h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: ADOM - A1150877
Author: Ekaterin - U239615

More of my unofficial "project" to get some information about roguelike games into the Edited Guide.
Ekaterin.

I should have another go at ADOM I think. You seem more familiar with it than I, but I would mention:

The surface map, which is fixed, and the dungeons, which are randomly generated. Also, you forgot to link back to your roguelike article.

ADOM is closed source (I think), unusual for a roguelike game.

The game is very structured, with certain quests needing completion to get stuff that lets you do others, and other quests set at a certain difficulty level to help you gain experience.

Again I say: keep up the good work.

I have extensively updated this article. for its previous low quality - it was copied from a node I'd written on Everything2, and I put it in PR without cleaning it up enough. It should be better now.

I wasn't sure what you meant about quests getting you stuff that lets you do other quests. AFAIR, that only really happens in the "ultra ending" quests. Maybe you were thinking of how the elder and druid quests give you a way to cross water, but I find that a randomly generated wand of cold does fine. I don't mind at all if you post spoilers, as I've already won ADOM many times.
Ekaterin.

You need to make the title clearer, maybe 'ADOM - the computer game' or something.

I think we may have got wires crossed. I actually meant that I, as in me, should download ADOM and play it again, which I now have done.

I have never come close to completing the game, so I'll bow to your superior knowledge. What you've written under "Plot and Quests" seems good to me.

In order to bump this up, I'll do a quick grammar scan. The following I think is either wrong or confusing:

1st para: "The layout of the towns is also fixed, but the dungeon levels are mostly randomly generated each game, with just a few special levels with fixed layouts." -> "...randomly generated, so different each game. There are a few special levels that have fixed layouts."

3rd para: "Version 1.1.x also features talents" - consider adding a footnote to 1.1.x, either that or just say "1.1.0 onwards"

"you can pick one talent (sometimes more) at the start of the game," - How about "at least one talent, often more". Gives a more accurate impression I think.

"Some talents have prerequisites - for example the useful Heir talent ..." - you could also mention attributes as prerequisites.

Last para - "Although ADOM can be downloaded at no cost, its source code is not available." - point out that this is unusual for roguelikes, perhaps in a footnote.

Updated. Are you sure that you often get more than one talent? With what race/class combination? IIRC, these are the rules on extra talents:

* Gnomes and Hurthlings get an extra talent.
* Bards, Farmers and Merchants get an extra talent.
* Anyone with Mana > 18 gets an extra talent.
* 1/7 of the time, you get an extra talent randomly.

I'd say that if you are playing a race/class combination suitable for a newbie, then extra talents are pretty rare. It's the weaker races and classes that always get them. Mana > 18 at the start is pretty rare, IMHO, especially if you're playing a hardy race like Human or Drakeling. (Elves get Mana bonuses but are rather fragile.)

Oh and Bagpuss, in reply to your email about the interconnected nature of the articles putting Scouts off, didn't there use to be University Projects with _lots_ of interconnected articles, far more than I have here? If it would help I could take out some of the links.

As for how finished it is, I have written about all the roguelikes I know anything about. It would be nice if someone could write about the original Rogue, but I'm too lazy to download it and play it just so that I can write an article. I don't mind if this project goes "live" as it is - maybe it will inspire someone to write about their own favourite roguelike.
Ekaterin.

Hi Ekaterin,

Just a note on the old Uni projects. The difference there is that, unlike with Peer Review entries, those entries would remain the ones linked to throughout the lifespan of the project. However, standard Edtired Guide entries are not actually the ones you submit to Peer Review. We make a copy of your original, make edits to that copy and submit that version to the Edited Gudie. therefore, every link you make to an unedited Guide entry will need to be checked and replaced with a link to an Edited Guide version.

If you're submitting multiple entries at the same time, this could mean we do one of two things:

1. We remove all the links and reinstate them only once each of the unedited entries have Edited versions.

2. We hold back all of the entries until they've all been accepted through Peer Review and sub-edited, which could take some time.

If you're keen to keep the links, you can ask for them to be reinserted once each entry reaches the Front Page by reminding us at <./>Feedback-Editorial</.>. Hope this helps.

Hmmm, I often seem to start with more than one talent. I think I got five once. Just started a Grey Elven archer who got two - maybe the random one you mentioned? Okay, maybe "often" is misleading, but I didn't think it was as rare as you seem to imply. Still, it's your article, so it's up to you.

Oh, and I wouldn't remove the links - having the articles go together is pretty important.

In the list above, I forgot to mention:
* Anyone born in the Candle or the Falcon gets an extra talent.

Your character's extra talent could have been random, from their starsign, or possibly from high Mana.

OK, you win - after doing some calculations I've discovered that a random character will get an extra talent more than half the time. The probability of NOT getting an extra talent is:

10/12 star signs that don't grant one
* 8/10 races that don't grant one
* 17/20 classes that don't grant one
* 6/7 chance of not getting the random extra talent.

That all cancels out to give 17/35 characters who don't get an extra talent, and in fact the probability is less than this because of the chance of getting the Mana > 18 talent. I've changed the article to say "often more".
Ekaterin.

Right-oh. I thought it was reasonably common. I suppose I should have another glance at your other articles, but in the meantime here's two things I picked out:

In the bit about talents, you should say what "attributes" are, because I don't think it's at all obvious to someone who hasn't played the game.

"Fortunately for those who start Chaotic and have trouble changing alignment, there is an alternative. If you kill Jharod, the mad doctor will teach you Healing." - better as all one sentence, with either a dash or a semicolon.

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've therefore moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

Yes! All things come to those who wait, Ekaterin. Congrats.

Ekaterin - Roguelike expert

Pimms

I must have missed this one yesterday.

Much all round I think.

Congrats!


Geggs

Just to let you know that I've been allocated your entry to Sub-edit, Ekaterin. It's here at: A2266823.