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1
Off Topic / Re: Signs of life
« on: December 05, 2024, 16:07 »
Do I count as an oldie? :D I suppose I'm more of a middle era player, although I mostly just lurked for years.
I've mostly been off and on with DoomRL, along with doing various other gaming and non-gaming otherwise. Within DoomRL, I've written a bunch of guides, got lots of cool mortems, and had fun with pushing ideas for the newer versions with Omega Tyrant.
Life's pretty good on the outside too!
I've mostly been off and on with DoomRL, along with doing various other gaming and non-gaming otherwise. Within DoomRL, I've written a bunch of guides, got lots of cool mortems, and had fun with pushing ideas for the newer versions with Omega Tyrant.
Life's pretty good on the outside too!
2
Century Lounge / [M|ArchAo666|100%|YAAM] Sunrise Iron Fist (with partial video)
« on: October 25, 2024, 10:11 »
(Video)
I've been a bit inexperienced with fist-only runs, and I'm still getting used to the newest version, so I thought I would take care of both with this run. As always with melee, the start is the hardest part, but once I finished my build, I was basically immortal unless I did something dumb. I didn't even bother grabbing Invulnerabilities, and eventually the only items I cared for were anything that could nuke a floor for a level skip. I'm pretty confident I could have done this on Ultra-Violence, and perhaps even Nightmare with this finished build, especially if I used a real weapon like Ripper or Butcher's Cleaver, but it would be quite difficult to get it started on higher difficulties.
Part way into the run, I switched to Phaseshift Set since I only took marginally more damage, but was able to freely move across acid and lava, which was a good speed-up in real time. However, the increased knockback made me cautious about accidentally clicking on the stairs, or myself and using inventory items, so I eventually slowed down how I played and also removed all Homing Phase Devices I carried. I had a nice collection of armors and boots, but they barely got used if at all.
Some highlights:
Early on, I found Duelist Armor, which is amazing with its change to give high melee resistance:
Later I used Nanofiber assembly on it to give a permanent source of melee damage reduction:
However, not long after, I found Shielded Armor:
This Baron exploded with items like a pinata:
Later into the game, I assembled this mighty defensive armor:
I found my first Onyx Pack quite far into the game:
This was my end-game equipment. I could have gone with Cybernano Phaseshift Armor, but wanted to keep it possible to switch in case anything nasty came up:
Various Nano Packs I found that I didn't bother picking up:
Double massacre switch floor:
Pitch-black maze, very annoying combination:
And the final endscreen. I went out of my way to take some extra damage as I was a bit under 40,000. I believe this is the highest anyone has ever taken in a single game.
And here's the mortem!
I've been a bit inexperienced with fist-only runs, and I'm still getting used to the newest version, so I thought I would take care of both with this run. As always with melee, the start is the hardest part, but once I finished my build, I was basically immortal unless I did something dumb. I didn't even bother grabbing Invulnerabilities, and eventually the only items I cared for were anything that could nuke a floor for a level skip. I'm pretty confident I could have done this on Ultra-Violence, and perhaps even Nightmare with this finished build, especially if I used a real weapon like Ripper or Butcher's Cleaver, but it would be quite difficult to get it started on higher difficulties.
Part way into the run, I switched to Phaseshift Set since I only took marginally more damage, but was able to freely move across acid and lava, which was a good speed-up in real time. However, the increased knockback made me cautious about accidentally clicking on the stairs, or myself and using inventory items, so I eventually slowed down how I played and also removed all Homing Phase Devices I carried. I had a nice collection of armors and boots, but they barely got used if at all.
Some highlights:
Early on, I found Duelist Armor, which is amazing with its change to give high melee resistance:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Later I used Nanofiber assembly on it to give a permanent source of melee damage reduction:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
However, not long after, I found Shielded Armor:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
This Baron exploded with items like a pinata:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Later into the game, I assembled this mighty defensive armor:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I found my first Onyx Pack quite far into the game:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
This was my end-game equipment. I could have gone with Cybernano Phaseshift Armor, but wanted to keep it possible to switch in case anything nasty came up:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Various Nano Packs I found that I didn't bother picking up:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Double massacre switch floor:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Pitch-black maze, very annoying combination:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
And the final endscreen. I went out of my way to take some extra damage as I was a bit under 40,000. I believe this is the highest anyone has ever taken in a single game.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
And here's the mortem!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
3
Nightmare! / (0.9.9.7) [N!|AoB+AoLT|68%|YASD] Arena Diamond Badge & 26/26 Diamond Badges!
« on: October 16, 2024, 20:22 »Spoiler (click to show/hide)
(Video)
I'm the very first to achieve this badge on this version, and I have achieved ALL 26 Diamond Badges!!!
Arena Diamond Badge was somewhat viewed as an impossible badge, and on face value, it seems absurdly difficult, but during my grind, I'm come to realize it's not that bad, just like I did with Everyman Angelic Badge. It does require a lot of luck and it does require a lot of skill, but there are definitely more difficult badges. A good way to capture a sense of this badge is that it has a fairly low skill ceiling, but also a fairly low skill floor. Unlike some badges, it's not something any player could just churn out, but it's also more possible for a wider variety of players to achieve.
What makes this badge interesting is that it had been achieved many times in past versions, where it was possible to get Hell's Arena on Phobos 3, allowing for much better preparation while entering. It's also suspected the AI difference was more beneficial. However, Angel of Light Travel was also not available. Below is a simple spreadsheet I made showing some of the details:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Below are my thoughts on the badge after my attempts, as well as various advice.
Your options to combine Angel of Berserk are Light Travel, Darkness, Masochism, and pure, of which I tried all of them. Darkness gives some extra experience which helps for the beginning, but isn't great for Hell's Arena and makes starts extremely difficult. Masochism with trying to time the health boost on a level-up is way too gimmicky and doesn't help a whole lot. Light Travel offers a lot of extra speed, but it does mean you leave behind items sometimes and enemies moving around less can burn Berserk turns. That said, the trade-off in speed is definitely worth it, especially for Phobos Base Entry and Phobos 2, over trying for the badge purely.
Marine is the best choice as the extra health and longer Berserk duration significantly helps in Hell's Arena. Scout's extra speed is mostly nullified by Angel of Light Travel, and Technician's advantages don't help much. The best trait selection is Brute x2 and then Berserker as additional Berserk is key. If you hit another level, I would generally say Brute is the best choice, but there could be an argument for Tough as Nails or Finesse.
Hell's Arena is really tough and heavily luck-based, so it's ideal to be entering only on good starts. With this in mind, I always take Blue Armor off and generally don't wear any until I'm entering Hell's Arena to keep durability as high as I can. Only when I would have a pile of Green Armors would I wear one while going through Phobos 2. Likewise, it helps to stretch out Med Packs as much as you can. I generally would let my health get very low before using them, which did result in many runs dying to risky decisions, but every resource is invaluable and needs to be used to full potential.
Phobos Base Entry is best done by charging towards the centre and trying to stack corpses on the corners of the building, ideally luring in the Shotgunners with the Small Med Packs. Taking some damage is okay, but it helps a ton to get those Med Packs, as you can use one to heal anyway, or you can hope that you find Small Health Globes on Phobos 2. It's also worthwhile killing everything as it's very safe and easy experience, which helps get to Brute x2 earlier. If you get a Phobos Base Entry with a small building, looping around and using Run->Wait can help spread them outside, making grabbing the Combat Knife easier. Phobos Trees can also occasionally be used to block shots and you can even force Zombiemen to run out of ammo. Don't be afraid to play risky and be a bit reset heavy to get a good start.
For Phobos 2, there is a ton of variance and it can be tricky to give specific advice. You'll have to rely on your ability and judgement to make correct decisions, but I can offer lots of general advice. First, it's very helpful to camp at a door corner so that you can fairly safely kill most enemies with taking little damage. Ideally, you'll be at a door of a T-junction so that they approach from only one side and you don't risk getting attacked on the door opening. If they do, step back from the door, then go to the corner to minimize damage taken.
Vaults can contain many helpful items, but are generally dangerous since they'll always have either Demons or Cacodemons. If there is a source of acid, a hiding place, and you can hear they're Demons, it can be safe and even beneficial to free them. If they're Cacodemons, you have to keep the door from being opened or you'll take way too much damage killing them all. However, if the door of the Cacodemon vault is at a corner and you kill everything else to get Berserker, you can reasonably kill them all by camping the corner, especially if the vault has very high density.
Vaults can offer many various items that are helpful, that you can't ordinarily find. Boots can help with reducing knockback, and taking an Agility Mod Pack if you're extra lucky. Power Mod Packs are best in armors, Technical Mod Packs are best in Combat Knife, and Bulk Mod Packs could go in either armors or Combat Knife, depending on what else you find. Nukes are useless as the badge requires exiting Hell's Arena alive after clearing the third wave, so trying to use it on the third wave doesn't work. Envirosuits are only helpful for Barons, or otherwise navigating through Phobos 2, and may not be worth bringing to Hell's Arena if you don't have space.
Barrels are very helpful to create holes, creating faster paths to the exit, funneling enemies into a door from only one side, creating a pool of acid, or to even trap Demons. You can throw a Combat Knife without getting hit or destroying the weapon. Barrels of acid usually destroy Combat Knife though.
While a level feeling of "The smell of a massacre" sounds good, there are some disadvantages to it. First, while it does gib all the humanoids, that also means it destroys Med Packs and Armors they pickup, so if you take awhile getting to the switch, you may want to save it for later, or not use it at all. Imps die but are not gibbed, while Demons, Lost Souls, and Cacodemons take damage. Since it kills every door-opening enemy, if you can see valuable items in unopened rooms, it can be safer to use the lever.
Levers in general are risky and I wouldn't recommend using them often unless you desperately need a boost in health, armor durability, or setting off explosions.
Tracking Maps are very helpful, but they do cause longer games due to a much slower Run->Wait. I highly recommend using them if you find them, and accepting being patient.
Breakable crates that contain armors and Med Packs are highly valuable, and are a great source for Blue Armor and Large Med Packs. They require some luck to get though.
Berserk Packs, Med Packs, Light-Amp Goggles, and various armors are all crucial for Hell's Arena. Never use them unless you have no choice, or the risk of not using them is too great.
Butcher's Cleaver at first glance may seem mandatory, but it's not required at all. Brute's flat damage also brings it closer to double the damage of Combat Knife instead of triple. Butcher's Cleaver kills much faster, but it also makes triggering Berserk harder, and has no accuracy boost like Combat Knife. That said, it's very helpful for Hell's Arena, but it's not necessary and it's also not an instant win. It may actually be more helpful for Phobos 2. It's also rare enough that I hadn't found it once in all of my attempts, so you definitely don't want to have to rely on it.
For Hell's Arena, wear Blue Armor, start running, and charge into enemies, playing aggressively. As time goes on, the respawn chance always increases, and it's generally in your best interest to kill as quickly as possible. Run->Wait can help if you're attempting to stack corpses, but that method makes less use of Berserk, is unhelpful with enemies scattered everywhere, and can get you sniped occasionally. Defensive play is critical for Phobos 2, but is terrible for Hell's Arena.
Try to continue spreading out when you use Med Packs, especially for the benefit of regaining run with them, as it helps a lot with reducing time passing and enemies roaming around. Try to attack and clear one side first, listening closely for enemies, then approach the other. Ideally, you get the last kill for each wave around the middle so that you have a better chance to charge the enemies of the next wave while they're momentarily still. Running is also helpful for the increased dodging chance, allowing you to use Cacodemon fireballs to destroy corpses without taking a hit. Play very positionally and paying attention to where a fireball would go if it misses. You can also try to get Cacodemons to kill each other, which significantly helps clearing the floor and reducing necessary melee damage.
For the third wave, two Barons and a Large Health Globe appears. Because of Angel of Berserk, the Large Health Globe functions like a Berserk Pack, which is incredibly helpful. While doing the first two waves, try to explore the map as well so that you can see its spawn location.
And the rest is luck! Lots and lots of luck!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
4
Nightmare! / (0.9.9.7) [N!|AoB+AoLT|98%|YASD] Arena Diamond Badge is Overrated (with video)
« on: October 16, 2024, 17:52 »
(Video)
So previously before my attempts, it seemed that everyone viewed this badge as absurdly impossible to achieve, and during my grind so far, I've started to realize this is not the case. Despite having never been achieved in this version, it's really not that bad.
This attempt was one hit away from victory, but I wanted to share it because my gear when entering Hell's Arena was terrible, yet was so close. Hopefully this video demonstrates that this badge is overrated and many players should be capable of it.
I'll get this soon!
So previously before my attempts, it seemed that everyone viewed this badge as absurdly impossible to achieve, and during my grind so far, I've started to realize this is not the case. Despite having never been achieved in this version, it's really not that bad.
This attempt was one hit away from victory, but I wanted to share it because my gear when entering Hell's Arena was terrible, yet was so close. Hopefully this video demonstrates that this badge is overrated and many players should be capable of it.
I'll get this soon!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
5
Post Mortem / (0.9.9.7) [H|100%|YAAM] Strongman Diamond Badge & 25/26 Diamonds!
« on: October 14, 2024, 12:21 »
I'm definitely still not a fan of Fist-only challenges, but I begrudgingly went for this one since there's not much left. I didn't try to reinvent the wheel and mostly copied what everyone else has done before.
I now have all 25/26 Diamond Badges that have ever been achieved! Arena Diamond Badge has never been achieved in version 0.9.9.7, but I'll definitely have to try for it now!
I found a Red Armor fairly early in this game:
As well as a Hatred Skull!
Deimos Lab was amusing in that it gave me TWO Laser Rifles, which I would love in just about any other game:
This was a nice setup for the following floor:
I found Cybernetic Armor, and perhaps it could have been a bit helpful, but I didn't want to take any unnecessary risks:
One of my last levels was a Pain Elemental cave, but I had a nice hiding spot for it:
Overall, like other players, I used the Pistol and a bit of Shotgun at the start until I got Brute x3, mostly camped throughout the game, and it was super easy once getting Vampyre.
I now have all 25/26 Diamond Badges that have ever been achieved! Arena Diamond Badge has never been achieved in version 0.9.9.7, but I'll definitely have to try for it now!
I found a Red Armor fairly early in this game:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
As well as a Hatred Skull!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Deimos Lab was amusing in that it gave me TWO Laser Rifles, which I would love in just about any other game:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
This was a nice setup for the following floor:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I found Cybernetic Armor, and perhaps it could have been a bit helpful, but I didn't want to take any unnecessary risks:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
One of my last levels was a Pain Elemental cave, but I had a nice hiding spot for it:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Overall, like other players, I used the Pistol and a bit of Shotgun at the start until I got Brute x3, mostly camped throughout the game, and it was super easy once getting Vampyre.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
6
Nightmare! / (0.9.9.7) [N!|90%|YAVP] Elite Diamond Badge
« on: October 13, 2024, 20:15 »
This badge isn't too hard, but it can be very tedious if you try to cheese it, which I did. After getting near the end of the game, I repeatedly killed an enemy until my percentage reached 90%, and then secured the win. I now am at 24/26 Diamond Badges, which I believe is the most anyone has ever had!!!
In Deimos Lab, I found a Blaster, which is nice to cover any potential ammo issues with repeated kills:
Along the way, I found a Pain Elemental cave, which provided a safe way for clearing out a large number of enemies, which helped to buff up the kill count:
After getting towards the end, I was deciding on if I wanted to grind a nice setup in Hell 6 and risk a bad Hell 7 after a couple hours of kills, or to skip it and risk having a Hell 7 with no ideal setup. I opted to kill an Arachnotron repeatedly in Hell 6 with a Chainsaw. I would have liked a bit more experience to reach the next level and get Brute x3 for more accuracy and consistency, but oh well.
I got quite a few kills!
Hell 7 wasn't too bad, and a somewhat fitting start:
And I was able to get to the stairs without any nasty surprises:
What a doozie!
In Deimos Lab, I found a Blaster, which is nice to cover any potential ammo issues with repeated kills:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Along the way, I found a Pain Elemental cave, which provided a safe way for clearing out a large number of enemies, which helped to buff up the kill count:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
After getting towards the end, I was deciding on if I wanted to grind a nice setup in Hell 6 and risk a bad Hell 7 after a couple hours of kills, or to skip it and risk having a Hell 7 with no ideal setup. I opted to kill an Arachnotron repeatedly in Hell 6 with a Chainsaw. I would have liked a bit more experience to reach the next level and get Brute x3 for more accuracy and consistency, but oh well.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I got quite a few kills!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Hell 7 wasn't too bad, and a somewhat fitting start:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
And I was able to get to the stairs without any nasty surprises:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
What a doozie!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
7
Nightmare! / (0.9.9.7) [N!|48%|YAVP] Demonic Diamond Badge (with video)
« on: October 13, 2024, 11:11 »
(Video)
Note that 20 minutes of the video is the Cyberdemon fight, and 15 minutes is the Spider Mastermind fight, so there's still lots of interesting gameplay if you want to skip those.
After having done attempts of Masochist Angelic Badge before, Demonic Diamond Badge is significantly easier. However, getting it on this particular run was quite a challenge and I had to play pretty well overall. I didn't have much for Invulnerability, but had some good luck with a Phase Device at the very end.
The most wild point of interest is I found a vault with two nukes on Phobos 2! I've never seen that before and it's rare to even find just one!
There were a few risky decisions I made that didn't pan out, but the only major mistakes were during the Cyberdemon fight where I made a bad step once and took a bit of explosion damage, and one point where I misclicked and took some heavy melee damage. I also used Combat Shotgun for a lot of the Spider Mastermind fight, forgetting to use Shotgun instead.
With this badge, I believe I am now tied for most Diamond Badges at 23/26!
Note that 20 minutes of the video is the Cyberdemon fight, and 15 minutes is the Spider Mastermind fight, so there's still lots of interesting gameplay if you want to skip those.
After having done attempts of Masochist Angelic Badge before, Demonic Diamond Badge is significantly easier. However, getting it on this particular run was quite a challenge and I had to play pretty well overall. I didn't have much for Invulnerability, but had some good luck with a Phase Device at the very end.
The most wild point of interest is I found a vault with two nukes on Phobos 2! I've never seen that before and it's rare to even find just one!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
There were a few risky decisions I made that didn't pan out, but the only major mistakes were during the Cyberdemon fight where I made a bad step once and took a bit of explosion damage, and one point where I misclicked and took some heavy melee damage. I also used Combat Shotgun for a lot of the Spider Mastermind fight, forgetting to use Shotgun instead.
With this badge, I believe I am now tied for most Diamond Badges at 23/26!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
8
Nightmare! / (0.9.9.7) [N!|43%|YAVP] Demonic Platinum Badge & 26/26 Platinums!
« on: October 12, 2024, 15:49 »
Earlier today, I attempted Elite Angelic Badge as a way to earn Demonic Platinum Badge and Elite Diamond Badge simultaneously, but after a grueling 3.5 hour game, I died to a Demon cave on Deimos 4. After that, I decided to take an easier pace and to just get Demonic Platinum Badge.
Not much to say and I was very focused on my gameplay so I didn't really take any screenshots. I found quite a few Invulnerabilities, a Nuclear Plasma Rifle which was really handy, a Homing Phase Device to zip out of Mortuary, and mostly did stair diving.
With this badge, I'm now the 3rd (?) player to have all 26 Platinum Badges!
Not much to say and I was very focused on my gameplay so I didn't really take any screenshots. I found quite a few Invulnerabilities, a Nuclear Plasma Rifle which was really handy, a Homing Phase Device to zip out of Mortuary, and mostly did stair diving.
With this badge, I'm now the 3rd (?) player to have all 26 Platinum Badges!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
9
Post Mortem / (0.9.9.7) [U|66%|YAVP] Everyman Diamond Badge (with video)
« on: October 11, 2024, 21:49 »
(Video)
Tonight I didn't want to commit too hard to anything and was just chilling having some fun with meme attempts of Pacifist Angelic Badge (spoiler: got nowhere). After a bit of that, I decided to try Everyman Diamond Badge for some different fun, and was able to get this run in just a few tries.
My starting map was very nice as it gave me a nuke, some Med Packs, and Hell Staff. Unholy Cathedral is pretty easy with the Ballistic Red Armor and Chainsword combo, and you almost always have enough Med Packs for The Vaults. The last two bonus levels and surviving the other floors are what make the badge challenging, but I was very lucky with what I rolled.
I spent a good deal of time on a floor with two Invulnerabilities as I really wanted to make sure I got them, and the Hell Staff came in handy to bring me close to the stairs. After using Whisper of Death at The Vaults, I was lucky to roll Limbo so I could get an instant nuke. Invulnerability ran out after, but all floors gave me nearby stairs, and I had enough Med Packs to take on the Lava Elemental. I was a bit foolish to initially try shooting the Lost Souls and could have botched my game, but I switched to more Whisper of Death after. The Lava Element helped with approaching the Spider Mastermind safely, and the rest was easy.
I'm now at 22/26 Diamond Badges!
Tonight I didn't want to commit too hard to anything and was just chilling having some fun with meme attempts of Pacifist Angelic Badge (spoiler: got nowhere). After a bit of that, I decided to try Everyman Diamond Badge for some different fun, and was able to get this run in just a few tries.
My starting map was very nice as it gave me a nuke, some Med Packs, and Hell Staff. Unholy Cathedral is pretty easy with the Ballistic Red Armor and Chainsword combo, and you almost always have enough Med Packs for The Vaults. The last two bonus levels and surviving the other floors are what make the badge challenging, but I was very lucky with what I rolled.
I spent a good deal of time on a floor with two Invulnerabilities as I really wanted to make sure I got them, and the Hell Staff came in handy to bring me close to the stairs. After using Whisper of Death at The Vaults, I was lucky to roll Limbo so I could get an instant nuke. Invulnerability ran out after, but all floors gave me nearby stairs, and I had enough Med Packs to take on the Lava Elemental. I was a bit foolish to initially try shooting the Lost Souls and could have botched my game, but I switched to more Whisper of Death after. The Lava Element helped with approaching the Spider Mastermind safely, and the rest was easy.
I'm now at 22/26 Diamond Badges!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
10
Post Mortem / (0.9.9.7) [H|20%|YAVP] Strongman Platinum Badge
« on: October 10, 2024, 18:39 »
I haven't played DoomRL much for the last year and recently got into playing again. While the new version is exciting, I definitely feel like I have unfinished business with 0.9.9.7 and wanted to get some more badges. Tonight, I decided to try for Strongman Platinum Badge, one of my two missing Platinum Badges. I've always sucked with Fist runs, but the game insisted on handing me the victory.
To start, I had this nice setup and took a gamble with the lever:
And it worked out!
With some stair diving, I got to Deimos for my first time attempting this badge:
I got this very bad Deimos floor 4, but I did have a Phase Device:
After some slight exploring, I used it, and got really lucky to land by the stairs, there seemed to be no enemies, and there was even an armor!
I figured to look around a bit and also got a Berserk Pack!
And then also found Invulnerability! Very lucky!
I had this nice setup on the next floor with a Power Mod Pack, Berserk Pack, and a pool of lava for quick experience by cooking Demons. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to grab the Power Mod Pack.
I had an Invulnerability laying around on Deimos floor 6, and thought to explore a bit before grabbing it since I could take some damage and it could heal me as I would exit after:
Turns out it was a good idea!
I took a risk to grab the first, go for the second, and ideally use a Phase Device out, wanting to rush the Cyberdemon. Unfortunately, there was a Revenant just as I went for it and didn't get it, wasting both only to get some experience.
Deimos floor 7 didn't have Invulnerability or Berserk Packs, and I honestly wasn't sure if the double Supercharge would be helpful enough.
I did find Phaseshift Boots though:
And also a nuke! Should I make it to the end, this trivializes the Spider Mastermind, or otherwise can help with a nasty floor and switch to Shotgun camping in Dis.
Seemingly though, I greatly underestimated Berserker and Chainsaw combo. I hit the Cyberdemon down to Mortally Wounded and was scared to attack again, so I flipped back to Fist and killed it after only a couple hits from there.
Hell floor 1 gave me an Invulnerability near an exit:
And there was a second one under a Cacodemon!
And then Hell floor 2 gave me game-winning luck! There were 4 Invulnerabilities, all within a short range, and not too much in the way of them. Out of all the floors I've ever played, 4 Invulnerabilities ties the most I've seen, but I've never had them so close together like this. I believe in terms of Invulnerability luck, this is the single luckiest floor I have EVER had!!! I was able to grab 3 of them and head on after.
Hell floor 3 gave me another at the start:
And another on Hell floor 5:
Hell floor 6 was a maze, but I was fortunate to have the stairs nearby:
And that easily sealed the deal! Intuition 2 was intended for using Shotgun against the Spider Mastermind, but I clearly didn't need it with the absurd stack of Invulnerabilities.
Being a bit rusty, I couldn't remember if fighting JC would mess up the challenge, so I just went for a sacrificial nuke.
With this, I now have just Demonic Platinum Badge remaining, which I think shouldn't be too terrible to get. I definitely have a huge incentive in going for it, even if it turns out to be a nasty grind for it. Very happy to earn this badge, and doing it quickly like this helps make me not be indecisive with attempting for 100% kills early for Strongman Diamond Badge. I'm honestly not sure if I'll be able to get that one down the road, but we'll have to see.
Very happy!
To start, I had this nice setup and took a gamble with the lever:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
And it worked out!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
With some stair diving, I got to Deimos for my first time attempting this badge:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I got this very bad Deimos floor 4, but I did have a Phase Device:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
After some slight exploring, I used it, and got really lucky to land by the stairs, there seemed to be no enemies, and there was even an armor!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I figured to look around a bit and also got a Berserk Pack!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
And then also found Invulnerability! Very lucky!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I had this nice setup on the next floor with a Power Mod Pack, Berserk Pack, and a pool of lava for quick experience by cooking Demons. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to grab the Power Mod Pack.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I had an Invulnerability laying around on Deimos floor 6, and thought to explore a bit before grabbing it since I could take some damage and it could heal me as I would exit after:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Turns out it was a good idea!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I took a risk to grab the first, go for the second, and ideally use a Phase Device out, wanting to rush the Cyberdemon. Unfortunately, there was a Revenant just as I went for it and didn't get it, wasting both only to get some experience.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Deimos floor 7 didn't have Invulnerability or Berserk Packs, and I honestly wasn't sure if the double Supercharge would be helpful enough.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I did find Phaseshift Boots though:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
And also a nuke! Should I make it to the end, this trivializes the Spider Mastermind, or otherwise can help with a nasty floor and switch to Shotgun camping in Dis.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Seemingly though, I greatly underestimated Berserker and Chainsaw combo. I hit the Cyberdemon down to Mortally Wounded and was scared to attack again, so I flipped back to Fist and killed it after only a couple hits from there.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Hell floor 1 gave me an Invulnerability near an exit:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
And there was a second one under a Cacodemon!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
And then Hell floor 2 gave me game-winning luck! There were 4 Invulnerabilities, all within a short range, and not too much in the way of them. Out of all the floors I've ever played, 4 Invulnerabilities ties the most I've seen, but I've never had them so close together like this. I believe in terms of Invulnerability luck, this is the single luckiest floor I have EVER had!!! I was able to grab 3 of them and head on after.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Hell floor 3 gave me another at the start:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
And another on Hell floor 5:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Hell floor 6 was a maze, but I was fortunate to have the stairs nearby:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
And that easily sealed the deal! Intuition 2 was intended for using Shotgun against the Spider Mastermind, but I clearly didn't need it with the absurd stack of Invulnerabilities.
Being a bit rusty, I couldn't remember if fighting JC would mess up the challenge, so I just went for a sacrificial nuke.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
With this, I now have just Demonic Platinum Badge remaining, which I think shouldn't be too terrible to get. I definitely have a huge incentive in going for it, even if it turns out to be a nasty grind for it. Very happy to earn this badge, and doing it quickly like this helps make me not be indecisive with attempting for 100% kills early for Strongman Diamond Badge. I'm honestly not sure if I'll be able to get that one down the road, but we'll have to see.
Very happy!
11
Requests For Features / Re: DoomRL 0.9.9.8 BETA 2
« on: January 13, 2024, 13:20 »
Bug #10: Another not-exactly-a-bug, but I noticed my message about the Lava Elemental appearing was slightly cut off here. It could mean other messages in the game may also get cut off, so I think it should be checked.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
12
Post Mortem / (0.9.9.8 BETA 2) [M|100%|YAFW] Army of the Dead is much better now!
« on: January 13, 2024, 13:11 »
I wanted to test out Army of the Dead this time now that Finesse is no longer blocked, as well as Reloader getting significantly buffed. I'd say that these changes have made the master trait much more balanced and very usable!
Reloader helps a lot with the start of the game, along with the Marine's new resistance buffs. With Whizkid down the road, you can create powerful weapons like you could with any other build, but now actually exceed their power since the piercing effect or Army of the Dead isn't compromised by being limited in weapons or being entirely outclassed by Nano-Shrapnel.
Coincidentally, I found a Nano Pack which would normally be used for Nano-Shrapnel, but I decided to make a Focused Double Shotgun (N) to make more use of Army of the Dead. It was excellent on anything it could kill in one shot, which was a lot, and I had other weapons while it recharged. Finesse allowing access to Juggler also supported this.
I was also very lucky to find Jackhammer in Deimos Lab, which is extremely powerful with Army of the Dead, and its ammo-hungry nature was complemented by my semi-infinite Focused Double Shotgun. I mostly used a Tactical Shotgun until finding Assault Shotgun in The Vaults, and was able to make a strong non-assembly out of it too.
I went for a full win with 100% kills, although I skipped Unholy Cathedral since I didn't have any reliable way to deal with Angel of Death.
Overall, Army of the Dead is very playable now!
Here is a video of me clearing The Mortuary using only Jackhammer.
Reloader helps a lot with the start of the game, along with the Marine's new resistance buffs. With Whizkid down the road, you can create powerful weapons like you could with any other build, but now actually exceed their power since the piercing effect or Army of the Dead isn't compromised by being limited in weapons or being entirely outclassed by Nano-Shrapnel.
Coincidentally, I found a Nano Pack which would normally be used for Nano-Shrapnel, but I decided to make a Focused Double Shotgun (N) to make more use of Army of the Dead. It was excellent on anything it could kill in one shot, which was a lot, and I had other weapons while it recharged. Finesse allowing access to Juggler also supported this.
I was also very lucky to find Jackhammer in Deimos Lab, which is extremely powerful with Army of the Dead, and its ammo-hungry nature was complemented by my semi-infinite Focused Double Shotgun. I mostly used a Tactical Shotgun until finding Assault Shotgun in The Vaults, and was able to make a strong non-assembly out of it too.
I went for a full win with 100% kills, although I skipped Unholy Cathedral since I didn't have any reliable way to deal with Angel of Death.
Overall, Army of the Dead is very playable now!
Here is a video of me clearing The Mortuary using only Jackhammer.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
13
Requests For Features / Re: DoomRL 0.9.9.8 BETA 2
« on: January 11, 2024, 17:54 »
Bug #7: I encountered this error message while playing. I believe this occurred when an enemy shot and blew up a barrel, exploding on a group of enemies.
Bug #8: When pulling a lever that destroys walls, it's fixed with SDL, but after switching back to DEFAULT tonight, the sound is still extremely loud.
Bug #9: Not exactly a bug but maybe something worth fixing is that when a Lost Soul is charging and happens to go straight to a teleporter, it can sometimes create a loop. For example, if the warp destination is exactly horizontal and a Lost Soul charges exactly horizontal, it will endlessly loop. It doesn't distort gameplay or create any errors, but maybe make a Lost Soul stop charging when it enter a teleporter?
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Bug #8: When pulling a lever that destroys walls, it's fixed with SDL, but after switching back to DEFAULT tonight, the sound is still extremely loud.
Bug #9: Not exactly a bug but maybe something worth fixing is that when a Lost Soul is charging and happens to go straight to a teleporter, it can sometimes create a loop. For example, if the warp destination is exactly horizontal and a Lost Soul charges exactly horizontal, it will endlessly loop. It doesn't distort gameplay or create any errors, but maybe make a Lost Soul stop charging when it enter a teleporter?
14
Requests For Features / Re: DoomRL 0.9.9.8 BETA 2
« on: January 10, 2024, 20:08 »
I played through the game with Vampyre tonight, which can be seen here.
Bug #4: I somehow overlooked this until late into the game, but with Ironman x5 and Berserk, resistances for Melee, Bullet, and Shrapnel went uncapped and actually reached 110%, where I literally was taking zero damage to those types while Berserk. The issue I believe is Ironman doesn't have a cap set. It would also be good to ensure there is a cap for the natural resistances to Plasma, Acid, and Fire.
Bug #5: When picking up Azrael's Scythe, for some reason the game messaged "You don't have an Azrael's Scythe!" I'm not sure if this was because it was the first time picking it up for this player profile, but it looked odd. I haven't seen this with other weapons or items.
Bug #6: In mortems, the description for some badges and medals looks like "@<standard@>", since it pulls from the general description and is colour-coded. It would look a little better to change this for mortems.
Regarding Vampyre, as described in my mortem, it's definitely overpowered. One suggestion would be to replace the Eagle Eye block with Ironman, so a player can't take advantage of the new resistances, and also it weakens health significantly as it is normally boosted further with Badass. Perhaps an outlandish idea would be to block Berserker instead so that Vampyre can't be used to run around into enemies, destroying them while healing, and carrying on to the next. This would be pretty large change to the trait, but I think it would cool off Vampyre without also making it bad. Dragonslayer would nullify this block, but most games in general that find Dragonslayer are already easy wins. Malicious Blades is a good example where Berserker is blocked, but that becomes irrelevant when finding Dragonslayer.
Bug #4: I somehow overlooked this until late into the game, but with Ironman x5 and Berserk, resistances for Melee, Bullet, and Shrapnel went uncapped and actually reached 110%, where I literally was taking zero damage to those types while Berserk. The issue I believe is Ironman doesn't have a cap set. It would also be good to ensure there is a cap for the natural resistances to Plasma, Acid, and Fire.
Bug #5: When picking up Azrael's Scythe, for some reason the game messaged "You don't have an Azrael's Scythe!" I'm not sure if this was because it was the first time picking it up for this player profile, but it looked odd. I haven't seen this with other weapons or items.
Bug #6: In mortems, the description for some badges and medals looks like "@<standard@>", since it pulls from the general description and is colour-coded. It would look a little better to change this for mortems.
Regarding Vampyre, as described in my mortem, it's definitely overpowered. One suggestion would be to replace the Eagle Eye block with Ironman, so a player can't take advantage of the new resistances, and also it weakens health significantly as it is normally boosted further with Badass. Perhaps an outlandish idea would be to block Berserker instead so that Vampyre can't be used to run around into enemies, destroying them while healing, and carrying on to the next. This would be pretty large change to the trait, but I think it would cool off Vampyre without also making it bad. Dragonslayer would nullify this block, but most games in general that find Dragonslayer are already easy wins. Malicious Blades is a good example where Berserker is blocked, but that becomes irrelevant when finding Dragonslayer.
15
Post Mortem / (0.9.9.8 BETA 2) [U|100%|YAFW] Vampyre is IDDQD
« on: January 10, 2024, 20:01 »
Full video (note that sound is buggy with SDL)
With Beta 2 of the new version out, there's lots of theorycrafting about balance. One concern right now is Vampyre, which is already very strong, but has indirectly been given a lot of buffs with the Marine now having 20% natural resistance to Plasma, Acid, and Fire, and Ironman increasing Melee, Bullet, and Shrapnel resistances by 10% each level, giving a total of 50% at Ironman x5.
In one try, I successfully completed a standard game on Ultra-Violence with 100% kills as a conqueror and fully won the game, and the game itself was trivial to complete.
Some highlights:
MAJOR BUG: I somehow overlooked this until late into the game, but with Ironman x5 and Berserk, resistances for Melee, Bullet, and Shrapnel went uncapped and actually reached 110%, where I literally was taking zero damage to those types while Berserk. The issue I believe is Ironman doesn't have a cap set. It would also be good to ensure there is a cap for the natural resistances to Plasma, Acid, and Fire.
Minor bug: When picking up Azrael's Scythe, for some reason the game messaged "You don't have an Azrael's Scythe!" I'm not sure if this was because it was the first time picking it up for this player profile, but it looked odd.
The Marine's natural resistances are actually a huge buff not only in general, but for the early bonus levels as well. Hell's Arena was much easier with damage reduction against Cacodemons and Barons, and similar for The Chained Court with Arena Master and more Barons. This actually adds a lot more incentive to play Marine instead of just Scout all the time now and think it's great!
I definitely experienced the increase in Chainsaw generation as I happened to find two of them after The Chained Court.
On top of Vampyre being very powerful, I was also fairly fortunate with gear as I got Red Armor (O), Hellwave Pack (great for clearly Limbo/The Mortuary), and an Assault Shotgun.
I exited Limbo with 200% health, despite not using any healing items or cheesing to heal. I even played aggressively and had no issues.
My kill count was 1,337 lol.
With Beta 2 of the new version out, there's lots of theorycrafting about balance. One concern right now is Vampyre, which is already very strong, but has indirectly been given a lot of buffs with the Marine now having 20% natural resistance to Plasma, Acid, and Fire, and Ironman increasing Melee, Bullet, and Shrapnel resistances by 10% each level, giving a total of 50% at Ironman x5.
In one try, I successfully completed a standard game on Ultra-Violence with 100% kills as a conqueror and fully won the game, and the game itself was trivial to complete.
Some highlights:
MAJOR BUG: I somehow overlooked this until late into the game, but with Ironman x5 and Berserk, resistances for Melee, Bullet, and Shrapnel went uncapped and actually reached 110%, where I literally was taking zero damage to those types while Berserk. The issue I believe is Ironman doesn't have a cap set. It would also be good to ensure there is a cap for the natural resistances to Plasma, Acid, and Fire.
Minor bug: When picking up Azrael's Scythe, for some reason the game messaged "You don't have an Azrael's Scythe!" I'm not sure if this was because it was the first time picking it up for this player profile, but it looked odd.
The Marine's natural resistances are actually a huge buff not only in general, but for the early bonus levels as well. Hell's Arena was much easier with damage reduction against Cacodemons and Barons, and similar for The Chained Court with Arena Master and more Barons. This actually adds a lot more incentive to play Marine instead of just Scout all the time now and think it's great!
I definitely experienced the increase in Chainsaw generation as I happened to find two of them after The Chained Court.
On top of Vampyre being very powerful, I was also fairly fortunate with gear as I got Red Armor (O), Hellwave Pack (great for clearly Limbo/The Mortuary), and an Assault Shotgun.
I exited Limbo with 200% health, despite not using any healing items or cheesing to heal. I even played aggressively and had no issues.
My kill count was 1,337 lol.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)