CF: Bugs and suggestions

[Preston.F.Crow@Dartmouth.EDU (Preston F. Crow)]

I've noticed a number of little bugs in the user interface that
haven't changed for several versions (I'm using 0.91.1 now):

1.  The saved window position shifts the windows down by the size of
the headder bar when using twm (emacs has the same bug under certain
conditions, but not in general).

2.  Saved window positions are erased when you load the character
without split windows (instead of simply ignored and saved).

3.  Large windows are not dealt with properly on the right-hand side:
If you have a wide inventory window, clicking towards the right-hand
side is treated as clicking on the scroll bar, not the item.  Also,
with a wide text window, the right-most text isn't erased when it is
overwritten by a shorter line.

4.  Inventory weight is not always correct.  This seems to be rather
intermitant, but occasionally it will say that I'm carrying a lot more
than I am, and my speed will be reduced.

5.  Inventory display isn't always correct.  I've noticed sometimes
after identifying some scrolls, several will display as being of the
same type when they are different.

6.  It's too easy to cheat with the lack of an autosave: If you can
crash the server, you can multiply your inventory by using multiple
characters--just save each character while holding all your stuff
before crashing the server.

Suggestions:

1.  Pickup-by-weight/gold-ratio modes are effected by charisma, which
makes it difficult to get consistent behaviour between characters.
(It should use the non-adjusted values, as does alchemy.)

2.  I should be able to program my character to automatically eat my
food when I get hungry.

3.  I would like to be able to tell if a map has been "cleared."  This
could be an automatic ability or a spell.  My idea would be that a map
is "empty" if there are no generators or unfriendly monsters, no
chests, and no items that I would pick up in my current pickup mode.

4.  As to the client-server model, I suggest that the client should
have as much flexibility as possible without being able to cheat.
Ideally, things like macros and pickup modes should be entirely on the
client side (though saved in the character file on the server in some
sort of "pass this to the client" field).  In fact, if I was studying
AI, I should be able to do a thesis by programming a computer to play
my character (which would be great for NPC's, as has been suggested).

5.  I really like the idea of being able to deny use of a door or
gateway based on character level.  This would not only prevent newbies
from needless massacres and high-level characters from scumming easy
treasure, but it could easily prevent the use of temporary first-level
characters to distract monsters and such (though they can be very
useful if you get stuck on the wrong side of a gate with no lever and
no word-of-recal scroll).

6.  It's too easy to accidently mess yourself up.  It would be nice if
there was some way to unsell items that you didn't mean to sell in a
shop without paying the extraordinary markup.  It would be nice if
there was some way to disable applying items inside open containers (I
do this now by keeping a sack at the top of the items in my
container).

7.  I would like some more auto-xxx modes, like auto-open-chests,
auto-attack-neighboring-unfriendly-monsters-and-generators.

8.  The addition of transportation might be interesting--flying
carpets, horses, and boats.  This would require some thought and care.

9.  I can't believe that the dragon transport and ships are FREE!
Maybe there should be a toll.  Maybe this would just needlessly hassle
players.

10. Charisma is dumb.  The obvious thing to do is create an elf with a
max charisma to do all the trading for the party.  Or maybe this is
just an advantage of party play.  Maybe if there were "charm" spells,
they could be enhanced by a high charisma.

--PC