[3.1.0] ID and Stacks (bug? - status?)

[ClaytonAguiar]

Hi,

Playing 3.1.0 (yeah, I know most here call it "old" - but it's the "official release", right?). If you're carrying any id'ed staff (for example, "Staff of Teleport (10 charges)") and find another one, both are merged automatically, and the charges are added (as stacks should work).

Is it a bug? Or a "strange" feature? I tried to search for "stack" in this forum, but the 200+ messages discouraged me.

It's very easy to reproduce.

EDIT: Before 3.1.0, they stacked just after ID'ing both staves.

[PaulBlay]

Originally Posted by ClaytonAguiar

Hi,

Playing 3.1.0 (yeah, I know most here call it "old" - but it's the "official release", right?). If you're carrying any id'ed staff (for example, "Staff of Teleport (10 charges)") and find another one, both are merged automatically, and the charges are added (as stacks should work).

Is it a bug? Or a "strange" feature? I tried to search for "stack" in this forum, but the 200+ messages discouraged me. .

It's as designed. I don't like it much, but I can see the logic (if I squint).

[Magnate]

Originally Posted by PaulBlay

It's as designed. I don't like it much, but I can see the logic (if I squint).

It is very painful for using up charges though. You end up carrying huge numbers of devices, when you actually want to drop most of them and keep only one or two with a decent number of charges on. I end up going to great lengths inscribing things so that they won't stack, so that I can empty one and keep a fuller one.

This could be made a lot easier with a "drop empty device" command: if a stack with one fewer would average out at less than the max (or other number of) charges per device, drop an empty one. If not, print an error message saying how many more charges must be used. That way you can keep dropping empties and still have a decent number of charges in the last one.

[PaulBlay]

Originally Posted by Magnate

This could be made a lot easier with a "drop empty device" command: if a stack with one fewer would average out at less than the max (or other number of) charges per device, drop an empty one. If not, print an error message saying how many more charges must be used. That way you can keep dropping empties and still have a decent number of charges in the last one.

I don't want to introduce another command though. How about this:

Wands / staves have a "maximum charge" value. (e.g. a staff of *Destruction* has 1+d3 charges so the maximum charge is 4). If you have more than one staff of *Destruction* and the average number of charges per staff is less than half the maximum charge then assume one of the staves is empty. Automatically split off the empty staves into a separate slot (if no slots are free, drop them).

When shopkeepers buy empty staves the number of staves on sale is not increased (assume they can sell the empty staves back to the original manufacturer for a small deposit).

This way you can't exploit the system (by ending up with one staff of *Destruction* with 30 charges) but you never have to worry about ending up with 30 staves with one charge each. Best of all no additional key pressing is required.

[EDIT] Oh, for the sake of realism it should only be checked when you use a staff / wand, not when you drop or pick up a staff. Otherwise you could get the silly situation where you pick up a staff with one charge and it automatically drops down with zero charges.

[ClaytonAguiar]

Hi again.

I know the staves stack and add their charges, like wands. But previous releases of vanilla stacked them just when both staves were id'ed (in other words, when I could see the number of charges of both staves).

The current implementation lets you know the number of charges without id'ing. For me, it's a "half-cheat". Sorry if anybody disagree. It's just my opinion.

[buzzkill]

I'd be careful throwing out words like "half-cheat" around here, without the obligatory smiley face .

Them's fightin' words!

[ClaytonAguiar]

Originally Posted by buzzkill

I'd be careful throwing out words like "half-cheat" around here, without the obligatory smiley face .

Them's fightin' words!

Sorry.

I was trying to say that, with this behaviour, I feel almost like cheating, because I get an ID "for free", if comparing to previous releases. But I like it.