Balance and pacing (long)

[Azuria]

Originally Posted by Will

Also !ccw is the all-mighty item right now that makes a lot of other items redundant (most curing items actually).

I've found that removing !ccw from the priest shop helps with this to some degree. Then again, on that version, I'm messing around with more factors than I really know how to balance, so take it with a grain of salt.

[Bogatyr]

Originally Posted by fizzix

The finished character that prompted the post is here.

The endgame is very much broken. There are vaults on nearly every level, and you are pretty much guaranteed to get over the top gear from them. Consumables were harder to get, especially !CCW, but when you're packing three immunities and can just banish anything you don't want to deal with, it's not too much of a problem.

I found 3 PDSM in this game. In all my previous games of angband I have only found 1. This is broken. I found all three top tier artifact rings, in all other games I have never done this (although tbh I mostly play randarts and those rings are rarer.) I found deathwreaker, which I've only done once before. I found nearly every artifact armor outside of the super rare DSM ones. I didn't find feanor, but there were lots of boots of speed +10 to choose from in the bottom of the dungeon.

I plan to start running stats soon, but if I wasn't insanely lucky, then I can already recommend a severe reduction to artifact and ego-item generation, as well as an order of magnitude (at least) reduction to greater vault generation.

The thing about random number generation is that some of the time, you will find lots of great loot. Some of the time, you find very little. Re-balancing the game from a game of "I found everything" is not a solid approach.

I have not experienced a 3-PDSM, all-rings-of-power game in the 4.0.x nightlies. I imagine you just got a "lucky" game.

[Will]

Originally Posted by Bogatyr

I have not experienced a 3-PDSM, all-rings-of-power game in the 4.0.x nightlies. I imagine you just got a "lucky" game.

Indeed let's be careful with anecdotal evidence. I've got 2 wins so far in 4.0.5-dirty: on the warrior I don't think I even found one artifact cloak the whole game, none of the top armors, no rings of power, I killed Morgoth with the Trident of Wrath; on the ranger again no luck with the cloaks, again did everything with the Trident of Wrath, didn't find a decent bow until dlvl 90 (but found Cubragol!) but had 2 rings of power. I haven't seen a PDSM yet.

Now there's my current ironman paladin who got Nimloth from an acolyte at dlvl 13, a Black DSM of Speed (+4) from Bullroarer at dlvl 19, Colluin from Golfimbul also at dlvl 19, the Phial from Ulfast at dlvl 26 and Holnenneth from an illusionist at dlvl 28. That char has been insanely lucky so far, but it's a stark contrast with the other 2.

[fizzix]

Originally Posted by Bogatyr

The thing about random number generation is that some of the time, you will find lots of great loot. Some of the time, you find very little. Re-balancing the game from a game of "I found everything" is not a solid approach.

I have not experienced a 3-PDSM, all-rings-of-power game in the 4.0.x nightlies. I imagine you just got a "lucky" game.

Hence the need for statistics before going off on a rebalancing effort. Which is my next task.

[PowerWyrm]

Originally Posted by fizzix

I plan to start running stats soon, but if I wasn't insanely lucky, then I can already recommend a severe reduction to artifact and ego-item generation, as well as an order of magnitude (at least) reduction to greater vault generation.

I've made a screenshot about one week ago about what you could expect from "modified" dungeon levels deep down. It's absurd. Now I've generated a level with only 4 areas connected with overfilled corridors: two (huge) GVs, a room of chambers (full of high level Us), and a graveyard.

[AnonymousHero]

Originally Posted by fizzix

Hence the need for statistics before going off on a rebalancing effort. Which is my next task.

+1

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