Crawl 0.16: Ru asks you to sacrifice your free time! This is a trivial butt

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Crawl 0.16: Ru asks you to sacrifice your free time! This is a trivial butt

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ZeeToo: Feb 20, 2008; I'm a kitty!

What is Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup?
Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup is a popular, free roguelike game focusing on tactics, balance, variety and a lasting challenge. A roguelike is generally a turn-based RPG, with an emphasis on randomly generated worlds, a high depth of play, huge menageries of monsters, and some MacGuffin you have to dig up and escape with. Most roguelikes use ASCII characters for graphics, though an increasing number utilize graphical tiles, like Crawl. Roguelikes are usually very tough to beat, and death is often permanent: once you're dead, you're dead.

Crawl is unique in its design philosophy, with a focus on eliminating a lot of the annoyances of the genre, while focusing on the strengths.

Major design goals:

challenging and unpredictable gameplay, with an emphasis on tactical skill
meaningful decisions (no no-brainer, works-every-time-with-every-character play choices)
grinding should be unnecessary, even discouraged
a simplified and elegant interface, with a helpful tutorial and mouse support for new players

Minor design goals:

clarity of design (playable without the need for external spoilers)
thematic consistency (no lightsaber-wielding orcs)
replayability and lasting challenge (with optional branches, multiple race/background/god choices, and optional challenges)
proper use of out-of-depth monsters

This culminates in an accessible roguelike with a compelling play experience, with tough but fair challenges, and the tools to win under your own steam. When you do die (and you will), the cause is usually clear (if not completely preventable), as well as how you can overcome it the next time around.

What's new in 0.16?

Two new gods! Ru, god of ascetic sacrifices for power, and Gozag, god of gold and avarice.
Massively improved interface changes: you can see your success rate for hexes and wands, see enemy defense levels, read their spell lists and see their success chances...
Major reworking of chunks. Chunks stack no matter source, no messing around with rotting chunks. Ghoul players rejoice.
Redone randart generation.
Fake languages! If you want your game to speak to you in an exciting scream, fake dwarfish, or by randomly replacing words with butt, or even all at once, you now can.
Elyvilon's piety gain has been extensively reworked. Healer background removed.
Shoal's tides have been substantially improved. It cycles fifteen times faster, and only land to shallow water and back. No more appearing bridges as deep water becomes shallow.
Many minor improvements, enemy brands ID on sight, new spells and enemies, shadow traps added, new unrands including a dual-wielded quickblade pair, and rather a lot more.

Screenshots!
WebTiles (on CSZO):

ASCII (again on CSZO):

How do I play Crawl?
You can download the offline builds here. The offline versions of Crawl are available in ASCII and graphical tiles formats for Windows, Mac OS X, Debian/Ubuntu, and an Android Tiles port. The development builds (Android port is located here) can also be downloaded which allow you to play the most recent experimental beta releases and test out the new additions being considered for the next stable release.

However, one of Crawl's biggest selling points is the ability to play online through various methods - read on!

Why and how to play online
If you use either an SSH client or the WebTiles interface, you can connect to one of the Crawl servers and play along with dozens of other people, or watch those who are playing. Here are some of the perks of online play:

People can spectate as you play, and with WebTiles' integrated chat window, spectators can now talk amongst themselves as well as with the game player
Your game saves and play statistics are tracked centrally and are available from any computer
Every game you play is recorded by the server, and can be replayed in whole or in part, or otherwise examined for later analysis, bragging, and mockery
You get to meet and fight the ghosts of other players, rather than just your own
You can play in the annual and version-release tournaments

Purists can play or spectate via console (see sections 'The Servers' and 'The Software'), while for those who like the graphical interface, various servers offer WebTiles functionality - a web interface which mimicks the offline Tiles build, and even has an integrated chat window for the player and spectators to talk in.

Places to play Crawl online
CAO: crawl.akrasiac.org - long-serving Crawl server located in Tucson, Arizona. Offers console and WebTiles. The website which tracks player wins and statistics is now back online at crawl.akrasiac.org/scoring
CBRO: crawl.berotato.org - Georgia-based server, supports WebTiles. Very notable for hosting interesting experimental branches; currently including five possible races, two new gods, and the mostly-joking nostalgia branch that brings back many things that should never have been brought back.
CDO: crawl.develz.org - Germany-based server for the Europeans among us, supports console only.
CKR: kr.dobrazupa.org Korea-based server. Webtiles-only.
CUE: European (German) server - Formerly CLAN. It's just changed its URL, but it's the same one that's been maintained all along by goon TZer0. (Give him props, he rules.)
CSZO: crawl.s-z.org - Pennsylvania-based server, supports console and WebTiles as well as cross-interface spectating and chat. The most popular server among online players at present.
There are more; if none of these suit you, check the full list here.

If you play online, you can see information about your games at http://crawl.akrasiac.org/scoring/players/<yourname>.html - e.g. http://crawl.akrasiac.org/scoring/players/zermako.html . It's neat!

This game is very hard. Where can I get help?
In keeping with roguelike tradition, Crawl is indeed an excruciatingly difficult game at times. Fortunately, there are many resources available to assist you (some considerably more reliable than others!):

##crawl - the official Dungeon Crawl IRC channel. Has a pair of bots (Sequell and Cheiabrios) that can be queried for up-to-date info on monsters & other crawl info.
##gooncrawl - the SA Crawl IRC channel.
LearnDB - a searchable repository of Crawl lore. Almost always up to date & accurate, but sometimes its terseness and in-jokes do it no favors. :siren:

Newly restored to functionality, :siren:

for those who got out of the habit when it broke.
The Tavern - the official Dungeon Crawl forum. Not a very good place to go for help, but still better than...
~~CrawlWiki~~ - community-maintained, notoriously out-of-date and of highly variable quality. Do not assume anything you read here is true or that any advice is sound.

Beyond learning the basic mechanics of the game, probably the best way to improve is to talk about and play the game online. Online play allows other people to give you pointers on mistakes you may be making without realising, and there are usually friendly goons around in IRC who will be happy to advise you.

You can also check out the LP thread, which has writeups of completed games (won & lost) to learn from. Activity is dying off right now, but that just means there's lots of runs to read.

Threads from previous versions

Crawl 0.15: Terrifying, Ever-Gnashing Radulae
Crawl 0.14: You feel energized by your suffering!
Crawl 0.13: FoIE GrAs: You are engorged.
Crawl 0.12 Erolcha banished me and gave me apocalypse crabs
Crawl 0.11 Eight legs and it's not an Octopode: Welcome to Spider
Crawl 0.10: Your tentacles turn into razor-sharp scythe blades
Crawl 0.9: A meow rips itself from your throat
Crawl 0.8: Mennas II Society
Crawl 0.7: The Dying Game
Crawl 0.6: Slouching towards The Abyss
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup 0.5.0: Now with less Oklob!
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup 0.4.0
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup 0.3.0

ZeeToo fucked around with this message at 06:30 on Jul 1, 2015

# ? Mar 13, 2015 01:58

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# ? Apr 18, 2024 01:24

Lawman 0: Aug 17, 2010

Oh hell yeah new thread time. :getin:

# ? Mar 13, 2015 02:01

LogicNinja: Jan 21, 2011; ...the blur blurs blurringly across the blurred blur in a blur of blurring blurriness that blurred...

quote:

minor improvements

quote:

shadow traps added

# ? Mar 13, 2015 02:10

I Love You!: Dec 6, 2002

Posting again to mention (I'm not sure if this is new) that in .16 sometimes your health bar will not update upon rejoining a game. Be sure you aren't actually getting hurt but not noticing it and lose a 15-rune powerhouse character like I did today!

# ? Mar 13, 2015 02:11

Dirk the Average: Feb 7, 2012; "This may have been a mistake."

Hey, so quick question - is there a way to make it so that the interface when playing online is identical to the interface when playing the offline tiles version? I miss the inventory tray, spell tray, and monster trays when playing online since I have a hard time remembering what options I have available otherwise and am not practiced at hitting the right keys to quaff/read/eVoke consumables/etc.

# ? Mar 13, 2015 02:32

tote up a bags: Jun 8, 2006; die stoats die

Is there a way to see if our tournament teams are being spotted by the server? I'm using the Japan server and im worried!

edit: Yay!

second edit: "She Identified My Wand Just By Holding It" heh

tote up a bags fucked around with this message at 02:45 on Mar 13, 2015

# ? Mar 13, 2015 02:34

vOv: Feb 8, 2014

Stoat posted:

Is there a way to see if our tournament teams are being spotted by the server? I'm using the Japan server and im worried!

That reminds me, what's your username? I need to add the teamcaptain line to my rcfile.

# ? Mar 13, 2015 02:36

SirSamVimes: Jul 21, 2008; ~* Challenge *~

Posting these just so they're on the first page.

SirSamVimes fucked around with this message at 03:16 on Mar 13, 2015

# ? Mar 13, 2015 02:37

tote up a bags: Jun 8, 2006; die stoats die

vOv posted:

That reminds me, what's your username? I need to add the teamcaptain line to my rcfile.

# TEAMCAPTAIN Stoats

# ? Mar 13, 2015 02:43

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

fuckin Ru

# ? Mar 13, 2015 02:47

LazyMaybe: Aug 18, 2013; oouagh

I can't wait to die repeatedly on the tourny

# ? Mar 13, 2015 02:48

Prism: Dec 22, 2007; yospos

I Love You! posted:

Posting again to mention (I'm not sure if this is new) that in .16 sometimes your health bar will not update upon rejoining a game. Be sure you aren't actually getting hurt but not noticing it and lose a 15-rune powerhouse character like I did today!

This is not a new bug, it's been happening to me for ages. Since at least the 0.15 tournament and it might have been earlier than that. It actually gives you a pure black bar, you can see it against some tiles. I've reported it, but since I can't figure out how to reproduce it I don't think my report was very helpful.

Saving and reloading it fixes it, though. Still, sucks to hear about your character.

# ? Mar 13, 2015 02:49

kaschei: Oct 25, 2005

SirSamVimes posted:

Posting these just so they're on the first page.

OP should replace the Killer Klown with one of these IMO (obviously the felid vs. the fleshy butt)

# ? Mar 13, 2015 02:50

resistentialism: Aug 13, 2007

That's mnoleg.

# ? Mar 13, 2015 02:56

SirSamVimes: Jul 21, 2008; ~* Challenge *~

kaschei posted:

OP should replace the Killer Klown with one of these IMO (obviously the felid vs. the fleshy butt)

I think you mean the starcursed butt. :colbert:

Edit: Is it just me or did CSZO just die?

SirSamVimes fucked around with this message at 03:02 on Mar 13, 2015

# ? Mar 13, 2015 03:00

kaschei: Oct 25, 2005

I thought it was actually a malign buttway/eldritch butt? But fleshy is funnier

# ? Mar 13, 2015 03:02

Dr. Despair: Nov 4, 2009; 39 perfect posts with each roll.

SirSamVimes posted:

I think you mean the starcursed butt.

Edit: Is it just me or did CSZO just die?

Seems dead to me.

# ? Mar 13, 2015 03:02

Arrhythmia: Jul 22, 2011

SirSamVimes posted:

Oh please, post the finished version.

# ? Mar 13, 2015 03:15

SirSamVimes: Jul 21, 2008; ~* Challenge *~

Amendment made!

Man, that MiBe has kinda lovely loot luck if he's at V5 without a cloak or a hat. At least Trog blessed him with an electrocutioner's axe.

SirSamVimes fucked around with this message at 03:21 on Mar 13, 2015

# ? Mar 13, 2015 03:17

Floodkiller: May 31, 2011

SirSamVimes posted:

Amendment made!

Man, that MiBe has kinda lovely loot luck if he's at V5 without a cloak or a hat. At least Trog blessed him with an electrocutioner's axe.

That's all a minotaur really needs, after all.

Also, I appreciate "Formicide Is Painless" and "Strawberry Felids Forever".

# ? Mar 13, 2015 03:28

LogicNinja: Jan 21, 2011; ...the blur blurs blurringly across the blurred blur in a blur of blurring blurriness that blurred...

quote:

u - the +3 ring mail of the Will of the Gods (worn) {Stlth+}
M - the +0 pair of boots of the Will of the Gods (worn) {rElec rPois Dex-5}

Guys, I think there's a bug. I'm not getting my set bonus.

# ? Mar 13, 2015 03:54

Tollymain: Jul 9, 2010; by Jeffrey of YOSPOS

Arrhythmia posted:

i can identify the minotaur and the troll, but what's the big one with the rock?

# ? Mar 13, 2015 04:01

meatpath: Feb 13, 2003

So do your points just stack all games played in the tourney for a final total score?

I'm excited. :3:

# ? Mar 13, 2015 04:06

Lawman 0: Aug 17, 2010

Tollymain posted:

i can identify the minotaur and the troll, but what's the big one with the rock?

Probably a stone giant?

# ? Mar 13, 2015 04:11

Lawman 0: Aug 17, 2010

Fun fact: I just remebered I had a level 26 GrIe in 0.14 today. :cool:

# ? Mar 13, 2015 04:14

tote up a bags: Jun 8, 2006; die stoats die

68k posted:

So do your points just stack all games played in the tourney for a final total score?

I'm excited.

Yeah but my strategy of "get 15,000 demonspawn chaos knights murdered by D:5" doesnt really add up to that many points.

# ? Mar 13, 2015 04:18

Internet Kraken: Apr 24, 2010; slightly amused

resistentialism posted:

That's mnoleg.

Speaking of Mnoleg, how dangerous is she now? She used to be a pretty big chump but I dunno how nasty her new tentacle hair is.

# ? Mar 13, 2015 04:29

Arrhythmia: Jul 22, 2011

Tollymain posted:

i can identify the minotaur and the troll, but what's the big one with the rock?

a petrified :frog:

# ? Mar 13, 2015 04:37

Ugly John: Jul 18, 2009; [img]https://forums.somethingawful.com/attachment.php?postid=514899866[/img]

So, what's everybody's goals for this tournament?

I'm hoping for a 15-runer, and more than one win this time.

# ? Mar 13, 2015 04:41

ZeeToo: Feb 20, 2008; I'm a kitty!

Tollymain posted:

i can identify the minotaur and the troll, but what's the big one with the rock?

Formicid in statue form, I think.

# ? Mar 13, 2015 04:42

SirSamVimes: Jul 21, 2008; ~* Challenge *~

I'm assuming it's a stone giant trogbro. If only we could actually get them as bros...

Edit: Oh wait, he DOES have a cloak.

SirSamVimes fucked around with this message at 04:45 on Mar 13, 2015

# ? Mar 13, 2015 04:42

Internet Kraken: Apr 24, 2010; slightly amused

Its an earth elemental he evoked.

# ? Mar 13, 2015 04:43

Ramc: May 4, 2008; Bringing your thread to a screeching halt, guaranteed.

~Just so this is here~

Lucy in the Abyss With Demons

#Teamcaptain Ramc

1- DocEon
2- ???
3- Contrafunktus?
4- doctordoom
5- Smello

If you want in (and are reading this thread) Jazzimus let me know~!

# ? Mar 13, 2015 04:54

Roctavian: Feb 23, 2011

That troll is doing a poo poo job

# ? Mar 13, 2015 04:55

hito: Feb 13, 2012; Thank you, kids. By giving us this lift you're giving a lift to every law-abiding citizen in the world.

Internet Kraken posted:

Its an earth elemental he evoked.

Notice the troll is fighting the guard as well. It's a troll/stone giant from Brothers In Arms

# ? Mar 13, 2015 04:59

Arrhythmia: Jul 22, 2011

Roctavian posted:

That troll is doing a poo poo job

shields are really strong on monsters okay? lay off he's doing his best.

# ? Mar 13, 2015 05:00

Brannock: Feb 9, 2006; by exmarx; Fallen Rib

Internet Kraken posted:

Its an earth elemental he evoked.

FR: Stone of Tremors earth elementals throw large rocks.

That'd make Tremors actually worth using, and give it a niche compared to the other elemental evokers -- ranged attacks.

# ? Mar 13, 2015 05:02

MOVIE MAJICK: Jan 4, 2012; by Pragmatica

resistentialism posted:

That's mnoleg.

Did they change Mnoleg's tiles? Is she a giant sphere now?

# ? Mar 13, 2015 05:24

kickascii: Mar 30, 2010

I started another goon team in case anyone else is still looking for one.

Drop it like it's Zot
----------------------------
1. kickascii
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

put
TEAMNAME kickascii

on the top of your rc file, and let me know your crawl name so I can add you.

# ? Mar 13, 2015 05:26

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# ? Apr 18, 2024 01:24

Mr. Lobe: Feb 23, 2007; ... Dry bones...

When's someone gonna update the dang offline version of trunk? I much prefer it to the interface on webtiles.

# ? Mar 13, 2015 05:27

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Crawl 0.16: Ru asks you to sacrifice your free time! This is a trivial butt

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