0001998: Identify scrolls target themselves - Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup Tracker

Notes
(0006345) dpeg (administrator) 2010-07-17 21:21	+1 We will want to keep the triptychon of use-on-item scrolls (identify, recharging, enchant armour), but you'll never want to choose the scroll itself.

(0006415) TGW (reporter) 2010-07-20 00:20	This behavior allows you to identify scrolls of identify when you have no other unidentified items. Please maintain this functionality.

(0006441) minmay (reporter) 2010-07-20 16:36	I find it much easier to accidentally waste scrolls of identify on themselves than to accidentally read an unidentified scroll of identify with no other unidentified items in my inventory. One possibility would be to remove this behavior and change the scroll of identify so that it either: a. Identifies already-identified items (thus identifying the scroll in the process) b. Gives the "you don't have any unidentified items" message when you don't have any unidentified items except for the scroll of identify

(0006444) TGW (reporter) 2010-07-20 18:16 edited on: 2010-07-20 18:17	I like the OP, I just think the scroll should be able to identify itself if you don't have any unidentified objects. The workaround which would be introduced otherwise is similarly trivial and silly to the former ?dc behavior (picking up some random piece of detritus from the ground).

(0006446) Tiedyemike (reporter) 2010-07-20 20:11	If reading an identify scroll without knowing what it is or having any other unidentified items is really a problem, then give us one of minmay's options.

(0006571) dpeg (administrator) 2010-07-26 01:17	Okay, so the OP (as well as I) was off in point 1: it can make sense to use the id-scroll to id itself. Analysis: There are the following choices a player faces when being prompted to pick an item: 1) If she is hoping for ?id, then it is good to pick unknown jewellery, potion, scroll etc. In this case, it hurts to present the scroll itself in the list of unidentified items. 2) Hoping for ?EA or ?rech, the player will pick a fitting item (only sometimes unidentified). In this case, listing the scroll does not really matter. 3) Sometimes, he has no unidentified items. In this case the absence of the scroll from the list will hurt (as pointed out by TGW). I believe that 1) and 2) are more interesting than 3). Therefore, I suggest that we either a) declare that scrolls of identify won't work recursively (so not list the scroll you read, as per the OP's proposal) or b) list the scroll, but show it in darkgrey. (Ideally, we would not list items where the scroll will be useless anyway, e.g. fully identified weapons etc. But I don't think that's worth it.)

(0006574) due (developer) 2010-07-26 09:37	I think a combination of a or b are possible: where nothing would be listed, list the scroll (in darkgrey). If there's already items being listed, don't list the scroll.

(0006708) sulai (reporter) 2010-07-29 22:08 edited on: 2010-07-29 22:13	Two thoughts on that: a) If reading a unidentified scroll of identify, ALL items need to be listed, otherwise the player knows what type of scroll it is before actually using it by just looking if the scroll he was reading is in the target list. b) Second Idea may be to generally exclude the scroll just read from the target list - no matter what type that scroll is. This is also not an option: Like already mentioned, the player needs the possibility to identify the scroll itself if there is no other unidentified item. Conclusion: generally leaving scrolls out of their target lists is no option (b), and only leaving out scrolls of identify is cheating (a). Coloring maybe is an option, but inventory already has defined color usage, doesn't it? Another possibility would be that scrolls of identify are identified just by reading it. Then only unidentified items are listed as targets. This would make scrolls of identify more powerful and the game a little easier. On the other hand I think it is also okay like it is now: Scrolls of identify get known by trial, not just by reading it. All other scrolls work that way, too.

(0006722) 256 (reporter) 2010-07-30 00:37	Maybe just making the scroll just read appear in red or dark grey or something in the list, so that it easier to avoid choosing it by accident.

(0006736) Nobody (reporter) 2010-07-30 12:40	Darkgrey would be nice.

(0008317) rob (developer) 2010-09-09 19:01	Scrolls prompting for themselves was just a bug. I don't think that allowing this adds anything to the game, it's just unnecessary complexity.

Issue History
Date Modified	Username	Field	Change
2010-07-17 21:15	Tiedyemike	New Issue
2010-07-17 21:21	dpeg	Note Added: 0006345
2010-07-20 00:20	TGW	Note Added: 0006415
2010-07-20 16:36	minmay	Note Added: 0006441
2010-07-20 18:16	TGW	Note Added: 0006444
2010-07-20 18:17	TGW	Note Edited: 0006444
2010-07-20 20:11	Tiedyemike	Note Added: 0006446
2010-07-26 01:17	dpeg	Note Added: 0006571
2010-07-26 09:37	due	Note Added: 0006574
2010-07-29 22:08	sulai	Note Added: 0006708
2010-07-29 22:13	sulai	Note Edited: 0006708
2010-07-30 00:37	256	Note Added: 0006722
2010-07-30 12:40	Nobody	Note Added: 0006736
2010-09-09 19:01	rob	Note Added: 0008317
2010-09-09 19:01	rob	Status	new => resolved
2010-09-09 19:01	rob	Fixed in Branch	=> 0.8 development branch
2010-09-09 19:01	rob	Resolution	open => done
2010-09-09 19:01	rob	Assigned To	=> rob

Relationships