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Gibbering Poster <roblund@gmail.com> croaked:
> Hey all... don't see much Crawl activity here, but I thought I
> would post my first impressions....
That's nice. It seems to have become rather quiet lately.
> -- The Display area is far too small... [...]
I actually like that (or am at least not bothered by it), so I'm no
help here.
> Forget the dungon space, it would be nice to have a larger message
> display area, [...]
I'd like the game to actually use the surplus lines it's got (43
instead of 25 lines on a DOS fullscreen), but it isn't that
important.
> -- The travel patch is almost a must, and should be built into
> the game. I like the narrow mazy areas, but it's just tedious
> trying to explore them.
"AOL!"
> -- It's VERY easy to die in this game, and I like that. Troll
> Berserkers are the only class I can consistently do well with.
Heh. I got a decent TrBe going as well (parked the previous game
since it wasn't getting anywhere and keeping me from playing for
months, a first, that) to have a look round and remember what's
going on.
> Ogres, and Orc priests seem to be a large cause of my early
> deaths.
Are you storming them across open space? Waiting around a corner, or
zapping wands/firing ranged weapons at orc priests when that isn't
possible is safer. With ogres, try to run away and come back later;
you don't have to kill everything on sight.
> -- What do the random '}'s do? Small coffins, lanterns, decks of
> cards... Any purpose?
Small coffins? The ebony caskets? I thought they were small boxes
(like jewelery boxes). Anyway, smaller (usually if not always
friendly, can't rememeber) monsters pop out. Like bats and rats.
I never remember the difference between laterns and lamps, and don't
know what one of them does at all (something 'shadows', the
description isn't helpful). There's something that holds an efreet
(usually hostile, friendlyness depending on some skill), and
something that can draw fire elementals out of the appropriate
environment (lava I think in this case, or firewalls, too?). There's
stuff that does the same for air, earth and ice critters.
There are different sorts of decks of cards (you'd have to identify
them to know which it is). Deck of tricks is harmless (not really
all that useful but not nasty either), the others can be helpful as
well as very nasty. (Summoning is ok I think, if you are able to run
away when necessary.)
> -- Why is is that the Orcish mines is always a dead-end chamber
> when I go in?
The Retarded Numeric Glacier (RNG) is having fun with you. It isn't
always like that.
> Is there any way to explore that area without digging, or going
> through walls?
Going through walls? Do you mean that spell? (Not sure whether
that's all that good an idea...) You could save some scrolls of
magic mapping and then dig more deliberately (unless you already do
that).
> -- I haven't played much with gods, but I read somewhere spoily
> that they grant tangible gifts... With my berserkers, I manage to
> get the Might and Haste abilities, but I have yet to have an item
> bestowed upon me by my deity...
You need some more piety, first, then they might drop something when
you start praying.
> Another god wanted weapons donated (healer god), but I couldn't
> find a way to offer them...
If you found the Orcish Mines, you surely have come across the
Ecumenical Temple? That's somewhere from D:4 to D:7 and has an altar
to each god. Others are random; little rooms full of altars or just
lone altars, either is not too common. (If you start out without a
god, you can join a religion by praying at the appropriate altar.
You'll first get a description and then a prompt on whether you
actually want to join.) Nemelex Xobeh provides his followers with a
vaccuum cleaner^W^Wportable altar. (If you ever got annoyed with all
the junk lying around... He still wants bloody sacrifices, though,
or else he'll kick you out.)
> Do I have to do that at an altar?
Yes. Drop the stuff on their altar, then pray. (Corpses can be
dissected anywhere, when it happens during prayer it's meant for the
god, who might or might not like that sort of thing, or doesn't
care.)
> -- Every once in a while, I'll find 3 levels early on with HUGE
> amounts of unreachable space in the middle... I've tried (every
> time I've found them) to enter through stairs above and below,
> but no luck. If you don't know what I'm talking about, the
> middle one is a square level with a gigantic unreachable
> rectangle in the center...
Not sure what you mean. It could either have just rock, or there is
a vault in the (not necessarily huge) square. There are stairs in
there, but they don't always seem to be properly connected to the
levels above and below. (I don't know about consecutive levels with
such vaults, just lone levels.)
> -- Besides the berserker deity, any tips on how to use deities to
> my advantage? they seem pretty useless to me so far...
Depends on what you want; chaos, death, magic, combat, or life. I'll
put some spoiler on gods at the end of the post. I'd be grateful if
anyone checks that and points out errors, or even clarifies some of
the more obscure stuff.
> -- Giant bats have got to be the most annoying monster out
> there!!
My vote goes to hydras.
(Didn't know troll berserkers without weapons actually lop off
heads...)
Bats are tasty.
(Early on, hobgoblins are the fiend.) The trick
with bats is not to run after them, but to step away, so the next
move they make has them next to you to whack them, then step away
again when they flapped out of range. Workes best in open space. In
corridoors, it's ideal when another monster closes up behind them so
the bats can't fly off.
__Abbreviated spoiler on gods__________________________________
Concentrated info from Mark Mackey's spoiler on gods (with some
adjustments).
Q: What do all these cryptic signs mean?
A:
$ Gifts dropped when prayer is initiated (by pressing 'p' don't
expect more during the prayer).
# Benefits during prayer.
* Ability that can be 'a'pplied (the usage of some of these costs
piety as well as food, mana or whatever else it may cost).
= No special action from you required.
+ God Likes this (only while you [pray] or [any time]).
- God doesn't like this at all (only while you [pray] or [any
time]).
(Note that there's some oddity with some gods and slaves' kills, you
get a message that they like it even when you don't pray. Don't know
where and what that might be buggy. Also, I'm not too sure on some
of the 'translations' of what the abilities of Zin, the Shining One
and Elyvilon do.)
You gain the benefits and abilities as you gain piety, and can lose
them again when you lose piety. Gifts are more likely with more
piety.
With some gods it's difficult to gain piety (or know how it could
ever get anywhere), but not doing the negative things over time
gains you piety with them. With others, you lose piety over time
when you don't do anything specific to please them.
They're sorted by category, though there's of course some overlap,
like Kikubaaqudgha is for people that use necromantic spells,
Yredelemnul is for anyone who wants undead slaves without having to
bother with spells. I'll add some example(!) characters that might
fit a god, no guarantee on whether they'd be survivable.
(Btw,
Zin, the Shining One and Elyvilon won't accept Demonspawn, Ghoul or
Mummy worshippers.)
_Chaos_
Nemelex Xobeh (Gnome Thief)
$ drops a portable altar
$ may drop decks of cards
+ using of his decks of cards [any time]
+ sacrificing corpses and valuable items at an altar
- not pleasing him frequently
Xom (Draconian Monk)
= May do all sorts of interesting stuff. For example: drop stuff or
= critters, mutate you, cast you into the abyss, turn your weapon
= against you, protect you from harm, berserk you, ...
Makhleb (Demonspawn Chaos Knight)
# gain power from killing
* harness Makhleb's destructive might (random minor destructive
spell)
* summon a lesser servant of Makhleb (demons roughly '5' to '3')
* hurl Makhleb's greater destruction (random major destructive
spell)
* summon a greater servant of Makhleb (demons, '1' and '2')
+ killing living creatures, whether by you or by your summoned
servants [pray]
+ sacrificing corpses [pray]
+ sacrificing corpses and valuable items at an altar
- not pleasing him frequently
_Death_
Yredelemnul (Hill Orc Priest)
$ occasionally drops an undead servant
# may protect you from harm
* animate corpses (raise one corpse)
* recall undead slaves
* animate legions of the dead (raise corpses in a certain radius)
* drain ambient lifeforce (vampiric draining on living critters
within sight)
* control the undead (within a certain radius, not permanent)
+ killing living creatures, whether your kills or your undead
slaves' [pray]
- not pleasing him frequently
Kikubaaqudgha (Mummy Death Knight)
$ may drop a (certain) powerful spellbook of necromancy
* recall undead slaves
= protection from some side-effects of (casting) death magic
* permanently enslave undead
* Summon an emissary of Death (a reaper)
+ killing living creatures, whether your kills or your undead
slaves' [pray]
+ sacrificing corpses at an altar
- not pleasing him frequently
_Magic_
Vehumet (Deep Elf Summoner)
$ may drop (certain) spellbooks with destruction spells
# you gain power from killing
# aids your destructive magics (failure rates and effect)
# some protection from summoned creatures
* you can tap ambient magical fields (draw mana from air)
+ all killing: yours, your servants' or your slaves' [pray]
- not pleasing him frequently
Sif Muna (Ogre Mage Wizard)
$ often drops spellbooks
* the ability to freely open your mind to new spells (selective
amnesia)
= protection from some side-effects of spellcasting
+ sacrificing valuable items at an altar
+ casting spells [any time]
- not pleasing her frequently
_Combat_
Okawaru (Minotaur Gladiator)
$ often weapons or armour
# may protect you from harm
* might
* minor healing
* haste
+ killing, sacrificing corpses [pray]
+ sacrifice of corpses and valuable items at an altars
- attacking or failing to protect your allies [any time]
- not pleasing him frequently
Trog (Troll Berserker)
$ often weapons
* berserk
* might
* haste
+ killing living creatures, sacrificing corpses [pray]
+ sacrificing corpses at an altar
- casting spells [any time]
- not pleasing him frequently
_Life_
Zin (Mountain Dwarf Priest)
$ small chance of getting fed when starving
# may protect you from harm
* repel the undead (protective aura)
* call upon Zin for minor healing
* call down a plague (various friendly monsters)
* utter a Holy Word (damages undead)
* summon a guardian angel (an angel)
+ killing undead creatures and demons [pray]
+ sacrificing corpses and valuable items at an altar
+ not doing the things he dislikes
- slaying holy beings, attacking friends, and the death of your
friends [any time]
- using unholy items and magics, using necromancy [any time]
Shining One (High Elf Paladin)
# may protect you from harm
* repel the undead (protective aura)
* smite your foes
* dispel the undead (damages undead)
* hurl bolts of divine anger (lightning bolt)
* summon a divine warrior (a daeva)
+ killing undead creatures and demons [pray]
+ not doing the things he dislikes
- slaying holy beings, attacking friends, and the death of your
friends [any time]
- using unholy items and magics, using necromancy [any time]
- unchivalric attacks on sleeping or unaware opponents, and the use
of poison [any time]
Elyvilon (Centaur Healer)
# may protect you from harm
* minor healing
* purification (?)
* moderate healing
* restore your abilities
* incredible healing
+ sacrificing weapons and ammunition at an altars
+ not doing the things she dislikes
- kill living creatures, butcher corpses [pray]
- slaying holy beings, attacking friends, and the death of your
friends [any time]
- using unholy items and magics, using necromancy [any time]
_______________________________________________________________
Ew, I bet there's some glaring error somewhere that I don't see.
--
Tina the Stinger - an Initiate of the Rebutted Nosy Gem
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