Heh, the former. Don't retire now though, keep rockin'! :D
We'll see. :) I'm debating whether to get one of the "easier" Diamonds for my fifteenth like Destroyer just to get it over with, or if I should try for something more spectacular like one of the never achieved ones, like Marksman, Inquisitor, or Everyman. I have ideas for builds for all three of those, but nothing I've pulled off yet.
Whenever an enemy dies, the game checks to see what you're holding in order to determine what weapon was used to kill it. So long as you have "nothing" in that weapon slot, it'll count as killing with your fists. (If you have anything to refute this, I would be interested in seeing it.)
All I have is this mortem from early on in this version:
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DoomRL (v.0.9.9.4) roguelike post-mortem character dump
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Tormuse, level 10 Imp Sergeant Marine,
nuked the Cyberdemon. on level 26 of the Phobos base.
He survived 94954 turns and scored 57383 points.
He played for 1 hour, 45 minutes and 55 seconds.
He was too young to die!
He killed 487 out of 487 hellspawn. (100%)
This ass-kicking marine killed all of them!
-- Special levels --------------------------------------------
Levels generated : 6
Levels visited : 6
Levels completed : 6
-- Awards ----------------------------------------------------
Explorer Badge
Medal of Prejudice
Conqueror Badge
Hell Champion Medal
Heroic Bronze Badge
Skull Bronze Badge
Lava Bronze Badge
-- Graveyard -------------------------------------------------
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-- Statistics ------------------------------------------------
Health 180/90 Experience 48865/10
ToHit Ranged +0 ToHit Melee +6 ToDmg Ranged +0 ToDmg Melee +9
-- Traits ----------------------------------------------------
Class : Marine
Ironman (Level 3)
Tough as nails (Level 1)
Brute (Level 3)
Berserker (Level 1)
Badass (Level 1)
Vampyre (Level 1)
Bru->Bru->Ber->Bru->Bad->MVm->Iro->Iro->Iro->TaN->
-- Equipment -------------------------------------------------
[a] [ Armor ] tactical armor [1/1] (100%)
[b] [ Weapon ] nothing
[c] [ Boots ] tactical boots [1/1] (100%)
[d] [ Prepared ] nothing
-- Inventory -------------------------------------------------
[a] modified blue armor [4/4] (100%) (P)
[b] modified red armor [6/6] (100%) (P)
[c] modified red armor [6/6] (100%) (P)
[d] Cybernetic Armor [7/7] (100%)
[e] large med-pack
[f] large med-pack
[g] large med-pack
[h] large med-pack
[i] large med-pack
[j] large med-pack
[k] large med-pack
[l] large med-pack
[m] large med-pack
[n] large med-pack
[o] large med-pack
[p] large med-pack
[q] envirosuit pack
[r] lava element
[s] Arena Master's Staff
-- Resistances -----------------------------------------------
Bullet - internal 0% torso 15% feet 0%
Shrapnel - internal 0% torso 15% feet 0%
-- Kills -----------------------------------------------------
89 former humans
68 former sergeants
26 former captains
66 imps
44 demons
122 lost souls
16 cacodemons
10 barons of hell
1 Cyberdemon
15 hell knights
1 arachnotron
1 John Carmack
5 former commandos
2 pain elementals
11 arch-viles
5 mancubi
1 revenant
2 bruiser brothers
1 lava elemental
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 4 he stormed the Chained Court.
On level 4 he found the Arena Master's Staff!
He defeated the Hell Arena Master!
On level 4 he assembled a tactical armor!
On level 10 he assembled a tactical boots!
Level 13 was a hard nut to crack!
On level 13 he found the Acid Spitter!
On level 13 he witnessed the Wall.
He massacred the evil behind the Wall!
On level 14 he ventured into the Halls of Carnage.
On level 15 he encountered the Phobos Hellgate.
On level 17 he found the City of Skulls.
He wiped out the City of Skulls.
On level 19, hell just froze!
On level 21 he stumbled into complex full of former humans!
On level 23 he entered the Lava Pits.
On level 23 he found the Cybernetic Armor!
He managed to clear the Lava Pits completely!
Then at last he found Phobos Arena!
He nuked level 25!
He defeated the Cyberdemon and found the TRUE EVIL!
He overloaded a nuclear plasma rifle on level 26!
Then finally in hell itself, he killed the final EVIL.
-- Messages --------------------------------------------------
This is it. This is the lair of all evil! What will you meet here?
Are you sure you want to overcharge the nuclear plasma rifle? This will
overload the nuclear reactor... [Y/n] You overcharge the nuclear
plasma rifle! Warning! Explosion in 10 seconds! Warning! Explosion in
9 seconds!
Warning! Explosion in 8 seconds!
Warning! Explosion in 7 seconds!
Warning! Explosion in 6 seconds!
Warning! Explosion in 5 seconds!
Warning! Explosion in 4 seconds!
Warning! Explosion in 3 seconds!
Warning! Explosion in 2 seconds!
Warning! Explosion in 1 seconds!
You feel relatively safe now. Congratulations! You defeated John
Carmack! Press <Enter>...
-- General ---------------------------------------------------
3 brave souls have ventured into Phobos:
1 of those @was killed.
2 souls destroyed the Cyberdemon...
1 sacrificed itself for the good of mankind.
1 killed the bastard and survived.
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I was trying to get Sunrise Iron Fist as Conqueror. When I didn't get the SIF badge, I assumed it was because I nuked JC with a Nuclear Plasma Rifle. It was the only instance in the game that I wielded a weapon. (aside from the chainsaw, which I quickly unwielded, and my starting pistol, which I also quickly unwielded before fighting anything) On further reflection, it could be that I didn't get SIF because I died with the nuke. Perhaps it doesn't count as a victory if you nuke JC the same as if you nuke the Cyberdemon?
Incidentally, is it really only if something dies while you have a weapon in your hand? Does that mean you can, for example, break down The Wall with a rocket launcher and still get SIF? ...or hit Cybie with a few BFG blasts and then finish him off with your fists and still get SIF?
@Game Hunter, your description of how the game processes weapon usage made me curious, and I think I just discovered an easier way to get Demonic Diamond! If you have Juggler trait and a melee weapon in your prepared slot, but your hands are empty, it still counts as a fist kill, even though you're using the melee weapon! I just confirmed this with this mortem:
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DoomRL (v.0.9.9.4) roguelike post-mortem character dump
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Tormuse, level 6 Arch-Vile God Hand Scout,
defeated the Cyberdemon on level 25 of the Phobos base.
He survived 20088 turns and scored 25109 points.
He played for 23 minutes and 27 seconds.
He was too young to die!
He killed 133 out of 322 hellspawn. (41%)
-- Special levels --------------------------------------------
Levels generated : 5
Levels visited : 1
Levels completed : 0
-- Awards ----------------------------------------------------
Sunrise Iron Fist
Minor Icarus Cross
Compet-n Silver Cross
-- Graveyard -------------------------------------------------
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-- Statistics ------------------------------------------------
Health 35/50 Experience 11743/6
ToHit Ranged +0 ToHit Melee +4 ToDmg Ranged +0 ToDmg Melee +6
-- Traits ----------------------------------------------------
Class : Scout
Finesse (Level 1)
Tough as nails (Level 1)
Brute (Level 2)
Juggler (Level 1)
Berserker (Level 1)
Bru->Fin->Jug->Bru->Ber->TaN->
-- Equipment -------------------------------------------------
[a] [ Armor ] Medical Powerarmor [4/4] (82%)
[b] [ Weapon ] nothing
[c] [ Boots ] protective boots [2/2] (100%)
[d] [ Prepared ] chainsaw (4d6)
-- Inventory -------------------------------------------------
[a] pistol (2d4) [6/6]
[b] rocket launcher (6d6) [1/1]
[c] modified green armor [1/1] (47%) (A)
[d] green armor [1/1] (14%)
[e] blue armor [1/2] (15%)
[f] blue armor [1/2] (19%)
[g] red armor [4/4] (87%)
[h] 10mm ammo (x20)
[i] small med-pack
[j] small med-pack
[k] small med-pack
[l] large med-pack
[m] large med-pack
[n] large med-pack
[o] large med-pack
[p] large med-pack
[q] large med-pack
[r] homing phase device
[s] envirosuit pack
[t] sniper weapon pack
-- Resistances -----------------------------------------------
Bullet - internal 0% torso 60% feet 60%
Melee - internal 0% torso 60% feet 60%
Shrapnel - internal 0% torso 60% feet 60%
Acid - internal 0% torso 60% feet 85%
Fire - internal 0% torso 60% feet 60%
Plasma - internal 0% torso 60% feet 60%
-- Kills -----------------------------------------------------
28 former humans
11 former sergeants
6 former captains
32 imps
1 demon
29 lost souls
7 cacodemons
4 barons of hell
1 Cyberdemon
6 hell knights
3 arachnotrons
1 former commando
2 pain elementals
1 revenant
1 bruiser brother
-- History ---------------------------------------------------
He started his journey on the surface of Phobos.
On level 5 he stormed the Chained Court.
He left level 6 as soon as possible.
On level 10 he found the Medical Powerarmor!
On level 15 he encountered the Phobos Hellgate.
He left level 24 as soon as possible.
Then at last he found Phobos Arena!
On level 25 he finally defeated the Cyberdemon.
-- Messages --------------------------------------------------
You need to taste blood!
You are hit! That hurt! You' going berserk! You need to taste blood!
The Cyberdemon reloads his rocket launcher. You need to taste blood!
You need to taste blood!
You hit the Cyberdemon. You need to taste blood!
You need to taste blood!
The Cyberdemon reloads his rocket launcher. You need to taste blood!
You hit the Cyberdemon. You need to taste blood!
You hit the Cyberdemon. You're going berserk! Boom! That hurt! You' going
berserk! You need to taste blood!
You hit the Cyberdemon. You need to taste blood!
You hit the Cyberdemon. The Cyberdemon reloads his rocket launcher. You
You see : a Cyberdemon (mortally wounded) [m]ore | pool of blood
You miss the Cyberdemon. You need to taste blood!
You hit the Cyberdemon. The Cyberdemon dies. You feel relatively safe
now. Congratulations! You defeated the Cyberdemon! Press <Enter>...
-- General ---------------------------------------------------
491 brave souls have ventured into Phobos:
416 of those were killed.
27 didn't read the thermonuclear bomb manual.
And 17 couldn't handle the stress and committed a stupid suicide.
31 souls destroyed the Cyberdemon...
7 sacrificed itself for the good of mankind.
24 killed the bastard and survived.
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Note the chainsaw in my prepared slot. It made a chainsaw sound and did chainsaw damage, but I still got Sunrise Iron Fist! If this had been publicly known, I suspect we would have seen Demonic Diamond achieved much sooner; Taking out Cybie with the Longinus Spear would be a lot easier than punching him to death. :)