I agree about the muddy face, but not about the ears. Your suggestion about the ears would put players in risk of death if the beeswax falls off while in the sheep level.

I voted against because it removes an opportunity for problem solving and instead solves the problem for you. I can imagine it being a pleasant discovery when first realising what one of the commands is for.

I do think however they could be united into a single 'body actions' menu. Maybe throw in some others, either as a smoke-screen or maybe even think of uses for them. Examples: jump on spot, blink, inhale...

I like to plug my ears while studying spells and smithing, but I like the mud idea.

It would mean a little more care, yes, which I don't think is necessarily bad. At the moment it's a mindless process.

I could live with that, but the issue that Blank4u47 has raised is even more relevant IMO... sometimes you don't want your PC to be interrupted while performing some lengthy action, and plugging your ears is a valid method to achieve this that shouldn't be removed.

Maybe there is a middle ground so that the functionality can be kept, while not requiring new players to know the command? For example, plugging your ears could be permanent like now, but there could be something directly below the banshee level that removes it (e.g. a very hot level melting the beeswax) so that newbies don't need to clean them.

I really wonder how many newbies manage to get to the banshee level. The current achievements statistics indicate that most newbies don't make it to experience level 10. My guess thus is that we are discussing the wrong type of optimizations here. But I'll leave the issue open for now.

If there were more uses I would rather keep the commands. But currently looks like they're designed for a single use each. I agree with the OP but if they have to stay I'd live to see at least one more case where they could be useful.

I really hate these keybindings - they exist for two one shot knowledge tests that are utterly trivial once solved the first time. They're not part of the core gameplay, it's not Ancient Domains Of Personal Grooming.

Make the face mud last as long as a bright flash.

Make the ear wax last about as long as strength of atlas, and include similar wearing off warnings (the wax is coming loose x3).

It's not ancient domains of nit-picking. I've no idea what people have a problem with here, but it's a PUZZLE. Get it? You're taking a puzzle out of the game for people if this gets through. If you're trying to trim the number of excessive keybindings, I've presented better solutions than taking this puzzle out of the game. Just have a single 'other actions' menu. Maybe even have the 'h'andle key bring up a menu of miscellaneous, context-sensitive actions.

Where things only have one use (like bridge building) I think keeping it in the game is the better choice as then you have the recourse of thinking of new ways to justify its existence (although I think one use is good enough, it's just that two or more is even better). Why is that better than removing it? Because it makes the game richer. I have put forward a few RFE's to make bridges more interesting, but I have more in the back of my head. I proposed one where you can apply the skill to dismantle a bridge and trap people or even have a creature occupying the square fall into water. And then someone came along and said 'bridge building is a lost cause just take it out of the game'. But I haven't yet submitted my RFE on more strategic vaults, where bridges are an integral part of the layout. Oops! You know what you're right, let's take bridge building out of the game, and clean ears and wipe face and anything else unusual because using our imagination is too much work.

So... I don't see why the RFE is "remove need for clean ears and wipe face" rather than "add extra justifications for clean ears or wipe face".

Making up new games elements to justify UI oddities is a bit of a strange approach to game design. But if anyone has good new ideas then I'll keep my ears clean for them ;)

What I want to know is why having 1 feature-justification for a function is not enough and warrants removing the feature and the function. If the reason is too many keybindings, there are ways to fix that whilst preserving the feature and the function. If it's just upsetting people with OCD (not a flip remark--I can see how it might do that), well, you can't please everyone, but there are ways around that too without dispensing with the feature.

All I know is, I know people will be deprived of the happy moment they connect solution with problem. If the method of implementation is ham-fisted, lopping the fist off at the wrist isn't the only remedy this doctor can see.

Valid. @auric, do you have at least one idea? For BB there are several good. If you would submit and RFE which makes sense I surely would support yours rather than this.

Pressing a single button is a puzzle?

This "feature" adds absolutely nothing to the game and punishes new players for not knowing all of 1076 ADOM's keybindings.

If you think that wiping face and unclogging ears is a special action that must be manually input by the player then why not go further and add a breathing keybind? It must be pressed each 5 turns or the PC starts suffocating. Let's make it something not too obvious like ctrl+alt+b+print screen for bonus puzzlement.

Actually I'd give a hint for new players after several turns.

I don't mind if they expire naturally but I'd still prefer to have the hotkey even if they did. If beeswax expires, then it would need a message similar to Strength of Atlas if it's wearing off.

Thinking to press it is. Took me a little while before the penny dropped after encountering those mud rooms.

I don't have any ideas lined up for these commands, but I will submit them if I think of any.

OH NO!!!! We'll lose a puzzle that I solved 19 years ago (which was irritating when I did) and has provided me with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING since. Except the occasional irritation when I haven't played for a while and can't remember if wiping my face is CTRL-F, ALT-F or SHIFT-F.

This feature has never enhanced my enjoyment of the game. If I wanted one-shot puzzles I'd play a point and click adventure. Once.

I have never been truly annoyed by either command, or even vaguely irritated, I definitely can't speak for everyone, but this just doesn't seem like a big enough issue to change part of the game over.

That said, a miscellaneous command button would be a nice feature.

You won't... I don't think you'll get at least one neat idea. These two commands are kinda different to other unused situationally used features. I don't know at least one game of any genre where these actions at least present. Well, probably you could wipe your face in game like Sims to stay clean but that's all. Why do usually people wipe their face or clean ears? Just to stay clean. That's it.

Hence if you find anything fitting into ADOM world it must be either requirement to stay clean just as requirement to eat or something awkward and very situational like special room, level, monster ability, corruption, spell, skill or class power. Say it's a corruption which requires you to wipe face from time to time to keep perceltion, appearance and vision ability high. How to deal with? Just hit a key a continue doing your job. It has to be something more creative like at least like wax use case. And all this just to keep two commands because they (has to?) make game better somehow?

Even if you dare to submit I don't hope to see it attracting people and don't hope to see it upvoted much. Even if it would are there any chances to see such suggestion implemented? Very low.

I just don't think that cleaning ears and wiping face should become popular and wiedly used things in ADOM universe. No offense. You still have minor chance to bring me over.

This is all superfluous, since two perfectly good reasons for the two commands existing already exist. I'm still waiting to hear why people have a problem with it. I've presented two possible ones but don't know which it is. All I hear is "Oh it's silly to have a specialized command". Why?