Why can't I run?

[mudshark56]

I've been having trouble getting my character to run. He only moves one space when I try to run, and I have tried both the shift version and the version with the period.

It gets a little stranger, I think. After having these problems, I tried creating a new save file, created an almost identical character, and the character was happily running all over town! When I went back to the original save file I was using, the problem still existed though.

I decided to delete the entire save directory and start again from scratch. My first character was running just fine; then he died. Now I've got another character, and once again, I can't run!

Am I missing something painfully obvious?

[Yottle]

I've been having trouble getting my character to run. He only moves one space when I try to run, and I have tried both the shift version and the version with the period.

It gets a little stranger, I think. After having these problems, I tried creating a new save file, created an almost identical character, and the character was happily running all over town! When I went back to the original save file I was using, the problem still existed though.

I decided to delete the entire save directory and start again from scratch. My first character was running just fine; then he died. Now I've got another character, and once again, I can't run!

Am I missing something painfully obvious?

Check your Disturb options. If you are Disturbed, then you quit running. "Disturb whenever any monster is visible" or something like that might do this.

[Derakon]

I seem to recall it's possible for a monster to disturb you and then move out of your sight range if it's faster than you are. Bats are a good contender for this because they have the "annoying" AI mode set which makes them follow you around a few tiles outside of melee range.

[bio_hazard]

I seem to recall it's possible for a monster to disturb you and then move out of your sight range if it's faster than you are. Bats are a good contender for this because they have the "annoying" AI mode set which makes them follow you around a few tiles outside of melee range.

sparrows might do this in town too, I think.

[mudshark56]

So the presence of monsters, including drunks and lepers in town, prevents running with the default options are used? So I can't run away from a monster, or even run away from a leper unless I turn this option off?

Perhaps I don't understand how or why runniing is used--it seems to me like you would always want the option of moving fast when a monster is around; why is this disturb option the default?

Thanks for helping--I appreciate it!

[overtrix]

You're not moving any faster, just moving repeatedly e.g. to the left without having to press 4 over and over again. Now imagine there was no issue of disturbance - you run towards a large room and a few squares from the door notice a water hound inside, ah what the heck let's carry on running - now almost at the doorway you can see five of them, probably there's a dozen in there but hey, running keeps you fit - into the room and squoosh, squoosh, squoosh, goodbye cruel world

[bio_hazard]

Character speed (e.g. running) relative to monsters is determined by one of the tactics on the character screen. Note that being fast is not always better- if you need to search for secret doors or traps, dropping your speed to normal or below will be very helpful (just don't forget to return to running).

As stated above, this is independent of disturbance. being disturbed by a town drunk is annoying, but being disturbed by an active monster can be life saving in the dungeon.

[overtrix]

Ooh yes, two versions of "running"

The one from the character screen, you decide a modifier to speed in the range +4 (running) to -10 (slug-like) with a tradeoff on e.g. stealth - most folk recommend that you choose right away to be running, since +4 to speed is worth its weight in mithril during the early game. The same with your "tactic" there - be a berserk warrior or a cowardly spellcaster, because the upsides outweigh the downsides.

The other one - running on this turn, rather than step by step - seems to be over-disturbed in the ToME 3 alpha, during the Barrow Downs each change of adjacent feature (e.g. rock to tree) halts your run down a passage. This also happens as noted in all versions with e.g. bats - and notably also if you head south for a quick boost, when crebains are flitting around.