The game became harder?

[BabyRage]

Haven't played for 3 months, I feel like the game is much harder now. Besides obvious .19 changes like shorter lair, it seems like D:3 orc priests and D:4 orc warriors etc is normal now. I couldn't make it past lair in 5 attempts with my felid of chei. Crawl makes me salty again.

Is it just me or something really changed?

[Sprucery]

it seems like D:3 orc priests and D:4 orc warriors etc is normal now. I couldn't make it past lair in 5 attempts with my felid of chei.

Clustering illusion.

(Also, Chei is bad) :)

[Dioneo]

I suppose you could just be out of practice, not having played for a while.

[BabyRage]

(Also, Chei is bad)

Chei is good.

[stickyfingers]

The game is getting harder all the time due to the devs nerfing overpowered stuff (like blowguns) and adding "interesting" monsters (like juggernauts, entropy weavers, caustic shrikes), as well as general tries to make the later parts of the game less easier than the early game.

That said, orc warriors on D:3 aren't more common than before. It's just you're using the terribliest species-god combo possible.

[Magipi]

I think the game became harder, but only because of the shortening of Lair and Orc. The new monsters mean that if you are unspoiled, you are fucked* but if you are prepared, you have ways to deal with them.
* I think this is bad, but hey, what do I know about game design.

Also, extended became much more annoying with the removal of the good teleport ring.

[scorpionwarrior]

The zot teleport nerf is making me quit trunk for a while. I've gotten killed by tele traps in zot5 a few times, it feels very cheap compared to a typical crawl death.

[dynast]

Funny that the only branch with anchoring enemies is under the orb effect.