Easing Early Game

[Al-Khwarizmi]

From talking to newbies on IRC, I'd say the #1 thing that kills new players is starting the game in the SMC and staying there, unaware that it's not a normal dungeon.

[Stingray1]

Mmm, did they say why they went there? I remember I quickly learned to stay out.

Later I counted my steps into the UD trying to find this elusive 'one of the best'.

[Al-Khwarizmi]

It's typically the first dungeon that they see. It makes sense: the PC is closer to the game start and Terinyo but it requires talking to the tiny girl, the VD/DD are a bit further south and they also require talking to NPC's.

[magpie]

As an ADOM newb, the SMC was my first location visited after the village, and guess what I found there? An eternium halberd, which even at that point seemed like a rather powerful weapon for a level 1 character to be wielding. Unfortunately, I was killed by a good old stone block trap before I could level up and get enough HP to survive it. Other rapid early-game deaths in the SMC convinced me that it would be a good idea to spend as little time as possible in the SMC. Learning is fun!

[anon123]

My predilect dungeon as a newbie was the ID, which I thought was the main one. I think that by the first time I entered the SMC, I already knew about its dangerous nature thanks to the Guidebook.

[gosos]

i have played for a while, but I suck, so I am still a stupid newbie. Here are some things

1. a better way to organize the commands. there are too many and its hard to find stuff. I actually google 'adom commands' and there is a post on an adom forum. I use that so I can do 'control f' to do a search by keyword. I think there should be a keybinding with just the essential commands and some more menus to make it easier to figure stuff out.

2. more alerts when low on food or hp or if something bad happens to you like you get cursed or aged. Something that pauses the game. another message screen that doesn't just list recent messages. but stuff that affected your character like bonuses to stats or if you got aged etc... it sucks to die and just not notice what happens.

3. some kind of in game tips for getting started. like puppy cave and SMC are hard, etc...

4. one thing that is hard is finding dungeons. the dungeon names on the board in game do not match what people call them in the wiki or guide. this has taken me a while and is a hassle.

5. it is not obvious that you should 'use' moss of mereilon and not eat it. someone had to tell me that on the forum. dont let it show up in food.

6. maybe some newbie pre-rolled characters that are halfway decent?

[sytar6]

5. it is not obvious that you should 'use' moss of mereilon and not eat it. someone had to tell me that on the forum. dont let it show up in food.

Agreed. It took me FOREVER to figure this out.

I was also really frustrated when I got hit with a glob of mud in the face. Took me a reeeaall long time to figure out I could wipe my face.

[Stingray1]

Well, you are not 'supposed' to read a guide or wiki. The idea was to figure things out yourself, like with the moss, which is a food item. It can be 'u'sed. Other food item an potion can also be 'u'sed, but that is part of the game for the player to figure out, not read somewhere else.

Have a good day.

P.S. Btw herbs are not essential to finishing the game.

[Silfir]

There are is a scroll of warning and a scroll of information right in front of you as you enter the Small Cave. After a couple of deaths at least, you should realize the scroll of warning wasn't kidding around. And a couple of deaths are nothing special. You are playing a roguelike.

[anon123]

3. some kind of in game tips for getting started. like puppy cave and SMC are hard, etc...

5. it is not obvious that you should 'use' moss of mereilon and not eat it. someone had to tell me that on the forum. dont let it show up in food.

6. maybe some newbie pre-rolled characters that are halfway decent?

Not everything in this game is straightforward, nor should it be. That's part of the attractive. The built-in manual and fluff FAQ already provide many clues, every newcomer struggling with the game would do well to read them.