[Announce] Cthangband 6.3 Released

[Dean Anderson]

This is only a minor update - fixing a couple of bugs and tweaking the user-interface. Although since the user-interface is what you see when you play, it looks like qute a major change.

It's not. The gameplay changes in this version are minimal...

• Monster tracker now shows name of monster.
• Game time is now shown on main screen.
• Shops (and home) now have room for 26 items instead of 24.
• Backpack now has 26 slots instead of 23.
• Added wizard command to instantly win the game (rather anticlimactic, but useful for testing!)
• Fixed bug where using <Shift> to run didn't work.
• Graphical backgrounds added to game screens.
• Dungeon size tweaked to match new squarer display. The maximum size has gone from 198x66 to 198x123, and the minimum size has gone from 80x22 to 80x42. So that this doesn't produce a level with too many rooms, rooms have been spaced out more in the north-south direction by an amount proportional to the size change.
• Towns and wildernesses made smaller to fit new display.
• Display changed from 80x25 to 80x45 so that grid squares are actually square (on a standard 16:9 widescreen monitor).
• Event loop optimised, so game no longer uses 30%+ CPU while idle and waiting for a keypress.

You can get it from here.

[Aszazin]

It's nice, I'm currently testing the new version.

One remark so far: the parchment background makes the text on character creation difficult to read (or the colours used for the text are not ideal.)

Other than that, I died already several times, which is good! I like it hard. I'm very fond of the random character possibility.

The square font really feels Commodore-like. I like that a lot. The shift-run is working well too.
The use of background graphics also feels nice. I think it's the only angband-variant which does that. It opens perspecitives. In my opinion, gameplay is best in ascii, but backgrounds or images do not harm the ascii-fun in any way.

It would be nice if the space below the stats could be used for images of targeted monsters and objects in some way. These could possibly be gathered by calling on graphical artists to submit monster pix for the game. Don't know if there are a bunch of those pixel drawers here on the forum?

[Aszazin]

I'm having the selling problem again:
I have "21 rounded pebbles (1d2)" (unidentified)
I enter shop "1"
I push "s" to sell
I select the rounded pebbles (i) and it says "Selling 21 rounded pebbles (1d2) (i). -more-" -> "You quickly agree on the price. -more-" -> "Accept deal? [Y/n]""Final offer: 21"

I push "n", as I want to sell 1 rounded pebble.

The same happens when I try to sell a torch or a ration of food.
In shop "3" the same happens. I do not get the option to choose the amount I want to sell.

When I sell using "d"rop instead of "s"ell it actually does ask how much I want to sell.

[Dean Anderson]

Originally Posted by Aszazin

It's nice, I'm currently testing the new version.

One remark so far: the parchment background makes the text on character creation difficult to read (or the colours used for the text are not ideal.)

Other than that, I died already several times, which is good! I like it hard. I'm very fond of the random character possibility.

The square font really feels Commodore-like. I like that a lot. The shift-run is working well too.

The font is actually just whatever font you've chosen in the Options screen, but stretched so that each character fits into a square cell. Theoretically you can use any font you have installed on your system, but I made the Options screen filter the fonts and only show the monospaced ones because proportional ones look really weird.

It did take me a while with different "parchment" textures and different colour schemes to come up with something that I thought was readable - and what I ended up with seemed like the best compromise in the end.

The use of background graphics also feels nice. I think it's the only angband-variant which does that. It opens perspecitives. In my opinion, gameplay is best in ascii, but backgrounds or images do not harm the ascii-fun in any way.

It would be nice if the space below the stats could be used for images of targeted monsters and objects in some way. These could possibly be gathered by calling on graphical artists to submit monster pix for the game. Don't know if there are a bunch of those pixel drawers here on the forum?

I did try putting a list of the visible monsters there, but there's simply not enough room. As it is, I need to split the name of the monster you're targetting onto three lines (and even then I sometimes need to truncate it or drop bits).

Having an image of the monster you're targeting sounds good in theory, but the problem is that there are around 575 monsters in the game so that's a lot of images that would be needed - and both quality control and copyright would be a thing. I'd rather have no images than poor quality images; and getting the right to use hundreds of good quality images drawn in a relatively consistent manner would be hideously expensive.

Originally Posted by Aszazin

I'm having the selling problem again:
I have "21 rounded pebbles (1d2)" (unidentified)
I enter shop "1"
I push "s" to sell
I select the rounded pebbles (i) and it says "Selling 21 rounded pebbles (1d2) (i). -more-" -> "You quickly agree on the price. -more-" -> "Accept deal? [Y/n]""Final offer: 21"

I push "n", as I want to sell 1 rounded pebble.

The same happens when I try to sell a torch or a ration of food.
In shop "3" the same happens. I do not get the option to choose the amount I want to sell.

When I sell using "d"rop instead of "s"ell it actually does ask how much I want to sell.

I've still been completely unable to reproduce that. It's particularly weird that you say it works for 'd' but not for 's', since the two keypresses call the same function when pressed.

[Aszazin]

Originally Posted by Dean Anderson

I've still been completely unable to reproduce that. It's particularly weird that you say it works for 'd' but not for 's', since the two keypresses call the same function when pressed.

Actually I was looking for my save game so I could send it to you some way, but I didn't find it. Actually it's good I cannot find my savegame, as it is opens the possibility of savegame cheating.

You are right about the monster images: better none than poor quality. It would be nice, but it should be created by a single artist or a small amount of artists. Just gathering images around the net will indeed result in a very poor quality and you'll get involved in copyright issues.

I think you'll need to use dark, not too saturated colours on the parchment: brown, black,darker shades of grey and such. Maybe limit the palette to one text colour, except where an emphasis is needed?
I must say it's not an easy background, especially because the game is based on a black background. Maybe something completely different, more dark in palette, could be more suitable? I'm not sure.

Most important is that the game is very enjoyable right now. The new font is a better size than before and feels good to me. I can run now.
You managed very well to implement a square font.

There is one thing on running that can be improved: running doesn't work when standing next to a wall. It should, run as long as there are walls in the same position around the players as when the run was initiated.
I think the other ~bands I play all do that, although I'm not sure. (I play/played Angband 4.2.0, ZAngband, Poschengband & Frogcomposband)

I miss a bit a repeat command (in the other bands this usually is "n"), but I consider this a small issue. It has the advantage that I tend to be more aware of what I'm actually doing, instead of multiple repeating and suddenly noting health has gone down severely.

[Dean Anderson]

Originally Posted by Aszazin

There is one thing on running that can be improved: running doesn't work when standing next to a wall. It should, run as long as there are walls in the same position around the players as when the run was initiated.
I think the other ~bands I play all do that, although I'm not sure. (I play/played Angband 4.2.0, ZAngband, Poschengband & Frogcomposband)

I'm aware of that issue.

Cthangband's running used to do that too, but somewhere in the refactoring and port from C to C# it got lost.

[Aszazin]

I found another small issue: the lantern makes the walls yellow, but there isn't a difference between granite & magma when the wall is lit.

The selling error is totally consistent in my game. "s" doesn't let me choose how much I want to sell. "d" does let me choose.

Currently I'm playing a Miri Nigri Necromancer. My previous character was a Necromancer too and had the same, but it died today. Not sure if there is a difference between characters, but as I am not able to find a savegame to sent to you.
Is there anything else you need to know for the selling with "s"-bug?

[Aszazin]

A question: I'm used to have at least one staircase in both ways on every level. But with my current character I stumbled for a second time on 3-0 without a staircase down.

I'm wondering, is this by design?

Also, I was looking in the manual for the meaning of the level depth with 2 numbers. I suppose the first number is the depth? the second is always zero until now.

It was fun btw to go straight from 3-0 to 7-0 unexpectedly with my previous character (and then die by realizing too late I should start fighting with some more strategy involved!)

Also (edit): I chose a different font ( a bold one) and this fixed the difficulty to read on the parchment background completely, except for the light green on some %stats.

Is there a place where I can find more information about the race I'm playing?
I also have a deity mutating me, but I have no idea why and which one. (It is actually fun not to know where some things come from, but it doesn't lessen my curiosity. Btw, who knows what a deeper knowledge of the cosmos will do to me...?)
I just got an elephantine trunk (1d4) mutation. I cannot find it back in my fighting stats when I open the character sheet.

[Aszazin]

hmm... it's the third time I fully (at least: I believe fully) explored level 3-0 without finding a staircase down...
I'm level 11 now... I really want to go deeper...

[Aszazin]

https://imgur.com/a/9GdFo1O
Here's a screenshot of the 4th time I can't find any downstairs on level 3-0...