Dilemma - relatively unspoilt and reached Wiz of Yendor

[Kris]

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

Hi,

Bit of a dilemma that I'd like to play by people for their opinions.
Although I've been playing on and off for several years I'm still
fairly unspoilt (I only found out about converting altars in the
current game for instance...).

Mainly this has contributed to me also being not very good, but with my
last couple of barbarians, one died on the quest (to a wand of death -
lesson learnt that reflection is good), my current character completed
quest, and I've been descending slowly and cautiously until I've been
to see Vlad, and have now got to the level with the wizard of yendor
on.

Reading here (cautiously), I've picked up enough to realise about the
existence of the VS and also that once the wiz wakes up, all hell
(literally) is going to break loose. I've been musing for nearly a
month on what to do next (decisive eh?). My main options are to
continue, find the VS, try and kit out as best I can with healing /
holy water etc. and give it a go. I expect I'll die somewhere along
the way in the process, most likely due to something that would be
impossible to anticipate.

Or do I read some spoilers about the end-game in order to help try and
get my YAFAP? Just wondering what people's thoughts are, and if it is
indeed possible to ascend from an unspoilt(ish) position, or whether
you have to get to this point 3 or 4 times, before you encounter enough
of the mistakes and surprises to crack the end-game.

Thanks for reading
Kris

 

[Guest]

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

kris@compsoc.man.ac.uk wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Bit of a dilemma that I'd like to play by people for their opinions.
> Although I've been playing on and off for several years I'm still
> fairly unspoilt (I only found out about converting altars in the
> current game for instance...).
>
> Mainly this has contributed to me also being not very good, but with my
> last couple of barbarians, one died on the quest (to a wand of death -
> lesson learnt that reflection is good), my current character completed
> quest, and I've been descending slowly and cautiously until I've been
> to see Vlad, and have now got to the level with the wizard of yendor
> on.
>
> Reading here (cautiously), I've picked up enough to realise about the
> existence of the VS and also that once the wiz wakes up, all hell
> (literally) is going to break loose. I've been musing for nearly a
> month on what to do next (decisive eh?). My main options are to
> continue, find the VS, try and kit out as best I can with healing /
> holy water etc. and give it a go. I expect I'll die somewhere along
> the way in the process, most likely due to something that would be
> impossible to anticipate.
>
> Or do I read some spoilers about the end-game in order to help try and
> get my YAFAP? Just wondering what people's thoughts are, and if it is
> indeed possible to ascend from an unspoilt(ish) position, or whether
> you have to get to this point 3 or 4 times, before you encounter enough
> of the mistakes and surprises to crack the end-game.

Well, you've got this far...

Why not try and press on? If you *do* manage to ascend you'll feel extra
good about it, probably. If you don't, you have a good excuse, and you can
always read spoilers afterward.

That being said, I don't find NetHack any less enjoyable now that I'm
spoiled; in fact, I think the opposite is true. I found some enjoyment in
the discovery aspects of the game, but I played long enough unspoiled to
satisfy myself there, and now I find the strategy aspects much more fun.
YMMV.

--
Benjamin Lewis

"Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips
over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come."
--Matt Groening

 

[Guest]

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

kris@compsoc.man.ac.uk wrote:
>
> Bit of a dilemma that I'd like to play by people for their opinions.
> Although I've been playing on and off for several years I'm still
> fairly unspoilt (I only found out about converting altars in the
> current game for instance...).
> ...
> Reading here (cautiously), I've picked up enough to realise about the
> existence of the VS and also that once the wiz wakes up, all hell
> (literally) is going to break loose. I've been musing for nearly a
> month on what to do next (decisive eh?). My main options are to
> continue, find the VS, try and kit out as best I can with healing /
> holy water etc. and give it a go. I expect I'll die somewhere along
> the way in the process, most likely due to something that would be
> impossible to anticipate.

You need to take out Vlad for the Candelabra and find
the vibrating square. Either order for those two so
may as well take out Vlad as soon as you find the extra
up stairs to his tower. Only take out the Wiz when
you are ready for everything else.

> Or do I read some spoilers about the end-game in order to help try and
> get my YAFAP? Just wondering what people's thoughts are, and if it is
> indeed possible to ascend from an unspoilt(ish) position, or whether
> you have to get to this point 3 or 4 times, before you encounter enough
> of the mistakes and surprises to crack the end-game.

The Amulet is a level below the vibrating square. I
would never be able to figure out how to get to that
level without some amount of spoilage.

 

[Guest]

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

kris@compsoc.man.ac.uk wrote:
>
> Reading here (cautiously), I've picked up enough to realise about the
> existence of the VS and also that once the wiz wakes up, all hell
> (literally) is going to break loose. I've been musing for nearly a
> month on what to do next (decisive eh?). My main options are to
> continue, find the VS, try and kit out as best I can with healing /
> holy water etc. and give it a go. I expect I'll die somewhere along
> the way in the process, most likely due to something that would be
> impossible to anticipate.

Hmm.., if you have managed to proceed until the Wizards tower, you'll
likely survive the rest of Gehennom. IMO, the level where you find The
Amulet is a bit harder, but no real surprise. The Elemental Planes,
OTOH, are a lot harder and especially the last one will have surprises;
mostly because some otherwise uncommon creatures have their special
characteristics.

> Or do I read some spoilers about the end-game in order to help try and
> get my YAFAP?

I am not very familiar with the existing spoilers, but if there are any
for the endgame I suppose they might help to be better prepared. There
is quite a high chance for the unspoilt to decease there...

> Just wondering what people's thoughts are, and if it is
> indeed possible to ascend from an unspoilt(ish) position, or whether
> you have to get to this point 3 or 4 times, before you encounter enough
> of the mistakes and surprises to crack the end-game.

....but, OTOH, if you manage that, the honor is considerably larger. ;-)

Janis