Introductions

[rosco_ep]

Hey. Couldn't see an introductions thread anywhere. Probably doesn't matter...

I'm Ross. Started playing Moria on an XT way back in about 1990. Played various versions of Moria, uMoria, Angband variants, ToME, Rogue, NetHack over the years. I've been out of the loop for a bit and only just discovered DCSS. Loving it. It's gotta be ascii/txt though... Tiles just don't do it for me.

I have a question. How many descents does it take for most players to get past dungeon lvl 10? I find that I die a lot. I'm getting better, but, how many games do you guys play per deep descent?

Anyway... Happy crawling... See you around, I guess.

Ross.

[pratamawirya]

Welcome, rosco. Dying a lot is the norm around here, so... just enjoy it.

[IronJelly]

I've been at it for quite a while, and only now regularly make it into the Lair of the Beasts. I've never seen some of the later branches, and only saw Zot once when cheating (and of course, seen all of these by watching CAO games in progress).

In fact, that's my advice. play on CAO or CDO. Aside from being able to watch players in progress, sometimes picking up interesting strategies or ideas you didn't know of, you can ask for advice, maybe have people watching your games. The game is tough, but it is definitely winnable.

Other things that might make it easier:
Try other species/backgrounds. Maybe a ranged type like a Hunter would be more natural than whatever you're used to. The other thing to remember is that the best players don't just power through situations all the time. knowing when a fight could turn ugly BEFORE it does can save your life. Keep your escape options open, and you'll live quite a bit longer.

Some of making it past D10 is skill, but some is luck. Even the players who regularly have streaks and high tournament scores have their share of characters that round a corner next to Sigmund, or get surrounded on D2 by angry orcs. It's a part of the random nature of the game.

[rosco_ep]

I made it as far as the Labyrinth, once. Made it out, too. I've started reading some of the tips, which has helped a fair bit. Things like linked stairs are new to me. That I can go up stairs and enter a new (unexplored) area is something that I am just getting my head around.
I'm mostly sticking with melee at the moment. I've figured out that a KoBe is ok if I start throwing early (no weapon swaps to remember) and get a short blade. I've just started managing my own skill levels, too. Talk about a massive jump from Moria/Angband. There's so much to remember (having a few tinnies on a Friday night doesn't help, either).

R.

[TehDruid]

A KoBe is an extremely newbie friendly character imho. If you want to give it more tries here's my advice:

Initially, ditch the whip and get the first short blade you can find. You can always stick with maces and flails but I like s.blades a lot more and Kobolds are much better at using them than maces. Turn all skills off except short blades, take it up to 8 to reach minimum delay for quick blade or up to 10 for dagger or 12 for short sword or 14 for sabre then turn it off. Hitting minimum delay on your weapon is the best thing you should use your XP on early on. Trog is going to gift a decent short blade soon enough once you hit 5-6 stars of piety. After minimum delay is dealt with, go for dodging up to a respectable level (like 13) and then some fighting.

Feel free to spare some xp for Stealth in early D but don't overdo it. It's definitely worth it for the majority of the game and it's a pretty cheap skill in terms of XP cost. Kobolds have great aptitudes for it too.

Don't ever forget your god abilities. Kobolds can stuff themselves silly with chunks of monster meat, so berserking is your casual panic button. It shouldn't be used recklessly though. Also, Brothers In Arms (it's the 5 * piety ability) will handle situations like Death Yaks and a Hydra that might have cornered you (do mind, out of short blades, short swords and sabres multiply hydra heads when you cut one. on the other hand, if you have a short sword/sabre of flaming, you can cut their heads for good, which makes them much less threatening. daggers and quick blades don't cut heads, so feel free to attack with those). Stone Giants/Trolls are the best you can get out of Brothers in Arms. Ogres tend to be squishy but can also help if you're tanking the monster and letting them attack it freely.

[rosco_ep]

I remembered, today, that when I first started playing Moria, it was on two 5.25" floppies and I had to swap discs during loads because the savegame was on disc 2, and we only had one drive on the XT.
Wow. That was a long time ago... Back when CGA (4 colours) was a luxury we couldn't afford!