Even out the difficulty (from one game to another) somewhat. Instead
of a 75% chance that two large areas will be opened up on the left
and right sides of the arrival area plus 13.5 (avg) * 1.5 (avg) extra
monsters in that region, change to 60% chance that the left side will
be opened up with 7 (avg) * 1.5 (avg) extra monsters and a separate
60% chance that the right side will be opened up with 7 * 1.5 (avg)
extra monsters. The chance that both sides get opened up drops to
36% but the chance that neither side gets opened drops to 16%, with
difference made up by 24% chance each for just one side or the other.
I was a little surprised that this actually worked. I hope there's
a less clumsy way to have a loop index.
Suggested by <email deleted>. The level compiler allows
MESSAGE directives to provide text given upon initial entry to particular
levels. Modify the code that delivers them to support quest pager text
substitution. It could also be tweaked to support deliver-by-popup-window
in addition to deliver-by-pline, but I didn't go that far.
He also suggested revising the message for the Plane of Air, but it
seems ok to me. Instead, I've changed the message for the Astral Plane to
announce that it holds "the High Temple of <your deity>" rather than the
quite lame "the High Temples of the aligned gods".
The player can teleport objects and monsters on no-teleport
levels, a strange quirk which I think has become entranched as
a feature. When swallowed or engulfed, teleporting the monster
from inside ends up teleporting the character along with that
monster. Some players have been exploting this on Plane of Air
to avoid facing elementals and dragons and whatnot by repeatedly
teleporting any vortex that engulfs them until they land somewhere
in the vicinity of the portal leading to Plane of Fire.
This patch divides the Plane of Air into three zones that
teleportation can't cross. You'll arrive in the left-hand 30% of
the level, as before, but no longer at a specific spot. The exit
portal is in the right-hand 30% as before (although it used to
have more range, perhaps 40%). Teleporting within the left 30%
always arrives in that same area; within the central 40% always
remains within that same area; and teleporting within the right
30% always sticks in that area. So it's still possible to get
around quite a bit via multiple teleports, but you'll need to walk
at least across the two unmarked boundaries to actually traverse
the whole level.
A moderately long description for a very short patch....
