Forum:Any changes in favor of the player in 3.6.0?
I am by no means an expert player, but I am definitely an experienced player. I have played thousands of games of 3.4.3, and ascended many times, in a variety of roles (although not ALL roles), with multiple ascensions in a few roles.
I have played 3.6.0 hundreds of times and I've yet to ascend. My most recent loss that stunned me went like this: I was a level 16 Arc with 157 HP and an AC of -11 in the Arc quest, with EVERY SINGLE resistance except stoning resistance. I was twoweaponing with MagicBane (for magic resistance) and a silver saber and I was wearing an amulet of reflection. I had already cleared the mines AND Fort Ludios, killing multiple dragons, etc. I got to the Minion of Huhetotl without breaking much of a sweat, but in a matter of 3 or 4 turns, my HP went from 157 to 114 to 53 to 24 to dead - REALLY? The Minion summoned nasties (nothing TOO scary), and they did some of the damage, but with my AC of -11, I would have expected much less damage. I was wearing a ring of conflict and the nasties seemed much more interested in attacking me than attacking each other. Did conflict change from 3.4.3 to 3.6.0?
To the point of the title of this post - every change from 3.4.3 to 3.6.0 which I have encountered has been something to the disadvantage of the player, making the game harder, or possibly adding no value at all, such as the scrambling of scroll names, which serves no purpose I can see. Elbereth may as well just go away since a semi-permanent Elbereth can be scuffed just from standing on it ... which defeats its purpose. Oh, and inventory stacking is broken, unless it's been fixed in 3.6.1. For example, in 3.4.3, blanking a bunch of potions at a fountain and then doing "#adjust x x" would stack all the "uncursed potions of water" under "x" (if "x" started as an uncursed water), but it takes at least 2 and usually 3 tries in 3.6.0.
Were ANY of the changes in 3.6.0/3.6.1 intended to advantage the player? Or was the full intent of the version to make an already difficult game more difficult? I've gotten to the Astral Plane ONCE in 3.6.0, (and that was after finding a wand of wishing on level 3 or so), and I immediately died from Angel missiles. I had changed my cloak of magic resistance for an oilskin cloak in the Plane of Water, not realizing that I had to be WEARING the Eye of the Aethiopica for magic resistance in 3.6.0 instead of just carrying it. The portal in the Plane of Water appeared beneath me, I showed up in the Astral Plane generating conflict (without magic resistance) and I lasted, like, 2 more turns, my amulet of life saving disintegrated, and then I was done 2 or 3 turns later.
Is it my imagination? I feel like I have a pretty good sample size to compare, and it's something like one ascension every 30 or 40 games in 3.4.3 vs. ZERO ascensions in about 300 games in 3.6.0.
Respectfully,
