why are ogres faster than my elf?

[Stumblebum]

These hulking ogres seem to be able to chase down and kill my deep elf wearing only a robe while we run in a straight line -- he catches up and hits me if I don't find a stairwell fast enough. Seems like big ogres would be slower than small elves to me, but that's just an amateur theory. I guess I'm just out of shape from studying spells.

[Azrael]

...ogres are speed 10?
They sometimes have randomized speed fluctuations, but they shouldn't be able to catch up to you if you have more than a square between you and them.

[Stumblebum]

...ogres are speed 10?
They sometimes have randomized speed fluctuations, but they shouldn't be able to catch up to you if you have more than a square between you and them.

I will have to check again. I thought it just happened to me. I know they catch up when turning corners -- which doesn't make sense to me as our relative speeds should not change on the corner as far as I can tell. But I haven't really thought it through. I'll do some more experiments.

[Stumblebum]

Also, for anyone reading this: I just had something happen for the first time that seems unusual to me (as I haven't seen it before) -- are there supposed to be two timed branch entrances on the same dungeon floor (so I can only pick one)? Before it's been only one per floor in my experience.

[EDIT: I guess never mind on that. I was able to get to and complete both branch entrances as the first one was very short.]

[and into]

Also, for anyone reading this: I just had something happen for the first time that seems unusual to me (as I haven't seen it before) -- are there supposed to be two timed branch entrances on the same dungeon floor (so I can only pick one)? Before it's been only one per floor in my experience.

[EDIT: I guess never mind on that. I was able to get to and complete both branch entrances as the first one was very short.]

Yep, someone posted recently about *three* spawning on the same level, even—and made it to all three. A lot of those portals work such that they time out really slowly, until you come into LOS of them—at which point they count down much faster. So as long as the portal vaults aren't within LOS of each other you can often make both (or more, as the case may be).

[Stumblebum]

Yep, someone posted recently about *three* spawning on the same level, even—and made it to all three.

Also I had forgotten about the alternate possibility which I ran into once of an ossuary portal that was making the sand noise and everything but was actually a mimic. I wondered why it was still there when it took me so long to find it.

[Siegurt]

...ogres are speed 10?
They sometimes have randomized speed fluctuations, but they shouldn't be able to catch up to you if you have more than a square between you and them.

I will have to check again. I thought it just happened to me. I know they catch up when turning corners -- which doesn't make sense to me as our relative speeds should not change on the corner as far as I can tell. But I haven't really thought it through. I'll do some more experiments.

It sounds to me like you are not cornering efficiently, are you using diagonal movement:

  Code:

#.##
#a##
#.b.
####


You can step directly from a. to b. by using diagonals, if instead you:

  Code:

#.##
#a##
#bc.
####


Step from a to b to c, the ogre (Who will step diagonally from a to c) will always catch up with you.

[Stumblebum]

You can step directly from a. to b. by using diagonals,

I do that in all critical situations. I feel like I've noticed that taking corners is when most of the creatures catch up to me that were formerly a square behind.

[Siegurt]

You can step directly from a. to b. by using diagonals,

I do that in all critical situations. I feel like I've noticed that taking corners is when most of the creatures catch up to me that were formerly a square behind.

Well, creatures don't move any faster around corners, must just be coincidence

Generally creatures which are the same speed as you will move at exactly the same rate as you, there's some slight random variation there, they'll occasionally move very slightly faster or slower randomly. My assumption is that this is what you're seeing if you're talking about ogres (Who move at normal speed for most races). However this slight variation in speed doesn't have anything to do with corners.

[Klown]

Was gonna say the same thing, if you don't diagonal move around corners, they'll catch you.
Or if you're farther into the dungeon, an ogre mage hasting one maybe. :p Though I don't know if haste is in their repertoire.

[Senban]

All monsters will occasionally gain or lose a tile during a pursuit*. I'm pretty sure that the reason this is most noticeable with ogres is to do with their psychological impact, and the fact that when an adder closes with you a tiny bit faster than in should have you take the glitch in the matrix for granted because you knew the bastard would get you anyway. As long as you manage to hold on to that last HP (and don't trip over any bloody rats) just keep pegging it for the stairs, it's as likely to lose a tile as it is to gain one on the way so with EV taken in to account it can be interpreted as a blessing in disguise.

*recent news to me BTW, makes quite a few things make more sense when you know it.

[savageorange]

The motto of roguelikes everywhere.

I certainly found it easier to do so after I learnt it was a programmed, balanced statistical effect.

[Maynot]

I have had many occasions where enemies move at attack constantly while you are moving away from them. It is almost like they have a .9 movement time to your 1.0 move. I have never escaped being hit at least once by running away any long distance.

[Viashino_wizard]

Was gonna say the same thing, if you don't diagonal move around corners, they'll catch you.
Or if you're farther into the dungeon, an ogre mage hasting one maybe. :p Though I don't know if haste is in their repertoire.

I know at least one of their spellsets has Haste.