[evilhack] Sokoban - opened two doors

[Janis Papanagnou]

In EvilHack's Sokoban there's a possible prize behind each door.
Once a door is opened the other doors (usually) lock and forbid
access further on. When picking up one prize the others vanish.

In my current game I was able to open two doors. - Is that a bug?

---------
|..%...%|
------- |%%----|--
|>....-------%|..%..|
-----........|.|..%..|
|...|-....--.|.|.....|
|...|..--....|.|.%%.%|
|...|..-----.|%|%....|
--...[.....|.|.||----|
|.....---.|.|.#.....|
|.|.....|.|2|.|...|-|
|.|.|.|...|.|.#.@.-.|
--.---...|.|.|.|...|-|
|.....----.|.|.#...|[|
|..............|------
----....|......|
|....|..-----
---------

Only after having opened the second door the third one got sealed.
The second scroll of scare monster was still there, but of no use
since it turned to dust when trying to pick it up. - Is there any
point in sealing the doors?

Would it have been possible to teleport the prizes out of their
niche to get access to both?

Janis

[Yosemite Sam]

Not in the next version.

[Erik L]

On Monday, March 13, 2023 at 3:27:23 PM UTC+1, Yosemite Sam wrote:
> On Monday, March 13, 2023 at 4:42:27 AM UTC-5, Janis Papanagnou wrote:
> > In EvilHack's Sokoban there's a possible prize behind each door.
> > Once a door is opened the other doors (usually) lock and forbid
> > access further on. When picking up one prize the others vanish.
> >
> > In my current game I was able to open two doors. - Is that a bug?

As I understand it, you can open all the doors, but once you pickup a sokobon prize, the others vanish.
You can teleport them, but it doesn't matter since the pickup mechanic still makes the other go away.

If you kick open a door, the others will seal up though. I also tried teleporting a prize and kicking it down one of the chutes but that didn't seem to work so I think K2 has done his due diligence ;)

[Keith Simpson]

Once you open one door, the other two are supposed to disappear and become a section of wall. Janis, if you were able to open more than one door, then there's a bug somewhere. If a monster or object is blocking that door space, it can prevent it from sealing up. Some monsters will sometimes knock down those doors as well (giants). Regardless, once you touch one of the sokoban prizes, the other two will pop out of existience. A more detailed explanation - https://nethackwiki.com/wiki/EvilHack#Sokoban

Over the years, we've ID'ed and closed a lot of loopholes with players trying to obtain more than just the one prize. At this point, if you can figure out how to game the system, more power to ya. I'd be interested in knowing how it happened though 🙂

[Janis Papanagnou]

On 18.03.2023 14:42, Keith Simpson wrote:
>
> Once you open one door, the other two are supposed to disappear and
> become a section of wall.

That's what I observed in all my EvilHack games but the one I mentioned.

> Janis, if you were able to open more than
> one door, then there's a bug somewhere.

Yes, that's what I suspected.

> If a monster or object is
> blocking that door space, it can prevent it from sealing up. Some
> monsters will sometimes knock down those doors as well (giants).

Unfortunately I cannot currently tell about the exact circumstances
for the bug getting triggered. (If I'll find some free time I might
inspect the Hardfought ttyrec files.)

> Regardless, once you touch one of the sokoban prizes, the other two
> will pop out of existience. A more detailed explanation -
> https://nethackwiki.com/wiki/EvilHack#Sokoban

This is what I can generally confirm from my games.

(And I suppose that teleporting prizes out of the niche counts as
a pickup.)

>
> Over the years, we've ID'ed and closed a lot of loopholes with
> players trying to obtain more than just the one prize. At this point,
> if you can figure out how to game the system, more power to ya. I'd
> be interested in knowing how it happened though 🙂

(See above.)

Janis

[Janis Papanagnou]

On 18.03.2023 18:48, Janis Papanagnou wrote:
> On 18.03.2023 14:42, Keith Simpson wrote:
>>
>> Once you open one door, the other two are supposed to disappear and
>> become a section of wall.
>
> That's what I observed in all my EvilHack games but the one I mentioned.
>
>> Janis, if you were able to open more than
>> one door, then there's a bug somewhere.
>
> Yes, that's what I suspected.
>

>> [...]

>
> Unfortunately I cannot currently tell about the exact circumstances
> for the bug getting triggered. (If I'll find some free time I might
> inspect the Hardfought ttyrec files.)
>

>> [...]

>
>> Over the years, we've ID'ed and closed a lot of loopholes with
>> players trying to obtain more than just the one prize. At this point,
>> if you can figure out how to game the system, more power to ya. I'd
>> be interested in knowing how it happened though 🙂

I had problems with my version of the 'ipbt' ttyrec player, but these
were some key messages I copy/pasted for you, starting at the first
door...

Lock it? [yn] (n)
You succeed in locking the door.
This door is locked.
Unlock it with your wooden skeleton key? [yn] (n)
You succeed in unlocking the door.
The door opens.
The scroll turns to dust as you pick it up.
You see here a sokoban prize amulet.
You have a little trouble lifting J - a sokoban prize amulet (20 aum).
You hear a noise like a hundred thousand people saying 'foop'.
The door opens.
As the door gives way, you hear the other door sealing.
Some text has been burned into the floor here.
Some text has been burned into the floor here. You read: "Elbereth".
You see here a scroll called DUST (scare monster).
The scroll turns to dust as you pick it up.

The first door seemed to have been unlocked. So I first locked it (by
accident); maybe that was what prevented the other doors' sealing.
Maybe the bug is a consequence of a door having been initially unlocked?
(This could easily be fixed, I suppose.)

Janis

[Janis Papanagnou]

On 19.03.2023 13:43, Janis Papanagnou wrote:
>
> The first door seemed to have been unlocked. So I first locked it (by
> accident); maybe that was what prevented the other doors' sealing.
> Maybe the bug is a consequence of a door having been initially unlocked?
> (This could easily be fixed, I suppose.)

Okay, confirmed in current game. All three doors had been unlocked.
So my first moves were to lock all three doors, then open the first
one to pick up the prize (with the popping sound of vanishing prizes),
then opened the other two doors (took even some random loot (a tin)
from one of the niches.

...

You succeed in locking the door.

What do you want to use or apply? [befhklopsuvKMQVY or ?*] k
In what direction? 4
Unlock it? [yn] (n) y

You succeed in unlocking the door.

In what direction? 4

The door opens.
The scroll turns to dust as you pick it up.

Call a scroll labeled GHOTI: DUST (scare monster)

Some text has been burned into the floor here. You read: "Elbereth".

F - a gunyoki (20 aum). I - a sokoban prize tool (15 aum).
You hear a distinct popping sound.
You see here an enormous rat corpse.
In what direction? 4
The door opens.
In what direction? 4

The door opens.
The scroll turns to dust as you pick it up.

Some text has been burned into the floor here. You read: "Elbereth".

You see here a tin.
L - a tin (10 aum).
You hear some noises in the distance.
You swap places with the black naga.
You see here an enormous rat corpse.

The scroll turns to dust as you pick it up.

Some text has been burned into the floor here. You read: "Elbereth".

There is nothing here to pick up.

What I yet haven't checked or confirmed was whether a teleport zap
at the prizes would relocate one (or even all) of them to be picked
up.

Janis

[Keith Simpson]

Thanks Janis, this is very helpful.

FYI - Hardfought and NAO just recently had their web ttyrec players upgraded (https://alt.org/nethack/browsettyrec.php and https://www.hardfought.org/nethack/ttyrecs/) so it's MUCH easier to view ttyrecs now without having to download them and use your own player. On the Hardfought side, about half of the variants are upgraded with the new ttyrec player, still need to find time to update the remaining.

[Keith Simpson]

Fixed - https://github.com/k21971/EvilHack/commit/b0e67c7c69b94e05d00ff2fc5bd437386dea21fd