How about some flavor players?

[Dervis]

1) What is your favorite race? Why? Flavor, stats, talent?
- Anything but elves... Flavor-wise I'm more inclined to Bree-men and Hobbits, while probably Dwarves/Undead if power-gaming.

2) What is your favorite class archtype in T4? Tank, Archer, AOE expert, Mage, Rogue, Hybrid, Controller? How well do you think these are represented so far?
- I prefer Tanks/Hybrids. As about representation I must say we could use one more Controller, Archer/magic and melee/controller hybrids.

3)What is your favorite class? Why? Flavor, stats, talents?
- The Cursed class, although it has a few issues. I also like Berserkers and Archers in general.

4) Are there any changes you would make to the stat distributions of your favorite race/class? How about changes in talent tree options and starting talents? Do you find that your class is lacking in something that it really needs to pull it together? If so, what is it?
- I did a thread bashing a bit on the class but it died out, the biggest issue is that 'hate', the main class mechanic, is way too passive to become fun. I would probably do an overhaul of Rampage and add side-effects to HIGH hate values. I've got some ideas and limited LUA-skills if you'd like me to develop something.

Are there any talents that you really really like? What do you like about them over the others? Do you think other classes would benefit from this talent?
- I really like the concept of a cursed hidden power that you can harness and keep in check with power of will alone. I believe we could make a group of 'cursed' classes based on this. A Will/dex Archer and a Will/Magic nuker/controller would be fun additions I believe.

6) There is now a large variety of zones, along with some side zones. Are there any that you really really enjoy to play? Is it the size, layout, color, npc distribution?
- I only got to the prides, and I must say I really enjoyed playing in an open area for once. I would also probably like Moria much more if it had some static light areas, rather than darkness on every direction

7)What general idea of a zone do you think would be a good addition to the game? Would it have any particular theme?
- I think we have a good share of zones for now. What I would do is elaborate a bit more on Random quests. Example:
Escort - Trollshaws and Old forest.
Vampire-hunter - Amon-sul and Tol-falas - A NPC asks for your help in defeating a powerful vampire who %plot. Keep him alive until he reaches a very small vault, at which point an elite vampire will spawn. Kill it and collect reward.
Ancestral home - Carn-dum - A Berserker Chieftain has been chased out of his home by a group of giants led by %questmob, lure him back to the chieftain so he can reclaim his honor. (The giant has a LOT of guards)
Lost relic - Prides - A NPC Paladin/Anorithil asks for your help... An orc raid has sucessfully stolen the %quest-item and he/she followed them here. Go pick the item and bring it back (p.s. it's heavily guarded)
And so on...

We have a moderately large variety of npcs now as well. Not nearly as many as previous tome incarnations or angband, but there is still well over 100. Of these, what type/subtype do you enjoy the most? Do you like any particular idea of a npc or boss? What do you think of them leveling and especially being as we are instead of completely pregenerated mobs?
- We could use some wilderness boss encounters... I really liked the Bandit-lord encounter in ADOM for example.

9) Do you have any ideas for more npcs?
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10) Do you enjoy the music of Tome? This is the first rogue-like I've encountered that came with music.
- Haven't heard it :S. I usually play this with no sound.

11) How about the sound effects? Do you think there should be more?
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12) And the graphics that the forum members are doing? How many of you play with the graphics on, and how do you like them?
- I play with graphics on, and love them.

13) How is the UI coming along to you? Does it feel as polished as it can be currently? Do you play with only the mouse, keyboard, or do you use both? If you use a combination of both, what do you use the mouse for and what do you use the keyboard for?
- I really like the UI and I play with the mouse for moving around and keyboard for activating skills. I miss some way of scrolling the map with the mouse, but other than that it's a very solid UI.

14) How long have you been playing?
- I played quite a lot of TOME 2.3.x, been playing TOME4 for about a month.

15) How far have you gotten in the game?
- Made it to the prides with a lvl 30 Berserker... died stunned with a 90% resistance :/.

16) How many classes have you unlocked?
- 5, I believe.

[benli]

- I really like the concept of a cursed hidden power that you can harness and keep in check with power of will alone. I believe we could make a group of 'cursed' classes based on this. A Will/dex Archer and a Will/Magic nuker/controller would be fun additions I believe.

I'm about 4 talent trees into creating a cursed mage (doomed). He is kind of a Will/Magic nuker/duck-and-cover at the moment. By controller do you mean controlling the actions of others? That sounds like a fun tree. I though about doing an archer with a companion (bear, hunting dog, etc) a while back. I hear Diablo will have Zombie Bears. Maybe that would make a good cursed archer.

[Dervis]

I'm about 4 talent trees into creating a cursed mage (doomed). He is kind of a Will/Magic nuker/duck-and-cover at the moment. By controller do you mean controlling the actions of others? That sounds like a fun tree. I though about doing an archer with a companion (bear, hunting dog, etc) a while back. I hear Diablo will have Zombie Bears. Maybe that would make a good cursed archer.

As controller in this kind of games I consider any class with the ability to disable the foes in some way rather than just throw damage at them. Stun, freeze, blind, pin, daze, fear, stoning, silence, mind control are all forms of control in one way or another.

I already have some ideas for the cursed archer btw. Probably call it the Haunted to be in the same line of names.
The talent trees would be:
Archery - bows (possibly slings if halfling)
Archery - utility
Cunning - Survival
Cunning - Packing
Cursed - Cursed Form
Cursed - Dark Figure
3 new talent trees or so:
- Offensive skills: Arrows of hatred, Glooming shot, Soul-reaping shot
- Control skills: Special shots that can either be used directly on enemies or applied to the floor which cause area effects: fear, confusion or so
- Defensive skills: Something will based, think jedi mind tricks. Evasion, defense buffs, dodging
-

[Zonk]

1)What is your favorite race? Why? Flavor, stats, talent?

Nandor - they make awesome Archmages and Alchemists, plus the racial power is just amazing(especially for alchemists, who are going to have a good Dex).
I also like Dwarves, their racial power is pretty good if you have high Con(like a Berserker).
And a long time ago(like, in version 3), I REALLY liked making Skeleton Archers.

2)What is your favorite class archtype in T4? Tank, Archer, AOE expert, Mage, Rogue, Hybrid, Controller? How well do you think these are represented so far?

I like controllers(being able to stun, freeze, daze, confuse.. is awesome) and AoE damage, although I do worry about defensive abilities so I'm also interested in tanking.
Alchemists fit all these 3 archetypes pretty well(if you consider the golem to be the tanker)

3)What is your favorite class? Why? Flavor, stats, talents?

Alchemist - very interesting special abilities, having to manage your golem, being able to destroy and create magical items...
Close seconds include Berserkers(fairly easy to play, and can do lots of damage) and Archmages(quite versatile and powerful class, overall)

4)Are there any changes you would make to the stat distributions of your favorite race/class? How about changes in talent tree options and starting talents? Do you find that your class is lacking in something that it really needs to pull it together? If so, what is it?

Well, stuff can (almost)always be improved, but for now, they're pretty fine, althoug I did suggest some Alchemist changes in a thread.

5)Are there any talents that you really really like? What do you like about them over the others? Do you think other classes would benefit from this talent?

I really like the Advanced Golemancy talent tree - a stronger, tougher golem is awesome.
For Archmages, I like the vapour spell(especially combined with freezing/slowing your enemy), sense and vision.
When I get escort quests, I almost always try to grab Sense and/or Vision, as they're VERY useful for almost everyone and let you save a lot of scrolls.
(I do know both talents are being removed, however)

6)There is now a large variety of zones, along with some side zones. Are there any that you really really enjoy to play? Is it the size, layout, color, npc distribution?

I like the Maze, because it's easy to navigate for a lazy person like me(just run around), you can't get surrounded, and there's a quick exit at the end

7)What general idea of a zone do you think would be a good addition to the game? Would it have any particular theme?

Not sure really.

8)We have a moderately large variety of npcs now as well. Not nearly as many as previous tome incarnations or angband, but there is still well over 100. Of these, what type/subtype do you enjoy the most? Do you like any particular idea of a npc or boss? What do you think of them leveling and especially being as we are instead of completely pregenerated mobs?

I like autolevelling now(I didn't when there was no real limit to it), although I'd prefer if they didn't 'cheat' by always getting the required stats for equipment(this can be a benefit for Alchies however, if you start with a golem with a mithril battleaxe...str 48 at level 1)

9)Do you have any ideas for more npcs?

I'd like semi-random generated bosses that fit some templates(warrior, archmage, undead lord.).

10)Do you enjoy the music of Tome? This is the first rogue-like I've encountered that came with music.

I've been playing with music turned off, but I might change that someday.

11)
How about the sound effects? Do you think there should be more?

From what I remember about them, they're ok.

12)And the graphics that the forum members are doing? How many of you play with the graphics on, and how do you like them?

Although not a fan of tilesets for OTHER roguelikes, I really love them here. They add a lot to the game.

13)How is the UI coming along to you? Does it feel as polished as it can be currently? Do you play with only the mouse, keyboard, or do you use both? If you use a combination of both, what do you use the mouse for and what do you use the keyboard for?

Pretty polished, but can use some generic improvement of course. I play with my keyboard only 90%+ of the time.

14)How long have you been playing?

I've been playing 'seriously'(as in, actually bother to do the main quest rather than just roll up characters that die quickly) for about 2 weeks.

15)
How far have you gotten in the game?

No winners yet, but I got to the East(and I was killed by Grushank during my first attempt at defeating a pride)

16)How many classes have you unlocked?

All except the Cryo and Pyromancers.

[Final Master]

I have to say I'm very happy with everyone taking the time to fill this out. I've started to pay attention and correlate some of the answers given. I'll post up all this in a readable form maybe by the weekend. Thanks again everyone for filling this out!

FM

[Hetdegon]

OK then...

1) Cornac and Skeleton.
Cornacs are the average man, the best fit to become a legend, and their extra talent point allows for more freedom setting up the character.
Skeletons have a nice start with the Necromancer dungeon, and are strong and useful. Plus they are awesome.

2) Archer, Controller.
As the question stands, I'd go with Archers. But I'd generally enjoy a class that isn't based on just clicking on enemies.
As for the representation of classes, I think it's generally correct. Generally gives a feeling of grandness compared to other roguelikes where they are more like masses of raw data. Variety of positive traits and effects makes classes feel powerful (even if they aren't in practice).

3) Archer/Slinger, Alchemist, Cursed. Rogue?
I enjoy the run-and-gun feel of archers in TOME4, and they aren't limited to shooting puny underpowered arrows.
Alchemist is pretty nice, as I enjoy the ability to tweak equipment even if minimally. I like the jewel theme.
Cursed is plain epic awesome. It's very original, and plays quite well for a melee character.
I haven't played rogues extensively, but I like anything related to traps and tricks. Shadow blade is also fun.
Geomancer used to be one of my favorites back in TOME2, but the current implementation while not bad, is nowhere as original.

4)
Alchemist should perhaps make increasing bomb range optional. I find bombs more useful at radius 1 than radius 2, but that's just opinion.
It kind of feels that Cursed is a bit spread out in talents, and they don't scale well. Some skills are awesome but not worth maxing out, as the gains are marginal in number and in practice. Other classes feel like there is more advancement when spending points in talents. Reckless Charge is a good example of progressive gains. Perhaps some of its abilities should decrease cooldown or something, not exactly sure...
The survival tree (detect traps, etc) could perhaps not make heightened senses mandatory.
I don't think classes should share many more talents. I prefer using equipment to cross-pollinate classes more than the usual.


5)
Archer trees (variety in actions and stances), Gloom-related skills (a great active defense), rampage (real expensive but interesting), the jewelry-related talents for alchemists, lightning speed from wyrmics (try dodging enemy fire on it) and stalactitic missile(?). Golem skills like Taunt are very interesting too.
I also enjoy any skill related to inventory or affecting the field (traps, wall creation/destruction, etc)

6) Kor'Pul, Old Forest, Sandworm Lair, pre-Valley of the Moon section and Valley of the Moon quest.
Kor'Pul has an straightforward ("classic") layout, it's moderately challenging, maps are of good size, not too small not too huge, has vaults and the possibility of scort quests.
Old Forest has a great ambiance with the visual effects (dark and rainy) and music, and is generally good to navigate.
The pre-valley of the moon area has a very interesting formation, and those damnable wretchlings keep it from being boring,
Valley of the Moon is like Tower Defense. Extremely unforgiving though, but should be doable with a wand of healing.
Sandworm lair is extremely slow to traverse, and might be considered gimmicky. Some minor layout changes would make it a blast to play, such as giving a small warming of collapsing tunnels, or perhaps making the worms a bit faster than the player so you don't need to go baby steps behind them. I liked it overall.
The area right before the East (the dwarf kingdom filled with orcs) was extremely painful to navigate on mouse due to the "disturbance" settings to stop at every corner and extreme darkness. It needs a torch or two.
The orc patrols in the East are extremely fun (although risky) to challenge. The right space to move and plan, great blend of enemies, lots of movement required.

7) Perhaps a floating island with optional (not mandatory) teleport puzzles, or a place with doors that alternate open/close making a dynamic labyrinth, or a completely unexplainable area (such as anomalous space) where navigation is "different" but not hard/annoying.

8) Several NPC enemies such as orcs are very varied, come in groups, and are usually a treat if not careful, depending on their combination ("flavor?" xD). Boss battles like against the Essences and even the incomplete Bone Giant are quite fun too. (the later because of the level and lack of anything better before it. It's a nice wake-up call, specially when it enters causing lots of tiny explosions around).
As for story NPCs, the Necromancer at the start of undeads is quite fun, I am a bit sorry he doesn't escape to cause trouble another day. The Master is tremendously funny from the notes found around, although he isn't anything special on fight (some last words or more interaction would be excellent).
And then we get Zemekkys. That guy is a riot.
Elisa sort of has a minimal amount of personality, could be interesting to develop further. This is notable because some other characters (specially females) seem made of wood, with barely any personality...I might be demanding too much from a roguelike, but since the above-mentioned characters do have personalities and can be very amusing to the player, I don't think it's a bad idea to utilize that in the game's favor even if stereotypical.
On the other hand we have a certain wyrmic writting a certain note in Daikara...but instead of giving the impression it should, makes it feel like an Internet 13yo wrote it. "hahahahahahaha"

9) Enemies that can combine or do combined attacks can be really interesting. Or some enemy that is very flashy, eccentric or odd. For example some enemy that can only be killed when something is destroyed on the dungeon (bonus points if placed far from it. Imagine a crystal ball to kill the pursuing beast).
Enemy behaviors can be made different too. We can have enemies that run searching for reinforcements, enemies that follow you (but have no combat abilities, yet can alert monsters towards you by being noisy, have a debuff aura, or just working as paranoia fuel)...a lot can be done with the current format, actually. The more we deviate from raw clicking on enemy tiles, the better. Movement and tactics should be encouraged, however, not strictly mandatory (players who just overcome enemies with the power of raw numbers should still be allowed).
Static enemies (such as crystals) that fire slow projectiles (relatively easy to dodge if you fight only one, frantic if you fight with other foes with them as support) can be a very interesting way to showcase avoidable projectiles.

10) Music adds a lot of ambiance and I really enjoy having it. TOME's pieces are quite relaxed and ambiental, great for dungeon crawling.
Although I would like to see something like boss battle music or situational music. For example getting trapped in darkness and the music going off for a while.

11) Yes, more would do great. Monster-specific noises and sounds can give them more personality and play to create paranoia factor on the player. Some minor sounds like doors opening and such can also help making the dungeons more "alive".

12) The graphics are quite adequate. I am more concerned about environmental effects or visual attack effects than monster tiles. Dungeon tiles can have a little improvement, mostly to make dungeons less uniform. Overall it's a nice effort.

13) The UI is excellent for a roguelike. It can have some adjustments, like disabling the zooming effect (to gain faster reaction, since it produces a tiny delay by nature), or the "YOU ARE RUNNING" warning dialog box getting on the way. Mouse navigation is very good, although some skills (like Radiant Fear) do not work as expected. Minor tweaks is all it needs though. Most bugs have been polished although the warning dialog boxes cannot be cleared by space, which is a bit not funny. Mouse wheel on talents list to show them all quickly can be a great addition too.

14) Pern, TOME2, almost ignored TOME3, and got the early betas of TOME4, although I had a period between beta 12 and 15 that I didn't play at all.

15) Valley of the Moon in discovery mode. Now going to the Prides.

16) Almost all, lacking Reavers and Pyros/Cryos, I think Sun paladins too. Pyros and Cryos are extremely tedious to unlock and the classes don't seem to be adapted to such long-time effort.