Amiga ACS 1997 #5/amigaacscoverdisc1997-051997.i/games/shareware/adom020/adom/adom.faq

Text File | 1997-08-14 | 26KB | 609 lines

        =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
           =-=-=  The Official ADOM FAQ File  =-=-=
           =-=-=-=       Version 2.03       =-=-=-=
           =-= Last change: 26/11/1996 =-=
            =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

This document answers some of the most frequenty asked questions about
ADOM.  If you feel that anything important is missing, please send
suggestions to Erwin Mascardo, who is the official maintainer of the ADOM
FAQ.  He can be reached at [e-mail].

Table of Contents
=================

Items marked with a `*' are new additions since the last release.  Items marked
with a `#' have been edited since the last release.

==================
Section 1: General
==================

1.1: What does ADOM stand for?
#1.2: What is the current version of ADOM?
#1.3: What hardware platforms can run ADOM?
#1.4: Where on the Internet can I find support and information about ADOM?
1.5: Where can I get the source code for ADOM?
1.6: What happened to the spoilers that were once in this file?
1.7: I have a suggestion/comment regarding the game.  Where do I send it?
1.8: I've discovered a bug in ADOM.  How do I report it?
1.9: Where do you draw the line in this file between spoiler-type and
     non-spoiler-type answers?

=============================
Section 2: Burdens of Command
=============================

2.1: I've just upgraded to a new version, and the README file says that several
     new commands and functions have been added.  However, I can't seem to
     use them.  What gives?
2.2: How do I light a torch?
2.3: How do I extinguish a torch?
2.4: How do I use lock picks?
2.5: What is Ventriloquism good for?
2.6: Is there a command that allows you to rest safely in order to regain
     hit points and power points?
2.7: What does `Continuous Search' (keystroke `ws') mean?
2.8: What is the `T'actic command for?
#2.9: I can use the `W'eapon command to see my hand weapon damage, but how do I
      see my kick or missile damage?
2.10: Is there any way to identify monsters at a distance?  I'd like to know
      if that gray `L' is a cave lizard or a karmic lizard...
2.11: How do I use my Bridge Building skill?
#2.12: I can't put points into Bridge Building!  Why not?

===========================
Section 3: Playing the Game
===========================

Section 3.1: The Basics
-----------------------

3.1.1: What is the Drakalor Chain?
3.1.2: Where is the Village Dungeon?  It's nowhere on my map!
3.1.3: I can't keep myself fed.  How do I avoid dying from starvation?
3.1.4: I'm doing several of the above things already, and I'm *still* starving.
       Now what?
3.1.5: How come I don't benefit from eating raw meat?
3.1.6: I ate a stomfillia herb, and instead of feeding me, it caused me to die
       of starvation!  Why?
3.1.7: I've been poisoned!  How do I cure it?
3.1.8: How come my Neutralize Poison spell didn't work?
3.1.9: What can I do with colored pools?
3.1.10: What can I do with a waterproof blanket?
3.1.11: How do I stop the killer bees from coming out of their hive, or the
        giant ants from their hole?
3.1.12: How come, no matter what I do, my alignment seems to gravitate
        inexorably toward Lawful?  I wanna become a Champion of Chaos!
3.1.13: I've gotten the Poison Hands chaos power, and every food item I touch
        gets poisoned!  Is there a way around this?
3.1.14: I picked up a `strange item'.  A few dozen turns later, I notice that
        I have ten of them!  What's going on?
3.1.15: How do I kill a karmic creature without becoming cursed or doomed?
3.1.16: I ran into a named Rock Giant Lord on the second level of the Village
        Dungeon!  I thought this place wasn't supposed to be this tough!
3.1.17: Speaking of impossibly hard monsters, I'm in the cave just NW of
        Terinyo with a 15th level Barbarian, and I've got rats punching
        through my dragon scale mail!
3.1.18: How do I get logs for Bridge Building or Fletchery?
3.1.19: I can never finish cutting a tree down because I keep getting hungry!
        How can I avoid this?
3.1.20: I'm trapped on a level with a thousand brown worms, and they keep
        multiplying faster than I can kill them!  Is this fair?

Section 3.2: Player Abilities
-----------------------------

3.2.1: How come my Defensive Value keeps shifting up and down by a point or two
       for no apparent reason?
3.2.2: How do I make myself resistant to special attacks?
3.2.3: How come I'm still getting hurt by fire attacks when I'm wearing a ring
       of fire resistance?
3.2.4: How do I learn to read, if I started out totally illiterate?
3.2.5: What about the other skills that I don't know?
3.2.6: I'm playing a Mindcrafter, and the game crashes when I attempt to use my
       Teleport Control power.  Why?
3.2.7: How come my combat abilities suffer so much when I wield 2 weapons?
3.2.8: I've gotten myself the `doomed' intrinsic.  What does that mean?

Section 3: Matters Arcane
-------------------------

3.3.1: What do the different altar colors mean?
3.3.2: How can I tell if an item is cursed?
#3.3.3: How do I get rid of a cursed item?
3.3.4: I've learned the spell `divine wrath'.  It lets me fire lightning
       bolts.  Am I missing something?
3.3.5: What do all the numbers on the spellcasting menu mean?
3.3.6: What's all this I hear about corruption?
3.3.7: Okay, so corruption is a Bad Thing.  How do I get rid of it, then?
3.3.8: What use is a holy symbol?

********
The List
********

==================
Section 1: General
==================

1.1: What does ADOM stand for?

ADOM is an acronym for `Ancient Domains Of Mystery'.

#1.2: What is the current version of ADOM?

The current game version is 0.9.4.

#1.3: What hardware platforms can run ADOM?

A 386 or better PC running DOS, Linux (now available in ELF and a.out format),
NT, or OS/2.  An Amiga 3000 with a hard disk and minimum 2 MB RAM.

#1.4: Where on the Internet can I find support and information about ADOM?

If you are looking for discussion about ADOM (or would like to start a
discussion (: ) you should try the newsgroup
                 rec.games.roguelike.misc

Announcements concerning ADOM are posted to
                rec.games.roguelike.announce

The latest version of ADOM can be found via FTP at
        crescent.dartmouth.edu
in the directory
        /adom

The old AOL ftp site will no longer be available due to cost reasons.

A little while after the latest version is released you will also be able to
find it at the official roguelike games site at
                ftp.win.tue.nl
in the directory
                /pub/games/adom
(This site will be faster for European users.)

If you would like to use your Web browser you can find the official
official ADOM website at
                http://members.aol.com/AdomDev/index.html

Clinton Smith has a fine ADOM web page at
        http://www.iinet.net.au/~festive/adom.html
This site contains searchable copies of this FAQ and Charlie Ball's ADOM
Strategy Guide.

Derek Ludwig hosts an ADOM web page at
        http://user.holli.com/~dludwig/adom.html
Here you'll find the largest current collection of spoilers, official and
otherwise, as well as downloads of the latest version.

1.5: Where can I get the source code for ADOM?

If you can obtain the source, Thomas would be extremely interested in finding
out how you cracked his system's security.  As long as Thomas is working solo
on the pre-1.0.0 release, no source will be available.  Thomas has stated that
he will release the source once the game has reached version 1.0.0, to
facilitate porting to other platforms.

1.6: What happened to the spoilers that were once in this file?

The official spoilers maintainer is
                Daniel Quaroni <[e-mail]>

1.7: I have a suggestion/comment regarding the game.  Where do I send it?

Thomas' email address, for ADOM-related material *apart from* bug reports, is:
                [e-mail]
Please read the rec.games.roguelike.misc newsgroup before sending in a
suggestion, as someone else might have already made it.

1.8: I've discovered a bug in ADOM.  How do I report it?

First, be sure that the `bug' isn't actually a feature of the game.  (Things
that cause the game to crash with a fatal error message qualify, certainly, but
not all bugs cause fatal errors...and not all unexpected game behaviours are
caused by bugs.)  Second, if the game crashed with a fatal error, make a note
of the *exact* wording of the message.  Third, if the game successfully saved
itself during the fatal error crash, check to see if it restores properly.
Lastly, send your report to:
               [e-mail]

Include the version number of the game, the platform being played on (DOS or
Linux, and include your Linux version), the fatal error message (if any), and
as detailed an explanation as possible of the game state at the time of the bug
and the action (or lack thereof) that triggered it.  If you have a feeling you
know (in programming terms) what caused the bug, by all means include your
hypothesis.

Please note that even nitpicky things like typographical errors are worthy of
bug reporting.

1.9: Where do you draw the line in this file between spoiler-type and
     non-spoiler-type answers?

The astute reader will note that I haven't included a number of questions that
pop up on the newsgroup fairly frequently.  IMHO, a spoiler is information
which bypasses the problem-solving process; while a non-spoiler is information
which doesn't necessarily solve a game puzzle, but does help you get around a
problem of interface, basic survival (as opposed to direct advancement toward
victory), or something that is necessary but woefully unobvious.  Only
non-spoilers, for the most part, are included here.

=============================
Section 2: Burdens of Command
=============================

2.1: I've just upgraded to a new version, and the README file says that several
     new commands and functions have been added.  However, I can't seem to
     use them.  What gives?

You have to delete your `ADOM.KBD' and `ADOM.CFG' (DOS version) or `.adom.kbd'
and `.adom.cfg' (Linux) files whenever you upgrade.  Otherwise, the game will
happily use the old set of keybindings and configuration variables, unaware
that new functionality has been added.

2.2: How do I light a torch?

Wield the torch (either in your right or left hand).  Then use it.  In order to
make this work you also will need to have a tinderbox and flint and steel in
your backpack.

2.3: How do I extinguish a torch?

When you unwield the torch, you're asked if you want to extinguish it.  If you
answer `yes', it goes out and is placed in your backpack.  If you answer `no',
nothing happens.  (A lit torch in your backpack?  Get real.)

2.4: How do I use lock picks?

Instead of trying to *use* the lock picks, `a'pply your Pick Lock skill.  You
will automatically use the most effective lock picks that are in your
inventory.

2.5: What is Ventriloquism good for?

If you manage to use it succesfully on a monster, the monster might be confused
for two or more turns.

2.6: Is there a command that allows you to rest safely in order to regain
     hit points and power points?

Yes, actually you can use the walk-mode to do this.  Simply press `w' to
activate the walk-mode followed by `5' for the direction which makes your
character `walk on the spot' and is great for safely recovering.  You'll
automatically stop waiting if something comes near, if you get shot at, etc.

2.7: What does `Continuous Search' (keystroke `ws') mean?

Similar to `walk on the spot', this is equivalent to searching until you find
something interesting or a given number of turns (default 50) have passed.

2.8: What is the `T'actic command for?

Changing your combat tactics allows you to trade off offensive ability for
defensive ability, or vice versa.  Note that versions 0.8.0 and above show you
the numerical effect of the different tactics on the top line of the screen.
It costs you no time to change tactics, so feel free to experiment.

Warning:  if you fight too defensively, your weapon skills (v0.9.3 and up)
won't improve.

#2.9: I can use the `W'eapon command to see my hand weapon damage, but how do I
     see my kick or missile damage?

Version 0.8.3 added the `K'ick Damage command, and 0.9.0 added `M'issile
Damage.

2.10: Is there any way to identify monsters at a distance?  I'd like to know
      if that gray `L' is a cave lizard or a karmic lizard...

The `l'ook command, as of version 0.9.2, lets you move the cursor onto anything
within vision range to identify it.

2.11: How do I use my Bridge Building skill?

You need to have a log and a hatchet in your inventory.  Either put the hatchet
into your tool slot and `u'se it, or `U'se it from your backpack.

#2.12: I can't put points into Bridge Building!  Why not?

You need to have Yrrigs' Manual in your inventory, and be literate.

===========================
Section 3: Playing the Game
===========================

Section 3.1: The Basics
-----------------------

3.1.1: What is the Drakalor Chain?

The Drakalor Chain is the mountain range which is represented by the `world'
map.

3.1.2: Where is the Village Dungeon?  It's nowhere on my map!

The Village Dungeon doesn't appear until you speak to Village Elder Rynt for
the first time about Yrrigs.

3.1.3: I can't keep myself fed.  How do I avoid dying from starvation?

There are several ways to solve the food problem.  A high Food Preservation
skill will both increase the likelihood of a monster leaving a corpse when it
dies and allow you to keep a monster corpse in your inventory longer.  (If
you're playing version 0.9.0 or higher, cooking corpses will keep them
preserved even longer.)  A high Herbalism skill will help you identify a
particular herb that can feed you very well (experimentation with herbs isn't a
good idea, since the bad ones are very dangerous).  A few hundred gold pieces
and some patience can buy you a good amount of food on the arena level from the
ratling traders (although their wares aren't particularly filling, so you
*will* need a lot of them).  In an emergency, you can pray to your god if
you're in reasonably good standing (you have to be at `Hungry!' status for this
to work reliably).  Finally, if you hang around on a level where monsters come
at you hard, fast, and continuously, at least a few of them are going to drop
rations or other non-perishable food.

3.1.4: I'm doing several of the above things already, and I'm *still* starving.
       Now what?

Take off any items that make you invisible.  Invisibility drastically increases
your food consumption rate.  If that doesn't work, stop playing Trolls until
you have better luck with obtaining food, as Trolls have a high inherent rate
of food consumption.  (However, this is counterbalanced by the fact that Trolls
can eat almost anything.)

3.1.5: How come I don't benefit from eating raw meat?

Different races have different ideas of which foods are appetizing, and which
foods go down okay but don't sit too well in the stomach, and which foods do
nothing except induce vomiting, and which foods are too revolting even to think
about eating.  Starting with version 0.9.0, you can try cooking it, if you know
how to cook.

3.1.6: I ate a stomfillia herb, and instead of feeding me, it caused me to die
       of starvation!  Why?

As the name makes fairly obvious, stomfillia herbs fill your stomach -- *if*
they're not cursed.  Cursed herbs have a nasty habit of doing the opposite of
what they're supposed to do, or (in the case of herbs which are bad for you to
begin with) having worse-than-normal effects on you.

3.1.7: I've been poisoned!  How do I cure it?

Certain potions, herbs, and spells are effective in this regard.  If you're
tough enough or know the right spell, you can weather the poison's ravaging
effect on your body.  The gods can also cure poison if you're in good standing
with them.

3.1.8: How come my Neutralize Poison spell didn't work?

The effects of poisons are cumulative, and the Neutralize Poison spell only
eliminates a certain amount of poison from your system with each casting.

3.1.9: What can I do with colored pools?

You can drink from a pool.  The effects aren't always beneficial.

3.1.10: What can I do with a waterproof blanket?

If you have one of these in your backpack, it'll protect anything in the pack
from water.  It doesn't help with the items that you have equipped, however.

3.1.11: How do I stop the killer bees from coming out of their hive, or the
        giant ants from their hole?

Insect colonies have finite populations.  With bees, you can speed up the
process by disturbing the hive.

3.1.12: How come, no matter what I do, my alignment seems to gravitate
        inexorably toward Lawful?  I wanna become a Champion of Chaos!

This has become much easier as of version 0.9.0.  It shouldn't be too hard to
figure out at least one way to promote the cause of Chaos.  More ethical
problems with no one right answer are promised in future versions.

3.1.13: I've gotten the Poison Hands chaos power, and every food item I touch
        gets poisoned!  Is there a way around this?

You need to wear thick gauntlets (that is, the pair of gauntlets whose
description is `thick gauntlets').

3.1.14: I picked up a `strange item'.  A few dozen turns later, I notice that
        I have ten of them!  What's going on?

You've discovered one of the more interesting artifacts in the game:  the Si.
Its value lies not in its use, but in the manner in which you dispose of it.

3.1.15: How do I kill a karmic creature without becoming cursed or doomed?

Ranged attacks and spells don't affect your karma, as it were.  In a real
emergency, you can even kick it to death.

3.1.16: I ran into a named Rock Giant Lord on the second level of the Village
        Dungeon!  I thought this place wasn't supposed to be this tough!

When you run into a tough monster that has a name, there is an artifact
somewhere on the level (the exception here is the Si, which has no guardian).
Thomas is aware of this problem (especially when an artifact like the scorched
spear gets an amazingly powerful guardian), and says it will be toned down a
bit in 0.9.4.

3.1.17: Speaking of impossibly hard monsters, I'm in the cave just NW of
        Terinyo with a 15th level Barbarian, and I've got rats punching
        through my dragon scale mail!

The fact that you're 15th level is the reason.  The small cave to the NW of
Terinyo is meant to be a launching pad for 1st-level characters.  Its
difficulty level deliberately increases tremendously as your experience level
goes up.

3.1.18: How do I get logs for Bridge Building or Fletchery?

Cut down a tree.  Note that the wilderness is not the only place where you can
find trees to cut down...

3.1.19: I can never finish cutting a tree down because I keep getting hungry!
        How can I avoid this?

If you want to play at being a lumberjack, you'd better eat a lumberjack-sized
breakfast before you go out!

3.1.20: I'm trapped on a level with a thousand brown worms, and they keep
        multiplying faster than I can kill them!  Is this fair?

While I won't address the discussion of `fairness' in the code which handles
breeding monsters, I can supply a few pointers on how to get through this
situation.  Wielding two weapons will help you kill them faster.  Offensive
spells (particularly area effect ones) work nicely.  Closing and locking room
doors can help hem them in.  If you're dealing with gremlins and a water trap,
hack your way to the trap and sit on it till all the gremlins are dead.

Note that there is one level where this is *meant* to happen, and it was placed
as a tactical exercise.

Section 3.2: Player Abilities
-----------------------------

3.2.1: How come my Defensive Value keeps shifting up and down by a point or two
       for no apparent reason?

There's a reason for everything in ADOM, even if the reason isn't obvious to
the eye.  The most common reasons for having your DV shift is having your
hunger status shift from `Satiated' to normal, or vice versa, and having your
encumbrance status go to `Burdened' or worse, or vice versa.

3.2.2: How do I make myself resistant to special attacks?

Besides the use of suitable items, the gods have been known to grant certain
invulnerabilities to their most loyal servants.  It is also said that `you are
what you eat'.

3.2.3: How come I'm still getting hurt by fire attacks when I'm wearing a ring
       of fire resistance?

Unlike certain other Rogue-alikes, resistance isn't the same as immunity.
Resistance only protects against a given amount of damage.  However, you *can*
combine sources of resistance to improve your level of protection.  It is
possible to acquire total immunity to certain special attacks, but this is much
more difficult than gaining resistance.

3.2.4: How do I learn to read, if I started out totally illiterate?

Again, `you are what you eat'.  You need to find the corpse of an extremely
well-read monster.  Solving a certain minor quest can also help.

3.2.5: What about the other skills that I don't know?

There are many ways to learn skills, some of which are less obvious than
others.  Thomas claims that as of version 0.9.1, there are 10 different skills
that can be learned from scratch.

3.2.6: I'm playing a Mindcrafter, and the game crashes when I attempt to use my
       Teleport Control power.  Why?

Upgrade your game version.  This problem has been fixed as of version 0.9.3.
Teleport control never has to be activated manually.

3.2.7: How come my combat abilities suffer so much when I wield 2 weapons?

Actually, this depends on exactly *which* 2 weapons you're wielding.  According
to Thomas, many factors are considered when calculating the To-Hit penalties
for using 2 weapons.  Use a little common sense here; it makes more sense to
wield (say) a long sword and a dagger than a long sword and a battle axe.
Starting with version 0.9.0, developing your Two Weapon Combat skill will help
matters greatly.  Starting with version 0.9.2, developing your weapon skills
will also help.

3.2.8: I've gotten myself the `doomed' intrinsic.  What does that mean?

Just as being `lucky' or `very lucky' causes the game to fudge some internal
calculations in your favor, `cursed' and `doomed' cause the game to add a fudge
factor in the opposite direction.  Being doomed is worse than being cursed, and
the two can combine, just as `lucky' and `very lucky' are cumulative.

Section 3: Matters Arcane
-------------------------

3.3.1: What do the different altar colors mean?

White corresponds to the lawful deity, gray to the neutral, and black to the
chaotic.

3.3.2: How can I tell if an item is cursed?

Drop it on an altar (starting with version 0.8.3, the altar's alignment must
match yours).  Starting with version 0.9.0, you can develop your Detect Item
Status skill.  Be warned, however, that some particularly diabolical items
become cursed when you attempt to use them, even if they're not cursed to begin
with...

#3.3.3: How do I get rid of a cursed item?

There are again several approaches.  Dipping the item in holy water will remove
the curse, as will reading a scroll of uncursing.  A scroll of item destruction
will remove both the curse *and* the item.  If you don't mind getting roughed
up a little, find a suitable trap or monster that has the ability to destroy
the item in question, and go a few rounds with it...however, this method also
puts your other equipment in danger.  If the cursed item is a weapon, pick a
fight with a monster that has the ability to disarm you, and unless you have an
ungodly Dexterity, you'll be rid of it before you know it.  If you're
desperate, kick an altar (preferably not a co-aligned one) until it falls over,
which will offend its patron god enough that he'll zap you with a bolt that
destroys everything you're carrying.

Note that artifacts are immune to destruction, so you'll have to go with holy
water, scrolls of uncursing, or (for the nasty artifact weapons) getting
forcibly disarmed.

3.3.4: I've learned the spell `divine wrath'.  It lets me fire lightning
       bolts.  Am I missing something?

No, you've just learned the lightning bolt spell under a different name.  For
atmosphere, several spells have different names depending on whether they're
the `wizard' or `priest' version.  There's no difference between them other
than the name.  A few other correspondences (far from a comprehensive list):

     magic missile <=> minor punishment
     strength of Atlas <=> lordly might
     teleport <=> ethereal bridge

3.3.5: What do all the numbers on the spellcasting menu mean?

The number to the right of the spell name is its cost in power points.  The row
of stars is merely a pictorial depiction of the casting cost.

The leftmost number is the most important.  This is a representation of how
many times you can cast the spell.  It's not a straight indicator of the number
of zaps a spell has left, because this number usually goes down by more than 1
per casting.  This is dependent upon (as far as I can tell) your Concentration
skill and your Mana attribute.

3.3.6: What's all this I hear about corruption?

Corruption is a warping of your body caused by your proximity to the Chaos
Gate.  This effect can be accelerated by corruption traps and attacks from
Chaos beings.  When you've absorbed a sufficient amount of Chaos energy, it
manifests itself in a Chaos power.

Chaos powers are often helpful, although some of them have nasty side effects
(like Poison Hands).  However, if you become too badly corrupted, you mutate
into a bubbling mass of primal Chaos.  Game over.

3.3.7: Okay, so corruption is a Bad Thing.  How do I get rid of it, then?

Scrolls of chaos resistance help greatly here.  Completing a certain quest will
net you the reward of having all of your corruption removed -- *once*.
Contrary to popular belief, the gods *cannot* (or will not) remove corruption.

3.3.8: What use is a holy symbol?

Every time you use one, you become a tiny little bit closer to your god.

====================

Copyright 1996 by Thomas Biskup and Erwin Mascardo.  This FAQ may be freely
distributed as long as these two copyright messages are distributed with it.
Karmic creatures are exempted from this restriction.

ADOM (C) 1996 by Thomas Biskup.  All rights reserved.