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Lolita's Corner: A suggested protocol for fair dueling: Continued

HOW TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD

In order to assure that a level playing field exists, it is necessary that each and every character must be able to achieve a ONE-SHOT kill on every single other character in the game. It does not matter whether your weapon is a fire-ball, an arrow, or a sword. The essence of a "LEVEL PLAYING FIELD" demands that each player be capable of one shot kills. This means that tactics, hand-eye-mouse coordination is requisite in order to win.

My suggestions for dueling are as follows:

• Agree on whether or not duplicating of potions is to be allowed.
• Agree on whether or not unlimited belt items are to the allowed.
• Agree on whether or not teleport is to be allowed, or if walking is the only mode of movement.

Initially meet in level one, and clear the level as quickly as possible of all demons.

Adjust each parties' armor level so that one-shot-kills are obtainable by ALL other parties. This may mean that you have to remove rings, amulets, or other items to get your hit-points down to the damage level of all other parties. Remember, it is MANDATORY that each and every member of the dueling party be able to achieve one-shot-kills against every other game member. This includes members of YOUR team if you are dueling in teams. After all shooting a team member is a good way to give an advantage to the other team!

Agree on a mutually acceptable starting phrase [such as function key 12] to start the action. Obviously it makes more sense to begin in a spread-out configuration. Also wait for the other parties' starting phrase before you begin hunting. Nothing is quite as childish as arriving in level one and immediately opening fire!

Unless you are dueling in teams, IMMEDIATE RESURRECTION is the very least you can do to demonstrate that you are a good winner. Leaving someone seeing "red" -- and laying on the floor -- while you parade around lighting fire-walls or practicing your fireball tactics has the moral equivalence of trying to marry someone in your family tree. If and only if you are team dueling, go after the remaining opposing team member, but DO try and remember where your first "victim" is laying. You owe it to him to be a good winner.

If you lose, please remember the effects of lag. Do not immediately accuse your opponent of cheating! Many times you will die without hearing a shot meeting fired. THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOUR OPPONENT HAS NOT ALREADY FIRED THREE OR FOUR FIREBALLS AT YOU WHICH HAVE BEEN SWALLOWED UP BY LAG! By the way there is nothing wrong with congratulating your opponent on good tactics when you lose.

RATIONALE:

OK. The point here is that [especially using headphones to take advantage of the superb sound programming built into Diablo] trying to figure out where the other party is and teleporting to an appropriate location to allow you to take several fast shots and then teleport away to safety yourself is what the tactics are all about. Also hiding in appropriate corners, where you are camouflaged, is another of the very many elements of dueling tactics. I have personally won several duels by giving up my mana shield [and sacrificing effective hit-points] while hiding in a corner that made it very difficult for the to the seen. Note to important points here. First the other parties had forgotten to use infravision. And secondly since with my mana shield I was a one-shot kill for my opponents, giving up the shield really was no disadvantage.

Note that it no longer matters which hacks you are using. There should be no advantage to using hacks that the other dueling opponents do not have access to. The essence of the game, using the above rules, now becomes one of hunting.

I am suggesting that the above "rules" are merely a starting point from which fair dueling can be enjoyed. There is nothing exhaustive or comprehensive about any of the above. PLEASE feel free to add, delete, suggest, alter all or any of the above as you see fit!

I would like to thank the members of the Elders Of Diablo for making my initial dueling experiences rewarding and incredibly exciting!

Warmly, Patti

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