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  • Hearse

    From [email protected]@21:1/5 to All on Fri Jun 14 19:53:44 2024
    What's the general opinion on using the bones-file exchanger
    hearse for your games?

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  • From Janis Papanagnou@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Sat Jun 15 06:35:09 2024
    On 14.06.2024 21:53, [email protected] wrote:
    What's the general opinion on using the bones-file exchanger
    hearse for your games?

    I cannot provide a general opinion, and I also don't see what
    you're aiming it, so I'm just addressing a couple aspects...

    Bones files are a simple nice means to get static interaction
    between games of different player. This includes getting loot
    and also the possible threats of what killed the other players.
    I know that some players like it and some don't. (Myself I've
    never used Hearse.) There's an option in Nethack to control
    (enable/disable) bones functionality in your game.

    If you're playing locally (on your machine) you see only your
    own bones; which might be boring, or may inherently disclose
    the items in the bones heap (depending on your RL memory). If
    you're playing on some (maybe public) server you will get the
    bones of other players on that machine which makes it (to me)
    occasionally more interesting. Hearse is a technical solution
    to spread bones files across machines. So it's a sensible tool
    that you may like to use (if you like to see other's bones in
    your games).

    I'm not familiar with the features Hearse supports - others
    may jump in to provide information. But I suppose you'll have
    probably (for example) a larger set of "parallel" bones files
    available to be possibly loaded.

    Janis

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  • From Jukka Lahtinen@21:1/5 to Janis Papanagnou on Sat Jun 15 11:56:10 2024
    Janis Papanagnou <[email protected]> writes:
    On 14.06.2024 21:53, [email protected] wrote:
    What's the general opinion on using the bones-file exchanger
    hearse for your games?

    I cannot provide a general opinion, and I also don't see what
    you're aiming it, so I'm just addressing a couple aspects...

    Same here, never used it myself.

    If you're playing locally (on your machine) you see only your
    own bones; which might be boring, or may inherently disclose
    the items in the bones heap (depending on your RL memory). If

    That is true and a very valid point.

    you're playing on some (maybe public) server you will get the
    bones of other players on that machine which makes it (to me)
    occasionally more interesting. Hearse is a technical solution
    to spread bones files across machines. So it's a sensible tool

    I just wonder, does Hearse affect the probability of bones files being
    loaded, compared to the situation where all the players using hears
    would play on the same server?
    I know the game has a certain probabilty of creating a bones file when
    you die, and a certain probability of the existence a bones file being
    checked and, if presend, loaded, when you arrive to a new level.
    And I suppose it doesn't change these probabilities.

    But what it may change, is the probability of a suitable bones file
    being found when the game decides to check whether there is one.
    When bones files are checked and found just on the server you play on,
    it is loaded and deleted. But I have the impression that Hearse doesn't
    always delete the bones file used, so it may give it to several players,
    so it may have a greater probability of a bones file being found when
    checked.
    Of course, whether this makes the game easier or harder, is a random
    thing. So I am not sure whether it affects the total balance and how.

    --
    Jukka Lahtinen

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  • From Janis Papanagnou@21:1/5 to Jukka Lahtinen on Sat Jun 15 11:44:26 2024
    On 15.06.2024 10:56, Jukka Lahtinen wrote:

    I just wonder, does Hearse affect the probability of bones files being loaded, compared to the situation where all the players using hears
    would play on the same server?
    I know the game has a certain probabilty of creating a bones file when
    you die, and a certain probability of the existence a bones file being checked and, if presend, loaded, when you arrive to a new level.
    And I suppose it doesn't change these probabilities.

    Hearse is an externality to Nethack (AFAICT), so the probabilities
    for saving/loading bones files should be the same as usual. But while
    on the own machine there may be just limited amounts of bones files
    available with Hearse there may be plenty. So I suppose if the check
    for bones files often results in "no file available" on the own
    machine on a server (of with Hearse) it may more often trigger and
    find files to load.


    But what it may change, is the probability of a suitable bones file
    being found when the game decides to check whether there is one.

    Yes, that's what I also think.

    When bones files are checked and found just on the server you play on,
    it is loaded and deleted. But I have the impression that Hearse doesn't always delete the bones file used, so it may give it to several players,
    so it may have a greater probability of a bones file being found when checked.

    (I should have read your whole post before writing my comment above,
    so all I can do is to agree. :-)

    Of course, whether this makes the game easier or harder, is a random
    thing. So I am not sure whether it affects the total balance and how.

    Janis

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