other people try to spend their vacations there. What's the
> maximum level challenge regarding that happy little place called
> again?

Eternium Man Challenge. Go to the SMC, and don't leave that level until
you're level 50. Never been completed (using a standard version of
ADOM, that is...).

By the way, would you leave in attributions of the people you quote,
like I did above? I added the attribution for rdougher back in.

You may want to have a look at the rgra FAQ:
http://www.andywlms.com/adom/rgrafaq.html

regards,
Leon (aka Oliphaunt)

--
I really didn't foresee the Internet. But then, neither did
the computer industry. Not that that tells us very much, of
course - the computer industry didn't even foresee that the
century was going to end. -- Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)

Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.adom (More info?)

eliah.phos@gmail.com wrote:

> If you're in a real fix and need something to keep you from starving to
> death, it's best to not eat anything magical(i.e. Blink Dogs,
> Manticore, etc.), be very careful when eating humanoid corpses - you
> can become VERY sick or worse, and use common sense when it comes to
> everything else. Rats aren't healthy. Spiders and snakes are poisonis.
> Other than that, you should be okay. My best recommendation, which is
> the safest I can make, would be Bats. Giant Bats, Bats, Huge Bats.
> They're all safe to chow down on.

SPOILERS
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Blink dog corpses provide teleportation control. Eat them! Spiders
grant poison resistance. Eat them! (Only once, and you WILL be
poisoned, but you will be resistant to it Giant rats are healthy to
eat. Use common sense with corpses.

OK.. Lemme start by saying I tear video games apart like no tomorrow. I worship atari because it has games you can't BEAT. I have been playing ADOM for like.... ****.. 5 YEARS, and haven't got passed lvl 20. I don't even know where to begin when asking for help. I mean.. It seems no matter what you do, lady luck is inevitably going to stick it up your butt. By the way, if I'm breaking rules here just lemme know, I'm nice. It might be something simple that I'm looking for.. I don't know. Has anyone actually BEAT this game ("beat" here, in my opinion, would be getting to lvl 50)? I've gotten through 60 survival rounds in soul caliber, you know? I have a 166 IQ, which puts me at around the top 2% of the country. WTF? If anyone feels like going through some hardcore adom-talk, feel free to drop me an email at xenolisdearonok@hotmail.com. We can do it here to help anyone else out, as I know what questions to ask, ja know? Just drop me a line letting me know you're willing or I'll probably be busy racking up another thousand rape victims and never come back. By the way.. WTF? Andy Williams locked his site??