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Author Topic: Initial opinions on 0.9.9.3 Easier or harder?  (Read 4183 times)

Sambojin

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Initial opinions on 0.9.9.3 Easier or harder?
« on: May 04, 2011, 18:07 »

Another fairly long, rambling post. Just on my initial thoughts on the new version of DoomRL (0.9.9.3). In no particular order.....



The fact that boots are now less common and armour shards more common makes the game a little easier. Keeping your armour up used to be a major inconvenience, but now I find that I can rely on a bulk-modded red armour far more easily. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or bad. Maybe armour shards will become other power-up types over time.....

New power-up wise I've only gotten the Tracking Map. God-dammit this thing is powerful. So much better than INT(2) or anything else really. You know the whole layout, and exactly where everything is. It kind of makes the level a "gimme", you can fight your way through with perfect knowledge and tactics to suit or just scoot to the exit (again with perfect knowledge of what you'll face). So good it's stupid. Better than an invulnerability in my opinion.

The new tactical rocket launcher rocks. It is now better than the missile launcher in virtually every way. OK, except accuracy. But seriously, five rockets, quite nice accuracy and 0.8sec multi-reload? With no downsides at all. I juggler'ed my way with a TRL and a ML through the game quite easily. It might not be guaranteed like the ML, but it sure is nice. It's worthwhile a WK level just to dump your bulk mods into this. It's a game winner.

It might just be a difficulty level thing, but I'm having difficulty getting the Shambler lever to spawn in the armoury. There could just be new requirements. I tend to kill a skull as my last enemy (new AI makes them back off sometimes) so it could be this too. The level name turns blue, but no shambler lever. I'll work it out at some time.......

The new ammochain kicks just as much arse as the old one did. Sure you don't get a "free" juggler/WK combo, but it gives you a heap of options. DoomRL is a very random game (roguelike as it is) and therefore you might end up with something stupidly good early in your run. Dumping the first couple of levels into Reloader still gives you the option for MAc, MFa or MAD. Whatever your play-style, you don't lose anything, and you can let the game develop a little before you decide which master trait you want (if any). Really, reloader is now the player build equivalent of juggler. You don't lose anything and you can juggle your build depending on what the game throws at you (or sometimes even to you). Plus you can reload your weapons a little quicker while you're deciding. And take shottyman for a mutli-weapon build. It's not juggler, but now you can MAc with pride because it's now balanced. "Hail of plasma death" kind of balanced. With some buckshot to boot.

Crate rooms. I'm still undecided on whether these make the game easier or harder. Or pretty much just the same. They're a godsend when you're playing as a melee build, and situational in every other build. Sometimes you want a shooting gallery, sometimes you don't. The crate rooms themselves are a good thing though, just depends really.

Rivers are cool. They make the early game a little easier and much like crate rooms are a bit situational in the later game. I'm of the opinion that these make the game a little easier overall, just because they open up shooting lanes.

Strangely enough I've found the new skull and daemon AI to make the game a little easier. Mainly because sometimes they seem to want to back off or hide sometimes rather than the "charge-kill" AI we had previously. When they back off it just means another round of buckshot or two for their troubles. Daemons don't seem to lava-suicide as often, but overall they're actually a little easier to kill now.

Other than the TRL I haven't checked many other assembly tweaks. But overall, assemblies make the game a touch easier for all builds. With a couple a guaranteed assemblies and a good chance to make any weapon into "a good thing", it is a bit easier than 0.9.9.1 where it was a real limiting factor to not have WK levels. Now you sort of don't need them as much, and can still mod up some great stuff.


This is my initial thoughts on the game. What have other people found out so far, especially concerning the nature of the meta-game and difficulty of DoomRL? I mean, it's not as though N! is all of a sudden easy or anything.....

Opinions?
« Last Edit: May 04, 2011, 18:09 by Sambojin »
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Ander Hammer

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Re: Initial opinions on 0.9.9.3 Easier or harder?
« Reply #1 on: May 04, 2011, 21:07 »

I've found demons are easier, and crate rooms are a trade-off: blundering into sight and getting a fireball thrown at you is probably going to hit even if you dodge, but you can be sneaky and kill things without taking a single hit, too.

I do like the more-common armor shards. It rarely made sense to me to mod armor unless I had whizkid, otherwise it just wouldn't survive. Before, we never hurt for armor; now, we never hurt for armor, and it's the same armor we've been wearing for five levels... and if it does get too damaged, we don't just dump it, because next level could have three armor shards.

I love-hate the new Halls of Carnage, and clearing the City of Skulls can help with the Mortuary; too bad I never got to clear it before updating.

I don't think the Shambler or mod cache spawns on ITYTD.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2011, 21:09 by Ander Hammer »
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MaiZure

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Re: Initial opinions on 0.9.9.3 Easier or harder?
« Reply #2 on: May 04, 2011, 22:09 »

It might just be a difficulty level thing, but I'm having difficulty getting the Shambler lever to spawn in the armoury. There could just be new requirements. I tend to kill a skull as my last enemy (new AI makes them back off sometimes) so it could be this too. The level name turns blue, but no shambler lever. I'll work it out at some time.......


The lever *always* spawns.
You probably fired a rocket down the center hallway at some point and blew it up as it will get destroyed with one blast.

Try doing the armory using only chaingun, plasma, or combat shotty and you'll always find the lever


Overall - these are good observations for us to base new suggestions and more comments from others are gladly welcomed!
« Last Edit: May 04, 2011, 22:11 by MaiZure »
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Sambojin

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Re: Initial opinions on 0.9.9.3 Easier or harder?
« Reply #3 on: May 05, 2011, 02:08 »

Yeah, I have been messing around with rockets a fair bit lately. I'll combat shotgun the level next time, it's a pretty good/easy level anyway. Cheers.
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Sirdec

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Re: Initial opinions on 0.9.9.3 Easier or harder?
« Reply #4 on: May 05, 2011, 03:27 »

Quote
The fact that boots are now less common and armour shards more common makes the game a little easier. Keeping your armour up used to be a major inconvenience, but now I find that I can rely on a bulk-modded red armour far more easily. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or bad. Maybe armour shards will become other power-up types over time.....

Yes less armor maintenance is good for the player, is it easier ? Not sure... Armor Shards aren't common in the early levels. For my UV win i swear i didn't see any Red Armor other than the guaranted one from Hellgate. What sure is easier is less Barons/Knights/Commados in red armor lol.

Quote
New power-up wise I've only gotten the Tracking Map. God-dammit this thing is powerful. So much better than INT(2) or anything else really. You know the whole layout, and exactly where everything is. It kind of makes the level a "gimme", you can fight your way through with perfect knowledge and tactics to suit or just scoot to the exit (again with perfect knowledge of what you'll face). So good it's stupid. Better than an invulnerability in my opinion.

Tracking Map *IS* overpowered imo... Free shots at the kill x ennemies without damage badges... Perhaps just tarcking ennemy and no map layout would be better for balance.

Quote
Crate rooms. I'm still undecided on whether these make the game easier or harder. Or pretty much just the same. They're a godsend when you're playing as a melee build, and situational in every other build. Sometimes you want a shooting gallery, sometimes you don't. The crate rooms themselves are a good thing though, just depends really.

Rivers are cool. They make the early game a little easier and much like crate rooms are a bit situational in the later game. I'm of the opinion that these make the game a little easier overall, just because they open up shooting lanes.

Adds variety which is good. Rivers can be deadly too : melee is screwed on a typical long horizontal rooms with a vertical river type of map.

Quote
Strangely enough I've found the new skull and daemon AI to make the game a little easier. Mainly because sometimes they seem to want to back off or hide sometimes rather than the "charge-kill" AI we had previously. When they back off it just means another round of buckshot or two for their troubles. Daemons don't seem to lava-suicide as often, but overall they're actually a little easier to kill now.

Yep demons especially seem to like taking free shots now... Not for nothing i got Arena UV Marksman in 1 try...

Quote
Other than the TRL I haven't checked many other assembly tweaks. But overall, assemblies make the game a touch easier for all builds. With a couple a guaranteed assemblies and a good chance to make any weapon into "a good thing", it is a bit easier than 0.9.9.1 where it was a real limiting factor to not have WK levels. Now you sort of don't need them as much, and can still mod up some great stuff.

Indeed those make the game easier :
Favorite assemblies used so far :
*Tactical Boots (THE BEST)
*Speedloader Pistol (quick reload to finish of whatever didn't die first)
*Tactical Shotgun
*Tactical Armor
*Storm Bolter Pistol (just like a chaingun that can actually kill something, but rare to make, pistol run + a Firestorm Mod)
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BirdoPrey

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Re: Initial opinions on 0.9.9.3 Easier or harder?
« Reply #5 on: May 05, 2011, 07:53 »

The lever *always* spawns.
You probably fired a rocket down the center hallway at some point and blew it up as it will get destroyed with one blast.

Try doing the armory using only chaingun, plasma, or combat shotty and you'll always find the lever

Just recently I was playing a shotgunnery game and the lever never showed up. There was no chance of me blowing anything up and all the enemies were shooting right to left. 
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GrimmC

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Re: Initial opinions on 0.9.9.3 Easier or harder?
« Reply #6 on: May 05, 2011, 13:04 »

I did notice it seems slightly easier, but that may just be my skills increasing--I'm definitely still walking along the learning curve.

I find crate rooms easier for smaller enemies but Hell Knights always seem to make me into toast when I find them there. Tac Map is definitely powerful, mostly I've found it on Nightmare! where I don't mind it so much. :-)

Overall, the new level designs are a huge improvement, as the previous Phobos Base levels got repetitive. Looking forward to seeing it refined even more.
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Angles of death

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Re: Initial opinions on 0.9.9.3 Easier or harder?
« Reply #7 on: May 05, 2011, 20:00 »

I found it slightly harder than the last.

I can never get up to Hellgate on this one.
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Re: Initial opinions on 0.9.9.3 Easier or harder?
« Reply #8 on: May 06, 2011, 11:24 »

I think it's a little harder.

The new level feelings are kinda neat, I like the pressure that they apply onto you (although, to be fair, the nuke was a rude awakening). Tac shotty is freakin' awesome.

I don't like the armor change too much. I mean, easier to maintain armor, sure, but I like being able to snag good armor quickly. Still, though. Id' cycle through armor a lot in 0.9.9.2.

Guaranteed Armory is *really* nice, I lvoe that level even as I hate the shambler.
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GrimmC

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Re: Initial opinions on 0.9.9.3 Easier or harder?
« Reply #9 on: May 06, 2011, 18:25 »

Having finally lasted long enough to actually get a Master trait for the first time since December, I'd like to second Sambojin's notion that changing MAc is a huge improvement. Reloader was of questionable use before but now it has huge potential. And it even makes more sense. (sort of.)

I also see the usefulness of having more armor shards...it's a bit tough to snag the good armor/boots but once you do you can really keep it going.
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