Linley's Dungeon Crawl - Revision history

Furey: Send some references to wikipedia. Fixes two redlinks.

2024-06-18T15:23:50Z

Send some references to wikipedia. Fixes two redlinks.

Furey: /* External links */ http -> https. replace dead pages with archive captures.

2024-06-15T19:47:55Z

‎External links: http -> https. replace dead pages with archive captures.

Furey: Move interwiki links. Fix roguebasin links.

2024-06-15T19:38:45Z

Move interwiki links. Fix roguebasin links.

Pinkbeast: Typo

2023-09-30T23:59:46Z

Typo

Umbire the Phantom: word choice

2023-03-08T09:42:50Z

word choice

Hordes: Some touch-ups

2023-03-08T05:01:17Z

Some touch-ups

Hordes: /* Differences in gameplay */ reword the last BP

2022-12-30T21:46:17Z

‎Differences in gameplay: reword the last BP

Hordes: /* Differences in gameplay */ overuse of parenthesis

2022-12-30T21:39:22Z

‎Differences in gameplay: overuse of parenthesis

Hordes: Ramparts and Starburst were introduced in the "positional magic" update of DCSS 0.25

2022-09-14T18:43:01Z

Ramparts and Starburst were introduced in the "positional magic" update of DCSS 0.25

Schneelocke: x -> ×

2022-09-08T22:05:29Z

x -> ×

@@ Line 58: / Line 58: @@
 An 80x24 window is large enough to show the entire map of a NetHack level, which assists player awareness.
-Crawl's manual is better organised than the NetHack [[Guidebook]]. Crawl's manual, a text file, keeps the less important material in appendixes, and shuns long alphabetic lists by presenting things in groups. A separate text file describes the options. Meanwhile, NetHack's Guidebook uses [[troff]] or [[TeX]] formatting, so that the [[DevTeam]] may create pretty PostScript and HTML versions of the Guidebook, not only plain text files.
+Crawl's manual is better organised than the NetHack [[Guidebook]]. Crawl's manual, a text file, keeps the less important material in appendixes, and shuns long alphabetic lists by presenting things in groups. A separate text file describes the options. Meanwhile, NetHack's Guidebook uses [[wikipedia:troff|troff]] or [[wikipedia:TeX|TeX]] formatting, so that the [[DevTeam]] may create pretty PostScript and HTML versions of the Guidebook, not only plain text files.
 ==External links==

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 ''Crawl'' links:
 *[http://www.dungeoncrawl.org/ Official Dungeon Crawl site] (no longer updated)
-*[http://crawl.develz.org/ Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup] Continuation of development
+*[https://crawl.develz.org/ Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup] Continuation of development
-*[http://crawl.akrasiac.org/ crawl.akrasiac.org] ''Crawl'' [[public server]]
+*[https://crawl.akrasiac.org/ crawl.akrasiac.org] ''Crawl'' [[public server]]
 *[http://crawl.chaosforge.org/Crawl_Wiki Dungeon Crawl wiki]
 External references:
-*[http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2007/03/_play_before_learning_to_walk.php @ Play: Before Learning to Walk, One Must First Crawl], the [[@ Play]] column for ''Crawl''
+*[https://web.archive.org/web/20210731054452/http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2007/03/_play_before_learning_to_walk.php @ Play: Before Learning to Walk, One Must First Crawl], the [[@Play]] column for ''Crawl''
-*[http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2010/01/column_play_crawlapalooza_part.php Crawlapalooza Part 1, Skills and Advancement], the first article of a series of [[@Play]] articles about ''Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup''.
+*[https://web.archive.org/web/20210921012114/http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2010/01/column_play_crawlapalooza_part.php Crawlapalooza Part 1, Skills and Advancement], the first article of a series of [[@Play]] articles about ''Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup''.
 [[Category:Roguelikes]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 '''''Linley's Dungeon Crawl''''' (often called ''Dungeon Crawl'' or simply ''Crawl'') is a [[roguelike]] game in a fantasy setting. Though ''NetHack'' has inspired many features of ''Crawl'', the two games are very different.
 ==Origin==
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 * While NetHack starts out with distinct, separate rectangular [[room]]s connected with [[corridor]]s, Crawl starts out with more complex level designs, such as adjacent rooms, parallel corridors, pillars, and multiple staircases to the same level.
-Crawl characters have better vision, too. If you give enough attention to the first dungeon branch in both games, you will notice the difference between NetHack's dark corridors and Crawl's lit corridors. If you play Stone Soup, your characters will see very well around corners, because of the [http://roguebasin.roguelikedevelopment.org/index.php?title=Permissive_Field_of_View Permissive Field of View]. Vision in Stone Soup is symmetric, so if you can see the monster then the monster can see you. But Crawl limits the radius of vision; a Crawl player may be unable to see monsters on the other side of a large room, but NetHack players always see as far as possible in lit areas.
+Crawl characters have better vision, too. If you give enough attention to the first dungeon branch in both games, you will notice the difference between NetHack's dark corridors and Crawl's lit corridors. If you play Stone Soup, your characters will see very well around corners, because of the [[roguebasin:Permissive Field of View|Permissive Field of View]]. Vision in Stone Soup is symmetric, so if you can see the monster then the monster can see you. But Crawl limits the radius of vision; a Crawl player may be unable to see monsters on the other side of a large room, but NetHack players always see as far as possible in lit areas.
 However, Crawl has subtle differences from NetHack that seriously affect how one plays the game. This presentation of the differences may be overly general, not to apply in all situations, so beware.
@@ Line 58: / Line 61: @@
 ==External links==
 ''Crawl'' links:
 *[http://www.dungeoncrawl.org/ Official Dungeon Crawl site] (no longer updated)

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 ==Comparisons==
-Crawl and NetHack seem very similar in some ways. ''Note: as Stone Soup has gone through over 15 years of active development, differences will be noted in itallics.''
+Crawl and NetHack seem very similar in some ways. ''Note: as Stone Soup has gone through over 15 years of active development, differences will be noted in italics.''
 * The goal in both games is to retrieve a special thing from the dungeon. NetHack players seek the [[Amulet of Yendor]], while Crawl players want the Orb of Zot. To open the way to the special thing, the player must perform the [[invocation ritual]] in NetHack or must collect runes of Zot in Crawl. Then one must return upward, carrying the special thing out of the dungeon.

@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 However, Crawl has subtle differences from NetHack that seriously affect how one plays the game. This presentation of the differences may be overly general, not to apply in all situations, so beware.
 * '''Skills are much more important than class in Crawl.''' Instead of 4 (or 6) granular levels of training, Crawl has numerical skills, up to level 27. Barring a few racial gimmicks (the cat species, Felid, can't use weapons/armour), every character can learn every skill to its maximum. Your class only defines what skills, stats, and items you start with. Your race defines how fast you learn skills, as well as certain gimmicks.  However, the direction you then go is entirely up to you.  <br>You could start as a melee-focused Hill Orc Fighter, learn spellcasting from scrolls, read a spellbook, and spend the rest of the game as a spellcaster. (''Stone Soup allows you to train any skill at any time - no need for scrolls.''). However, fighting monsters without enough skill is even more perilous; think getting hit 16 times from a hydra from one slow swing.
-* '''Gods are both more numerous and unique.''' Instead of 3 alignments, and deities varying only in name, Crawl features 12 (''26 in Stone Soup'') gods. A large majority of them are not assigned at the start, instead picked in the very early dungeon (requiring to find the god's altar to do so). Though most lack any noticeable conduct, gods define your character. Each one has multiple unique abilities and/or passive buffs.
+* '''Gods are both more numerous and unique.''' Instead of 3 alignments, and deities varying only in name, Crawl features 12 (''26 in Stone Soup'') gods. A large majority of them are not assigned at the start, instead picked in the very early dungeon (requiring that you find the god's altar to do so). Though most lack any noticeable conduct, gods define your character. Each one has multiple unique abilities and/or passive buffs.
 * '''The identification game is dramatically streamlined.''' Crawl players are much more likely to blindly consume items, especially scrolls, in order to ID them. It's often the only way to identify, ''and all consumables in Stone Soup are identified on use even if they did nothing''. There are few, if any, special 'tricks' like [[price identification]]. The only other reliable method of identify is the scroll, which requires blind use to find. Players do this because '''there are few incredibly nasty bad items in Crawl.''' There's nothing like the [[scroll of amnesia]] (although an item by such a name with a good effect exists!) or the possibility of a confused self-[[genocide]].  ''[[Curse]]s have been removed, and their only effect was to be stuck to the player. Now, armor, weapons, jewellery, and wands are completely auto-identified when you step on their tile.''
 * '''Crawl encourages the player to advance downward quickly''', while NetHack players may linger on upper levels. Once a level is cleared, there is little reason to remain there.  NetHack players like to linger to regenerate or to sacrifice at an [[altar]], and may encounter several battles even when traveling up through the dungeon. Of course, players of both games will travel up to escape monsters or to visit their [[stash]]es. ''* Stone Soup has disabled random monster generation, and older versions would spawn extremely out of depth monsters if you stayed too long.''

@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 However, Crawl has subtle differences from NetHack that seriously affect how one plays the game. This presentation of the differences may be overly general, not to apply in all situations, so beware.
 * '''Skills are much more important than class in Crawl.''' Instead of 4 (or 6) granular levels of training, Crawl has numerical skills, up to level 27. Barring a few racial gimmicks (the cat species, Felid, can't use weapons/armour), every character can learn every skill to its maximum. Your class only defines what skills, stats, and items you start with. Your race defines how fast you learn skills, as well as certain gimmicks.  However, the direction you then go is entirely up to you.  <br>You could start as a melee-focused Hill Orc Fighter, learn spellcasting from scrolls, read a spellbook, and spend the rest of the game as a spellcaster. (''Stone Soup allows you to train any skill at any time - no need for scrolls.''). However, fighting monsters without enough skill is even more perilous; think getting hit 16 times from a hydra from one slow swing.
-* '''Gods are both more numerous and unique.''' Instead of 3 alignments and deities varying only in name, Crawl features 12 (''26 in Stone Soup'') gods. A large majority of them are not assigned at the start, instead picked in the very early dungeon (requiring the god's altar to do so). Though most lack any noticable conduct, gods define your character. Each one has multiple unique abilities and/or passive buffs.
+* '''Gods are both more numerous and unique.''' Instead of 3 alignments, and deities varying only in name, Crawl features 12 (''26 in Stone Soup'') gods. A large majority of them are not assigned at the start, instead picked in the very early dungeon (requiring to find the god's altar to do so). Though most lack any noticeable conduct, gods define your character. Each one has multiple unique abilities and/or passive buffs.
 * '''The identification game is dramatically streamlined.''' Crawl players are much more likely to blindly consume items, especially scrolls, in order to ID them. It's often the only way to identify, ''and all consumables in Stone Soup are identified on use even if they did nothing''. There are few, if any, special 'tricks' like [[price identification]]. The only other reliable method of identify is the scroll, which requires blind use to find. Players do this because '''there are few incredibly nasty bad items in Crawl.''' There's nothing like the [[scroll of amnesia]] (although an item by such a name with a good effect exists!) or the possibility of a confused self-[[genocide]].  ''[[Curse]]s have been removed, and their only effect was to be stuck to the player. Now, armor, weapons, jewellery, and wands are completely auto-identified when you step on their tile.''
 * '''Crawl encourages the player to advance downward quickly''', while NetHack players may linger on upper levels. Once a level is cleared, there is little reason to remain there.  NetHack players like to linger to regenerate or to sacrifice at an [[altar]], and may encounter several battles even when traveling up through the dungeon. Of course, players of both games will travel up to escape monsters or to visit their [[stash]]es. ''* Stone Soup has disabled random monster generation, and older versions would spawn extremely out of depth monsters if you stayed too long.''
@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 * '''Magic is generally much more powerful and accessible.''' Any character can learn (almost) every skill, and skills are the most important part of casting. Spellbooks come with multiple spells, there are more spells in general, and players will not forget them over time. Even low-level spells can provide useful or potentially life-saving effects.  On the other end of the spectrum, high-level magic is by far the most damaging thing in the game, dealing over 7-8x what an endgame melee weapon will do.  In turn, most high-level player deaths will be from magic, not melee.
 All these elements combine into one final difference, a summary point that applies mostly to Stone Soup:
-* '''Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup is a game streamlined for combat'''. NetHack focuses a lot of the out of combat, 'dungeoneering' experience. An adventurer's [[bag of holding]] might hold many miscellanous tools (musical instruments, magic markers, spare unicorn horn, water-walking boots, junk scrolls to blank later, junk potions to dilute later, huge piles of food, collection of valuable gems) to exploit. Stone Soup calls that clutter. <br><br> There is strikingly little non-combat interaction: while strategic character-building has been maintained, identification has been stripped of complexity, inventory management has continously been streamlined, and 'creative' spoilery functions mostly do not exist. They fit in well with NetHack's geeky tone and reference-based humor. But once a player knows how to dip for [[Excalibur]], Crawl's DevTeam could cut the process out and give it randomly to the player, reducing 'noob trap' potential. Instead of flavor, Stone Soup's focus lies in adding replayability and tense, combat-focused scenarios. <br><br>This mentality ultimately comes from the fact that DCSS is a much, much younger game: forked from Linley's Crawl roughly 20 years post-NetHack, and actively developed for over 15 years afterwards - in an era where 'spoilers' are commonly used, acceptable, and available. Even the game itself features a much more robust database than NetHack.
+* '''Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup is a game streamlined for combat'''. NetHack focuses a lot of the out of combat, 'dungeoneering' experience. An adventurer's [[bag of holding]] might hold many miscellaneous tools (musical instruments, magic markers, spare unicorn horn, water-walking boots, junk scrolls to blank later, junk potions to dilute later, huge piles of food, collection of valuable gems) to exploit. Stone Soup calls that clutter.
 ==Differences in interface and documentation==

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 * '''The identification game is dramatically streamlined.''' Crawl players are much more likely to blindly consume items (especially scrolls) in order to ID them. It's often the only way to identify, ''and all consumables in Stone Soup are identified on use even if they did nothing''. There are few, if any, special 'tricks' like [[price identification]]. The only other reliable method of identify is the scroll, which requires blind use to find. Players do this because '''there are few incredibly nasty bad items in Crawl.''' There's nothing like the [[scroll of amnesia]] (although an item by such a name with a good effect exists!) or the possibility of a confused self-[[genocide]].  ''[[Curse]]s have been removed, and their only effect was to be stuck to the player. Now, armor, weapons, jewellery, and wands are completely auto-identified when you step on their tile.''
 * '''Crawl encourages the player to advance downward quickly''', while NetHack players may linger on upper levels. Once a level is cleared, there is little reason to remain there.  NetHack players like to linger to regenerate or to sacrifice at an [[altar]], and may encounter several battles even when traveling up through the dungeon. Of course, players of both games will travel up to escape monsters or to visit their [[stash]]es. ''* Stone Soup has disabled random monster generation, and older versions would spawn extremely out of depth monsters if you stayed too long.''
-* '''NetHack restricts shooting to eight directions.''' It is a tradition that will not disappear; it enhances [[strategy]] greatly by allowing monsters (especially those annoying [[unicorn]]s) to be out of your line of fire. Crawl has a targeting system that allows you to shoot arbitrarily nearby targets within your field of view, plus all of the extra controls that such a system requires. Stone Soup's symmetric vision allows you and monsters to trade shots around corners. Instead, many of Crawl's spells have unique targeting systems: Fireball creates a 3&times;3 explosion, Frozen Ramparts freezes enemies adjacent to walls, and Starburst fires in all 8 cardinal directions (whenever you like it or not)''. Ranged options have a comparably shorter range as a result.
+* '''NetHack restricts shooting to eight directions.''' It is a tradition that will not disappear; it enhances [[strategy]] greatly by allowing monsters (especially those annoying [[unicorn]]s) to be out of your line of fire. Crawl has a targeting system that allows you to shoot arbitrarily nearby targets within your field of view, plus all of the extra controls that such a system requires. Stone Soup's symmetric vision allows you and monsters to trade shots around corners. Instead, many of Crawl's spells have unique targeting mechanics: Fireball creates a 3&times;3 explosion, ''Frozen Ramparts freezes enemies adjacent to walls, and Starburst fires in all 8 cardinal directions (whenever you like it or not)''. Ranged options have a comparably shorter range as a result.
 * '''NetHack has containers.''' NetHack players like to use [[chest]]s, while Crawl players drop items on the ground. As a more-than-compensation, Crawl features an elaborate "stash" system which tracks the location of all objects ever seen, easily accessible with a CTRL-F. ''*In DCSS, items can never be damaged, and once-seen items are never picked up by monsters. Various item removals and the removal of all weight make things even easier.''
 * '''NetHack seems to give more emphasis to arbitrary uses for objects than Crawl.''' In Stone Soup, there is explicitly only one mechanical use per item, and even in Linley's Crawl there weren't that many. You drink [[Potion#Thrown potions|potions]], but can't throw them at enemies. You can zap wands, but are unable to [[engrave]] or [[Wand#Breaking_wands|break]] them.