Bay 12 Games Forum

How would C++ eliminate the "fun" with switch statements?  Keep in mind that there are many very large projects that even now still use plain old C.  For example: the Linux kernel.

Press 'Q' to get to the quest screen.  Highlight the quest with +/- and press z.  The nine highlighted squares represent the site in which the cave resides.  The entrance will be somewhere in there.  I usually walk to the corner of the site and then systematically search the area.  It can take a little while, but it sure beats exploring the entire region.

Started my first adventure in the new version.  I went right into a quest to kill a minotaur.  Down in the cave I killed several small critters including naked mole dogs, giant rats, giant bats, a giant cave swallow. . . and then I saw a white 'S' appear.  I don't know the tiles very well, so I 'l'ooked at it: Giant Cave Spider.

It was a couple tiles away and hadn't webbed me, so I charged at it.  In the first bunch of rounds I knocked it down and managed to break half its legs with my axe.  It webbed me and a giant rat joined in the attack on me.  They both got a hit in, but neither did any damage.  I got myself loose, bashed the rat away, then continued hacking at the spider's legs before one hit finally sliced open its cephalothorax, striking it down.

I hadn't received any damage in that fight, so I was feeling pretty good about myself.  I killed the giant rat that had joined the spider against me and then looked around for the minotaur.  Turning a corner, my screen was suddenly filled with announcements:

quote:

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The giant cave spider shoots out thick strands of webbing!
You are caught up in the web!
The giant cave spider bites You in the left foot!
The shot glances away.
The giant cave spider bites You in the head!
It is torn!
Your left ear has been badly torn!
Your nose has been badly torn!
You feel numb!
The giant cave spider latches on firmly!
You are feeling sluggish!
The giant cave spider shakes You around by the head!
It is broken!
You are partially free of the web.
You are completely free of the web.
The giant cave spider shakes You around by the head!
It is mangled!
The giant cave spider shakes You around by the head!
It is torn apart!
You have been struck down.

---

Dammit.  :mad:

I backed up my most recent savegame and decided to go on a rampage in a cave I knew was infested with spiders.  My character is pretty great, right now.  I've killed three-dozen named monsters and am a legendary wrestler with my sword skill closing in quickly.  All of my gear is rated "exceptional".  Anyways, I found that I didn't have any trouble with single spiders.  I could usually sneak up to within one square and survive the first attack, then quickly chop off legs and slice and dice the rest.  I killed a handful and then went down some stairs.  A troglodyte was down there and I attacked it -- only to find a spider closing in.  I thought: okay, I can handle this.  Unfortunately, that wasn't a single cave spider.  It was a stack of two, with a third coming in from another passage.  I lasted a few turns, managing to wound one a bit.  Unfortunately, I soon got webbed.  I wasn't stuck for long and probably would have survived if only one spider was trying to paralyze me.  With three, however. . .  I needn't say more.

Success for me has come by way of strangling my enemies.  I've read various threads about how to increase one's stats quickly by wrestling zombies, but I've found it quicker to simply strangle prone or unconcious foes.  I strike at them with my weapon until they're down and then go right for the throat.  It usually takes several rounds to kill, but each round of strangling provides 10 points to wrestling.  It doesn't really take much to attain mastery, this way.  This has been how I've finished all of my quests, too.  Ettins, giants, cyclops. . .  Take 'em down and squeeze their throats.

I've had two characters go pretty far, this way.  I screwed up with the first one, though, by accidentally stealing an item then accidentally murdering a child by running in to him.   Silly me. . .  I should have went to stealth right after killing him. . .

Thanks to this thread, I've had dreams of wrestling zombies. . .

I guess I should take to heart some of the advice here, though.  I've always ended up mobbed by individually weak enemies and never lasted more than half an hour in Adventure Mode.  Actually, my first attempt was my most successful.  I got a quest, killed the bastard, then was mobbed on my way out and died.

Interesting!  The recorded movies were a nice touch.