Item Identification

[scott9027]

Good afternoon Tavern,

My biggest weakness as a crawler by a wide margin is using consumables, and the first step to improving is learning how and when to start ID'ing.

So, share your item ID style - do you read ID single scrolls immediately? Stacks of 2? Ever quaff ID? Scroll ID until you get mutation and then quaff ID?

Also curious if anyone has more trouble with this in Webtiles vs. offline. Needing press i to see what I have seems to greatly exacerbate a pre-existing condition.

Thanks for your input and happy Memorial Day!

[MainiacJoe]

I read-ID stacks of two scrolls. I never quaff-ID potions until all the bad ones are identified. I spend identify scrolls on potions until I get heal wounds and curing, then on scrolls to find blink and teleport and fear. After that it depends on the particular game.

[stoneychips]

Maybe check out this thread.

Somehow, it actually took me more time to remember to pay attention to the sidebar with items as icons, and to figure out what some of the icons stood for as I learned. So I feel fairly comfy with playing in Tiles as well as clicking inventory a lot offline. It doesn't make me fast, but it doesn't usually bother me that much. Perhaps I'd forget what I was carrying a little less often if I was more accustomed to focusing on the sidebar offline... But it's not a major issue for me.

That said, one place I really do appreciate the sidebar visual grid of inventory, is when playing on my phone! It's a lifesaver there, because the keyboard is already clumsy for getting to things as often as you still need to in Android on a small screen.

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PS I really, really wish a new version of Tiles would come out for Android and be one that's consistently compatible with Samsung devices running Lolipop. There is one out now that's just a total crap shoot. Strangely I could play online using my tablet if that were my thing, but I can't play the same recent version offline when I have all the boredom in the world and no wifi -- what the heck, sigh.

[Majang]

I start reading scrolls at differing times. When you pick up a cursed item you need to get rid of, you want to quickly read a scroll of remove curse. This is one of the more frequent scrolls, so you start with non-single scrolls. My next need to read scrolls is when I want to get at a timed portal, like the sewer, for which I want to read a scroll of magic mapping. These are rather rare, so you start reading single scrolls of your inventory. Stay on the stairs while you do that, so that you can go quickly upstairs in case you read a scroll of teleportation.

No scroll can give you mutations, so there are no really dangerous scrolls, as long as you read them while not being under attack. But you are likely to waste a few good ones that way, such as blinking or summoning. I find that a small price to pay. You may also wait a bit longer before going through all your scrolls, to make sure that you have some armour or weapon to enchant, and a wand to recharge.

Potions are a different matter. You'll want to identify potions of heal wounds and potions of curing quickly, and I would use scrolls of identification for doing that, identifying your most numerous potions. Once you have these two, stop and don't worry about the others. You will be able to identify some bad potions in shops for very little money. You can check on the undidentified-item screen what potions you don't know yet, and if there is nothing immediately threatening among those (such as a potion of degeneration or mutation) you may again sip-indentify all you have in your inventory, again probably wasting some good ones.

[gameguard]

I start reading scrolls at differing times. When you pick up a cursed item you need to get rid of, you want to quickly read a scroll of remove curse. This is one of the more frequent scrolls, so you start with non-single scrolls. My next need to read scrolls is when I want to get at a timed portal, like the sewer, for which I want to read a scroll of magic mapping. These are rather rare, so you start reading single scrolls of your inventory. Stay on the stairs while you do that, so that you can go quickly upstairs in case you read a scroll of teleportation.

No scroll can give you mutations, so there are no really dangerous scrolls, as long as you read them while not being under attack. But you are likely to waste a few good ones that way, such as blinking or summoning. I find that a small price to pay. You may also wait a bit longer before going through all your scrolls, to make sure that you have some armour or weapon to enchant, and a wand to recharge.

Potions are a different matter. You'll want to identify potions of heal wounds and potions of curing quickly, and I would use scrolls of identification for doing that, identifying your most numerous potions. Once you have these two, stop and don't worry about the others. You will be able to identify some bad potions in shops for very little money. You can check on the undidentified-item screen what potions you don't know yet, and if there is nothing immediately threatening among those (such as a potion of degeneration or mutation) you may again sip-indentify all you have in your inventory, again probably wasting some good ones.

there's no need to read ID or quaff ID single stacks since that doesnt help you at all in any way. If you are dying to something, thats the time to use single stacks and pray. Personally I use ID scrolls on potions as a priority, starting with the low stack ones. I just assume my stack of 4 potions is curing. A good early wand is a high priority ID (and start training evo to like 2~4). A wand of confusion will save your ass alot more than one blink scroll and actually let you kill some strong guys for exp.

edit: Sorry, after reading it over i realized you didnt advocate for using single stacks for no reason. Im also pretty liberal with my scrolls when the need arises like finding mapping/remove curse.

[njvack]

Tried duvessa's advice:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=23206#p308646

and it worked really well for me.

[Sprucery]

there's no need to read ID or quaff ID single stacks since that doesnt help you at all in any way.

I read-ID single scrolls regularly. I really want to find enchant armour, enchant weapon, brand weapon and acquirement right away. And in case I waste a blinking or tele scroll etc., at least I know it when I find the next one.

[TonberryJam]

Nowadays I just stock up on them until I get past early game and start seeing some lair depth monsters or large rock throwers. Usually around D:7-10 on avg. By that time you can typically blind-id the large stacks of scrolls until you find identify. And, most of the time the large stacks will always be the same stuff.