Should I always use arrow keys or should I use 'o' to crawl

[CypherZel]

I'm very new to playing optimally and I'm just wondering what good players do.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[seren]

I am not a good player, but I tend to always use 'o' when it is safe enough, 'arrows' otherwise.

The advantage of using arrow or rather "shift+arrow" is that it allows you to explore, in concentric circles around the upstairs, so it is easier to escape.

Using 'o' you can find yourself at the other side of the level against a faster monster. This is particularly true at the beginning when you don't have identified Blink or Teleport.


For example there are often difficulty spike when you enter a new branch, it is better to test the water by playing the first level in arrows, and seeing how quickly you can deal with the opposition you can switch back to 'o'.

The problem of always using arrows is that it is getting tedious quickly.

[CypherZel]

Haha yea, my games got so much more longer because I was experimenting with arrows only, felt like I spent most of my time in dungeon 3 where I could have been hitting lair


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Psieye]

Instead of 'arrow keys', I use the vi keys (i.e. "hjklyubn"), optionally with Shift to "keep moving like 'o' but only in one direction".

[seren]

Instead of 'arrow keys', I use the vi keys (i.e. "hjklyubn"), optionally with Shift to "keep moving like 'o' but only in one direction".

Ah yes actually I am using the vi key as well.

Another point is to use Ctrl+G to move quickly between level.

Do not hesitate to use explore mode as well to move to the next up/downstairs.

Shift+X then cycle stairs with > or <.

[goodcoolguy]

Strictly speaking, you should use arrow keys, i.e. explore manually. Autoexplore often dumps you into awkward positions that would never happen if you were exploring carefully. It's important to remember though that optimal play is not actually fun and you will only impress middling players by doing it. This puts you in a bit of a bind: Do you use 'o' to remove part of the tedium of the game or do you submit to the demands of optimal play?

As a practical matter, the danger of 'o' decreases as your character develops, so a reasonable compromise position is to manually explore d:1 and as many of the levels d:2 through lair as you feel you need not to die. Sometimes you'll be able to get away with a lot more autoexplore. This is a sign of some combination of a good combo, good item spawns, and sound character building. Of course, some combos you can start autoexploring right away without fear, e.g. any troll or almost any berserker. Experience will tell you where the right compromise lies for you, though the fact is you will die a bit more using autoexplore instead of the old fashioned way.

[Sprucery]

I use autoexplore almost constantly. Exceptions (in a 3-rune game including Elf and Crypt) are most portal vaults and V:5. On the bottom level of Lair rune branches and Elf, I autoexplore until I find the end vault, then place an exception there and continue autoexploring until there's only the end vault left.

[Arrhythmia]

Don't use the arrow keys at all; use the num-pad or the vi-keys so that you can move diagonally.

[ydeve]

The cost of exploring manually on your sanity is not worth it unless you're speedrunning or already insane. Use autoexplore, even on D1.

[Shard1697]

WRT controls-I have no numpad on my laptop, and my controls are set up like this:

since movement in like every other keyboard game that isn't from the 90s is WASD, my movement is those keys+the keys around them for the other directions. I've found this layout very comfortable and quick though it seems a lot different than what most people use.

[Siegurt]

WRT controls-I have no numpad on my laptop, and my controls are set up like this:

since movement in like every other keyboard game that isn't from the 90s is WASD, my movement is those keys+the keys around them for the other directions. I've found this layout very comfortable and quick though it seems a lot different than what most people use.

Man, what do you do with your right hand while your left hand plays the game?

On second thought, I don't want to know, nevermind.

[sage1234]

I love your keyboard views, is there a standard key layout that shows where they keys are for a default setup? I am always wondering which keys I can use for macros.

[ydeve]

is there a standard key layout that shows where they keys are for a default setup? I am always wondering which keys I can use for macros.

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=18978

[sage1234]

is there a standard key layout that shows where they keys are for a default setup? I am always wondering which keys I can use for macros.

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=18978

Printing it now, you rock!

[savageorange]

Seren mostly covered it. In addition, I use shift-arrow to move around if I think auto-explore is likely to go somewhere stupid (towards a monster I just escaped, for example). You can often predict that because it does a distance-sorted search for unexplored tiles.

You can also use exclusions for this purpose, but I find it fiddly in this case.

[TonberryJam]

I always use O. to lazy to customize. I find auto-explore keeps the game fun and dangerous. In wide open areas i'm more likely to move manually.

I also find attacking with directional keys more fun than cntrl-i. holding cntrl-i down while fighting tends to make me miss a lot and die. Food for thought.

[MainiacJoe]

I use a numberpad for movement, but Shift-move doesn't work with these keys. Is there a setting that will enable this?

[savageorange]

^ works for me (in tiles. Not in console). Not an option, as far as I know.