I've been trying to beat this game on and off for 12 years now. I never really posted here while we were all here. I was here, sure, but I never really posted. I just lurked,watched people have their discussions, dig through the place for info here and there. I was a shy kid, and a burnout. I didn't think it was my place to intrude on. I didn't think I had anything meaningful to contribute until I actually won. I guess I felt like without a win, my opinion and my feelings on things just didn't matter. I've been trying to beat the game on and off for the past 12 years, and every time I started again, I opened up the old forums to look around, dig through old posts, and try to piece together again what the community wisdom was at the time on any given topic. Figure out how people felt, how people thought, and why. I don't have a very good memory for these things, so I kept checking every few years. I saw people getting excited for a new game - thought it looked neat, but I didn't think much of it. Then the next time I looked, everyone was gone. This place became just a moment in time, crystallized in amber. Dead, but not forgotten. I don't really know why I'm writing all this out. I'm feeling melancholic, and... well, I guess I just want people to know that I remember all of you, and I'm glad this place is still preserved. I don't know for how long it's going to remain here, and if anyone will even see this. But thank you all for the years of discussions and experimentations. Thank you for all the community efforts to try to keep this game decipherable for new players, and returning old ones. Thank you for everything. Oh, and one more thing: I got my win on the 18th of February, 2023. Dwarven Moderation, Permadeath, full-sized floors, floor 15. It was a pure melee unarmed build, dual-wielding shields. Unarmed, Shield Bearer, Master of Arms, Perception, Wand Lore, Smithing, and Big Game Hunter. I walked up to him, and punched him in the face. Here's my stat screen, and the gloves I punched him with, after welding 143 nails to it. I learned a lot from this run, and I think the next one will go even better. I pretty much just ended up punching out monster zoos, one by one, impervious to harm, with only the occasional instability effect causing minor headaches. It's scary when the tentacles hold you in place for a few turns, but when you're virtually impervious to damage anyway from all the diamonds you welded to your pants, it's not that bad. Just scary. Melee is pretty good, if tedious when you stumble into a zoo. Even though we never spoke, I miss y'all. I hope y'all are doing well.
