(Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?


Ask fellow adventurers how to stay alive in the deep, dark, dangerous dungeon below, or share your own accumulated wisdom.

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Tomb Titivator

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Post Sunday, 8th January 2017, 09:23

(Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

There are oodles of topics about optimal play. But what do you do just to stretch the game and make it a little more interesting?

Small risks you don't have to take, but you continually find amusing.

Smaller things than only playing for 15 runes, please. :oops:

I'll start with something really small:

Moving two or three squares closer to the goblins on D:1 just to test their awareness before shooting. "What, you haven't woken up yet? What's the matter with you. Get with it!" (No, not playing a chivalrous deity.)
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More runes! GnWn (11, 0.21), GhMo^Makh (15, 0.17)
And a Yiuf: (1.4.6, 0.20): ImpGl^Oka (3)

Ziggurat Zagger

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Post Sunday, 8th January 2017, 09:25

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

Try Chei stabber IMHO. Preferably with Mu. Lots of heart-breaking moments guaranteed.
Underestimated: cleaving, Deep Elf, Formicid, Vehumet, EV
Overestimated: AC, GDS
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Slime Squisher

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Post Sunday, 8th January 2017, 09:25

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

O tab.
http://crawl.akrasiac.org/scoring/players/papilio.html

Done 15-rune wins with all playable species, backgrounds, gods!

Crypt Cleanser

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Post Sunday, 8th January 2017, 09:45

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

Wear items purely because they look good on my character.

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Tomb Titivator

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Post Sunday, 8th January 2017, 12:17

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

Consistenly dip and dive down levels. Just cleared orc, dip elf, OOOPS wiz lab! Great fun! Helps to be stealthy, though. For extra fun, play something with mapsense (Fo, DD, Ash), and go hunt shops if they pop up in the map. Ash also works with troves.

Also, play melee octopode, dont train any weapon skill until you find a sweet weapon. Until then, train Fighting/dodging and rely on constriction for damage/accuracy.

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Shoals Surfer

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Post Sunday, 8th January 2017, 15:49

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

Playing a truely obscene number of randomnagas.

Worshiping first viable non-okatrog god.

Sequence breaking or running lairless. There are a suprising number of combo's that benefit from this.

Playing quickly.

Tomb Titivator

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Post Sunday, 8th January 2017, 16:37

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

I basically always take the ecumenical altar
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Shoals Surfer

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Post Sunday, 8th January 2017, 18:24

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

Here's some fun (IMO) conduct challenges:

Food challenges (Easy):
- Win with a troll of gozag
- Win with a ghoul of gozag
- Win with a vampire of gozag

Medium/Hard:
- Same as easy, but with 15 runes + full zig
- Get only the lair runes and then get the orb, without entering orc, vaults, hell, pan, abys. Finally, win a 15 rune + zig.

Hard:
- Get the iron rune as your 1st rune, without visiting abys, lair, orc or vaults. Leave hell only once you have the other 3 runes, then go straight to z5 and win.
- If you find the hell vault in L6 and the pan vault in orc2, set yourself the challenge of getting 15 runes before entering depths & Elf & Vaults.
Last edited by pedritolo on Wednesday, 11th January 2017, 23:08, edited 1 time in total.
make food great again
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Shoals Surfer

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Post Sunday, 8th January 2017, 19:20

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

move towards an enemy

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Shoals Surfer

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Post Monday, 9th January 2017, 09:05

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

Random Character > Worship at first altar found.

Straight dungeon 14 or 15.

Low AC early game always keeps it's dangerous.

Heavy stealth so I can troll popcorn with a polearm.

Fast to cast-able Discord for more trolling.
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Tomb Titivator

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Post Wednesday, 11th January 2017, 21:37

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

Out of some silly aesthetic preference (or disdain for the numberpad), I keep trying to fight horizontally adjacent to mobs. Even though I know full well diagonally is perfectly good!
Online game stats & morgues
More runes! GnWn (11, 0.21), GhMo^Makh (15, 0.17)
And a Yiuf: (1.4.6, 0.20): ImpGl^Oka (3)
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Tomb Titivator

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Post Wednesday, 11th January 2017, 21:39

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

I don't think I'm nearly good enough to play fully random characters or altars very much...

I do like to try quite a few Wanderers, though.
Online game stats & morgues
More runes! GnWn (11, 0.21), GhMo^Makh (15, 0.17)
And a Yiuf: (1.4.6, 0.20): ImpGl^Oka (3)

Cocytus Succeeder

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Post Thursday, 12th January 2017, 11:41

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

Farming Dis for EXP before I've finished Depths. If I have amazing resists, I might farm Gehenna or Cocytus instead.

I appreciate this might not count as 'little'.

Tomb Titivator

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Post Thursday, 12th January 2017, 11:56

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

Sometimes I auto-explore even if there is a dangerous monster on the level.

I try a bit too hard to reach timed portals, even with chars I deem too weak for them.
Spellcasting penalties, Armour skill, and strength
15 runes: 2x HuSk, Op(Mo,Tm,Wn,Fi,Wr,EE,AM,Wz,Ne), VSTm, DsTm, Dg(Sk,Tm), MuGl, GhMo, Fe(En,EE,Ar,Wn,IE)
3 runes: FoFi, OgSk, KoHu, SpCj, 2x DgGl, MiBe, Fe(Fi,Tm,Mo,Su)

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Barkeep

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Post Friday, 13th January 2017, 16:00

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

lethediver wrote:Wear items purely because they look good on my character.

I play console and still do this
I am not a very good player. My mouth is a foul pit of LIES. KNOW THIS.
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Lair Larrikin

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Post Saturday, 14th January 2017, 14:57

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

Kite Donald around the level so he can say more stuff.

He hates that.

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Reptisaurus

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Post Saturday, 14th January 2017, 16:06

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

I eat perma-food
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Tomb Titivator

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Post Saturday, 14th January 2017, 23:04

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

when Im depressed I like long walks through psychedelic Abyss landscapes
~online scoring~

Pig's in zen
Pig is nude
Unashamed

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all before, removeelyvilon
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Shoals Surfer

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Post Sunday, 15th January 2017, 01:13

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

Sometimes I just thug it out even though I could die if I miss/I take another hit/I could get disabled at any moment.

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stoneychips
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Abyss Ambulator

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Post Tuesday, 17th January 2017, 07:21

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

removeelyvilon wrote:Sometimes I just thug it out even though I could die if I miss/I take another hit/I could get disabled at any moment.


This is the only way to play.

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cerebovssquire

Slime Squisher

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Post Tuesday, 17th January 2017, 07:26

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

Kill Dowan, butcher his corpse, wield the chunk and hit Duvessa with that.
http://crawl.akrasiac.org/scoring/players/papilio.html

Done 15-rune wins with all playable species, backgrounds, gods!

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Shoals Surfer

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Post Tuesday, 17th January 2017, 11:56

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

papilio wrote:Kill Dowan, butcher his corpse, wield the chunk and hit Duvessa with that.


And people still want to remove food from the game...

Anyhow, sometimes I like to bring Grinder along when I return with the orb to the exit. I think of the little guy as my new pet imp when I retire to my adventurer tower.
make food great again

Swamp Slogger

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Post Wednesday, 18th January 2017, 11:03

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

Beogh. Recall followers. Conjure flame. Throw chunks into flames. Enjoy the barbecue with your orc pals. Have a good time and drink some potions.

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Post Tuesday, 24th January 2017, 04:53

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

hannobal wrote:Beogh. Recall followers. Conjure flame. Throw chunks into flames. Enjoy the barbecue with your orc pals. Have a good time and drink some potions of degeneration.


FTFY
I'm with tasonir on this one.
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Tomb Titivator

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Post Tuesday, 24th January 2017, 15:38

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

Usually I only do this by accident or as a last resort, but it's kind of tempting to play with more...

Deploy Spellforged Servitor. Cast more Magic Dart at big mobs yourself, and just watch the servitor roulette through your bigger spells.
Online game stats & morgues
More runes! GnWn (11, 0.21), GhMo^Makh (15, 0.17)
And a Yiuf: (1.4.6, 0.20): ImpGl^Oka (3)

Lair Larrikin

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Post Tuesday, 24th January 2017, 17:43

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

There is something very satisfying and about butchering and eating an enemy that nearly took you out (Orc priests are particularly tasty)

Also I have a soft spot for wielding Yusuf's staff.

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Abyss Ambulator

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Post Tuesday, 24th January 2017, 18:17

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

ThreeInvisibleDucks wrote:...
I try a bit too hard to reach timed portals, even with chars I deem too weak for them.

I am compelled to try really hard to enter every timed portal and get all the loot. I am very disappointed when I miss one, which really doesn't happen very often. (Yes, I often die inside them, but it's worth it!)

I recently had the Bailey with the orc warlord in the middle. Normally, I am compelled to kill him or die trying. This time, I opened the sealed gate and ran, grabbing the loot after he cleared out. It actually felt pretty good. I might let the need to kill everything go...

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Post Tuesday, 24th January 2017, 23:57

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

Airwolf wrote:I am compelled to try really hard to enter every timed portal and get all the loot. I am very disappointed when I miss one, which really doesn't happen very often. (Yes, I often die inside them, but it's worth it!)

I recently had the Bailey with the orc warlord in the middle. Normally, I am compelled to kill him or die trying. This time, I opened the sealed gate and ran, grabbing the loot after he cleared out. It actually felt pretty good. I might let the need to kill everything go...


I also try to clear every portal, as a completeness thing (Is it really a 15 rune win if I missed that volcano?), but sometimes they pack an unbelievable punch. I had a portal with 2 player ghosts recently, and I noped out of there real quick.
I'm with tasonir on this one.
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Tartarus Sorceror

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Post Saturday, 11th February 2017, 01:00

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

removeelyvilon wrote:Sometimes I just thug it out even though I could die if I miss/I take another hit/I could get disabled at any moment.
fond memories of that one time I was testing the qudzu god, quaffed berserk while at 2 hp and standing next to an OoF, and survived

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Tomb Titivator

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Post Sunday, 12th February 2017, 12:12

Re: (Not optimal!) Little things that spice up your game?

Psieye wrote:Farming Dis for EXP before I've finished Depths. If I have amazing resists, I might farm Gehenna or Cocytus instead.

I appreciate this might not count as 'little'.

Certainly not "little" for me (I still rarely go there), but if you can do it so smoothly to call it farming, maybe for you! :lol:
Online game stats & morgues
More runes! GnWn (11, 0.21), GhMo^Makh (15, 0.17)
And a Yiuf: (1.4.6, 0.20): ImpGl^Oka (3)

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