@ Roguelike games

In the future, I've usually done better when I kill Duvessa first. "Empowered" Dowan seems to be much easier to handle than a perpetually berserk Duvessa.

What he said

I have tried to get into Nethack and other rogue-likes over the years and I just never could. I picked up Stone Soup last week and for whatever reason, it really clicks for me. It does seem much more accessible than the others I've tried. I still suck, but I feel like I'm getting somewhere and it's fun. I thought I would prefer the tile version, but actually, I really dig the console version.

I've also been playing the tile version of Stone Soup for about a week now. Been trying over and over with a Mountain Dwarf Fighter. Haven't gotten past Level 12. Perhaps I need to try a different tact. Still having a lot of fun though.

I swear the online version hates me. Level is all cleared out and I know where the hidden treasure stash is. Use the Fly spell and get about 8 tiles over when....

There is some shallow water here.
There is some deep water here.
You float gracefully downwards.
You fall into the water!
You drown...
You die...

###################
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~###
.P....~~~~~~~~~~~~~~###
........P.~~~~~~~~~~~~##
...####......~~@~~~~~~~###
#### #....~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.#
..####.P~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~###
.......~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~##
.......~~~~~~~~~~~~~~##
........~~~~~~~~~~~~##
..........~~~~~~~~###
.......P...########
....########
.##.######
.........#

No warning that the spell was wearing out, and it shouldn't have since it should have lasted much much longer.

Woohoo! I'm #3 with most death to unique monsters with 17! That could be a couple higher but the final hit was done by some straggler.

Are there any Crawl experts out there that can give me some tips? I'm able to get to the mid-game consistently with several combos but that's where I run into trouble. Once I've found the Orc Mines I stop using auto explore which has helped a lot. Hive and Orc are no problem but finishing off the Lair and doing Swamp/Shoals/Snake Pit is where I mess up. I try to be careful but always end up getting mobbed or running out of magic and can't get away.

Well, you're doing better than me, so I've got no advice for ya.

I'd probably have to watch you playing at that level for awhile before I could really offer any specific advice. Main thing that seems to help me is once I get a reliable, non-consumable item based escape mechanism going, whether it's Blink+Control Teleport, Swiftness, Summon Butterflies, or some other thingie.

Just had my first great run in Shiren DS. Initially I thought it wasn't going to take me very far, but I actually got to the Final Trials, which was about ten floors deeper than I had ever gone before. The main thing that held me back was my lack of a weapon -- the shops never had one, I didn't have one in my storehouse that I wanted to take on this run (rustproof mastersword +16 is too awesome, pickaxe is too worthless), and the only thing I found for a long time was a cudgel. Eventually I read two Air Bless scrolls over it, but a little bit later it got cursed so I lost the benefits. The other weapons I found were weaker than the cudgel, which was awful luck. I managed to stay alive with some judicious use of unidentified staves (had lots of knockback, switching, paralysis, and sleep) and dragon herbs + blastwave scrolls, plus a decent supply of big riceballs.

All in all, I consider the run a success (as opposed to a victory) -- my stored mastersword is now +19, and I also stashed two melding pots and a walrus pot. And then there's the vast increase in my knowledge of enemies!

Shiren DS: Rescue me please!

I recently re-downloaded Sword of Fargoal on my Iphone after months of leaving it dormant. I don't know exactly what the developer has changed, but it is a lot more compelling than when releaseed. Check it out if you haven't already; or if you have (and it's been awhile), try it again.

Cyranix wrote:

Shiren DS: Rescue me please!

I really need to get back to playing that someday. I'd offer to rescue you, but well... I don't think I'd be any good!

:'( I hate dying to really, really stupid mistakes. Ah, well, I guess I didn't really need to win again.

My week's looking busy (though Elemental finally hitting full release version isn't helping...) but I want to try to get a few more solid (for me) attempts in before we hit the end of the tourney. Hopefully they run another one of these soon, I've been having a lot of fun trying to get my own score up along with following how the rest of the GWJ team is doing!

I'm going to have to try this Stone Soup business. It looks quite good.

It really is! I've been wholly impressed by it. I initially started out with the graphical tile-based client, then switched to the ASCII text version since you have to run that one to play on the server for the tourney. As much as the ASCII version may have a sharper initial learning curve, I've found that I actually prefer it over the GUI/mouse version.

Farscry wrote:

It really is! I've been wholly impressed by it. I initially started out with the graphical tile-based client, then switched to the ASCII text version since you have to run that one to play on the server for the tourney. As much as the ASCII version may have a sharper initial learning curve, I've found that I actually prefer it over the GUI/mouse version.

Ditto on all counts. I was surprised to find I prefer the console version over the tile version as well. Once you pick up the basics it is really very clear what's going on. Fortunately my past forays into trying to learn nethack came in handy since they all use the same basic conventions as far as what ascii symbols mean what. I find the class and race mechanics in Dungeon Crawl 1000x better than nethack's, though.

Using the console interface is the only way to play a Roguelike IMO. Tiles are never going to be as good as your imagination, so you might as well go extra abstract with the presentation and let your mind fill in the blanks. Plus it is easier to hide your gaming at work.

I never play roguelikes with tiles. I dont' even see the code any more. I just see red dragon, blonde dragon, brown dragon....

My vote for the worst Okawaru gift ever? A +2....wait for it... wait for it...

...animal skin. REALLY? *REALLY?* That's my reward for a forever of loyal slaughtering of countless baddies? A mildly enchanted rat pelt?

Was it a ferret skin?

Given it was colored purple, I doubt it.

Yeah, it would have to be from one of those purple animals.

The people eaters?

Well, I'm not sure how it happened, but I have a Spriggan Fighter (http://crawl.akrasiac.org/rawdata/Ferret/Ferret.txt) standing just inside the Realm of Zot. Some unfortunate notes, however:

1) He has the Frail 2 (-20% MaxHP) mutation.. you can imagine how thrilling this is on a Spriggan, the lowest HP race in the game to begin with.
2) He got it because he still, despite a thousand jewelry shops (including those in two bazaars) and every Scroll of Acquirement going to jewelry, has not found an amulet (or any other item) that gives mutation resistance.
3) ...or, for that matter, no potions of cure mutation (again, despite an unusually high number of shops/bazaars.)

#1 and #2 really worry me, but the tournament ends in a couple of days. If I'm going to make a try for this, it needs to be very soon.

I am still having problems with survivability in Stone Soup. I currently have a Level 11 high elf Wizard in 3rd level of the the Lair, which is as far as I have ever made it. My survivability is much better with this character due to blink, slow, flame wall, confusing cloud, etc. I've come to realize survival as a fighter is a Female Doggo.

Some issues I am having for which comments from the experts would be most welcome:

1. How many secret doors should I expect and how do I find them? I basically never find a secret door and if I waste my time searching for them at what would seem obvious places, it just gets boring.

2. Do you just read every scroll and drink every potion to find out what they do? I have been using the strategy of only reading/drinking when I get three of four of them. I find so few scrolls of identification that I find I need to use them on rings/amulets.

3. I never seem to be able to out-level the level I am on (i.e. level 9 wizard on the 9th level of the dungeon). Is this about how it should be or is there a way to out-level the dungeon and make life a bit easier?

4. Should I be able to kill just about everything on a level or are there battles I should just plan on running from?

1) Useful secret doors are rare. Sometimes they hide neat little stashes of goodies, but if you really want to find them frequently, you'll need to develop the skill for it (probably by attempting to disarm traps you find the hard way): standing around searching isn't just boring, it wastes food. Beware of especially nasty traps later (like one charming trap that cursed literally every item I owned that could be cursed...)

2) With scrolls, this isn't such a bad plan. With potions, it can be dangerous. Potions of Poison/Strong Poison can outright kill you if you can't reverse the poison immediately, and Potions of Mutation can ruin a good character. An Potion of Paralysis may leave you stunned so long that even your safe testing environment (you ARE trying them somewhere safe, right? :D) is compromised. If you want to drink to ID, have Healing ID'd and on hand, Cure Mutations ID'd and on hand or Mutation already ID'd. You have the right idea, at least at first, about drinking your most numerous potions: Healing and Heal Wounds are most common potions. After you find those though, I'd probably stop until you meet the safe conditions described above.

3) Probably about how it should be. Some races level faster than others, your current one is among the slowest incidentally. There isn't much grinding possible in SS due to how respawns/food work (i.e.: not much of either.)

4) Some uniques or nasty out of depth monsters (D:2 Ogres for example) are best avoided if possible. Which ones you have to avoid will depend on your character, but in general, there will be some things that show up before you can handle them.

Thanks Ferret. Helpful stuff there.

Another question ... are their certain races or classes that I should try that might make my life easier? So far I have been working primarily with fighters, pallys and a few mage-type classes.

Sometimes oddball race/classes can work out better than you'd think because the weaknesses of the uber-focused combinations (like deep elf casters being as fragile as wet tissue paper) get lost without necessarily ruining the strengths.

Troll Necromancers amused me for awhile. I barely used the spells at first, but just before I got banished to the abyss and died horribly (was only Level 15 or so ), he was having a grand ol' time clawing things to death powered by Necromancy-enhanced Regeneration, making giant abominations out of kills he couldn't or didn't need to eat, etc.

That said, the only thing I've won with so far is a Human Ice Elementalist*. I have to assume he counts as oddball too, if only because apparently no one else thinks Humans are worth playing ever, judging by the lack of other human wins in the tournament.

Edit: Well, a Human Ice Elementalist... and now a Spriggan Fighter. YAY!

Congrats again Ferret! That's sounds like a tough combo to win with so much props to you. I was watching you run a human icer the other day and that really, really helped my game out. I was rushing into things too quick and not running away soon enough when magic got low or other monsters joined in. Pool league is tomorrow so my assault on Zot will have to wait til Wednesday...