random flavor question

[Hariolor]

I started playing roguelikes as a little tyke with Moria on my parents' Atari ST. I later also played a few dos-based games whose names I do not recall (in one you siege a castle, the other you had to explore a creepy mansion).

I have been playing V for about a year now, and mostly just lurking around on the forums. One question I've had is whether Angband (in V or some variants) has had or is planned to have more interactive dungeon features. Even in old Moria I recall (through the fog of years) that there were various statues and altars that had different effects depending on your race/class/etc that were generated. Some of the other roguelikes I played that had more static maps even included more complex trap/door/puzzle mechanisms.

I am not sure all of the above are appropriate for Angband, but I recall fondly praying in front of an altar, hoping for a blessing but as often summoning some nasty that would come and kill me.

Anyway, like the title says, this is really just a flavor issue - I am neither complaining nor making a request. I just wonder if anyone else remembers these sorts of features, and whether they do/will/should be brought back.

[HallucinationMushroom]

I too, remember the black and white flickering Moria screen as a youth. The altars and praying and whatnot you mention though, sounds very much like Nethack, a different branch on the roguelike tree from angband. Check out the nethack wiki, wikihack, if I recall correctly (spoilertastic) if you want a quick stroll through nostalgia. Check out their extensive guides on altars. I recently played a game of nethack and sacrificed a unicorn on the wrong altar, thus getting blasted out of existence from a God. So far, my most interesting Nethack death.

[Pete Mack]

If you want Altars in an angband variant, there's UnAngband, and there's ToME (2.3.5, unless you want to play the 3.0 alpha.)

Both have some tricks, but for the most part the tricks aren't as arbitrary as NetHack.

[fph]

Originally Posted by HallucinationMushroom

So far, my most interesting Nethack death.

You must be new to Nethack

[BSVeteran]

Originally Posted by Hariolor

I am not sure all of the above are appropriate for Angband, but I recall fondly praying in front of an altar, hoping for a blessing but as often summoning some nasty that would come and kill me.

Loved ADOM for this - you couldn't assume that the gods would respond as reliably to your prayers as casting magic in Vanilla!

I personally play TOME almost exclusively these days, and piety is a distinct aspect with its own flavour unlike Vanilla where it is almost like magic.

[Hariolor]

Larn - I was thinking of Larn


as you were...

[Nightmarjoo]

I guess this is kind of related to op's post, but I was wondering if a Random Unique system would ever be implemented as an option in Angband, like random artifacts.

[Sirridan]

Originally Posted by Nightmarjoo

I guess this is kind of related to op's post, but I was wondering if a Random Unique system would ever be implemented as an option in Angband, like random artifacts.

Oooh I was thinking of that! The only thing that would be hard, is one would have to balance unique power versus depth, something not *as* important for artifacts, but that shouldn't be too difficult... Some uniques though should remain, like Sauron / Morgoth obviously, the ringwraiths, Witch king and such

[Hariolor]

for a long time I actually thought the northern men and petty dwarves and such were randomly generated. Until I got better at diving and ran into the same ones over and over...

A random unique for wyrms would be really cool. Maybe for trolls, orcs, vampires.

It would certainly make the countless pits cooler to have a random unique leading each one.

[will_asher]

One easy way to do it would be to create a random name for every orc captain, ogre chieftain. Or maybe just have a chance to turn each of those types of monsters into a random unique (give it a name and a litte extra HP). Maybe also for master thieves and ranger chieftains and some similar monsters.
Giving random uniques random magic spells and attributes would be a lot more complicated. You'd have to make it a random monster race name too, because finding a lightning-breathing orc or a nether-bolt casting ranger chieftain would be silly.