I've done ton of complete Nightmare runs in the 0.9.9.9/0.10 beta testing and in JHC since the first 0.9.9.9 beta made some big changes to N!'s respawning, but never actually tried doing a standard N! run before in 0.9.9.7 (nor even in 0.9.9.8, stopping at getting Eagerness and Inquisitor Angelic there), as N! and the whole corpse disposal minigame seemed so awful to play; I once tried beating Hell's Arena in Angel of Darkness on only HMP back when I wasn't as good at the game and immediately noped out of the idea of ever dealing with respawning in the special levels even after I've became very consistent at doing 100% UV runs. Since I've been so involved in proposals and balancing suggestions since DRL's development revival, I thought I should experience the old N! 100% playthrough run at least once however (and show my dislike of how N! played prior to 0.10 wasn't a skill issue on my part :p).
For the build, I just went with my favorite mastery of Shottyhead that I always thought was criminally underrated. I open with the trait order of Fin -> Jug -> HR -> Rel2 -> SM -> MSh; just going straight to Shottyhead in this order gives one of the strongest early games, and Shottyhead itself gives such a massive power boost that you don't want to delay getting it. It's then Fin2 and getting both levels of Whizkid to ensure I can do full modding by the end of Hell's Armory/Deimos Lab, and after that I get two levels of Brute + Berserker, I always liked having a melee sidearm and pairing Berserker with Shottyhead to amp up my firing speeds farther as well as get nice lategame defensive insurance. After that it's just maxing out Fin and HR, Reloader as well to amp up my standstill DPS, and then Brute 3 to help lategame gibbing with the Scythe.
For the start of the run, I sure take advantage of respawns dropping their inventory in this version to get a half dozen Shotguns in my inventory for juggling and getting a full inventory of shells from Phobos Base Entry. After Phobos 2 had a very convenient horizontal water river to make corpse disposal less of a pain, it was the infamous N! Hell's Arena, and well it wasn't like it's exceedingly hard, especially with the Fin/Jug/HR opener, but man is it so tedious even when knowing better to seek out enemies and lure them to your corpse piles to limit the respawn rate rather than run -> waiting; can't stress enough how much I'm looking forward to when respawns will finally no longer count towards Hell's Arena wave clearing in the eventual 0.11. After a warehouse level on Phobos 3 that made corpse disposal extra annoying and Phobos 5 having two Cacodemon vaults plus some annoying acid rivers, it was then Unchained Court, one of the very few special levels I think can be a stumbling block for Shottyhead. With berserk being unnerfed in this version though and successfully avoiding let the Barons blow up the berserks, I'm able to take out the Barons and Arena Master without serious issue, it was the cleanup of the formers after that was the very annoying part with the center building near completely destroyed and having too few rockets to just blow up the remaining formers, I am eternally grateful that 0.10 and JHC changed it so respawns no longer count towards a special level's clearing (at least for the ones that aren't bugged about it like Hell's Arena is currently...). After uneventful floors for Phobos 6 and 7, I then get Military Base, which is one of the most cheesable levels with run -> wait camping even on N! but damn is it so fucking tedious, 0.10's Enraged Timer and not counting respawns towards clearing it does wonders towards making the level actually engaging and not a joke compared to Phobos Lab. I can build a Tactical Shotgun and start modding a Double Shotgun towards a Focused Double, but I put off doing so until I reach Hell's Armory/Deimos Lab in case their weapon cache has an Assault or Super Shotgun. Thanks to the Elite Formers giving their obscene pre-nerfed EXP in this version, I hit Shottyhead and Finesse 2 before Phobos Anomaly, so after rocket jumping out of the ambush, I can actually fight back against the terrifying Nightmare horde without taking much damage and then effortlessly cornershoot the Bruisers to death.
Deimos would greet me with an awful maze that's especially annoying when I don't have quite enough rockets to blow up every corpse but I manage it. It's then Deimos Lab, easily the most threatening special level for Shottyhead with the dreaded dual Shamblers, especially when the weapon cache didn't have the Super Shotty nor Assault Shotgun, so I have to settle for making the Tactical Shotgun and I'm still down an A mod to complete the Focused Double before the Shamblers (at least the cache had a Nuclear Plasma Rifle that is nice for saving ammo). When fighting them, at one point one teleports near the wall next to me while the other is out of vision, so with run active, I get a couple spaces away from him and take advantage of Shottyhead's firing rate with a shell box equipped to hammer into him with the Double Shotgun while run mitigate the amount I get hit to kill him before the other Shambler can interfere. The second Shambler I would take some meaty hits from but it wasn't too bad, however I get a stark reminder of why 0.10/JHC not having enemies revive in vision was such a much needed change, as this Shambler would get right back up with full health as I was moving away to blow up his corpse. For a weaker build this could have been a run ender, but with Shottyhead I'm able to handle it after using up a medkit to get run back and repeating the strategy I used to take out the first Shambler. In the lab cache I get two Onyx mods, not really ideal but I just use one on a Red Armor I would mostly use for the rest of the run and then save the second later to make Lava Boots since I got nothing better to use it on. I also get an A mod to complete my Focused Double Shotgun and a P mod to buff it up.
Rather annoyingly, after making that Focused Double Shotgun and P-modding it, I would find a Super Shotgun just a couple floors later... I hold onto it in case I find enough mods to make it better than the modded Focused Double and then enter Containment Area, which can be potentially very nasty but Shottyhead is able to handle it rather easily, especially with a radsuit and indestructible Red Armor, just had to made sure to immediately grab the Backpack since it's still destroyable in this version. Cleanup after was the annoying part with the doors destroyed and my rockets running low, ate quite a few Imp fireballs just to destroy corpses without expending rockets. With a handy Deimos 4 Invuln, the potentially rough Abyssal Plains opening ambush is a nonfactor, and then the Agony Elemental fight is completely free for Shottyhead, super extra free for Shottyhead with Berserker. I get Spider's Lair for the Deimos 6 special level, which is appreciated as it's one of the easiest special levels on N! with its complete lack of enemy layout changes compared to UV while you'll be a couple levels stronger and get supplied with enough rockets to blow up all their corpses, especially compared to Halls Of Carnage that becomes very brutal on N! (however, Shottyhead with Berserker is one of the best builds for doing Halls Of Carnage, so I may have preferred it instead for the extra mods). In Spider's Lair I just get berserked and rocket jump into all the Arachnotrons to chainsaw them down. After an unremarkable Deimos 7, I then get the Cyberdemon fight that is completely free for a Shottyhead with berserker and a PO Red Armor.
After an uneventful Hell 1 (well I guess not technically uneventful as it had a hard walls event), it's the Unholy Cathedral. With Berserker and PO Red Armor, I could just straight chainsaw the Angel Of Death down, but I checked to see if the timing trick I employed in 0.9.9.8 of "get three spaces ahead and then wait, chainsaw if he double moves" worked here after Sylph told me the timing was more complicated than that in 0.9.9.7. I took her word on it since 0.9.9.8 was so buggy and the timing would indeed become more complicated in 0.10, but I find that nope, it is the same timing as 0.9.9.8 and so that is helpful to know for the eventual Longinus Diamond, while I get through Cathedral without taking as much damage as I would have playing roshambo with the AoD. I got an Archvile level on Hell 3, it's funny that what is supposed to be one of the most dangerous lategame level types is actually one of the nicest levels to get when Archviles are a whole lot less threatening without lackeys to revive, especially on N! when it means you won't have to put up with any corpse disposal either. Speaking of funny, The Vaults is such a laughably easy special level on N! in this version, with any good fire resist the measly 8 Archviles + 8 Revenants poses no threat at all, and you don't have to worry about half the enemies reviving on N! and you get more than enough rockets to destroy the corpses of the other half, I do look forward to any old heads revisiting DRL seeing the massive glow up the Vaults got on UV and especially N! since 0.9.9.7. It is then time for the oh so dreaded N! Mortuary, but after employing my usual opening of immediately popping a Hatred Skull, then rocket jumping around to blow up most of the corpses with the BFG, it wasn't so bad, I only had to deal with 50ish enemies and I would have dealt with even less if I didn't spend precious time near the start to secure the Nuclear BFG. I find the unnerfed Malek's Armor on Hell 6, a bit late for it to matter but it's still nice to have, and then comes Lava Pits that was free with Lava Boots, but I'll mention how sad a boss the Lava Elemental was prior to his 0.9.9.8 glow up, Lava Pits wouldn't have been a issue even if I didn't have Lava Boots. After yet another forgettable penultimate floor, it's then nuking the Mastermind and fighting Carmack, and with my buffed Super Shotgun + Rel 3 + a Shell Box + berserk, I'm able to get over a dozen SSG blats off on him after he whiffs a rocket, he just didn't stand a chance.
Overall this wasn't really all that hard compared to the Eagerness and Inquisitor Angelic runs, but damn was it tedious. I'm surprised I clocked this run in under 5 hours despite not really trying to play it fast and doing my fair share of run -> wait abuse, it looked like 6+ hours was the average for Elite Angelic runs in 0.9.9.7 and none of the Elite Angelic mortems listed on the
Badge Hunters thread even broke under 5 hours. Well it was nice to get the experience and get all those sweet badges to bolster my 0.9.9.7 badge collection, but I don't think I'll do another 100% N! run in 0.9.9.7 anytime soon.
Enough of the yap, here is the mortem:
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DoomRL (0.9.9.7) roguelike post-mortem character dump
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SHOTTYHEAD2GOOD,
level 18 Cyberdemon General Scout,
nuked the Mastermind at the Hell Fortress.
He survived 887128 turns and scored 1124159 points.
He played for 4 hours, 46 minutes and 47 seconds.
He opposed the Nightmare!
He killed 1983 out of 1983 hellspawn. (100%)
This ass-kicking marine killed all of them!
-- Special levels --------------------------------------------
Levels generated : 11
Levels visited : 11
Levels completed : 11
-- Awards ----------------------------------------------------
Medal of Prejudice
UAC Star (gold cluster)
Aurora Medallion
Conqueror Badge
Grim Reaper's Badge
Hell Armorer Badge
Hell Champion Medal
UAC Platinum Badge
Veteran Diamond Badge
Veteran Angelic Badge
Elite Diamond Badge
Elite Angelic Badge
Demonic Platinum Badge
Reaper Platinum Badge
Arena Platinum Badge
Longinus Platinum Badge
-- Graveyard -------------------------------------------------
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-- Statistics ------------------------------------------------
Health 52/50 Experience 186932/18
ToHit Ranged +0 ToHit Melee +6 ToDmg Ranged +0 ToDmg Melee +9
-- Traits ----------------------------------------------------
Class : Scout
Finesse (Level 3)
Hellrunner (Level 3)
Reloader (Level 3)
Brute (Level 3)
Juggler (Level 1)
Berserker (Level 1)
Whizkid (Level 2)
Shottyman (Level 1)
Shottyhead (Level 1)
Fin->Jug->HR->Rel->Rel->SM->MSh->Fin->WK->WK->Bru->Bru->Ber->HR->Fin->HR->Rel->Bru->
-- Equipment -------------------------------------------------
[a] [ Armor ] Malek's Armor [3/3] (100%)
[b] [ Weapon ] super shotgun (10d4)x2 [0/2] (B2P2T1)
[c] [ Boots ] tactical boots [0/0] (100%)
[d] [ Prepared ] shell box (x58)
-- Inventory -------------------------------------------------
[a] focused double shotgun (9d4)x2 [2/2] (P1)
[b] tactical rocket launcher (6d6) [5/5]
[c] nuclear BFG 9000 (8d6) [52/52] (B1)
[d] BFG 9000 (10d6) [220/220] (B3)
[e] red armor [6] (AOP)
[f] Azrael's Scythe (9d9)
[g] shotgun shell (x60)
[h] rocket (x3)
[i] rocket (x14)
[j] rocket (x14)
[k] large med-pack
[l] large med-pack
[m] large med-pack
[n] large med-pack
[o] homing phase device
[p] lava plasteel boots [2]
[q] shell box (x100)
[r] shell box (x100)
[s] shell box (x100)
[t] shell box (x100)
-- Resistances -----------------------------------------------
Bullet - internal 60% torso 60% feet 60%
Melee - internal 60% torso 60% feet 60%
Shrapnel - internal 60% torso 60% feet 60%
Acid - internal 60% torso 90% feet 60%
Fire - internal 60% torso 90% feet 60%
Plasma - internal 60% torso 90% feet 60%
-- Kills -----------------------------------------------------
234 former humans
252 former sergeants
101 former captains
326 imps
113 demons
397 lost souls
70 cacodemons
25 hell knights
91 barons of hell
85 arachnotrons
35 former commandos
46 pain elementals
55 revenants
43 mancubi
52 arch-viles
14 nightmare imps
4 nightmare cacodemons
9 nightmare demons
7 elite former humans
5 elite former sergeants
7 elite former commandos
2 bruiser brothers
3 shamblers
1 lava elemental
1 agony elemental
1 Angel of Death
1 Cyberdemon
1 Spider Mastermind
1 John Carmack
1 Arena Master
-- History ---------------------------------------------------
He started his journey on the surface of Phobos.
On level 2 he entered Hell's Arena.
He left the Arena as a champion!
On level 5 he stormed the Chained Court.
On level 5 he found the Arena Master's Staff!
He defeated the Hell Arena Master!
On level 7 he marched into the Military Base.
He purified his fellow comrades.
On level 8 he encountered the Phobos Anomaly.
On level 8 he assembled a fireproof armor!
On level 9 he entered Deimos Lab.
On level 9 he assembled a tactical shotgun!
On level 9 he assembled a focused double shotgun!
He destroyed the evil within and reaped the rewards!
On level 11 he arrived at the Containment Area.
He emerged from the Containment Area victorious!
On level 12 he romped upon the Abyssal Plains.
He slaughtered the beasts living there.
On level 14 he assembled a tactical rocket launcher!
On level 14 he ventured into the Spider's Lair.
He cleared the Lair, kickin' serious spider ass!
On level 15 he found the Grammaton Cleric Beretta!
On level 16 he found the Tower of Babel!
Level 17 was a hard nut to crack!
On level 17 he invaded the Unholy Cathedral!
On level 17 he found the Azrael's Scythe!
He then destroyed the Unholy Cathedral!
On level 19 he stumbled into a complex full of arch-viles!
On level 19 he assembled a tactical boots!
On level 19 he entered the Vaults.
On level 19 he found the Mega Buster!
He cracked the Vaults and cleared them out!
On level 20 he assembled a lava boots!
On level 20 he was foolish enough to enter the Mortuary!
On level 20 he found the Angelic Armor!
He managed to clear the Mortuary from evil!
On level 22 he found the Malek's Armor!
On level 22 he entered the Lava Pits.
On level 22 he found the Cybernetic Armor!
He managed to clear the Lava Pits completely!
Then at last he found Dis!
He overloaded a nuclear plasma rifle on level 24!
He defeated the Mastermind and found the TRUE EVIL!
Then finally in Hell itself, he killed the final EVIL.
-- Messages --------------------------------------------------
You quickly reload the super shotgun. You need to taste blood!
You need to taste blood!
You quickly reload the super shotgun.
You need to taste blood!
You quickly reload the super shotgun.
You need to taste blood!
You quickly reload the super shotgun. You need to taste blood!
You need to taste blood!
You need to taste blood!
You need to taste blood!
You need to taste blood!
You need to taste blood!
You need to taste blood!
Carmack raises his hands and summons hellspawn! You need to taste blood!
John Carmack dies. Congratulations! You defeated John Carmack! Press
<Enter>...
-- General ---------------------------------------------------
235 brave souls have ventured into Phobos:
69 of those were killed.
91 didn't read the thermonuclear bomb manual.
And 6 couldn't handle the stress and committed a stupid suicide.
69 souls destroyed the Mastermind...
6 sacrificed itself for the good of mankind.
35 killed the bitch and survived.
28 showed that it can outsmart Hell itself.
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Author
Topic: (0.9.9.7) [N!|100%|YAFW] - Veteran Diamond+Angelic and Elite Diamond+Angelic (Read 699 times)