Instinct feature, MUD damage tracker, multi-command aliases.

Instinct – Enhanced Training Levels in Skills/Spells:

Several new features added in this latest update, the main feature being ‘instinct’. The short version is that instinct allows you to invest gold and trains into an ability to improve it beyond the normal 100% practiced. The full help file is at the end of this post. This is a very high level feature not really intended for (and not good value for) lower levels.

MUD damage tracker:

The damage tracker previewed on here a couple of weeks ago is now live. You can use this to report your hit accuracy and average damage per hit broken out by primary/secondary weapon. You can also see a more detailed breakdown of hits, damage from special attacks and monitor damage from a specific skill or spell. A sample screenshot is below. For more screen shots see the earlier damage tracker preview post.

Multi-command aliases:

We now have support for multiple commands in aliases separate by a semi-colon. There are a couple of restrictions when an alias has multiple commands:

• Each command within the alias will be executed only as a MUD command, you cannot have an alias with multiple commands calling other aliases.
• Any arguments after the alias when it used will be ignored.

Instinct helpfile:

Highly experienced veterans of Aardwolf can train a skill or spell so intensively that it becomes more like an instinct than an acquired skill. The knowledge is so ingrained that it is remembered across mortal incarnations and can enhance the power of an ability beyond that usually available to a fully trained character.

Instinct is a fairly complex feature, please make sure that you have read and understood the notes below before using it. Refunds will not be given. Ask on the Question channel if you need help.

The basic premise is that you ‘buy’ instinct in a skill that has had instinct enabled. Any instinct you buy is permanently remembered. Important points to note are:

• Instinct is only useful in a skill (or spell) that you can actually use, it is not a way to have access to skills usually unavailable. If you lose access to a skill because you tiered or changed class, your instinct amount is still remembered and will become active whenever you have that spell available again.
• The max instinct you can gain in a single ability is 200.
• Instinct is remembered across tiers and remorts; you only ever have to buy it once.
• If you have less than 100% in a skill but have instinct in it, your instinct points are used first. For example, if you have 75% in a skill and 25 points of instinct, the game will act as if you have 100% in the skill but no instinct.
• Instinct in a skill that you already have at 100% will add some bonus. In almost all cases, the bonus is not a direct percentage. It is also on a curve with diminishing returns. For example, 100 points of instinct might add a 20% bonus to a skill while 200 points adds 30% total.
• Instinct is not used on spells cast from objects – only when cast naturally.
• Not all trains can be spent on instinct – only new trains gained after your last rebuild. For a full explanation of this see, ‘help instinct-trains’.
• When a spell that sets an affect has instinct, other spells or equipment that sets the same affect will benefit from instinct. For example, if you are wearing the Aardwolf Boots of Speed or cast ‘Accelerate’, both of these will benefit from instinct in ‘Haste’ as they both set the Haste affect. The same applies to sanctuary, dual wield (Aard gloves) and protection good/evil.

WARNING: This is a very very expensive ‘sink’ for high-level tiers. It is not recommended to invest your trains and/or gold into instinct unless your stats are maxxed and you have plenty to spare.

Instinct Syntax:

instinct              : Show skills you have in which it is possible to gain instinct.
instinct learned      : Show skills in which you have already gained some instinct.
instinct buy [skill]  : Buy a point of instinct in the specified skill/spell.
instinct deposit      : Deposit trains for later use on instinct. See 'help 
                        instinct-trains' for an explanation of why you would want to.
instinct costs        : Display a table of instinct costs.
allspells instinct all: Shows the full list of skills/spells that can be used with 
                        instinct.