Chaosforge Forum

DoomRL => Requests For Features => Topic started by: LuckyDee on April 20, 2012, 12:18

Title: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: LuckyDee on April 20, 2012, 12:18
I think the Mancubus rank is placed poorly within the experience rank system. For example, take a look at the signatures on the forum; hardly any mention currently being a Mancubus.

I finally managed to obtain this rank in my last Ao100 run, and this was only because I found an Invulnerability which I used to clubber the last melee kill I needed to death. Had I not found this sphere at that exact moment: my next and current run is an AoMr (which I still need the Silver for) and I'm only 2 pistol kills short of becoming a Hell Knight (which I've already made) - and the number of kills required for both ranks is hugely different.

It's not much of an issue, but it does make me think that these chubby bastards do not get the credit they deserve (http://forum.chaosforge.org/index.php/topic,5528.0.html) this way. Maybe the requirements for achieving the Hell Knight rank should be raised a bit. Alternatively, switch both ranks and increase the requirement for Mancubus by a few melee/pistol kills.
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: Creepy on April 20, 2012, 14:19
I think Mancubi are a lot more dangerous than a Hell Knight; we don't tell horror stories of Hell Knights decimating you in a single volley, and a pair of Knights with an Archvile is only going to get attention because of the Archvile. Mancubi are a whole 'nother threat level.
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: MaiZure on April 20, 2012, 18:59
These experience ranks are relics of a old DoomRL which haven't evolved with the game. Lots of suggestions have come about how they need to be rebalanced or changed/removed completely. The issue hasn't actually made the dev tracker so who knows when it will happen. When the devs do get around to thinking about it, they will have 5+ years worth of ideas to dig for in these threads. We'll see what happens!
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: Napsterbater on April 21, 2012, 00:03
Currently playing Ao100 on UV, Hell Knights are spelling the end to every character I try to make past level six. I almost invariably drop into a level where I have to deal with two of them flanking me. Thinking I'm going to need to take Reloader and Juggler to start off with, and hold on to three or four shotguns, if only so I can keep the fuckers at bay. Feels like an abuse of the system to me, but it seems like the only way to survive.
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: Klear on April 21, 2012, 05:47
Currently playing Ao100 on UV, Hell Knights are spelling the end to every character I try to make past level six. I almost invariably drop into a level where I have to deal with two of them flanking me. Thinking I'm going to need to take Reloader and Juggler to start off with, and hold on to three or four shotguns, if only so I can keep the fuckers at bay. Feels like an abuse of the system to me, but it seems like the only way to survive.

You could invest in hellrunner to increase your chances to run/dodge your way to a safer place.
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: Zecks on April 21, 2012, 06:02
I think they're hell barons you're having problems with? Their standard depth is 12+ and the modifier for UV/N! is -6. A single rank of reloader is more than enough for HK's.
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: Klear on April 21, 2012, 06:54
I'm a novice to UV and I can attest that the fact that the knights are the first serious obstacles. They are easy enough to dispatch when they are single, but more of them comming from different directions are deadly. Barons are just more of the same turned up to 11.
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: Napsterbater on April 21, 2012, 11:40
You could invest in hellrunner to increase your chances to run/dodge your way to a safer place.
Yeah, I'm starting to try masterless runs and Hellrunner is usually my first or third pick after Juggler. Unfortuately that really cuts back on my firepower.  My problem seems to be tactical rather than strategic. Or maybe I'm just really unlucky. I've gotta learn how to actually use Juggler.

Quote from: Zecks
I think they're hell barons you're having problems with? Their standard depth is 12+ and the modifier for UV/N! is -6. A single rank of reloader is more than enough for HK's.
It would be if I didn't have to keep facing two of them out in the open at dlev 4. What invariably happens is I'm corner shooting a HK just out of melee range when a fucking imp or chaingunner or something shows up on the other side, demanding my attention. If I deal with the imp, then I get a HK in my face, if not, I take a ton of damage from the HK/imp/chaingunner/sergeant. Heck even former humans wear you down if you ignore them long enough.  My first plan was to take EE/SoB/TH, but that leaves no room for HR/Rel if shit gets real hairy, and it invariably does around level five or so.

UV maps are just way too busy. Usually in HMP I can count on the fact that the next room is probably empty if I drop into one with a ton of baddies. Now I can't.
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: Napsterbater on April 21, 2012, 13:06
Okay, it's not so bad if I lug around 3 or 4 shotguns to switch to using Juggler. Good thing I really don't need all that ammo during the early game. You can get the effect of a tactical shotgun if you're willing to sacrifice like 5 inventory slots. Shoot, press '2' for pistol while chaingun's in the prepared slot, press '3' for shotgun to bring a loaded shotgun back into your hands, then fire again. Reloading's a pain, but you do what you have to do. Hold on to that pistol, it's important.
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: Klear on April 21, 2012, 13:09
Okay, it's not so bad if I lug around 3 or 4 shotguns to switch to using Juggler. Good thing I really don't need all that ammo during the early game. You can get the effect of a tactical shotgun if you're willing to sacrifice like 5 inventory slots. Shoot, press '2' for pistol while chaingun's in the prepared slot, press '3' for shotgun to bring a loaded shotgun back into your hands, then fire again. Reloading's a pain, but you do what you have to do. Hold on to that pistol, it's important.

Meh... too exploity to me. I decided not to take juggler until it gets reworked.
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: Napsterbater on April 21, 2012, 13:23
Err, that *was* the reworking. You used to not be able to do that in 0.9.9.5, if you switched to a weapon, it would switch to the one with the least amount of ammo, specifically to prevent the "tac shotty" effect. But then I read that behavior was reversed for 0.9.9.6.

It's a bit cumbersome, but I don't consider it an exploit. I think what they really should have done was make it so switching weapons, period, whether through the prepared slot or numbers or inventory was instantaneous. That's basically what this allows.
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: Creepy on April 22, 2012, 01:33
This was actually mentioned in a Juggler thread about a month back; the whole "arbitrary use of quick-keys for Juggler" thing is intended to be changed or phased out. Juggler as-is can give anyone instant access to any weapon in their inventory, since you adjust what the quick-keys grab for. This is unintentional and we were told to expect it to be adjusted to, yannow, not work that way. So a lot of players think of it as kinda exploit-y.

One of the suggestions was to make Juggler a two-level trait, with the first working as actually intended (Swap equipped and prepared instantly, use melee from prepared if you have it) and the second level letting you get weapons from the inventory at the same speed. Another was just to keep it one-level but let people get stuff from the inventory at a discount instead of taking a full second (And again swapping equip/prepare slots instantly). Either way, don't expect to quick-key your way to a ghetto tac shotty in the next version, I guess. At least not without a second level in it, if they run that way.
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: Matt_S on April 22, 2012, 02:19
Before I restarted my player data, I think I was at Mancubus rank for a long time.  Now I'm again at Mancubus rank.
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: Motorheadbanger on April 22, 2012, 03:48
Maybe you are the mancubus?
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: Klear on April 22, 2012, 05:52
Isn't a mancubus originally a demon well suited to seduce women, the male counterpart to succubi? In that view it can be a flattering observation.
Or maybe Matt_S is just a fatass with two rocket launchers =)
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: Uranium on April 22, 2012, 06:08
Isn't a mancubus originally a demon well suited to seduce women, the male counterpart to succubi?
You're thinking of an incubus.
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: Klear on April 22, 2012, 06:12
Oh, right. Fatass it is, then. =)
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: Ander Hammer on April 22, 2012, 16:51
Isn't a mancubus originally a demon well suited to seduce women, the male counterpart to succubi?

implement succubus mob.
Title: Re: Mancubus Experience Rank
Post by: Klear on April 22, 2012, 16:57
I guess it would have to be womancubus, if we are to keep with the Doom terminology