User:Tubs

I don't know:

Should every playthrough be winnable?

Facts:

Frustraiton != fun

   BoH exploding (improved in many variants)
   Wands exploding, potions exploding
   Secret doors/corridors are shit and I hate them.
   Sokoban, you have to do it, it's an exercise in not fat-fingering
       Is that what all of nethack is???

Playthroughs should be random

   e.g. big room % chance
   e.g. quest
   Bigger scale, I'd like each playthrough to only see ~1/4 of the total branches

Players should have to adapt to situations

   There must not be an "ascension kit"
   SLASH'EM has techniques/spells for resistances, don't allow intrinsics (or such easy access to)?
   

Gameplay should be non-modal

   Keep the purity of nethack and all the current variants, items are cool, menus aren't.

Elitism is bad

   I don't mean attitude, but features that require knowledge
   Stuff should auto-ID, FIQHack does this and it is great
   Way more info must be available in-game:
       pokedex is a great start, add a blurb to each mob for that.
       slex has item descriptions, expand on this

Trash is OK

   Even with all that, it's still fun to have random crap monsters spawning
   Everyone has died to a 'trice while ignoring battle spam from otherwise harmless monsters

Dungeon:

   More, smaller, branches - the alignment quests in dnh are cool, the role quests in all variants are cool, the gnomish mines are cool.
   Don't want an optimal path through branches, definitely don't want a forced path:
       Intro branch, mostly vanilla, should be reasonably short for experienced nethack players.
       Hub world, portals to each branch selected for this playthrough, locked behind doors, doors require earlier branches to proceed, etc.

   Each branch should have a goal/theme, e.g. the entire amulet schtick, most common ending would be a "boss fight", but it would be nice if some had an alternative, but challenging, ending.

   Levels should be "flatter", i.e. travel horizontally.
   More level location variety, not sure if this will be noticable/worth the effort?
       More dungeon themes, moria is cool, arcadia is cool, filler dungeons get tiresome.
       Special rooms are a good balance between fixed levels and boring levels.
       Similar to rooms, fixed "features" inside random levels.

   Travel is kinda frustrating, provide local-branch-port (checkpoints).
       Lock to branch once in, no going home until branch complete, is this just artificially limiting choice?

Hub:

   Merchants
       Have to be "worse" than the merchants in dungeons though
   Trainers
       Allow basic skill in crappy weapons, don't have all of them
   PET MAN
       Deposit pets with pet man, choose pet that suits branch before you embark
   Mercenaries
       Basically player-character pets, hire ones that suit branch
       Unlock more/better mercs via unlocks/time/reputation

Character progression:

   Role/race selection at start shoehorns playstyle; back to rogue, everyone starts a blank slate
   Binder is a super fun concept because the player doesn't know what's happening next... but it's a bit too random?
   Experience levels are arbitrary but they do work, I'd love to get rid of them?
       Keep skill experience, that makes sense.
       Require trainer to unlock next level, not guaranteed to get Expert in an given skill in any given playthrough - adapt to what you have?

   I think it was MOO that did the "present three choices, choose one" for tech first - perhaps on "level-up", offer three rewards from a deck, so player can choose but it's still somewhat up to fate.
           Completely random?
           Rarity on cards?

Combat:

   Combat is OK as it is, the "limitations (e.g. 8-way ranged)" give the player freedom to exploit, and therefore adapt.
   A.I. can demonstrate idiocy... (if the wand of mm didn't work the first time, it won't work the second. AND STOP HITTING YOUR FRIENDS) might be the hardest thing to improve

   More focus on low-cooldown abilities! These are great and mean you have to think.
   
   Squads, I like squads, should be expanded on, player characters are fun, squads of them are funner.
       Hidden faction hatred that can spawn squads?

   Bosses SHOULD REQUIRE TACTICS
       Bosses that aren't just meatbags are way more memorable.
       Give bosses unique abilities with cooldowns, not just more hit dice.
       I'd like boss fights to last a reasonable amount of time.

General:

* Alignment should play a much bigger role
* Alignment should change how you play, e.g. knight's conduct, monk's vegetarianism, etc.
* Neutrality should be about balance, not Lovecraftian mythology (though that certainly wants to make an appearance).
* Alignment should be chosen at the start of the game (in the hub, not in a menu).
* Alignment should progress at the same rate as the game (i.e. it's not trainable, it increases at specific, required points, i.e. killing the wizard, completing the quest, or whatever the analogous events are in tubhack).