Which do you think is the best version of Angband?

[Storm-Sky]

Originally Posted by Derakon

While that would be fascinating and I'd love to try playing it, it'd also be a pretty monumental task. Do we even have the source to frog-knows? Deciphering its dungeon generation, monster AI, etc. without that would be quite a challenge.

rephial.org, lists the source code, so yah we should have it.

[Magnate]

Originally Posted by Derakon

While that would be fascinating and I'd love to try playing it, it'd also be a pretty monumental task. Do we even have the source to frog-knows? Deciphering its dungeon generation, monster AI, etc. without that would be quite a challenge.

I've thought about this a lot (see previous offers and challenges to Timo), and so have other devs. You don't actually need the f-k source (though it is available). You just need someone to document every aspect of how f-k actually works (i.e. a spec, in tech terms). Then we can go through it and adjust the current code to match it. Myshkin and I have both considered this - but you're right that it's a monumental task. It would probably take a single dev months, and there are about 335 other things we could be doing ...

[Malak Darkhunter]

After going through and playing the old versions from frog knows I vote for 2.8.3 it's a very well balanced and super stable version, I like 3.3.2 looks and full screen capabities for windows, but I'm a more traditional older player and I consider 2.8.3 to be as close to the original as possible without to many changes that changed the feel of the game or broke balance, it was a perfected version of frog knows in my opinion

[PowerDiver]

I don't fully remember the differences anymore, but I remember thinking at the time that 2.9 was slightly better than 2.8 which in turn was slightly better than 3.0, but I was playing 3.0 because it was newer and under development.

Then Dave Blackston showed me his squelch patch and everything changed.

Assuming my recollection is correct, my ordering would be

3.0.6 with squelch >>> 2.9.3 > 2.8.3 > 3.0.6 >> 3.1.2 >> 3.2.0 >> 3.3.2

When I play now, I play 3.0.9 hacked to auto-id aware items on walkover with some other changes.

[Timo Pietilä]

Originally Posted by PowerDiver

I don't fully remember the differences anymore, but I remember thinking at the time that 2.9 was slightly better than 2.8 which in turn was slightly better than 3.0, but I was playing 3.0 because it was newer and under development.

Then Dave Blackston showed me his squelch patch and everything changed.

Assuming my recollection is correct, my ordering would be

3.0.6 with squelch >>> 2.9.3 > 2.8.3 > 3.0.6 >> 3.1.2 >> 3.2.0 >> 3.3.2

When I play now, I play 3.0.9 hacked to auto-id aware items on walkover with some other changes.

So, if you could get 2.9.3 with squelch that would be your favorite? Or is there something in 3.0.6 that makes it better with squelch than 2.9.3?

[bio_hazard]

It's a hard question to ask. I have some nostalgia for the pre 3.0 versions, but at the same time, I ALWAYS found it necessary to mercilessly cheat when playing those. So I voted for 3.3.2. I haven't found the need to go back to an earlier version, so for me, I guess the latest is usually the best.

[myshkin]

Originally Posted by PowerDiver

When I play now, I play 3.0.9 hacked to auto-id aware items on walkover with some other changes.

Is this an extension of your 3.0.9e release?

[Antoine]

Originally Posted by Magnate

You don't actually need the f-k source (though it is available). You just need someone to document every aspect of how f-k actually works (i.e. a spec, in tech terms).

Hahaha you have no idea how dodgy that sounds

Especially the f-ksource (say it fast)

A.

[nppangband]

Originally Posted by Malak Darkhunter

After going through and playing the old versions from frog knows I vote for 2.8.3 it's a very well balanced and super stable version, I like 3.3.2 looks and full screen capabities for windows, but I'm a more traditional older player and I consider 2.8.3 to be as close to the original as possible without to many changes that changed the feel of the game or broke balance, it was a perfected version of frog knows in my opinion

If you are looking for 2.8.3/2.9.0 era with the current UI you are looking for, NPP offers something close with the right birth options turned off.

Just play a game of the current NPP 0.5.3 with no quests, no store services, no themed levels, no extra artifacts, no player ghosts. You still have 4gai and many, many minor changes, but it isn't too far off from 2.8.3 gameplay.

[Timo Pietilä]

Originally Posted by nppangband

Just play a game of the current NPP 0.5.3 with no quests, no store services, no themed levels, no extra artifacts, no player ghosts. You still have 4gai and many, many minor changes, but it isn't too far off from 2.8.3 gameplay.

Unless you have gone back closer to vanilla angband NPP much further away from F-K than current vanilla. Older NPP are maybe somewhat close to vanilla angband, but not the last one that I played.