This game runs too fast for me, should I give up?

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mxb2001
Posts: 38
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2012 7:24 pm

This game runs too fast for me, should I give up?

Post by mxb2001 »

I've read the guide, I carry heals, escape scrolls, use macros, etc. Still I can't get away. Hopeless? Am I too old and slow for this game?
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01/01/01
Argle
Posts: 30
Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2012 7:29 am

Re: This game runs too fast for me, should I give up?

Post by Argle »

Not necessarily. Macros are one thing, binding them to the right keys is another. How far do you have to move your fingers to heal or teleport?

Spoiler : if you have to move them at all you're wasting precious reaction time. I move with the number pad, my thumb is always over num-0 (teleport/phase/recall)(regular, shift, ctrl), and my pinkie is always on numPlus (heal pot).

Stuff goes wrong quickly and without warning, your fingers should never stray from those buttons. You should also condition yourself to Teleport first and ask questions later once you start getting in mid/late 20s. If you're in a manageable fight where you know who and what you're up against and need some healing, or you hit a trap, go ahead and heal.

However, if you are caught off guard and/or start taking real damage: Teleport. Hit teleport, and NOTHING ELSE. If your teleport macro doesn't fire instantly, hitting other macros (like heal!) CAN cancel it. Remember that quaffing a pot means you don't take any other actions for a round (like killing monsters trying to surround you), this alone can ultimately seal your fate (Pink speckled potion of *Irony*). Teleporting will only kill you if you port into something even nastier.

You also might learn, in time, to better avoid being overwhelmed in the first place. I don't know the particulars of your deaths, but I know I get mobbed a lot less than when I started.
mxb2001
Posts: 38
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2012 7:24 pm

Re: This game runs too fast for me, should I give up?

Post by mxb2001 »

Thank you for some really eye opening advice. I think I'm not as willing to flee/escape as is neccesary. And to think I thought I was being too cautious! Wow. Also you nailed it about being mobbed. Last 3 times it was large mobs of Orcs, Phantom Warriors and Zombie Orcs. I guess I just didn't realize that they were as dangerous as that.

I also have been struggling with figuring out good keyboard assignments. Unfortunately the macro editor is extremely hard to read assigned keys from so I don't know what is free and I exclusively used the F keys.
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01/01/01
Argle
Posts: 30
Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2012 7:29 am

Re: This game runs too fast for me, should I give up?

Post by Argle »

Phantom Warriors will paralyze you, so they are especially dangerous if you don't have free action (paralysis immunity).

The entire numpad is your's to abuse, but avoid using numEnter, it can cause trouble. All the numbers and the period key can be bound with ctrl or shift (SHIFT+0, CTRL+0, etc), and so can the function keys. That helps keep your hand where it needs to be.

My keys vary per class, but here's the general concept: I mentioned heals and teleports, I put those on the biggest keys. Then I put primary attacks on numPeriod, and alternate attacks and in-combat utilities (like sprint, curse) on /,*, and -

F keys I use for out of combat utilities and less critical stuff. "N", for whatever reason, I always use for light or healing oriented utilities. It's one of the few free letters, and I can hit it without taking my left pinky off of Ctrl and Shift.

Disclaimer: I've never carried a character past level 31 due to a handful of bad habits and bad decisions, but I don't think my layout can be blamed for that :)
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