Maybe this belongs over in general discussion, but I envision the discussion getting spoily, so here we are. Move it if need be, please.
How fast do you dive in the dungeons? Do you have any set tactics? Do they vary by dungeon level (i.e. dive fast at first, slow later, etc.)? Is there anything in your character development that changes your dive rate? Is there a specific dungeon where your tactics are different from all the others? (i.e. dive super slow or super fast, compared to all the others.)
Enquiring minds (well, mine anyway) want to know.
For the sake of the poll, please consider "down" to mean increasing difficulty in dungeon level. Also, this poll probably won't apply well to lost souls, do your best.
I'm a terribly slow diver, most of the time. Getting faster, but I can't bear to pass up finding goodies. With my current lost soul, though, I'm definitely in the "up the chimney up" category.
How fast do you dive?
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Neil
- Sher'Tul Godslayer
- Posts: 2438
- Joined: Sat Dec 14, 2002 7:18 pm
- Location: California (or sometimes Erebor)
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I go really fast, usually spending 10000 and recalling too deep to begin with.
Take my current polearmmaster: The last five dungeon levels it entered were Orc Ave 1050', Orc Cave 1100' (recalled out after clearing Deathwatch above), Orc Ave 1100' (taking out Azog), Maze 1850' (going for Hammerhand), Maze 1800' (Nexus hound sent me up), Maze 1850' (Went back down, saw the Minotaur next to me, cast Divine aim, and had the Helm six *GREAT* hits later.).
At this point I'm debating where to go. Maybe top of LoM, maybe take out Old Man Willow, maybe spend some time getting stat potions and rod tips in SwL (don't have trap detection yet :-)
Take my current polearmmaster: The last five dungeon levels it entered were Orc Ave 1050', Orc Cave 1100' (recalled out after clearing Deathwatch above), Orc Ave 1100' (taking out Azog), Maze 1850' (going for Hammerhand), Maze 1800' (Nexus hound sent me up), Maze 1850' (Went back down, saw the Minotaur next to me, cast Divine aim, and had the Helm six *GREAT* hits later.).
At this point I'm debating where to go. Maybe top of LoM, maybe take out Old Man Willow, maybe spend some time getting stat potions and rod tips in SwL (don't have trap detection yet :-)
The speed of dungeon diving varies for me greatly... very slow in BD - getting gold and Rod of Trap Detection. Then medium in dungeons where towns can came along, and the Sandworm lair - for potions (never get any significant number of them) - for other dungeons I usually teleport straight to the bottom, kill guardian, get the reward, get back. And Angband - this is real fun - I've never walked down faster - only detect for stairs then run/dig/teleport to them - and down. BTW: from Angband 3500' to Angband 4000' i've encountered only 4 princess quests, while playing with 98 - it doesn't look like FF have 1 in 4 chance for appearing.
this could be odd luck. not very probable but possible.zasvid wrote:BTW: from Angband 3500' to Angband 4000' i've encountered only 4 princess quests, while playing with 98 - it doesn't look like FF have 1 in 4 chance for appearing.
my behaviour varies. i usually clear levels which are deep enough to yield great items.
if everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane
When I used to play with preserve mode off, I'd explore every level completely before I left it. This got too annoying, though, so I finally gave up on it.
Now I do the Downs fairly slowly. I'm sort of forced to since, at that point, I don't usually have much in the way of detection and the Princess room always seems to be in the last place I look. But it's just as well, since I could use the XP and loot, anyway.
I follow that with the Orc Caves, which I also do fairly slowly, collecting loot, XP, and Piety.
After that, I dive as fast as I can. Go into a new level, use enlightment (once I have it) to find the any good items, vaults, Princess rooms, and stairs. Take the most direct route to any place I want to go, fighting whatever I meet on the way. Once I've got everything I want, head for the stairs. I do try to go to every level in every dungeon, though, looking for towns. Plus, I think teleporting to the bottom level of a dungeon to fight the guardian is kinda lame.
There are a few dungeons where I actively try to avoid any combat I can. Digging through walls, teleporting randomly hoping to get near the stairs, sneaking past any monsters that don't wake up, etc. Those dungeons are: Heart of the Earth (dealing with the moving walls is just too annoying), Paths of the Dead (undead -- ick), and Mt. Doom (only been there once -- I'd never even been to Angband before when I tried it and was pretty scared of what I might find). Also, the Small Water Cave if I don't yet have Imm Acid (which is often the case). I'll probably do the same with the Nether Realm and the Void, if I ever get that far. I also find myself avoiding unnecessary combat on the lower levels of Angband... but that's mostly because sorting through all the treasure drops takes too darn long, rather than because I'm worried about the monsters I'm facing.
Now I do the Downs fairly slowly. I'm sort of forced to since, at that point, I don't usually have much in the way of detection and the Princess room always seems to be in the last place I look. But it's just as well, since I could use the XP and loot, anyway.
I follow that with the Orc Caves, which I also do fairly slowly, collecting loot, XP, and Piety.
After that, I dive as fast as I can. Go into a new level, use enlightment (once I have it) to find the any good items, vaults, Princess rooms, and stairs. Take the most direct route to any place I want to go, fighting whatever I meet on the way. Once I've got everything I want, head for the stairs. I do try to go to every level in every dungeon, though, looking for towns. Plus, I think teleporting to the bottom level of a dungeon to fight the guardian is kinda lame.
There are a few dungeons where I actively try to avoid any combat I can. Digging through walls, teleporting randomly hoping to get near the stairs, sneaking past any monsters that don't wake up, etc. Those dungeons are: Heart of the Earth (dealing with the moving walls is just too annoying), Paths of the Dead (undead -- ick), and Mt. Doom (only been there once -- I'd never even been to Angband before when I tried it and was pretty scared of what I might find). Also, the Small Water Cave if I don't yet have Imm Acid (which is often the case). I'll probably do the same with the Nether Realm and the Void, if I ever get that far. I also find myself avoiding unnecessary combat on the lower levels of Angband... but that's mostly because sorting through all the treasure drops takes too darn long, rather than because I'm worried about the monsters I'm facing.
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Lord Dimwit
- Uruivellas
- Posts: 757
- Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2003 8:25 am
- Location: in The Void, alone
I dive like a madman. Even if I have really great feelings on a level, I usually just head for the stairs, blasting everything in my way.
Unlike Neil, however, I usually go through all of the dungeons level by level--I don't want to miss dungeon markets. Exceptions are places like the Maze, Helcaraxe, Sunken Ruins, etc.
I gain most of my experience and items from the main dungeons (the Downs, Mirkwood, Mordor, Angband) because the quests I take on force me to move through them rather slowly.
But there are enough sundry dungeons in ToME for me to just burn through a few of them without stopping to smell the roses.
Unlike Neil, however, I usually go through all of the dungeons level by level--I don't want to miss dungeon markets. Exceptions are places like the Maze, Helcaraxe, Sunken Ruins, etc.
I gain most of my experience and items from the main dungeons (the Downs, Mirkwood, Mordor, Angband) because the quests I take on force me to move through them rather slowly.
But there are enough sundry dungeons in ToME for me to just burn through a few of them without stopping to smell the roses.
Frobozz Node #9432
I play with 98 random quests, and dive as soon as I finish each quest. I powerdive the orc caves, and for the old forest (if I do it) I fly around the edge looking for down stairways, since I'm just after the randart the old willow has. I've done the same for SLoM (with a climbing kit) and Rhun. I usually die somewhere in Mordor when I don't die insanely early.
Digitochracy
n. 1. technocracy. 2. government by the numbers. 3. rule by people with the longest fingers.
n. 1. technocracy. 2. government by the numbers. 3. rule by people with the longest fingers.
There are two factors that affect my diving.
I recall back to town when I run out of some common scroll or potion (Identify, Cure Critical Wounds, Satisfy Hunger) or need something I keep stocked (like *Identify* or Cure Insanity). Once I get a rod, spell or artifact to cover one of these, it is no longer an issue. If I find Potions of *Healing* or anything I'd like to stock at home, I recall.
When I get a random quest and my kit is not suitable (like kill 15 Umber Hulks, but I don't have confusion resistance) or my HP/SP/stat is too low, I go to a sideline dungeon and try to get equipped/leveled up there. With 98 quests, this happens every now and then. Sideline dungeons I take as fast as I can, I usually go for a specific artifact, sometimes for a resistance. If I am after a dungeon town with a specific store, I don't even bother searching the level.
I guess this means an about four levels per recall in the mainline dungeon, and a lot more in the sidelines, depending on why am I there. Once I took Moria in one big dive, dropped loot to Khazad-Dum and climbed back without recalling.
I recall back to town when I run out of some common scroll or potion (Identify, Cure Critical Wounds, Satisfy Hunger) or need something I keep stocked (like *Identify* or Cure Insanity). Once I get a rod, spell or artifact to cover one of these, it is no longer an issue. If I find Potions of *Healing* or anything I'd like to stock at home, I recall.
When I get a random quest and my kit is not suitable (like kill 15 Umber Hulks, but I don't have confusion resistance) or my HP/SP/stat is too low, I go to a sideline dungeon and try to get equipped/leveled up there. With 98 quests, this happens every now and then. Sideline dungeons I take as fast as I can, I usually go for a specific artifact, sometimes for a resistance. If I am after a dungeon town with a specific store, I don't even bother searching the level.
I guess this means an about four levels per recall in the mainline dungeon, and a lot more in the sidelines, depending on why am I there. Once I took Moria in one big dive, dropped loot to Khazad-Dum and climbed back without recalling.