Re: CF: Newbie hints

[Anthony Thyssen <anthony@cit.gu.edu.au>]

Christian Stieber on  wrote...
| Anthony Thyssen (anthony@cit.gu.edu.au) wrote:
| > I noticed many zobmie corpses, hands etc were `magical'. I just thought
| > it pretty stange. 
| > 
| > I did try collecting zombie corspes and selling them but didn't realise
| > the ``identification'' part! Never go enough for the bother, so I since
| > been using `alchemy' on them, to turn them into transportable gold.
| 
| Argh! At least do identify them bfore you alchemy them. Use the
| "woodsman" skill if you have it, else carry them to a shop, identify
| them, and sell them there. I always identify everything to get much
| more money, which makes alchemy rather useless at low mental
| levels/without the identification skills. Money is just too important
| for me at low levels.
| 
I din't say I identify them, I am not high enough levels (until now),
I don't have the spell, yet, and it costs more than I have in spell
points (48 to the 60 the spell requires - according to the spell tables
in the docs), No I have bound to a key...
   use_skill  literacy
   use_skill  smithery  (I am a dwarf)
   use_skill  jeweler   (only skill scroll I found!)
   invoke detect magic  (No I also dont have detect curse)

that will usally identify most of the little things, enough to know if
it is worth taking it with me. I just never bothered with the `magical'
body parts, due to their weight!

Not this does not id some of the bows and clubs etc, and most cursed
items also do not id as anything special (other than weight). but
I am getting by with this.

I am just finding so much `junk' informational scrolls that it is
difficult to tell if this scroll is a skill or not. then again I have
died a fair bit, (dex 5!) and am just struggling to pay for potions
to improve my self. No I don't want to restart, I like this character.

Becides I like the challenge too, probably why I player fireborns a lot
previously (years ago).

| > It always is a good idea to `explain' why you would so something.
| > when giving tips for beginners.
| 
| The problem is: how far should one go with explaining things?  Another
| possible question: why did I show a way to get wisdom experience
| first? Answer: because wisdom is extremely important. Why? Because
| "summon avatar" and "immunity to fire" are important prayers. Why?
| Because you can kill tougher monsters. Why does one want to do that?
| ...
| 
I'd say immunity to fire is important, though to a newbe, not as
important as ``how to get experience'' in each skill.

Remember experience is easier to get at lower levels, so it is good to
try and build experience in as many of the different types as posible.

| Oh, one hint: passwords are case-sensitive, unless the map maker has
| added different spellings (such as @match Password|password). I have
| seen people running all over Lake Country trying to find the place
| where to use a password they just discovered, since it "didn't work"
| in the obvious place. The problem was they used "password", even
| though the guy told them the password is "Password"... this is not
| really useful for newbies, though, just don't forget it...
| 
Something I really hate too. Prehaps the server be modified to make all
`matches' in lowercase (eg case insensitive).

In my own castle I have a simple `golem' cgi program to pick reply pages
depending on string input and the specific `golems' data file.
One of the first thinsg I do before looking for a match (like crossfire
charcaters) is..

Except from the golem manual -- `unlinked' at..  
  http://www.sct.gu.edu.au/~anthony/saves/misc/golem_creation.html 
=======8<--------
All letters are lowercased   (`A' -> `a')
All punctuation removed      (remove ``,.!%'' etc.)
Any white space (tabs, returns etc.) is then converted to a single space
Any spaces at start or end of the input is removed
A count of words made to see if user was VERBOSE (different reply for no match)
Common words removed (EG: how when where why to is in the thy that a an)
Some plurals converted to non-plural (EG: dragons -> dragon)
=======8<--------

Note the common words are only removed if with something else that wasn't
removed is also present (eg `why' on its own is passed)!

Some of the golems have 100 word or more vocabularies!
and about 30 or more reply pages.

The same code as in crossfile is used for passwords (including keys)
and other things.  

WARNING my castle was never completed, but is an interesting visit.

| Eech. Who needs a keybinding for that? You almost never need bows.
| 
Not with this bow I have. +25 damage!

  Anthony Thyssen ( System Programmer )    http://www.sct.gu.edu.au/~anthony/
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -
  Three Schools of Magic...
    1/ State a tautology, then ring changes on its corollaries.  -- Philosphy
    2/ Record many facts. Try to see a pattern.
           Then make wrong guess at the next fact.               -- Science
    3/ Awareness that you live in an malevolent universe controled
       by Murphy's Law, sometimes offset by Brewsters Facter.    -- Engineering
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -
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