Nerf Transmogrification

[SerPounce]

One of the major concerns about removing selling/transmogrification is that it makes complete game exploration less rewarding.

But complete exploration isn't a technical challenge to veteran players, and is therefore "not fun." And if you find it fun, you're wrong.

You have to appreciate the importance of making sure no one is able to gain an advantage, however modest, by doing something easy because it might dilute the bragging rights of the Uber achievers.

[Aquillion]

The solution to exploration is to make it less boring (and perhaps more challenging, as well), just like grinding was not actually removed, but made more interesting and more challenging.

[spiralrazor]

Basically, I'm saying that the chest gives too much gold, and discourages visiting towns and shops (though I'll concede that rune shops are often still useful). With the addition of a persistent window or an uber ui, there would be even less incentive to go to towns!

Keep in mind that this would still be a choice; nobody would be forcing anyone to sell to shops any more than they're forced to transmogrify lots of items, because gold still wouldn't be very useful. It would just make gold supplies tighter, making money more of a challenge and more meaningful.

Right now, in my opinion, having a free shop in your backpack that gives you extra rewards, on top of the money they pay you, is a little broken.

Selling stuff at shops is an extremely old dated concept...its bad...BAD>

[spiralrazor]

I agree, Aquillion. The economic system has never been ToME's strong suite, and, along with items and inscriptions with finite charges (which are being phased out), is probably the main aspect that does not adhere to ToME general design philosophy of eliminating tedium, grinding, and unnecessary boring mechanics of the game. As I understand it, the price of gems increased a while back to make them a main source of income (as well as gold drops) for the player instead of selling items. This was a good half-measure, but I think ToME should go all the way and only allow the player to sell gems.

If I may diverge for a minute to share a different type of playing style...

I've played several under-leveled characters that skip most non-essential zones. They usually fight the Master at clvl 12-16 and go to the Far East at clvl 20-25. Most die in Dreadfell or an Orc Pride, or to a summoning trap or dreadmaster. None get the Transmogrifier chest. And you know what? I don't miss it at all. It turns out ignoring items is even more convenient than transmogrifying them. Don't need an item? Leave it for the next weary adventurer. After playing like this, I now find the Transmogrifier chest tedious (but it is, of course, less tedious than hauling items back to shops to sell).

Under-leveled characters have a greater reliance on items, so it can be very important to buy items from shops, which means these characters have an incentive to make money. I still lug around lite items to sell, such as rings and amulets, infusions and runes, and ammo, which, along with gems, provide sufficient income. My latest character had 400 gold and 600-700 worth in gems at the end of the game, and he probably purchased over 2000 gold worth of items. The point here is that, um, buying items from shops is a nice option to have, but selling items (except for gems) is stupid. Transmogrifying items is stupid too; I'd much rather the Transmogrifier chest do something passively.

Also, currently, the new Lost Merchant "special" items for a "special" cost incentivizes transmogrifying (or selling) every single item the player come across, which I think encourages tedium. How many hundreds or thousands of items do you think you Transmogrify during the course of a game? I'm sure it's a lot, and it constantly interrupts the flow of playing the game.

So, back to suggestions. Let me list-ify 'em:

(1) Only allow selling of gems
(2) Don't allow selling any other items (a corollary to (1))
(3) Don't allow items to decay (er, just because )
(4) Don't actively transmogrify items for gold. Make it passive or activated for something else (like accessing something from the storage room every 500 turns or so), or get rid of the Transmogrifier altogether.
(5) Gain fortress energy some other way, such as a passively with gained experience (as someone else suggested elsewhere) or via gems.

And, as a final thought that wasn't worth list-ifying, I actually don't mind the current encumbrance system. It keeps me honest and makes it so I don't haul around everything that I may in some conceivable situation have some small need of (although I tend to do this anyway ). I'm not strongly opinionated on this, though, so I wouldn't be against encumbrance being changed if a reasonable alternative were proposed.

Worst idea ever? You do know that this would make it impossible to ever buy anything and the dorfin racial worthless right?