rec.games.roguelike.angband looking glass

As of March 31 2008, my ISP's USENET feed provider ceased to exist (buyout by another company). Since that date, I no longer have any access to the USENET. Therefore, I am forced to discontinue r.g.r.a frontend on Angband.oook.cz website.

From: Jiamat <iopia0@lycos.com>
Subject: Re: [announce] Angband 3.0.4 beta 1 released
Date: 2004-02-02 18:13:00
Agent: Angband.oook.cz web gateway (PHP/4.3.2)

On 2004-02-02 17:44:43, Atriel <atriel666@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Thank you very much for the update, Robert :)
> I am happy with some balancing done... especially harad X-Bows
> that did make some combos very powerful.
> It´s very good to put on features to simplify and minimize the number
> of keypresses, and make easier to interact with the game.
> I like the stacking of wands/staves/rods too.
> But... i must remember you and everyone in the angband community
> that i think Angband is straying from one of the fundamental principles of
> its spirit from when it was born as Moria and early Angband versions.
> Before, when somebody won, Angband creators strived to make the
> game harder, but winable. Now, Angband is getting easier with each
> version that comes out.

Most changes 3.0.4 are making make the game harder. Remember GoI. Exactly.

> Awesome ego items and arts...
> it´s easier to find good stuff cuz they show up earlier and more...
> Some Rods are no more destroyable in this version...

Rods never could be destroyed. I (and Jonathan and probably a few others) think
it should stay that way.

> Now without haggling, all prices are lower than they were...

I like haggling as a flavour option if it doesn't lead to the 'sales tax'. I
don't think it should be should be removed completely even if i don't use it.

> Just small changes, but from bean to bean the chicken gets gorged.
> And i see a LOT of times people proposing changes to make the game
> still *much* easier. IMHO, this is just wrong.

Like preventing rune abuse, LoS abuse etc.

> Is the community getting spoiled? (always wanting a easier game)
> I think that the spoiling started in some super-easy popular variants..
> even thu i like them somewhat. (one of them i quit out of boredom as
> a clvl 50)

Z's much harder nowadays. Tome gets a bit sticky when you get to Angband.

> I am still a newbie to Angband, as i am a bander for less than 3 versions
> (as a rule of what a newbie is) but i know whow early band was,
> and played Moria sometimes to see how it was... as well looked after
> Angband history.
> My first Angband non-scummed char that reached clvl 20 died only
> to Morgoth... (never won thu...)
> Even early Angband versions and Moria are very winable.

Moria is much easier than Angband, past or present.

> So, what i am remembering, not only asking, is this
> fundamental principle that is being forgotten by everyone.
> Please, don´t make the game easier. Features to minimize keypresses
> or make the interface better are good, but not to make the game
> easier.
> Vanilla Angband is already one of the easiest bands.
>

Most of the changes to make the game easier were to make the game more
consistent. Moving draco* made sense. Chaos max damage reduced from 600 to 400,
i didn't notice. The famous crossbows are being fixed.

In general there are more people wanting the game to be harder rather than
easier. Smart AI is fitted as standard in quite a few variants nowadays which
hardly makes things easier.

[announce] Angband 3.0.4 beta 1 released	43 posts
..... Robert Ruehlmann	2004-02-01 20:38:49	176
.......... Robert Ruehlmann	2004-02-01 20:49:51	17
.......... =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Timo_Pietilä?=	2004-02-01 21:15:26	12
.......... Velvet Elvis	2004-02-01 23:00:39	65
............... Jonathan Ellis	2004-02-01 23:12:15	67
.................... Harriet Bazley	2004-02-02 19:02:19	37
......................... Neodymium	2004-02-02 20:31:56	21
.............................. Harriet Bazley	2004-02-04 00:29:26	35
.......... MightyKitten	2004-02-01 23:51:56	10
.......... Matthew Collett	2004-02-02 04:34:01	41
.......... Tom Whistler	2004-02-02 10:36:26	8
............... Neodymium	2004-02-02 11:20:42	24
............... Matthias Kurzke	2004-02-02 14:27:42	17
............... Robert Ruehlmann	2004-02-02 18:48:19	14
.......... Matthias Kurzke	2004-02-02 12:16:51	33
............... Jonathan Ellis	2004-02-02 12:46:05	47
.................... Matthew Collett	2004-02-02 21:29:25	36
......................... Jonathan Ellis	2004-02-02 23:47:56	54
.............................. Neodymium	2004-02-03 00:02:21	24
................................... David Grenier	2004-02-04 01:26:27	40
........................................ Neodymium	2004-02-04 10:16:58	76
.............................. Matthew Collett	2004-02-03 07:25:57	23
................................... Jonathan Ellis	2004-02-03 09:47:04	37
............... Michael Roper	2004-02-02 13:56:28	16
.................... Juergen Frieling	2004-02-02 15:03:01	10
......................... Michael Roper	2004-02-02 15:46:13	27
.............................. Jiamat	2004-02-02 16:32:08	40
................................... Neodymium	2004-02-02 16:55:20	36
.......... pelpel	2004-02-02 15:21:22	39
............... pelpel	2004-02-02 16:07:31	10
.......... Atriel	2004-02-02 17:44:43	44
............... Jiamat	2004-02-02 18:13:00	70
.................... Atriel	2004-02-03 00:31:37	12
.......... Michael Roper	2004-02-03 03:18:31	10
.......... Eddie Grove	2004-02-03 18:01:08	26
............... David Vestal	2004-02-03 18:07:20	32
............... Jonathan Ellis	2004-02-03 19:47:11	36
.................... Jiamat	2004-02-03 20:36:38	37
......................... Jeff Greene	2004-02-04 00:06:13	38
.................... Toby	2004-02-04 11:42:36	26
.......... Eddie Grove	2004-02-10 07:31:44	23
............... Michael Roper	2004-02-10 08:03:34	8
.................... Eddie Grove	2004-02-10 09:46:33	32

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