Hardcore Happenings

2007-02-27

Day 10: A level a day

I reached level 21. I'm imagining I can reach level 22 tomorrow.
I made a minor PvP-mistake (eating before fighting), but didn't get punished for it. The fights are getting closer however, as I'm starting to lose the offstat comparison. Maybe I should cheat with a potion.

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 21 Seal Clubber
Turns Played (this run): 2,265
Days Played (this run): 10
Sign: The Mongoose
Muscle: 412 (538/825)
You must gain 33 Muscle to advance to level 22.

2007-02-26

Day 9: 20%

Level 20 is about 20% of stats acquired. (Actually 19.3%, but let's keep a positive attitude)

One fifth of the way, which feels good. Now there really is no turning back. It's like sailing a ship. At a certain moment your point of departure disappears over the horizon. And that's what reaching level 20 feels like, even if the majority of the voyage is still to go.

All went pretty well, really. Tomorrow is moxie day, so I'll see that offstat get a nice boost. I basically could automate it all, since under nearly all circumstances I manage to one-hit kill the Gallery monsters. It's about 2 or 3 days smooth sailing to level 23 (I've decided to save my clovers, if not for the end of this run, then for the next level 30 run), when the gymming will begin.

I lost a pvp-fight today.

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 20 Seal Clubber
Turns Played (this run): 1,957
Days Played (this run): 9
Sign: The Mongoose
Muscle: 371 (332/743)
You must gain 33 Muscle to advance to level 21.

2007-02-25

Day 8: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The good news is that I reached level 19.
The bad news is that I've only gathered about 15% of the stat requirements.
The ugly news is that I forgot to wear the Grimacite Guayabera for half the adventures.

I've dropped a lot of meat on Yummy Tummy Beans for contemptible emanations. I don't really know if it's worth it. Also, under the right circumstances, I'm one hit-killing monsters even with regular attack.

I'm thinking of switching to knob sausage chow mein for food, instead of hi mein, since the mainstat substat gains are similar and the number of adventures gained is very close too.

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 19 Seal Clubber
Turns Played (this run): 1,660
Days Played (this run): 8
Sign: The Mongoose
Muscle: 330 (377/661)
You must gain 35 Muscle to advance to level 20.

2007-02-24

Day 7: Level 17

Did I miss a day? Oh well, it's not important. What is important is that progress is going fine.

Muscle: 277 substats: 524/555
You must gain 16 Muscle to advance to level 18.
According to my calculations: 636,772 substats to go.

I've got a good feeling about managing to go below 600k substats to go, tomorrow. I haven't been keeping such a proper eye on my actual progress.

There's a mathematical optimization problem I'm facing, and it's more complex than I thought, or really care to do the math on. Do I use my clovers *before* muscle day (i.e. now) so that I reach level 23 earlier and get more stats from gymming. Or do I keep my clovers until muscle day, so that the 1.5 multiplier from clovering the Gallery gives me more stats.

I'll have to make a decision soon, but I'm tempted to keep it to a simple model, and going with intuition.

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 17 Seal Clubber
Turns Played (this run): 1,359
Days Played (this run): 7
Sign: The Mongoose

2007-02-22

Day 5: Start your calculators

Today I defeated the Sorceress, and the math challenge has started. Typically, I, at first tried to do some bonus questing and such. After all, I don't always have this amount of freedom.

With the help of buffbots, my purity is shot to hell, but that's of not such a big concern. The getting of big stats is. Thanks to white candy hearts and the doppelganger item, my sombrero is already up to 239 kills. Tomorrow I can do some sillyness still, but after that the optimization starts. I'll probably end up using clovers to cut it short again, but we'll see how far I can make it on a budget.

Slightly less than 700,000 substats to go!

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 12 Ox Wrestler
Muscle base: 132 (92/265)
You must gain 16 Muscle to advance to level 13.

2007-02-21

Day 4: Not so pure.

I've got 14 effects running. Admittedly, one of them is Snarl of the Timberwolf, and I got that one accidentally for 25 turns, while I was actually trying to summon five dry noodles.

I was hoping to do even a bit better than this, but beating the Sorceress tomorrow does still seem likely.

I'll still need to get a digital key, the rest of the required tower stuff is in inventory. Although I expect the usual NG/disease/frigid ninja star/barbed-wire fence trouble running up the tower.

For the heck of it, I'm considering using a different familiar to beat the NS than the default Dodecapede.

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 10 Moose Harasser
Turns Played (this run): 539
Days Played (this run): 4
Sign: The Mongoose
Path: Teetotaler (Hardcore)

2007-02-20

Level 30, here we come

Actually, the fact that I'm muscle sign is a good thing, as this gives me access to the muscle sign gym. Good for the levelling from level 23 or so onward. And a lot cheaper than clovering

I might go for level 30 anyway.

First I'll have to finish this teetotal run, of course. And it will allow me to keep the Musk of the Moose skill. Then I'll have all the Seal Clubber skills of level 11 and above.

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 9 Caribou Smacker
Turns Played (this run): 382
Days Played (this run): 3
Sign: The Mongoose
Path: Teetotaler (Hardcore)

2007-02-18

Thinking about the long haul.

I finished a 4-dayer Pastamancer run.

The last few times I haven't taken skills that actually help me. I've gained 6 skills in February. I think I won't be off too badly, going for another of the level 30 trophies. The proximity of NS-13 is ever unclear to me. And what's more, 4-day runs are starting to bore me.

I chose the wrong sign (best sign being opposum) however to really make it a good level 30 run, so, I've got to ponder my options for a bit. I do intend to finish this run teetotal.

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 5 Penguin Frightener
Turns Played (this run): 111
Days Played (this run): 1
Sign: The Mongoose
Path: Teetotaler (Hardcore)

2007-02-16

Day 2: Last Day At Work

Today's my last day that I can play from work. I'm gonna miss getting paid while playing KoL :-)

Life went well, made good progress on a stat day, got to eat hi mein (costly, costly) and drink all-DB drinks. Life looks good for tomorrow too. If I don't forget to do the DD, then I'll probably make this another 4-dayer. And shouldn't forget to buy the Gnome skill, so I complete that set.

Next run maybe I should go for level 30 trophy of the muscle classes.

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 9 Linguini Thaumaturge (Hardcore)
Turns Played (this run): 337
Days Played (this run): 2
Sign: The Wombat

2007-02-15

.5k posts!

Well, another Ascension down, and a new one screwed up (I overdrank and forgot to eat, hah!)

This marks my 500th post here.

I'm gonna celebrate this with posting my (Hardcore) skill list. Quite an impressive list, if I say so myself.

Powers of Observatiogn (HP)
Gnefarious Pickpocketing (HP)
Torso Awaregness (HP)
Cosmic Ugnderstanding (HP)
CLEESH (HP)
Thrust-Smack (HP)
Lunging Thrust-Smack (HP)
Super-Advanced Meatsmithing (HP)
Tongue of the Otter (HP)
Hide of the Otter (HP)
Claws of the Otter (HP)
Hide of the Walrus (HP)
Claws of the Walrus (HP)
Eye of the Stoat (HP)
Rage of the Reindeer (HP)
Pulverize (HP)
Double-Fisted Skull Smashing (HP)
Northern Exposure (HP)
Snarl of the Timberwolf (HP)
Armorcraftiness (HP)
Empathy of the Newt (HP)
Tenacity of the Snapper (HP)
Wisdom of the Elder Tortoises (HP)
Amphibian Sympathy (HP)
Hero of the Half-Shell (HP)
Tao of the Terrapin (HP)
Manicotti Meditation (P)
Pastamastery (HP)
Leash of Linguini (HP)
Spirit of Ravioli (HP)
Tolerance of the Kitchen (HP)
Transcendental Noodlecraft (HP)
Sauce Contemplation (HP)
Expert Panhandling (HP)
Advanced Saucecrafting (HP)
Elemental Saucesphere (HP)
Impetuous Sauciness (HP)
Diminished Gag Reflex (HP)
The Way of Sauce (HP)
Nimble Fingers (HP)
Mad Looting Skillz (HP)
Crossbow Fever (HP)
Overdeveloped Sense of Self Preservation (HP)
Advanced Cocktailcrafting (HP)
Ambidextrous Funkslinging (HP)
Heart of Polyester (HP)
Smooth Movement (HP)
Superhuman Cocktailcrafting (HP)
The Moxious Madrigal (HP)
The Magical Mojomuscular Melody (HP)
The Power Ballad of the Arrowsmith (HP)
Fat Leon's Phat Loot Lyric (HP)
The Ode to Booze (HP)
The Sonata of Sneakiness (HP)
Summon Snowcone (HP)
Summon Hilarious Objects (HP)
Summon Candy Hearts (HP)

2007-02-13

Post 499: Oh, to be a bandit

"February 13
Entangling Noodles have been changed -- they now bind the monster up for a number of rounds, preventing it from attacking you.

Also, Disco Bandits can now chain their dance/poke/stab skills together for various neat effects in combat."

I've never been using Entangling Noodles, as I've never been a stasis person. I've understood that the Noodles skill is vital there. There will be some cursing amongst the high-end players about this chance...not too much, though, as it hurts them all equally and they'll all adapt easily to lesser forms of stasis.

The Disco Bandit thing is interesting. Since I had a lot of meat pent up, I splurged on the DB skills "Disco Eye-poke" "Disco Dance of Doom" and Disco Dance II: Electric Boogaloo". I'm too damn drunk, but contrary to the "yoink" roll-out, I'll be able to figure this out for myself. I'm kinda thinking it won't be too different from the chaining of head-, knee- and shieldbutts, but we'll see, I guess.

Day 2: No Goblin Elite

I decided to see just how hard a KGE outfit was to farm. Very hard.

A dozen pants and polearms, and innumerable shirts, but not a single helmet. Sucky. White Citadel Quest was more succesful, and I've got two swords of static. I salvaged the day by defeating the Bonerdagon, opening the Gallery, reaching level 7.

Tomorrow I can just Gallery grind.

But the KGE, it's just very unviable to actively seek out.

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 7 Move Buster (Hardcore)
Turns Played (this run): 381
Days Played (this run): 2
Sign: The Wallaby

2007-02-12

Day 3 & 1: SlamDunk

I didn't even need to touch my booze. I had summoned 4 LPU as well...

With another 3-dayer in the pocket, I started again as DB. Teetdrop worked, even though it was kinda close. I tried to farm a KGE, 6 elite shirts, 4 polearms, a pair of pants later, I'm annoyed at the non-dropping of a helmet. Oh well. That's the idea of taking it slower.

I've been using NPZR-stasis. That is, taking the NPZR into the shaft with safe moxie, waiting for its systems to recharge HP/MP. I feel kinda bad about it, but not too bad.

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 6 Sample Swindler (Hardcore)
Turns Played (this run): 176
Days Played (this run): 1
Sign: The Wallaby

2007-02-11

Day 2: But what a grind

Wow, but what a rush stat days can be. Morale still isn't all up there, but this provided a nice boost.

All that seperates me from the HitS is a furry fur.
I also lack a digital key.
I do have a wand.

And I think I might need to backfarm a broken skull (even though I picked up a guitarrr).

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 10 Sub-Sub-Apprentice Accordion Thief (Hardcore)
Turns Played (this run): 451
Days Played (this run): 2
Sign: The Wallaby

p.s.
Diet for tomorrow: 2 hell ramen, grue egg omelette, spicy noodles, dehydrated caviar.
Booze for tomorrow: all depending on the number of LPU's I can summon, really. It'll be a mix of SHC and SHC base. With a flute of flat champagne for if I get lucky with the LPU.

2007-02-10

Game Turning A Grind

I realised I wasn't playing with the proper amount of fun anymore, rereading some earlier posts. I'm getting close to 500 posts, by the way.

With the *grinding* of turns, and ascending (especially that dreaded run up the tower, and then the whole dread of a first day, etc. etc.) I've been slowly losing the fun aspect of it.

So, to hell with getting as much skills permed before NS-13 hits. I'm gone finish this 3-dayer, and then do a deliberate pathed run, maybe even a familiar run. Or, not play or something.

Because, yes, I think I've got another 3-dayer in the making. If I don't forget to get a DD Key, mostly :-)

With the help of pate, I managed to get the Stomach of Steel, then drop the path. Quite a nice trip actually, although it's so much easier on stat days. I could've even been a bit more conservative with the still, and overdrunk on soda water, instead of on a DB drink.

I already have all the foodstuffs and most of the boozestuffs I will be needing ready. I can take all my sweet time to maximize it. I've got 83 adventures banked, so I hope to be able to make a run for the Gallery tomorrow, level up to trapper's quest, get some goat's milk and enjoy getting very far from there.

Should leave a good mopping up operation for monday, after which I could go another moxie class, or a myst class, or a muscle class. Heck, it just depends which skill I want, and there's not any that I crave, and very few that I would really like to have.

Investing in a stasis skillset seems to be the stupidest of options.

Anyway, I'm a bit low on morale, even though it's all looking pretty sweet.

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 6 Squeezebox Scoundrel (Hardcore)
Turns Played (this run): 148
Days Played (this run): 1
Sign: The Wallaby

2007-02-09

Day 5: Tower 5

In a stunning balancing act of the universe, just while I'm getting rid of my RL illness, I need a disease in-game. Everything went forward so smoothly (I blame the candy hearts) that I ended up running up the tower and now, stuck at level 5 (in need of that disease), I've already got the required balanced stats.

I've been starting to lose a few more pvp fights. I think this has wholly to do with the removal of inactives. Everybody focused on the dissapearance of Lobengula and DillyDallySally, the typical level 1 flowersuppliers, but there's probably been a lot of jetsam and flotsam on the higher levels as well. I'm also being attacked more often, even though I'm not a preferred target, I imagine.

All in all, I'm starting to feel that I should put a little more attention into my PvP. And that's a good thing.

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 11 Crocodile Lord
Turns Played (this run): 673
Days Played (this run): 5
Sign: The Wallaby
Path: Teetotaler (Hardcore)

2007-02-08

Day 4: *sniffle* *cough*

Things are moving on and on and on. Got everything up to level 10 in the pocket. The wheel needs to be turned and a furry fur to be found, but then it's a simple matter of starfarming, a final stint in the Gallery, or perhaps upstairs in order to get the stats right and the good old (or rather, ugh-terrible-not-again) Tower climb.

Looking at my previous turn-counts, an estimated 250 adventures in the coming two days should be enough to at least kill the Sorceress. Then I'll probably just clover, for a lack of a more imaginative way to reach level 13/14.

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 10 Rattlesnake Chief
Turns Played (this run): 526
Days Played (this run): 4
Sign: The Wallaby
Path: Teetotaler (Hardcore)

2007-02-06

Day X, Y & Z: Disease-in-the-box

Well, not in the box, but surely in the system. I caught a major case of the flu, and am only now recovering. Somehow I did manage to log in during a few relatively lucid periods and ascended (yeah, I know, addict). I didn't play all that well, but considering the headaches, fever-induced illusions and cough attacks I was suffering, oh well.

Consequence of this is a change of plans. I'm going to stick now with a teetotaller path as Turtle Tamer. My goal is to get the level 13/14 skill, rather than making it a quickie 4-dayer and making do with Skin of the Leatherback. After this, it's going to be a 3-dayer attempt as a Disco Bandit or AT (prolly AT). Going to try and catch up a bit of lost time, that way.

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 7 Iguana Driver
Turns Played (this run): 253
Days Played (this run): 2
Sign: The Wallaby
Path: Teetotaler (Hardcore)

2007-02-03

Day 2: Not As Good As The Plan

White Citadel took long, and on the other hand, getting to 36 mainstat went so fast, I didn’t get the chance to farm pixels. The barrel gave little useful booze, I ended up drinking so-so stuff.

After getting access to Cola for MP restoration, and being able to equip the Solitaire to reduce my MP cost, I’ve been able to sustain myself in the Gallery quite nicely. Reaching level 8 was a bit more troublesome, as was going through the Mine’s quest, but I ended up with about 60 adventures (after eating and drinking) banked for tomorrow. And I filled my spleen.

The chances of making it a 3-dayer are truly slim. Basically I don’t have the turns to pull it off. Tomorrow I will start out by doing some mean PvP, followed by farming a goat’s cheese and goat’s milk to eat Hell Ramen, Fettucini Inconnu, a Manetwich and Stalk of Asparagus. After that, I can focus on finishing quests, interspersed with pumping stats at the Gallery. Boozewise, I’m still going to go with the Barrel.

I’ll probably get pretty far, so I can safely wrap it all up on day 4, without actually needing to go to lengths. We’ll see!

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 8 Otter Crusher (Hardcore)
Turns Played (this run): 341
Days Played (this run): 2
Sign: The Mongoose

2007-02-02

Day 2 planning: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

The main problem for tomorrow is balancing saving adventures for stat day and getting as many of them in the first place.

My thinking is that getting to level 8 by use of the Gallery would be grand, because then I can eat under the influence of goat's milk. That's the point that I should call it a day and save up for stat day.

The Gallery is slightly to tough right now, mostly because of meat issues. There are two approaches I can take:
- take a gamble, and hope to get Louvre to hopskip to unlocking White Citadel.
- go slow, and use the pixelfarm to unlock White citadel.

Since I'll have to spend an x amount of turns pixelfarming anyway, my approach will be to spend a handful of turns getting some meat in the Laboratory. After that I can explore the barrel full of barrels and run the Daily Dungeon. Any stats still required can be gotten pixelfarming.

Once I hit mainstat 36, it's a rush for White Citadel, I expect this quest to be self-funding. After White Citadel, I should try to hit the gallery, fully-buffed, using a Frogade and perhaps even a Tomato Smoothie potion.

Somewhere along the way, probably around White Citadel, I'll run low on adventures, which I primarily will fill with the Barrel Booze. I hope to be able to get to level 8 on booze and wads alone.

At level 8, I rush through the Tr4pz0r quest until I get the first glass of goat's milk. With the Milk of Magnesia effect, I'll eat. I can spend a handful of turns at Menagerie level 3 to get booze to overdrink, if necessary.

A few more turns to finish the quest is worth it, because I can then use the 5k quest reward to buy a mushroom plot, and grow a spooky mushroom (and two knob mushrooms). Otherwise, I'll be forced to farm on day 3.

If it looks clearly like level 8 is nowhere in sight, I'll preempt the whole sherade to just stock up on food and keep maximum adventures till the next day.

Day 4 & 1: Flexing My Muscle

Ascension was a straight-forward affair. It took forever to get a third astronomer, however. For the heck of it, I sought out a fourth, because I had enough stars and lines to make a star shirt as well.

The tower was mostly cooperative, which was neat. I had bought the skill I had intended to perm "Cosmic Ugnderstanding".

Ascending into Muscle class, I decided not to go for a teet-drop strategy from the get-go. I'm slightly curious myself where I will find the drinks to support this, but we'll see. So far, so good. A black snowcone is considered an annoyance by myself, I rather be able to dictate on my own terms how to distribute the effects of 3 different cones, but, oh well.

At the end, I slightly ran out of steam, or rather more accurately, meat. I had access to the Gallery (even mapped a fair part of the Louvre), but couldn't sustain myself there. I simply couldn't buff/heal enough. I gotta think about how to solve this tomorrow. One of my main steps will be to go to White Citadel. (This will help with the drinks as well, is the hope).

Another waste of turns (and missed meat) was going for the Wizard of Ego quest. I did end up getting a meat maid, but it will hardly offset the cost of adventuring for it. Kinda a bummer.

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 6 Malamute Basher (Hardcore)
Turns Played (this run): 192
Days Played (this run): 1
Sign: The Mongoose

p.s. An observation is how much I could've used two critical Turtle Tamer skills that I'm still lacking: Hero of the Half-Shell (got a coffin lid to drop, really nice for Gallery survival) and Cold-blooded Fearlessness (gives protection against spooky damage). Next run, I'll get one of those two.

2007-02-01

Day 2 &3: Don't Forget to Buy That Skill

Recap of day 2 (Blogger acted up, and didn't allow me to post):
Wow, I made a lot of the bad up during mysticality day. The Brewery Special helped, though: snifter of thoroughly-aged brandy. It's only 9 meat more expensive than IPA, it only gives 2 drunkeness and has a slightly higher drunk/adventure ratio already (let alone with Ode to Booze).

I started off somewhat slowly with killing the Goblin King, but zoomed right on with killing the Boss Bat. A little pixelfarming and then getting the Liver was next. After achieving liverhood interesting combinations of Pasta of Peril, Salamander Slurry, Pasta Oneness/Manicotti Meditation, Mojomuscular Melody and hot/twinkly wads made me constantly able to adventure in the Gallery. And then it just went crazy. I ended up someway into level 10, with all the quests from level 7 and up unfinished.

Just wow.

And now for day 3:
I pretty much locked up all the quests that were still standing. Titanium Assault Umbrella is a real nice ingredient for hi mein. I even got to precook my hi mein for tomorrow. The special from the brewery was cool too (caipifruita), and the RNG slightly forgiving. The lack of concentration on the first day and just plain non-optimum acts on my part made sure that it didn't have the chance to be a 3-dayer, but it's gonna be a very comfy 4-dayer. I already go the star hat, and it's only a quetion of balancing my stats to run the Tower.

My next two runs will be Muscle class. If I really push it, I can make it two back to back 3-dayers, one Seal Clubber ending on a stat and a Turtle Tamer over 2 stat days... Otherwise, it will probably be two more 4-dayers.

Of note: I shouldn't forget to buy a Gnome Skill. It's the whole point of going moxie sign, might as well add that minor character boost. I'm thinking of taking the MP one first.

Keypunch (#30036)
Level 10 Ravioli Sorcerer (Hardcore)
Turns Played (this run): 546
Days Played (this run): 3
Sign: The Wombat