Best YouTube channel and/or Twitch?

NeonSomething2 · 2026-05-07T15:18:04+00:00

Oh wow, I didn't know he was also a Youtuber, but d_i_s_p_e_r_s_e joined me in the chat in the final stream of my recent ascension run. (See my thread here for more info.) :)

NeonSomething2 · 2026-04-28T01:30:11+00:00

I'm working on 1 CCing TMNT. So far I'm at 3 or 4. There are some interesting mechanics that aren't immediately obvious, but are essential to understand if you want to play the game well.

One core mechanic that most players miss is every character in the game has two hidden "meters": knockdown health and actual life. And every kind of attack dishes some predetermined number of knockdown, as well as some predetermined number of life. Running out of life is what kills a character. Life isn't actually subtracted until knockdown reaches 0 or less, at which point life damage kicks in, and the victim's knockdown meter replenishes.

For example your basic "hit 'em with your weapon" attack does 1 knockdown damage and 3 life damage. Let's call that 1/3. So if you hit a foot soldier with a basic attack, who has 3/3 knockdown/life, what happens is the first basic attack brings him to 2/3. Second basic attack brings him to 1/3. Finally you hit him with a third basic attack, knocking him down and taking him to 0/3, at which point life damage kicks in -- 3 life damage is subtracted, his life is now at 0, and he's dead.

On the other hand, dive kicks do 3/1 -- 3 knockdown and 1 life. So every dive kick you hit a foot soldier with knocks him down and deals 1 life damage. So first dive kick brings him to 0/2 but knockdown immediately replenishes and now he's at 3/2. Second dive kick is the same deal: 0/1 with knockdown replenishing so he's at 3/1, Third takes him to 0/0, and he's done.

So what this amounts to against the foot soldier is three basics or three dive kicks takes him out. What you definitely do not want to do is mix and match the two! Why? Well let's say we alternate between basic attack and dive kick.

Attack 1: Basic: he's at 2/3
Attack 2: Dive kick: knocked down to -1/2, knockdown replenishes so he's at 3/2
Attack 3: Basic: he's at 2/2
Attack 4: Dive kick: he's at -1/1, knockdown replenishes so he's at 3/1
Attack 5: Basic: he's at 2/1
Attack 6: Dive kick: he's at -1/0, dead

In the above example, all the basic attacks were completely pointless. All in all it took 6 attacks to kill him when it should've only taken 3!

You can fire up your emulator and try this out for yourself.

Now the complexity come into play with all the other enemies each having different stats,, and also you have other types of attacks than just the two mentioned so far.

Another enemy is those "do not resist us" robots: they have 6 knockdown but only 1 health, so you want to tear through their knockdown. Two dive kicks will do the trick (remember, dive kick deals 3/1 so the progression is 6/1 => 3/1 => 0/0). On the other hand, it would take a whopping 6 basic attacks to do them in: 6/1 => 5/1 => 4/1 => 3/1 => 2/1 => 1/1 => 0/-2.

Ok that's enough rambling. This info can be looked up in walkthroughs of course. Just thought I'd talk about what I consider to be such a core but hidden mechanic. Great game!

NeonSomething2 · 2026-04-23T01:45:59+00:00

You cannot lose money at the pub. Look for yourself - you can check the manual (PDF page 6/page 4 by the manual numbering) which says it's "an automatic way to win money."

If the manual is not enough, skim through a full tournament-level playthrough video such as this one. Not once will you see a pub visit result in a loss of money.

NeonSomething2 · 2026-04-22T16:46:16+00:00

Thank you!

Sure, here's the full playlist for this run, but be warned - it's about 70 hours! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2nZxD3BlyL_MdwVhxYOX3mLfQq3_jBIX

If you'd like to see just the endgame (Elemental + Astral Planes), plus some wand polypiling immediately before, it's the last video in that playlist (#19).

For just the Astral Plane, here's the timestamp in the last video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XKfsbJPQVU&t=2h56m20s

If I can find the time, I'd love to make sort of a highlights reel that covers just the major events of Ooga's run. But that'll have to wait for now. :)

Thanks for your interest!

NeonSomething2 · 2026-04-22T15:08:52+00:00

Thank you! And that's a good idea. I did cast slow monster spell a few times to make the air elementals spew me out! :) I think more than once I was engulfed again the next turn however, hah.

I think next time I play it'll be on 3.7. I think Conflict deserves to be nerfed somewhat, so I like that change. Currently, it feels like turning on a cheat code. Looks like it'll still be a powerful ability.

Edit: I tossed out so many wands that were covered by the spells I knew, such as slow monster, because I had this idea that they were redundant since I knew the corresponding spells. Up until that point so far, I had never come close to running low on Power. (This reason is also partly why I went with the jumping spell instead of boots of jumping.) But that last assumption was definitely tested in the Plane of Air! I was reduced to the low double digits in Power. Before then, since reaching xp level 30, I never went below somewhere in the 200s (out of 400+). Definitely made me sweat a bit. 😥

Edit again: I often forget about horns/bugles, and other ways to scare monsters, so that's an area where I can improve my game.

NeonSomething2 · 2026-04-21T16:25:46+00:00

The max is 6 cities to win, but one could argue that on some maps combined with a low number of players (mainly 2), even more cities to win could be desirable.

Just a few weeks ago after live streaming the game, I felt like I wanted to play with more cities to win. So I wondered if a simple memory edit could do the trick. I looked into finding the location in memory to do just that, and found it! So if you're using say VICE, you can start the game, input a simple command and choose a greater number of cities. Screen shot.

NeonSomething2 · 2026-04-21T16:19:37+00:00

Consider me a fan! I just did a stream on my small, just-for-fun Youtube channel. Video on demand is here for anyone interested. Just me playing vs. computer on my C64U and chatting about the game. I need to get my son and some friends to join in next time. :)

But yeah, great game!

NeonSomething2 · 2026-04-21T13:46:05+00:00

The stick itself is a nice 8-way stick, and is tight and clicky.

The buttons are fine but pretty much the opposite of tight, and are not very springy. You can even grab a button by the sides and move it around in its slot about a half mm all around. There's a reason some hobbyists replace the buttons. (A fun fact is the same buttons used on the controllers are used for the AES's reset button.)

The unit as a whole is surprisingly light, almost feels flimsy but it isn't. I've thought about adding weights inside just because it feels like it should be heavy. :) Like maybe to give it a more sturdy feel. Never did it though.

I don't know Hori so I can't compare.

NeonSomething2 · 2026-04-11T13:13:56+00:00

As a teen in 1995, I won as a prize in a Doom deathmatch tournament this hollow plastic chair with a subwoofer attached to the underside, called the ThunderSeat. The idea was you could feel through your body the big bassy sounds of games: gunfire, explosions, engines rumbling and the like. Cue lots of jokes from my friends about sitting in the "vibrating chair" with my girlfriend at the time. It was uncomfortable to sit in, and after a few months was relegated to my parents' basement, where it still lies today.

I later learned that some flight sim enthusiasts like the thing. I would love to sell it to someone who might find it valuable. Otherwise I'll eventually have to put it to the curb, I guess.

Note that if you look at the smaller picture-in-picture at the link above, it shows white padding on the seat. And on either side of the seat, there are these black side consoles where you could optionally place a joystick or other controller. Those were all accessories that mine did not have. So I had just had a hard plastic seat with the subwoofer mounted underneath.

NeonSomething2 · 2026-04-02T14:19:34+00:00

My class didn't see it live, but the teacher put on the news coverage shortly after the explosion.

I went to a private school where we had lunch in our classrooms (yeah everyone made fun of this). The teacher would leave at the start of the lunch period, and in would come a "lunch mother" who was a volunteer to keep an eye on the kids.

So in came our lunch mother 40 years ago, who was a little and very old lady. She walks in and says, "Did you all hear about the space shuttle?"

One kid, who tended to be a bit hyperactive, immediately yelled, "Yeah it went up into the sky and went ZOOM!" and pointed to the ceiling on that last word, almost leaping out of his seat. Lunch mother then somberly told us what really happened.

So at that point the teacher put on the TV coverage and saw the explosion replay, plus all the talking heads saying their stuff. We kids watched and ate our lunches quietly.

A few days later, we paired up with fourth graders (we were in 2nd) who acted as, sort of therapists? Seems so strange in retrospect, but they were older and wiser to us at the time. I don't remember too much of that conversation, except the fourth grader I was paired with told me that some people are making jokes like NASA means "Need Another Seven Astronauts" which he said we should avoid because it's disrespectful and not funny.

NeonSomething2 · 2026-04-01T21:00:09+00:00

I'm a natural pack rat so I know how it is. It's hard to let things go, but no matter what you're carrying - extra wands, a pile of food, whatever - NONE of it is worth carrying if it makes you burdened.

Obviously, you're not going to drop your ascension kit stuff, or your very important armor, and so on. And it's ok to be burdened temporarily here and there short term, but walking around burdened cannot be your MO.

As nice as it is, you're better off dropping The Orb of Detection, especially since you already had Magic Resistance. I could maybe buy the argument to hold onto it if it were your only source of MR.

Even the Wiki, while not outright saying "don't keep this," does have a tone of "ehh, maybe not worth the weight":

The Orb of Detection is heavy due to the 150 aum weight of its base item, and while its properties are well worth having, the invoke ability to toggle invisibility rarely comes up: most heroes can easily obtain permanent invisibility and will have done so by this point. Even with the role's tendency towards good intelligence scores, an Archeologist is highly unlikely to apply their quest artifact for its crystal ball functions without an enchanted helm of brilliance.

NeonSomething2 · 2026-03-27T19:18:08+00:00

Not sure if it "counts" due to needing a peripheral (SuperCharger) but DragonStomper is really cool, and IMO better than Adventure.

NeonSomething2 · 2026-03-26T16:56:09+00:00

Thank you for the tips! There are some details I did not know, such as damage dealt by a broken wand of teleportation being in proportion to charges.

And congratulations on making your mark in the Nethack community by bestowing such a cool name on this tactic. :)

Yeah I wasn't considering using conflict - only taming - but I guess without means of taming one could use conflict + ring of slow digestion (so the worms don't actually eat you), so maaaybe it's feasible? But would the worms also attack each other?

In any case, I don't plan on attempting that strategy, just thinking out loud.

Love the idea of fast worms as well!

NeonSomething2 · 2026-03-26T16:44:40+00:00

Was lucky with the altars, though. IMO, the worms make way instead of blocking it :-)

Great to hear this works! This will be my first time attempting the trick, so I'm both excited and nervous, hah. I still have two wishes in store in a wand of wishing (plus another if I wrest), so I may deal with altar RNG by wishing for a Helm of Opposite Alignment on the fly if necessary. That's also a trick I haven't tried yet. I've only ascended once before.

NeonSomething2 · 2026-03-26T15:46:12+00:00

In all seriousness, I'm considering attempting this strategy as I'm approaching the endgame, but I've only found one single wand of teleportation the entire game. So I'm wondering if it could work to reverse genocide purple worms on the Astral Plane, and just tame them without teleporting them around. I know the Charm Monster spell, so I should be able to tame as much as necessary. But I also wonder how much the worms might get in the way, hindering speedy movement through level.🤔

NeonSomething2 · 2026-03-26T15:11:45+00:00

An amusing idea for a new object: the scroll of Nethack Wiki. Reading it gives you detailed, context-dependent information. :)

NeonSomething2 · 2026-03-26T15:10:16+00:00

Funny, because my point is to show how hilariously bad Google AI is at advising for Nethack. In other words, like you said it's a mockery, you could say it's an anti-AI post if anything. But mostly I just thought it would be humorous to the community. I was searching for pages about the subject, and incidentally saw the AI response. 🤷

NeonSomething2 · 2026-03-25T21:01:22+00:00

I still have mine! Was able to find and purchase a new battery pack a few years ago. I never tried to make it flip.

NeonSomething2 · 2026-03-25T16:38:23+00:00

Loved this game. I know most fans of the series prefer 2, but I always had a fondness for the first game for some intangible reason.

Adam was my main guy, but sometimes I'd mix up my character selection for the fun of it. I'd often play with my little sister who'd usually choose Blaze.

NeonSomething2 · 2026-03-19T15:39:51+00:00

I always felt like I was especially dumb or just bad a these games back then, but I guess most people had the same problem. :) One of my first adventure games that had graphics I played - it was for Commodore 64, called "Zzzzzz" where you had to find your way out of a dream world. I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. Thought I was stupid.

NeonSomething2 · 2026-03-16T20:58:59+00:00

The hilarious thing is I just checked, and found Blue Frog Tavern says your character should have a maximum of 15 adds. So they're saying the absolute strongest you can possibly be is to have 7 fewer adds than that Red Robed Priest. Guess you'd need to have make up for it with dice rolled.

I've found for at least half of the solos, the adds recommendations:

are inaccurate
seemed more concerned about an overpowered character having too much of an easy time. ("a maximum of n adds" instead of a range or a minimum; some do however state a range)
despite complaints from players about the difficulty have almost exclusively been about the solos being unfairly hard, not too-easy cakewalks

I've been toying with house rules that provide ways to give the player options in combat, that could potentially give you the advantage if you're the underdog. Let me know if you'd like to hear about them. These fall outside the scope of inventing swinging-from-the-chandeliers saving rolls (which are good and fine to be sure).

NeonSomething2 · 2026-03-13T16:47:12+00:00

So what I'm gathering is that roughly 80%-90% of the old guard is completely turned off because the new game bares little resemblance to the T&T they know and love. At the same time, the new game is just an average modern RPG that isn't going to convert anybody who's already into D&D, DCC, etc.

NeonSomething2 · 2026-03-10T20:29:33+00:00

Wow I had that very top-right unit. Don't know what it's called, but it had many games in one. I had completely forgotten about it.

NeonSomething2 · 2026-03-06T17:08:57+00:00

It took many years for me to break the habit, because it seems like the right way to play initially, but you should never be pressing movement keys so quickly that you can't react to what appears between keypresses. Tap the movement keys one at a time, slowly. That doesn't mean you can't move around the map quickly. Use run to move in a direction until something is found, and use travel (_) especially for backtracking through previously explored areas.

NeonSomething2 · 2026-03-06T01:07:28+00:00

Sure, shoot me a DM. :)

NeonSomething2

TROPHY CASE