Competition 100

[Nick]

Competition 100 is now available from the competition page; it is an NPPAngband 0.5.2 Elf Brigand.

In celebration of reaching the century, we have a massive competition this time, where the winner is the quickest to kill all the uniques. NPP is a challenging variant anyway, so there is over a month allocated for this one. Thanks to Jeff for the savefile and rules, and to Pav for implementing the rules, continuing to host the competition, and oook, and being generally awesome.

Note that comp 99 still has a couple of days to run.

[dos350]

plz no rage or stairs , eeeee

[Derakon]

We're not going to rehash the argument we've had for the past three-four competition characters. If you want to play with connected stairs, go do it elsewhere.

It'll be interesting to try a brigand. Have to say I'm not too thrilled about the goal, though; seems like it could lend itself to abusing unique-summoners. Though of course in NPP that's easier said than done.

[Roch]

Originally Posted by Nick

Competition 100 is now available from the competition page; it is an NPPAngband 0.5.2 Elf Brigand.

In celebration of reaching the century, we have a massive competition this time, where the winner is the quickest to kill all the uniques. NPP is a challenging variant anyway, so there is over a month allocated for this one. Thanks to Jeff for the savefile and rules, and to Pav for implementing the rules, continuing to host the competition, and oook, and being generally awesome.

Note that comp 99 still has a couple of days to run.

And thanks to you, Nick, for making these competitions happen for us all.

[nppangband]

Originally Posted by Derakon

We're not going to rehash the argument we've had for the past three-four competition characters. If you want to play with connected stairs, go do it elsewhere.

That's the reason for the rule that a character is disqualified if they bypasss (don't enter) more than 15 greater vaults. Hopefully that won't be too viable of a strategy.

[Derakon]

As a more elegant solution to this problem in the future, you could make a note in the character file "Fled level X" if the player leaves the level by the same staircase they used to enter it. This would require specially marking that staircase somehow, though.

I assume "entering" a vault requires stepping on one of the icky tiles in it?

Also, the competition notes should probably include that NPP uses 4GAI, with the concomitant increase in big attack frequency.

[nppangband]

Originally Posted by Derakon

As a more elegant solution to this problem in the future, you could make a note in the character file "Fled level X" if the player leaves the level by the same staircase they used to enter it. This would require specially marking that staircase somehow, though.

I wish I could have coded up a special version of NPP for the comp, but there wasn't the time.

Originally Posted by Derakon

I assume "entering" a vault requires stepping on one of the icky tiles in it?

Correct. Or else a note is written to the player file that they abandoned the vault when they leave the level.

Originally Posted by Derakon

Also, the competition notes should probably include that NPP uses 4GAI, with the concomitant increase in big attack frequency.

Definitely. I did put a note that NPP has many, many more monsters below 2500' that will hit you for 400+ damage than in Vanilla. The teleport_to flag makes things interesting as well.

People should check the monster knowledge screens and monster recall. Every monster race in the game has been probed once, so the lore already has plenty of information about every creature. Also, you can see a list of all 104 uniques and which ones are still alive.

Players should also know that Morgoth can mana storm for up to 600 hp damage. IIRC his max damage in Vanilla is 550. He can be hasted if he absorbs charges from a player's backpack, so he can get up to +40 speed if you let him melee you.

[Derakon]

Originally Posted by nppangband

I wish I could have coded up a special version of NPP for the comp, but there wasn't the time.

I was thinking more for future comps, since I highly doubt this is the last time we'll have an NPP comp.

I did put a note that NPP has many, many more monsters below 2500' that will hit you for 400+ damage than in Vanilla.

Mostly I was clarifying that when you say "monsters will hit you for 400+ damage", you actually mean "monsters will hit you for 400+ damage." On the first turn they see you. And on the second. And so on. NPP monsters are very spammy.

Players should also know that Morgoth can mana storm for up to 600 hp damage. IIRC his max damage in Vanilla is 550.

I'm pretty sure his max is 600 in Vanilla too; it's something like 5 * mlvl + 10d10. Vanilla displays average damage in monster memory instead of max damage, though, which could explain the confusion.

He can be hasted if he absorbs charges from a player's backpack, so he can get up to +40 speed if you let him melee you.

Nasty. I though charge drain in NPP just healed the monster as in Vanilla. You must really hate warriors. Especially since NPP rods are susceptible to charge drain.

[nppangband]

Originally Posted by Derakon

Nasty. I though charge drain in NPP just healed the monster as in Vanilla. Especially since NPP rods are susceptible to charge drain.

It first tries to heal them. If there is any power "left over", it restores their mana. Any remaining power can temporarily haste the monster.

Originally Posted by Derakon

You must really hate warriors.

I am a maintainer. I hate all classes.

Warriors should be helped greatly by the stores. Most of the things they need are standard inventory or can be bought via a service in the stores. They can haul many more things back from the dungeon than to sell than the other classes, and use that extra money on store services for things like healing potions, scrolls of mass genocide, brand ammo.

There are other little things to help warriors in NPP. I have been coding this variant since 2002, so I don't remember all of them, but they aren't an unusually difficult class.

[bulian]

Sounds like an interesting competition.

Every monster race in the game has been probed once, so the lore already has plenty of information about every creature.

Does this imply a single probing doesn't give complete information about a monster?