Post by KillianTriad in Caverns of Xaskazien II comments

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Kudos for developing and maintaining such an awesome roguelike! After playing with a bunch of different combinations I realized the secret is obtaining the Open Dimensional Portal spell. Once you build up enough Intelligence to cast it a few times the game completely changes as you can ensure that you don't go too deep.

Using Portal you can stay in the 10-15 dungeon level range and build up your skills, stats and spells. Once you get stronger and find some anti-death protection you can cruise in the 20-25 dungeon level range which is the sweet spot for leveling and obtaining items without too much danger.

I think I could have literally played forever but I got bored spamming create food hundreds of times to get boar meat. Boar meat is the only way to level remotely quickly at very high levels due to it providing 20% of the needed experience for your next level.

You might want to think about either nerfing Open Dimensional Portal to some degree (more expensive to cast or lower the % chance) or making very powerful spells only castable once per dungeon level.

Even though my character started as a melee focused Axeman, I wound up pushing casting skills/Intelligence and using the heck out of these spells:

Clairvoyance
Conjure Spellbook
Gain Knowledge
Improve
Open Dimensional Portal
Teleport

With my roided out character, one Cleave Soul and one dual ax attack made quick work of X

Virtua Sinner47 days ago (1 edit)

Holy crap! That is an insane score!

I do know certain spells can be abusable, and I am always striving for balance. I do shift Spell Point costs as one method, regularly. The miracle Call Yorick's Trunk used to cost 100 Faith, and now costs 300 Faith, as an example. So I'll definitely look closer at the spells you've highlighted. I don't like anything heavy handed like "only once per level", though I would consider it if I absolutely couldn't think of another way to keep the game from getting too wonky. Maybe just making those spells even more rare to find might be an answer.

Likely they won't be modified before the next update in a month or so, as I've already got my hands full trying to wrap up the other new additions and changes over the holidays, but I will look closer at them.

Congratulations! Absolutely the highest score I have ever seen!

KillianTriad47 days ago

Thanks! It could have been a one off but I think Dimensional Portal is the real problem. It's ability to keep you from descending is what allows the other powerful spells to be abused. Being able to cast Improve or Gain Knowledge a few times after you've completed a level isn't game breaking as long as you're consistently going down. The problem is by consistently using portals, tunnels & ladders it's very easy to not descend and you can cast those powerful spells hundreds of times.

I wonder if increasing the % chance of going down a level when using Portal (that % seems really low) would be the easiest tweak?

Virtua Sinner47 days ago

I will give it thought. Could also add a consequence to failure - right now it's a 50% chance to work, but what if on the other 50% something bad happens (psychic damage? A monster comes through?) I dunno... I will mull...

Virtua Sinner43 days ago

Alright, right now what I'm leaning towards (not settled on yet) is the following: A) It can only be cast a maximum of 3 times per level. B) Each casting lowers the odds of success - first casting remains 50%, second lowers to 30%, third to 10%. C) We'll add a third option for where it can take you: 2 dungeon levels down. This will make it less of a guaranteed success, and add a little danger... I'll likely keep the Pantosian Miracle (Other Worlds? Is that what it's called?) that does the same thing as Open Dimensional Portal did as is, without increasing its cost, because it's a strong draw to worshipping Pantos, and Faith expenditure isn't as absuable as Spell Points, since they don't regenerate with each new map entered.

Quasar4747 days ago

Damn, and I thought my first victory with 1500 Intelligence was ridiculous xD Congrats bro

KillianTriad45 days ago

Thanks Quasar!

Virtua Sinner38 days ago

Okay final verdict, because my previous idea on how to address it was needlessly complex. Here's the nerfing of the spell as it will appear in the upcoming patch notes:

The Open Dimensional Portal spell (and all Rods/Scrolls/Magic Items that can cast it) have been nerfed, because it was proven to be the single most abusable spell in the game. Previously it had a 50% chance of creating a Vortex in your square. It retains this probability, but crucially, it will only function on 33% of maps. On 67% of maps, the spell will always fail, and the player casting the spell will never be told if the spell failed because of the 50% chance or because it’s 100% impossible on this map. All of these rules are spelled out explicitly in the query of the Spell or any Object that can cast it.

itch.io

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