hello from dreembeard

[dreembeard]

Hi all,

I'm Dreembeard, and this is my first post to an Angband forum.
I've been playing Angband off and on (with long pauses) since the early 90s, and it's my favorite game. I've also been modding now and then. In the edit files and later in the C code. Around 2002, I was fiddling with the pet code in Tome, which led to a pretty nifty dungeon crawl algorithm. But that was lost in a computer crash, unfortunately.

A few years ago, I started playing vanilla again. I am thrilled with the many great improvements to the UI and the game itself, but there have also been changes that I do not like. And some stuff that I always found so-so.
So now and then I make notes. Ideas on how to improve the game. From which I hope to create my own variant one day.
But not this week, I think. Nor this month. In fact... possibly not in my lifetime.
For I tend to live my life just as I play the game: like an ent.

That's why I thought that I better share some views and ideas on this forum. Before they all disappear in the mists of time.
And also, your responses may help to fill gaps in my knowledge of angband, remove misunderstandings, and maybe, just maybe... get me to to stop scribbling down yet more new ideas (now over 2 Mb of ascii) and finally start programming.

To start with, here's one knowledge gap of mine that needs a fill:

The changes.txt files of some older angband versions (eg, 3.4.1) refer to tickets (like #1695) or to bug ids of the form "c0452e3" for more detailed info about the changes. I know where I can find the ticket info (on trac.rephial.org), but where can I find more info on those other bugs/ideas?

I also have some comments and questions about the latest version (4.1.0), but I'll put those in the proper thread.
Except that I do want to congratulate the devteam. What a wonderful new version! I am very pleased with the huge expansion of modifiable settings files in the gamedata map. Yummy! And you even updated the help files! Nice.

In closing, it is perhaps prudent to issue a warning.
I have an evil twin brother who tends to follow me around, and I suspect that it won't be long before he follows me onto this forum. He is a bright guy who often spots bugs and design flaws well before I do. If only he were not such a ruffian! He may well be picking on some of you soon, in a harsh and unrelentless manner.
Obviously, I am unable to prevent that, but I do have a tip for future victims: If you feel you cannot stand another bucket of his brine, it may help if you tell him that he is a banana.
At least, that's what often helped me to get him to shut up.