duvessa wrote:My Vaults:5 guide:
- start by using whatever buffs you want before entering v:5, one of these buffs should be haste
- my first action on v:5 is always reading a scroll of magic mapping
- don't stay on the stairs, unless maybe you are casting shatter
- don't make a lot of noise (immolation is a dumb idea, the "vault guard" monster is about as strong as an orc knight so it's not a big deal if they follow you), or if you do make noise, move to a new position afterwards. Not making the noise at all is better than making noise and then moving. Yes, most characters need to make some noise to kill things, but not a lot.
- DON'T STAY ON THE STAIRS, the stairs are where every monster on the level will converge when they wake up. It is not a stretch to say that the stairs are actually the worst place to be on v:5, this is why random teleporting upon entering is not a terrible strategy like it would be on normal levels. If you want to stair dance a couple of times to kill most of the vault guards, sure, that's probably fine, but go away from the stairs afterwards.
- The best terrain is almost always in one of the quadrants, not along the perimeter. You want to make it slow for monsters to reach you.
- Hasting and running is OP.
Here are some examples of quadrants with really good terrain:
- Code:
NAME: vaults_end_mu_not_diamond
TAGS: vaults_end_quadrant unrand
SUBST: 9 = 8 9 *:20
: vaults_end_loot(_G)
: vaults_end_rune(_G)
MAP
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
..x9x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x9x.x
xx.x.x.x.x9x.x.x9x.x.x.x.xx
x.x.xxxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxxx.x.x
xx9xxxxxxxxx.x.xxxxxxxxx.xx
x.x.xxxxxxxx...xxxxxxxx.x.x
xx.xxxxxxx...9...xxxxxxx9xx
x.x.xxxxx.........xxxxx.x.x
xx.xxxxx...|$|$|...xxxxx.xx
x9x.x.x....$***$....x.x.x.x
xx.x.x.x.9.|*O*|.9.x.x.x.xx
x.x.x.x....$***$....x.x.x9x
xx.xxxxx...|$|$|...xxxxx.xx
x.x.xxxxx.........xxxxx.x.x
xx.xxxxxxx...9...xxxxxxx.xx
x.x.xxxxxxxx...xxxxxxxx.x.x
xx9xxxxxxxxx.x.xxxxxxxxx9xx
x.x.xxxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxxx.x.x
xx.x.x.x.x9x.x.x9x.x.x.x.xx
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
..x9x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x9x..
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ENDMAP
Full of squares where only 4 other squares will be in LOS, making it very easy to reposition and fight one monster at a time, and with very little risk of getting meaningfully cornered.
- Code:
NAME: vaults_end_minmay_connected_circles
TAGS: vaults_end_quadrant_prize unrand
SUBST: 9 = 8 9 .:20
NSUBST: * = 1:O / *:*
: vaults_end_loot(_G)
: vaults_end_rune(_G)
MAP
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
x.9.xxxxxx*9xxxxxxxxxxxx
x.....xxxx9..*xxxxxxxxxx.xx
x9.$.9xxxx*..9xxxxxxxxx.xxx
x.....xxx.x9*xxxxxxxxx.xxxx
xx.9.xxx.xxxx.xxx.9.x.xxxxx
xxx.xxx.xx$9xx.x.....xxxxxx
xxxx.x.xx$*$9xx.9.$.9xxxxxx
xxx.9.xxx9$*$xxx.....xxxxxx
xx.$.$.x.x9$*$xxx.9.x.xxxxx
xx9.$.9.xxxx$*$xxx.xxx.xxxx
xx.$.$.x.xxxx$x.x.xxxxx*9xx
xxx.9.xxx.xxxxxx.xxxxx9..*x
xxxxxxxxxx.xxxx.xxxxx.*..9x
xxx9*.*xxxx*9x.xxxxx.xx9*xx
xx.*.*.*xx9..*xxxxx.xxxxxxx
x........x*..9xxxx.xxx.9xxx
x.......9xx9*xx*9*xxx.$.9xx
x9.......x.xxx*.*.*xx9...xx
x.........xxxx9*.*9x.x9..xx
x.......xxxxxx*.*.*.xxx...x
x....9xxxxxxxx*9*xxxxxx.x
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ENDMAP
By sitting in one of the circles, you can easily use the diagonal lines to keep at most one monster in LOS at a time.
Here are some without any good terrain:
- Code:
NAME: vaults_end_mu_clover
TAGS: vaults_end_quadrant unrand
SUBST: 9 = 8 9 .:20
NSUBST: ? = 1:O / *:*
NSUBST: " = 1:. / *:x
: vaults_end_loot(_G)
: vaults_end_rune(_G)
MAP
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
........................
x.........................x
x..xxxxxxxxx999xxxxxxxxx..x
x..x?**....x...x....**?x..x
x..x**..9..x...x..9..**x..x
x..x*..9...x...x...9..*x..x
x..x..9....xx"xx....9..x..x
x..x...................x..x
x..xxxxxxxx.....xxxxxxxx..x
x..9......x.....x......9..x
x..9......"....."......9..x
x..9......x.....x......9..x
x..xxxxxxxx.....xxxxxxxx..x
x..x...................x..x
x..x..9....xx"xx....9..x..x
x..x*..9...x...x...9..*x..x
x..x**..9..x...x..9..**x..x
x..x?**....x...x....**?x..x
x..xxxxxxxxx999xxxxxxxxx..x
x.........................x
.........................
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ENDMAP
Every spot inside the vault not only lets several monsters get to you at once, but corners you.
- Code:
NAME: vaults_end_dpeg_shops1
TAGS: vaults_end_quadrant vaults_end_quadrant_mall unrand
KFEAT: S = any shop
: if crawl.one_chance_in(4) then
SUBST: A = +, a = ., CD = x
: else
SHUFFLE: CD
SUBST: C = ., DAa = x
: end
SUBST: 9 = 8 9 .:20
: vaults_end_loot(_G)
: vaults_end_rune(_G)
MAP
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
..xxxxxxxxxx.....xxxx...
x...xxxxx.................x
xx........................x
xxx......................xx
xxxx.....................xx
xxxx.....................xx
xxx......9xxxxxxx........xx
xx......9xxxxxxxxx.......xx
xx......xxx$999$xxx.......x
xx......xC.9$$$9.xx.......x
x.......CC.9$S$9Oxx.......x
x.......xC.9$$$9.xx......xx
x.......xAa$999$xxx......xx
xx.......xAxDDDxxx9......xx
xx........xxxDxxx9......xxx
xx.....................xxxx
xx.....................xxxx
xx......................xxx
x........................xx
x.................xxxxx...x
....xxxx.....xxxxxxxxxx..
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ENDMAP
Barely better than having no walls at all.
There are only like 8 quadrants total without any good terrain, out of like 70; I'm not going to try to compute the chances of getting 4 of those quadrants, because it's complicated by there being multiple kinds of quadrants. I'm content with just saying it's very unlikely to happen. If 3 or fewer of the 4 quadrants have bad terrain then it's not really a big deal because you started by reading mapping so you can just go to the one with good terrain!