DET_RADIUS should be a function of caster level

The current radius keeps roughly the same number of squares (slightly more, actually) as before. My preferred solution is to make the circle into an ellipse, with the widest radius being left-right and the smallest up-down.

Sure, I see that the total coverage is about the same as before, if you're playing in an 80x25 window. Angband has had the resizeable window and full coverage for detection spells for many years, though, and I would hazard a guess that most people have expanded the window to play.

I like the ellipse idea, particularly if coupled with some sort of visual indicator a la #222. My primary beef is that with a round detect spell it takes a lot more of them even at 80x25 to get full coverage of the map, just because they don't tile as efficiently.

see also http://angband.oook.cz/pipermail/angband-dev/2007-September/000332.html

r580 makes the changes mentioned in the above URL. However, this may now be unbalanced.

Still have to do something better for trap detection.

I don't know if it's unbalancing, but it is a bit out of control. It now has the same power as if you played old angband with a large screen where you could see the entire map on the screen at once. It is kind of unbalancing, but is it fun to have to cast 'detect doors' over and over? no.

It is unbalancing to be able to see there's a potion of experience on the other side of the level, and be able to just 'tunnel' your way to it with almost no risk.

I like the compromise idea of radius = character level. For rods, have rods always activate at 'user level 20' or something. That's basically how other rods work anyway (rods of fire/frost/etc).

off topic, but why not have rods activate at the actual user level? It makes sense that a High level mage can do more damage with rod/wand than a low level mage. It's not really a gun.

Perhaps treasure detection should have an equal radius to trap detection. I quite like having stairs+doors found level-wide, though.

Rectangular detection effect now instated; I think this adequately solves the underlying problem of circles being an unfortunate shape for the game. Closing this as a result, but #419 is carrying the question on scaling radius with caster level/magic skill.

Forgot to mention, r638 and r639 are the revisions the rectangular effect was added