Re: Moria Maxim #1

"Brian Kastel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Always finish a level you started.

I have to disagree. While this is excellent advice for playing NetHack, it
does (or should) not apply to Moria. There are two reasons for this.
Firstly, the Moria dungeon is essentially infinite in size, which means
there are an infinite number of items, both good and bad. Secondly, there
are no unique items in Moria. You are right in saying that valuable items
could be missed if every level is not finished, but who is to say those same
items won't appear on the next level? Assume you find an HA somewhere; what
are the odds that the next weapon you pick up is also an HA? As it happens,
they are exactly what they were before you picked up the first HA; that's
what randomness is all about.

There is no scarcity of items in Moria; the only scarce input is player
time. Thus, to maximize your productivity in Moria, you should do exactly
the opposite of what you have recommended. If there is an unidentified item
on the other side of the level that you forgot to pick up, skip it, and go
on with your game. The items in the next area are just as good, and they're
closer, which means that ultimately, you'll see more of them.

Consider also that, for characters without the identify  spell, the real
constraint is not items, but identify scrolls.