Shorthand for Nothing

On a whim today, I downloaded and installed ADOM and started playing it again. I’d forgotten how much fun it is.

Despite being a Roguelike, it is very dissimilar to Nethack–whereas Nethack, in many ways, is as simple as it is complex, with straightforward objectives and an open source so there are no secrets, ADOM is complicated and closed-source. Many, if not most, of the game’s mechanics, are hidden, and any comprehensive data about the game has been gathered through rigorous testing and observation. There is also an involved story, and one that comes into contact with gameplay.

To use a terrible analogy: if Nethack is a more intelligent Diablo, ADOM is a more intelligent Dungeon Siege. Nethack is a straightforward descent through randomly generated dungeons. You can essentially mindlessly bash everything that you encounter and win the game in this fashion. There are definite winning formulae, and eventually judiciously applied patience will win the day. In contrast, ADOM has a static wilderness (but random dungeons, still) and a story where killing everything you encounter will end badly for you. There are frequent quests, which reward paying attention to the game. There are very definite goals at multiple points, beyond general “bash these monsters in this part of the dungeon.” You feel like you’re part of an evolving story.

A story of a Nethack game is very frequently a story of items or dungeon features found, with the occasional stories about monsters or bones files (something ADOM lacks, and one of my favorite features of Nethack, by the way) adding some flair. In ADOM, there’s an unfolding narrative to any given game. There are multiple endings possible, and multiple towns from which to receive quests. The environment is rich and detailed. Admittedly, the plot is pretty much a generic “save the world from the evil” story that you would expect from most D&D campaigns. But those provide the sort of backdrop for more interesting character narratives. In contrast, Nethack features the generic “let’s loot this dungeon for stuff” plot that makes Undermountain and The World’s Largest Dungeon etc. so popular.

I still love Nethack, of course. But it’s a very different game to ADOM.

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I was going to write something on Dreamers today, but then the evening took a turn for the frustrating.

The inestimable Mac Cowell was hosting an America Day barbecue party etc. at his house. It was going rather well, I was talking to interesting people, et cetera, Rock Band was played, burgers had, and so forth. At probably around 9:30 or so we took off to head to the Charles via the T, to watch the fireworks. On the way there I continue a conversation with someone whose name I never quite caught, and was generally enjoying the presence of our troupe. Upon arrival at the Davis Square T station, Dave Fisher and myself both had to purchase T passes.

Now, as this is America Day, everyone is heading into the city to watch the fireworks at this point in time, so the station is, predictably, pretty crowded. And there was a train arriving just as we erached the station. By the time Dave and I had purchased our passes, the train had left.

So, too, had our party.

Figuring we could simply call to meet up with them upon arrival, and having no real other option anyway, we continue to Kendall station and depart, attempting to call Mac. No such luck, it seems! His phone appears to not function terribly well. We try a few more times to no avail; we try Seth, who answers his phone! But he is, unfortunately, not with the group. He joins us, and we realize that collectively, none of us have any of the phone numbers of anyone in the group, with the exception of Mac. We proceed to where we believe the party was supposed to be; they are not there (though, in fairness, we may have gotten the wrong place, due to not being able to contact anyone and all).

We had lost the party.

The fireworks from the 10th floor at 1cc were suitably awesome. But as the evening continued to wear, the expected inertia of the evening caught up to me. It wasn’t happening. It was just such an abrupt ending.

(I blame no one for this; it happens, there were a lot of us, etc., but man, what a weird way to end the evening.)

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Man, I love stormy weather. It is the sort of weather in which you are supposed to be miserable and afraid to go out, and it definitely has its down points, but there is nothing nicer than sitting in a quiet living room with the rain pouring down around you and the occasional flashes of thunder and etc. It is one of the fastest ways to remind yourself that even in the city there’s still wilderness out there and until we create giant space lasers to control the weather (so in like five years) there’s still a lot that’s beyond man’s control.

I have always been slightly crazy and enjoyed going out on the porch or equivalent in inclement weather and just sit/stand there until the novelty wears off. It’s the little moments like this that make being human so exciting. Every time there’s a severe weather alert I’m secretly hoping for it to be the big one: a snowpocalypse or windstorm or ice storm or something that takes out the power or otherwise cripples the city.

I’d worry that I’m being weird, but that’s really the least of my concerns.

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