jdi@psuvax.UUCP (09/01/83)
Having just won 5.2 for the first time a week ago, I thought I'd see just
how many other netters have won. I mean, I've been playing rogue CONSTANTLY
this summer, and I've only won once. Even when I did win, it was only by
incredible providence. Thus I put forth a postulate:
Be it resolved that: "ROGUE IS A GAME OF LUCK"
Seriously!!! I mean, you could be the best player in the world and still
never win if you don't get 3 or 4 of the big 4. "What are the Big 4, you ask"?
1. Hitpoints. Most important. If, by level 5 (my level, not dungeon
level) I don't have at least 40 or so hitpoints, I usually just quit.
I mean, you could be wearing +3 plate mail, but if you don't have the
hitpoints in xorn territory, forget it.
2. Two-Handed sword. Use it. Even if it's cursed. I mean, somehow it
just doesn't seem appropriate to club a huge dragon to death with a
puny mace.
3. Rings. (Before armor, you ask? Yes) The perfect ring combination
(This is all my opinion, remember) is
1. +2 ring of dexterity
2. maintain armor
3. stealth
#1 lets you hit without using much food,
#2 lets you wear that neato banded mail on level 9-18, and it also
lets you EXPLORE 18 without being scared of rusting to death.
#3 Put this on at level 18. It's great. If every purple worm in
the dungeon were to awake, you're dead. I was wearing +5 plate
mail, and I had to drop scare monsters for purple worms!
4. (Last, notice?) Smarts. Basically that means knowing when to get your
ass down to the next level, instead of saying, "just one more xorn,
please, please, just one more xornnnnn..."
Also, It means NOT doing what I did, which was going DOWN instead of
UP after getting the amulet on level 26. (Well, gee, here I am on
level 29 (after 2 trap doors) and here comes the welcoming party!!)
Most of all, smarts consists of knowing when to say "But if I hit
him just ONE MORE TIME, he'll die!! (but if he hits you just ONE MORE
TIME, you'll die!!!) Most of the games where I get killed, I'm holding
several teleports, scare monsters, etc... But I try to get by without
them. Don't.
Believe it or not, I have found armor just isn't all that important,
Unless you get some really good stuff (like pre-enchanted plate-mail). A
purple-worm will hit you all the time no matter what you're wearing.
Oh, one more thing, MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL!!!!
PLAY WITH A SMALL SCREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Less gold, but if you starve to death, who cares how rich you are?)
I use a rogue alias of the following:
alias rogue 'setenv TERMCAP /usr/usr/jdi/smallterm;/usr/games/rogue \!*; \
setenv TERMCAP /etc/termcap'
But first, copy /etc/termcap to /usr/usr/xxx/smallterm, and edit it so
that all the terminals you use have 18 lines and 58 (or 60 or so) columns.
Well, sorry about the length of this apparently meaningless message, but
then I always have been into ego trips,
John Irwin
{burdvax, allegra}!psuvax!jdihalle1@houxz.UUCP (09/02/83)
Those suggestions are OK, but suppose a small screen doesn't work. I can't get smaller than 21 lines without hanging up. And narrower doesn't seem to help at all.