choosing the item to adjust, enter a count prior to its let-
ter.
+ #annotate
+ Allows you to specify one line of text to associate with the
+ current dungeon level. All levels with annotations are dis-
+ played by the ``#overview'' command.
+
#chat
Talk to someone.
Use a monster's special ability (when polymorphed into mon-
ster form).
- #name
- Name a monster, an individual object, or a type of object.
- Same as `C'.
-
-
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ #name
+ Name a monster, an individual object, or a type of object.
+ Same as `C'.
+
#offer
Offer a sacrifice to the gods.
Corpses of recently killed monsters are the fodder of
choice.
+ #overview
+ Display information you've discovered about the dungeon.
+ Any visited level (unless forgotten due to amnesia) with an
+ annotation is included, and many things (altars, thrones,
+ fountains, and so on; extra stairs leading to another dun-
+ geon branch) trigger an automatic annotation. If dungeon
+ overview is chosen during end-of-game disclosure, every vis-
+ ited level will be included regardless of annotations.
+
#pray
Pray to the gods for help.
quire a response of "yes" instead.
#ride
- Ride (or stop riding) a monster.
+ Ride (or stop riding) a saddled creature.
#rub
Rub a lamp or a stone.
Show bare map without displaying monsters, objects, or
traps.
- #tip
- Tip over a container (bag or box) to pour out its contents.
-
- #turn
- Turn undead.
- #twoweapon
- Toggle two-weapon combat on or off.
- Note that you must use suitable weapons for this type of
- combat, or it will be automatically turned off.
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ NetHack Guidebook 18
+ #tip
+ Tip over a container (bag or box) to pour out its contents.
- NetHack Guidebook 18
+ #turn
+ Turn undead.
+ #twoweapon
+ Toggle two-weapon combat on or off.
+ Note that you must use suitable weapons for this type of
+ combat, or it will be automatically turned off.
#untrap
Untrap something (trap, door, or chest).
M-a #adjust
- M-A #annotate (if supported)
+ M-A #annotate
M-c #chat
M-e #enhance
- M-f #force
- M-i #invoke
- M-j #jump
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- M-l #loot
- M-m #monster
- M-n #name
+ NetHack Guidebook 19
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ M-f #force
+ M-i #invoke
+ M-j #jump
- NetHack Guidebook 19
+ M-l #loot
+ M-m #monster
+ M-n #name
M-o #offer
- M-O #overview (if supported)
+ M-O #overview
M-p #pray
M-r #rub
- M-R #ride (if supported)
+ M-R #ride
M-s #sit
Same as ``#name'' (or ``M-n'') which is the same as the `C'
command.
- u Untrap a trap, door, or chest. Same as ``#untrap'' or ``M-
- u''.
- 5. Rooms and corridors
-
- Rooms and corridors in the dungeon are either lit or dark.
- Any lit areas within your line of sight will be displayed; dark
- areas are only displayed if they are within one space of you.
- Walls and corridors remain on the map as you explore them.
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ NetHack Guidebook 20
+ u Untrap a trap, door, or chest. Same as ``#untrap'' or ``M-
+ u''.
- NetHack Guidebook 20
+ 5. Rooms and corridors
+ Rooms and corridors in the dungeon are either lit or dark.
+ Any lit areas within your line of sight will be displayed; dark
+ areas are only displayed if they are within one space of you.
+ Walls and corridors remain on the map as you explore them.
Secret corridors are hidden. You can find them with the `s'
(search) command.
tional rules of Sokoban. Some allowances are permitted in case
the player gets stuck; however, they will lower your luck.
- 5.3. Stairs (`<', `>')
-
- In general, each level in the dungeon will have a staircase
- going up (`<') to the previous level and another going down (`>')
- to the next level. There are some exceptions though. For in-
- stance, fairly early in the dungeon you will find a level with
- two down staircases, one continuing into the dungeon and the oth-
- er branching into an area known as the Gnomish Mines. Those
- mines eventually hit a dead end, so after exploring them (if you
- choose to do so), you'll need to climb back up to the main
-
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- dungeon.
+ 5.3. Stairs (`<', `>')
+
+ In general, each level in the dungeon will have a staircase
+ going up (`<') to the previous level and another going down (`>')
+ to the next level. There are some exceptions though. For in-
+ stance, fairly early in the dungeon you will find a level with
+ two down staircases, one continuing into the dungeon and the oth-
+ er branching into an area known as the Gnomish Mines. Those
+ mines eventually hit a dead end, so after exploring them (if you
+ choose to do so), you'll need to climb back up to the main dun-
+ geon.
When you traverse a set of stairs, or trigger a trap which
sends you to another level, the level you're leaving will be de-
of gold and asked whether you're willing to sell, or you'll be
told that the shopkeeper isn't interested (generally, your item
needs to be compatible with the type of merchandise carried by
- the shop).
-
- If you drop something in a shop by accident, the shopkeeper
- will usually claim ownership without offering any compensation.
- You'll have to buy it back if you want to reclaim it.
-
- Shopkeepers sometimes run out of money. When that happens,
- you'll be offered credit instead of gold when you try to sell
- something. Credit can be used to pay for purchases, but it is
- only good in the shop where it was obtained; other shopkeepers
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ the shop).
+
+ If you drop something in a shop by accident, the shopkeeper
+ will usually claim ownership without offering any compensation.
+ You'll have to buy it back if you want to reclaim it.
+
+ Shopkeepers sometimes run out of money. When that happens,
+ you'll be offered credit instead of gold when you try to sell
+ something. Credit can be used to pay for purchases, but it is
+ only good in the shop where it was obtained; other shopkeepers
won't honor it. (If you happen to find a "credit card" in the
dungeon, don't bother trying to use it in shops; shopkeepers will
not accept it.)
another when multiple monsters are present. Assigning a name
which is just a space will remove any prior name.
- The extended command ``#chat'' can be used to interact with
- an adjacent monster. There is no actual dialog (in other words,
- you don't get to choose what you'll say), but chatting with some
- monsters such as a shopkeeper or the Oracle of Delphi can produce
- useful results.
-
-
-
-
-
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ The extended command ``#chat'' can be used to interact with
+ an adjacent monster. There is no actual dialog (in other words,
+ you don't get to choose what you'll say), but chatting with some
+ monsters such as a shopkeeper or the Oracle of Delphi can produce
+ useful results.
+
6.1. Fighting
If you see a monster and you wish to fight it, just attempt
pet may trigger such traps itself; you will not be carried along
with it even if adjacent at the time.
- 6.3. Steeds
-
- Some types of creatures in the dungeon can actually be rid-
- den if you have the right equipment and skill. Convincing a wild
- beast to let you saddle it up is difficult to say the least.
- Many a dungeoneer has had to resort to magic and wizardry in
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- order to forge the alliance. Once you do have the beast under
- your control however, you can easily climb in and out of the sad-
- dle with the `#ride' command. Lead the beast around the dungeon
- when riding, in the same manner as you would move yourself. It
- is the beast that you will see displayed on the map.
+ 6.3. Steeds
+
+ Some types of creatures in the dungeon can actually be rid-
+ den if you have the right equipment and skill. Convincing a wild
+ beast to let you saddle it up is difficult to say the least.
+ Many a dungeoneer has had to resort to magic and wizardry in or-
+ der to forge the alliance. Once you do have the beast under your
+ control however, you can easily climb in and out of the saddle
+ with the `#ride' command. Lead the beast around the dungeon when
+ riding, in the same manner as you would move yourself. It is the
+ beast that you will see displayed on the map.
Riding skill is managed by the `#enhance' command. See the
section on Weapon proficiency for more information about that.
`Overloaded' are displayed on the bottom line display to indicate
your condition.
- When you pick up an object, it is assigned an inventory let-
- ter. Many commands that operate on objects must ask you to find
- out which object you want to use. When NetHack asks you to
- choose a particular object you are carrying, you are usually pre-
- sented with a list of inventory letters to choose from (see
-
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- Commands, above).
+ When you pick up an object, it is assigned an inventory let-
+ ter. Many commands that operate on objects must ask you to find
+ out which object you want to use. When NetHack asks you to
+ choose a particular object you are carrying, you are usually pre-
+ sented with a list of inventory letters to choose from (see Com-
+ mands, above).
Some objects, such as weapons, are easily differentiated.
Others, like scrolls and potions, are given descriptions which
An item with unknown status will be reported in your inven-
tory with no prefix. An item which you know the state of will be
distinguished in your inventory by the presence of the word
- ``cursed'', ``uncursed'' or ``blessed'' in the description of the
- item. In some cases ``uncursed'' will be omitted as being redun-
- dant when enough other information is displayed. The implic-
- it_uncursed option can be used to control this; toggle it off to
- have ``uncursed'' be displayed even when that can be deduced from
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ ``cursed'', ``uncursed'' or ``blessed'' in the description of the
+ item. In some cases ``uncursed'' will be omitted as being redun-
+ dant when enough other information is displayed. The implic-
+ it_uncursed option can be used to control this; toggle it off to
+ have ``uncursed'' be displayed even when that can be deduced from
other attributes.
7.2. Weapons (`)')
curs a penalty in the chance to hit your target compared to using
just one weapon at a time.
- There might be times when you'd rather not wield any weapon
- at all. To accomplish that, wield `-', or else use the `A' com-
- mand which allows you to unwield the current weapon in addition
- to taking off other worn items.
-
+ There might be times when you'd rather not wield any weapon
+ at all. To accomplish that, wield `-', or else use the `A' com-
+ mand which allows you to unwield the current weapon in addition
+ to taking off other worn items.
+
Those of you in the audience who are AD&D players, be aware
that each weapon which existed in AD&D does roughly the same dam-
age to monsters in NetHack. Some of the more obscure weapons
would have been shot (``4f'' in this example), you'll just end up
shooting the same number (3, here) as if no limit had been speci-
fied. Once the volley is in motion, all of the items will travel
- in the same direction; if the first ones kill a monster, the oth-
- ers can still continue beyond that spot.
-
-
-
-
+ in the same direction; if the first ones kill a monster, the
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ others can still continue beyond that spot.
+
7.2.2. Weapon proficiency
You will have varying degrees of skill in the weapons avail-
(Note that your two weapons are not fully equal; the one in the
hand you normally wield with is considered primary and the other
one is considered secondary. The most noticeable difference is
- after you stop--or before you begin, for that matter--wielding
- two weapons at once. The primary is your wielded weapon and the
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ after you stop--or before you begin, for that matter--wielding
+ two weapons at once. The primary is your wielded weapon and the
secondary is just an item in your inventory that's been designat-
ed as alternate weapon.)
studded leather armor 7
ring mail 7
orcish ring mail 8
- leather armor 8
- leather jacket 9
+ leather armor 8
+ leather jacket 9
no armor 10
You can also wear other pieces of armor (ex. helmets, boots,
Scrolls are labeled with various titles, probably chosen by
ancient wizards for their amusement value (ex. ``READ ME,'' or
- ``THANX MAUD'' backwards). Scrolls disappear after you read them
- (except for blank ones, without magic spells on them).
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ ``THANX MAUD'' backwards). Scrolls disappear after you read them
+ (except for blank ones, without magic spells on them).
+
One of the most useful of these is the scroll of identify,
which can be used to determine what another object is, whether it
is cursed or blessed, and how many uses it has left. Some ob-
process. A wand may be recharged by using suitable magic, but
doing so runs the risk of causing it to explode. The chance for
such an explosion starts out very small and increases each time
- the wand is recharged.
-
-
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ the wand is recharged.
+
In a truly desperate situation, when your back is up against
the wall, you might decide to go for broke and break your wand.
This is not for the faint of heart. Doing so will almost cer-
Over time, however, your memory of each spell will dim, and you
will need to relearn it.
- Some spells are directional--you must give a direction in
- which to cast them. You can also cast them at yourself (just
- give a `.' or `s' for the direction). Be warned, however, for
+
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ Some spells are directional--you must give a direction in
+ which to cast them. You can also cast them at yourself (just
+ give a `.' or `s' for the direction). Be warned, however, for
this is often unwise. Other spells are nondirectional--they
don't require a direction.
you unlock or open them. You can check for and try to deactivate
traps with the ``#untrap'' extended command.
- 7.11. Amulets (`"')
- Amulets are very similar to rings, and often more powerful.
- Like rings, amulets have various magical properties, some benefi-
- cial, some harmful, which are activated by putting them on.
+
+ 7.11. Amulets (`"')
+
+ Amulets are very similar to rings, and often more powerful.
+ Like rings, amulets have various magical properties, some benefi-
+ cial, some harmful, which are activated by putting them on.
+
Only one amulet may be worn at a time, around your neck.
The commands to use amulets are the same as for rings, `P'
is unusual for players to adhere to challenges the first time
they win the game.
- Several of the challenges are related to eating behavior.
- The most difficult of these is the foodless challenge. Although
- creatures can survive long periods of time without food, there is
- a physiological need for water; thus there is no restriction on
- drinking beverages, even if they provide some minor food bene-
- fits. Calling upon your god for help with starvation does not
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ Several of the challenges are related to eating behavior.
+ The most difficult of these is the foodless challenge. Although
+ creatures can survive long periods of time without food, there is
+ a physiological need for water; thus there is no restriction on
+ drinking beverages, even if they provide some minor food bene-
+ fits. Calling upon your god for help with starvation does not
violate any food challenges either.
A strict vegan diet is one which avoids any food derived
An atheist is one who rejects religion. This means that you
cannot #pray, #offer sacrifices to any god, #turn undead, or
#chat with a priest. Particularly selective readers may argue
- that playing Monk or Priest characters should violate this con-
- duct; that is a choice left to the player. Offering the Amulet
- of Yendor to your god is necessary to win the game and is not
- counted against this conduct. You are also not penalized for be-
- ing spoken to by an angry god, priest(ess), or other religious
- figure; a true atheist would hear the words but attach no special
- meaning to them.
+ that playing Monk or Priest characters should violate this
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ conduct; that is a choice left to the player. Offering the
+ Amulet of Yendor to your god is necessary to win the game and is
+ not counted against this conduct. You are also not penalized for
+ being spoken to by an angry god, priest(ess), or other religious
+ figure; a true atheist would hear the words but attach no special
+ meaning to them.
+
Most players fight with a wielded weapon (or tool intended
to be wielded as a weapon). Another challenge is to win the game
without using such a wielded weapon. You are still permitted to
NetHack should do things, there are options you can set to change
how NetHack behaves.
- 9.1. Setting the options
- Options may be set in a number of ways. Within the game,
- the `O' command allows you to view all options and change most of
- them. You can also set options automatically by placing them in
- the NETHACKOPTIONS environment variable or in a configuration
- file. Some versions of NetHack also have front-end programs that
- allow you to set options before starting the game or a global
- configuration for system administrators.
+
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ 9.1. Setting the options
+
+ Options may be set in a number of ways. Within the game,
+ the `O' command allows you to view all options and change most of
+ them. You can also set options automatically by placing them in
+ the NETHACKOPTIONS environment variable or in a configuration
+ file. Some versions of NetHack also have front-end programs that
+ allow you to set options before starting the game or a global
+ configuration for system administrators.
+
9.2. Using the NETHACKOPTIONS environment variable
The NETHACKOPTIONS variable is a comma-separated list of
The default name of the configuration file varies on differ-
ent operating systems, but NETHACKOPTIONS can also be set to the
- full name of a file you want to use (possibly preceded by an
- `@').
- 9.4. Customization options
-
- Here are explanations of what the various options do. Char-
- acter strings that are too long may be truncated. Some of the
- options listed may be inactive in your dungeon.
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ NetHack Guidebook 38
- NetHack Guidebook 38
+ full name of a file you want to use (possibly preceded by an
+ `@').
+ 9.4. Customization options
+ Here are explanations of what the various options do. Char-
+ acter strings that are too long may be truncated. Some of the
+ options listed may be inactive in your dungeon.
Some options are persistent, and are saved and reloaded
along with the game. Changing a persistent option in the config-
Start the character permanently blind. Persistent. (default
false)
- bones
- Allow saving and loading bones files. Persistent. (default
- true)
-
- boulder
- Set the character used to display boulders (default is rock
- class symbol).
-
-
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ bones
+ Allow saving and loading bones files. Persistent. (default
+ true)
+
+ boulder
+ Set the character used to display boulders (default is rock
+ class symbol).
+
catname
Name your starting cat (ex. ``catname:Morris''). Cannot be set
with the `O' command.
sponse of `n' for each candidate). Persistent. The possibili-
ties are:
- i - disclose your inventory;
- a - disclose your attributes;
- v - summarize monsters that have been vanquished;
- g - list monster species that have been genocided;
- c - display your conduct;
- o - display dungeon overview.
- Each disclosure possibility can optionally be preceded by a
- prefix which lets you refine how it behaves. Here are the
- valid prefixes:
+
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ i - disclose your inventory;
+ a - disclose your attributes;
+ v - summarize monsters that have been vanquished;
+ g - list monster species that have been genocided;
+ c - display your conduct;
+ o - display dungeon overview.
+
+ Each disclosure possibility can optionally be preceded by a
+ prefix which lets you refine how it behaves. Here are the
+ valid prefixes:
+
y - prompt you and default to yes on the prompt;
n - prompt you and default to no on the prompt;
+ - disclose it without prompting;
the remaining inventory letters. Persistent.
fruit
- Name a fruit after something you enjoy eating (ex. ``fruit:man-
- go'') (default ``slime mold''). Basically a nostalgic whimsy
- that NetHack uses from time to time. You should set this to
- something you find more appetizing than slime mold. Apples,
- oranges, pears, bananas, and melons already exist in NetHack,
- so don't use those.
-
- gender
- Your starting gender (gender:male or gender:female). You may
- specify just the first letter. Although you can still denote
- your gender using the ``male'' and ``female'' options, the
- ``gender'' option will take precedence. The default is to
+ Name a fruit after something you enjoy eating (ex.
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- randomly pick an appropriate gender. If you prefix a `!' or
+ ``fruit:mango'') (default ``slime mold''). Basically a nostal-
+ gic whimsy that NetHack uses from time to time. You should set
+ this to something you find more appetizing than slime mold.
+ Apples, oranges, pears, bananas, and melons already exist in
+ NetHack, so don't use those.
+
+ gender
+ Your starting gender (gender:male or gender:female). You may
+ specify just the first letter. Although you can still denote
+ your gender using the ``male'' and ``female'' options, the
+ ``gender'' option will take precedence. The default is to ran-
+ domly pick an appropriate gender. If you prefix a `!' or
``no'' to the value, you can exclude that gender from being
picked randomly. Cannot be set with the `O' command. Persis-
tent.
Display an introductory message when starting the game (default
on). Persistent.
- lit_corridor
- Show corridor squares seen by night vision or a light source
- held by your character as lit (default off). Persistent.
-
- lootabc
- Use the old `a', `b', and `c' keyboard shortcuts when looting,
- rather than the mnemonics `o', `i', and `b' (default off).
- Persistent.
-
- mail
- Enable mail delivery during the game (default on). Persistent.
+ lit_corridor
+ Show corridor squares seen by night vision or a light source
+ held by your character as lit (default off). Persistent.
+
+ lootabc
+ Use the old `a', `b', and `c' keyboard shortcuts when looting,
+ rather than the mnemonics `o', `i', and `b' (default off).
+ Persistent.
+
+ mail
+ Enable mail delivery during the game (default on). Persistent.
+
male
An obsolete synonym for ``gender:male''. Cannot be set with
the `O' command.
menu_headings
Controls how the headings in a menu are highlighted. Values
- are 'none', 'bold', 'dim', 'underline', 'blink', or 'inverse'.
- Not all ports can actually display all types.
- menu_invert_all
- Menu character accelerator to invert all items in a menu. Im-
- plemented by the Amiga, Gem, X11 and tty ports. Default '@'.
- menu_invert_page
- Menu character accelerator to invert all items on this page of
- a menu. Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Default
- '~'.
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ NetHack Guidebook 43
- NetHack Guidebook 43
+ are 'none', 'bold', 'dim', 'underline', 'blink', or 'inverse'.
+ Not all ports can actually display all types.
+ menu_invert_all
+ Menu character accelerator to invert all items in a menu. Im-
+ plemented by the Amiga, Gem, X11 and tty ports. Default '@'.
+ menu_invert_page
+ Menu character accelerator to invert all items on this page of
+ a menu. Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Default
+ '~'.
menu_last_page
Menu character accelerator to jump to the last page in a menu.
f - full window, oldest message first;
r - full window reversed, newest message first.
- For backward compatibility, no value needs to be specified
- (which defaults to `full'), or it can be negated (which de-
- faults to `single').
-
- name
- Set your character's name (defaults to your user name). You
- can also set your character's role by appending a dash and one
- or more letters of the role (that is, by suffixing one of -A -B
- -C -H -K -M -P -Ra -Ro -S -T -V -W). If -@ is used for the
- role, then a random one will be automatically chosen. Cannot
- be set with the `O' command.
-
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ For backward compatibility, no value needs to be specified
+ (which defaults to `full'), or it can be negated (which
+ defaults to `single').
+
+ name
+ Set your character's name (defaults to your user name). You
+ can also set your character's role by appending a dash and one
+ or more letters of the role (that is, by suffixing one of -A -B
+ -C -H -K -M -P -Ra -Ro -S -T -V -W). If -@ is used for the
+ role, then a random one will be automatically chosen. Cannot
+ be set with the `O' command.
+
news
Read the NetHack news file, if present (default on). Since the
news is shown at the beginning of the game, there's no point in
paranoid_confirmation
A space separated list of specific situations where alternate
- prompting is desired. The default is paranoid_confirma-
- tion:pray.
-
- Confirm - for any prompts which are set to require "yes" rather
- than 'y', also require "no" to reject instead of ac-
- cepting any non-yes response as no
- quit - require "yes" rather than 'y' to confirm quitting the
- game or switching into non-scoring explore mode;
- die - require "yes" rather than 'y' to confirm dying (not
- useful in normal play; applies to explore mode);
- bones - require "yes" rather than 'y' to confirm saving bones
- data when dying in debug mode;
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ prompting is desired. The default is paranoid_confirma-
+ tion:pray.
+
+ Confirm - for any prompts which are set to require "yes" rather
+ than 'y', also require "no" to reject instead of ac-
+ cepting any non-yes response as no
+ quit - require "yes" rather than 'y' to confirm quitting the
+ game or switching into non-scoring explore mode;
+ die - require "yes" rather than 'y' to confirm dying (not
+ useful in normal play; applies to explore mode);
+ bones - require "yes" rather than 'y' to confirm saving bones
+ data when dying in debug mode;
attack - require "yes" rather than 'y' to confirm attacking a
peaceful monster;
pray - require 'y' to confirm an attempt to pray rather than
pickup_types
Specify the object types to be picked up when autopickup is on.
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 46
+
+
+
Default is all types. You can use autopickup_exception config-
uration file lines to further refine autopickup behavior. Per-
sistent.
size will always be at least that big; default value is 5.
Persistent.
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 46
-
-
-
playmode
Values are `normal', `explore', or `debug'. Allows selection
of explore mode (also known as discovery mode) or debug mode
found within ``symbols'' to alter the symbols displayed on the
screen on the rogue level.
+
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 47
+
+
+
rlecomp
When writing out a save file, perform run length compression of
the map. Not all ports support run length compression. It has
teleport - update the map after movement has finished;
run - update the map after every seven or so steps;
walk - update the map after each step;
-
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 47
-
-
-
crawl - like walk, but pause briefly after each step.
This option only affects the game's screen display, not the ac-
and #loot commands and some others. Persistent. The possible
values are:
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 48
+
+
+
full - always sort the lists;
loot - only sort the lists that don't use inventory letters,
like with the #loot and pickup commands;
hit by an attack to which it is resistant (default on). Per-
sistent.
-
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 48
-
-
-
standout
Boldface monsters and ``--More--'' (default off). Persistent.
parent window, but it no longer leaves the score list around
after game end on a terminal or emulating window.
- travel
- Allow the travel command (default on). Turning this option off
- will prevent the game from attempting unintended moves if you
- make inadvertent mouse clicks on the map window. Persistent.
- verbose
- Provide more commentary during the game (default on). Persis-
- tent.
- windowtype
- Select which windowing system to use, such as ``tty'' or
- ``X11'' (default depends on version). Cannot be set with the
- `O' command.
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ NetHack Guidebook 49
- NetHack Guidebook 49
+ travel
+ Allow the travel command (default on). Turning this option off
+ will prevent the game from attempting unintended moves if you
+ make inadvertent mouse clicks on the map window. Persistent.
+ verbose
+ Provide more commentary during the game (default on). Persis-
+ tent.
+ windowtype
+ Select which windowing system to use, such as ``tty'' or
+ ``X11'' (default depends on version). Cannot be set with the
+ `O' command.
zerocomp
When writing out a save file, perform zero-comp compression of
specified with the traps option) straight through to your ter-
minal (default off).
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 50
+
+
+
font_map
NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for the map win-
dow.
NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for the status
window.
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 50
-
-
-
font_text
NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for text windows.
popup_dialog
NetHack should pop up dialog boxes for input.
- preload_tiles
- NetHack should preload tiles into memory. For example, in the
- protected mode MSDOS version, control whether tiles get pre-
- loaded into RAM at the start of the game. Doing so enhances
- performance of the tile graphics, but uses more memory. (de-
- fault on). Cannot be set with the `O' command.
- scroll_amount
- NetHack should scroll the display by this number of cells when
- the hero reaches the scroll_margin.
- scroll_margin
- NetHack should scroll the display when the hero or cursor is
- this number of cells away from the edge of the window.
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ NetHack Guidebook 51
- NetHack Guidebook 51
+ preload_tiles
+ NetHack should preload tiles into memory. For example, in the
+ protected mode MSDOS version, control whether tiles get pre-
+ loaded into RAM at the start of the game. Doing so enhances
+ performance of the tile graphics, but uses more memory. (de-
+ fault on). Cannot be set with the `O' command.
+ scroll_amount
+ NetHack should scroll the display by this number of cells when
+ the hero reaches the scroll_margin.
+ scroll_margin
+ NetHack should scroll the display when the hero or cursor is
+ this number of cells away from the edge of the window.
selectsaved
NetHack should display a menu of existing saved games for the
message window.
windowcolors
- NetHack should display windows with the specified fore-
- ground/background colors if it can.
+ NetHack should display windows with the specified
- wraptext
- NetHack port should wrap long lines of text if they don't fit
- in the visible area of the window.
- 9.6. Platform-specific Customization options
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- Here are explanations of options that are used by specific
- platforms or ports to customize and change the port behavior.
- altkeyhandler
- Select an alternate keystroke handler dll to load (Win32 tty
- NetHack only). The name of the handler is specified without
- the .dll extension and without any path information. Cannot be
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ NetHack Guidebook 52
+ foreground/background colors if it can.
- NetHack Guidebook 52
+ wraptext
+ NetHack port should wrap long lines of text if they don't fit
+ in the visible area of the window.
+ 9.6. Platform-specific Customization options
+ Here are explanations of options that are used by specific
+ platforms or ports to customize and change the port behavior.
+ altkeyhandler
+ Select an alternate keystroke handler dll to load (Win32 tty
+ NetHack only). The name of the handler is specified without
+ the .dll extension and without any path information. Cannot be
set with the `O' command.
altmeta
rawio
Force raw (non-cbreak) mode for faster output and more bullet-
proof input (MS-DOS sometimes treats `^P' as a printer toggle
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 53
+
+
+
without it) (default off, OS/2, PC, and ST NetHack only).
Note: DEC Rainbows hang if this is turned on. Cannot be set
with the `O' command.
value:171/92 will return 92 to NetHack, if 171 was originally
going to be returned. You can use multiple subkeyvalue state-
ments in the config file if needed. Cannot be set with the `O'
-
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 53
-
-
-
command.
video
By placing autopickup_exception lines in your configuration
file, you can define patterns to be checked when the game is
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 54
+
+
+
about to autopickup something.
autopickup_exception
> - never pickup an object that matches rest of pattern.
A `never pickup' rule takes precedence over an `always pickup'
-
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 54
-
-
-
rule if both match.
Exceptions can be set with the `O' command, but ones set that
Here's an example of message types using NetHack's internal
pattern matching facility:
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 55
+
+
+
MSGTYPE=stop "You feel hungry."
MSGTYPE=hide "You displaced *."
Some platforms allow you to define colors used in menu lines
when the line matches a user-defined pattern. At this time the
-
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 55
-
-
-
tty, win32tty and win32gui support this.
In general, the config file entries to configure the menu
worn)" on the same line will be shown in red color and under-
lined. You can have multiple MENUCOLOR entries in your config
file, and the last MENUCOLOR-line in your config file that
- matches a menu line will be used for the line.
- Note that if you intend to have one or more color specifica-
- tions match " uncursed ", you will probably want to turn the im-
- plicit_uncursed option off so that all items known to be uncursed
- are actually displayed with the ``uncursed'' description.
- 9.11. Configuring User Sounds
-
- Some platforms allow you to define sound files to be played
- when a message that matches a user-defined pattern is delivered
- to the message window. At this time the Qt port and the win32tty
- and win32gui ports support the use of user sounds.
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+ NetHack Guidebook 56
+ matches a menu line will be used for the line.
- NetHack Guidebook 56
+ Note that if you intend to have one or more color specifica-
+ tions match " uncursed ", you will probably want to turn the im-
+ plicit_uncursed option off so that all items known to be uncursed
+ are actually displayed with the ``uncursed'' description.
+ 9.11. Configuring User Sounds
+ Some platforms allow you to define sound files to be played
+ when a message that matches a user-defined pattern is delivered
+ to the message window. At this time the Qt port and the win32tty
+ and win32gui ports support the use of user sounds.
The following config file entries are relevant to mapping
user sounds to messages:
OPTION=hilite_status: wisdom/updown/red/green
You can adjust the display of the following status fields:
+
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 57
+
+
+
title strength dexterity
constitution intelligence wisdom
charisma alignment score
Allowed attributes are bold, inverse, normal. Note that the
platform used may interpret the attributes any way it wants.
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 57
-
-
-
Behaviours can occur based on percentage thresholds, updown, or
absolute values. The in-game options menu can help you deter-
mine the correct syntax for a config file.
_ S_altar (altar)
" S_amulet (amulet)
A S_angel (angelic being)
+
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 58
+
+
+
a S_ant (ant or other insect)
^ S_anti_magic_trap (anti-magic field)
[ S_armor (suit or piece of armor)
( S_boomright (boomerang open right)
` S_boulder (boulder)
- S_brcorn (bottom right corner)
-
-
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 58
-
-
-
C S_centaur (centaur)
_ S_chain (iron chain)
# S_cloud (cloud)
S_ghost (ghost)
H S_giant (giant humanoid)
G S_gnome (gnome)
+
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 59
+
+
+
' S_golem (golem)
| S_grave (grave)
g S_gremlin (gremlin)
j S_jelly (jelly)
k S_kobold (kobold)
K S_kop (Keystone Kop)
-
-
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 59
-
-
-
^ S_land_mine (land mine)
} S_lava (molten lava)
l S_leprechaun (leprechaun)
? S_scroll (scroll)
# S_sink (sink)
^ S_sleeping_gas_trap (sleeping gas trap)
+
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 60
+
+
+
S S_snake (snake)
s S_spider (arachnid or centipede)
^ S_spiked_pit (spiked pit)
| S_sw_ml (swallow middle left)
| S_sw_mr (swallow middle right)
- S_sw_tc (swallow top center)
-
-
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 60
-
-
-
/ S_sw_tl (swallow top left)
`\' S_sw_tr (swallow top right)
- S_tdwall (wall)
x S_xan (xan or other mythical/fantastic insect)
X S_xorn (xorn)
Y S_yeti (apelike creature)
+
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 61
+
+
+
Z S_zombie (zombie)
z S_zruty (zruty)
examine this Guidebook before playing so you have an idea what
the screen layout is like. You'll also need to be able to locate
the PC cursor. It is always where your character is located.
- Merely searching for an @-sign will not always find your
-
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 61
-
-
-
- character since there are other humanoids represented by the same
- sign. Your screen-reader should also have a function which gives
- you the row and column of your review cursor and the PC cursor.
+ Merely searching for an @-sign will not always find your charac-
+ ter since there are other humanoids represented by the same sign.
+ Your screen-reader should also have a function which gives you
+ the row and column of your review cursor and the PC cursor.
These co-ordinates are often useful in giving players a better
sense of the overall location of items on the screen.
If NetHack is compiled with the SYSCF option, a system ad-
ministrator should set up a global configuration; this is a file
in the same format as the traditional per-user configuration file
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 62
+
+
+
(see above). This file should be named sysconf and placed in the
same directory as the other NetHack support files. The options
recognized in this file are listed below. Any option not set us-
EXPLORERS A list of users who are allowed to use the explore
mode. The syntax is the same as WIZARDS.
-
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 62
-
-
-
MAXPLAYERS Limit the maximum number of games that can be run-
ning at the same time.
each account on the machine can post only one non-winning score
on this list. If you score higher than someone else on this
list, or better your previous score, you will be inserted in the
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 63
+
+
+
proper place under your current name. How many scores are kept
can also be set up when NetHack is compiled.
list is, you can type nethack -s all on most versions.
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 63
-
-
-
11. Explore mode
NetHack is an intricate and difficult game. Novices might
in falling back to explore mode instead.
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 64
+
+
+
12. Credits
The original hack game was modeled on the Berkeley UNIX
Jay Fenlason wrote the original Hack, with help from Kenny
Woodland, Mike Thome and Jon Payne.
-
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 64
-
-
-
Andries Brouwer did a major re-write, transforming Hack into
a very different game, and published (at least) three versions
(1.0.1, 1.0.2, and 1.0.3) for UNIX machines to the Usenet.
and Janet Walz, the development team which now included Ken Ar-
romdee, David Cohrs, Jean-Christophe Collet, Kevin Darcy, Matt
Day, Timo Hakulinen, Steve Linhart, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Eric
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 65
+
+
+
Raymond, and Eric Smith undertook a radical revision of 3.0.
They re-structured the game's design, and re-wrote major parts of
the code. They added multiple dungeons, a new display, special
Jon W{tte and Hao-yang Wang, with help from Ross Brown, Mike
Engber, David Hairston, Michael Hamel, Jonathan Handler, Johnny
-
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 65
-
-
-
Lee, Tim Lennan, Rob Menke, and Andy Swanson, developed NetHack
3.1 for the Macintosh, porting it for MPW. Building on their de-
velopment, Barton House added a Think C port.
wrote NetHack Plus. Tom Proudfoot later merged NetHack Plus and
his own NetHack-- to produce SLASH. Larry Stewart-Zerba and War-
wick Allison improved the spell casting system with the Wizard
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 66
+
+
+
Patch. Warwick Allison also ported NetHack to use the Qt inter-
face.
Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie Collet, Steve Creps, Kevin Darcy,
Timo Hakulinen, Kevin Hugo, Steve Linhart, Ken Lorber, Dean
Luick, Pat Rankin, Eric Smith, Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and
-
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 66
-
-
-
Paul Winner, released 3.3.0 in December 1999 and 3.3.1 in August
of 2000.
Michael Allison, David Cohrs, Alex Kompel, Dion Nicolaas,
and Yitzhak Sapir maintained and enhanced 3.4 for the Microsoft
Windows platform. Alex Kompel contributed a new graphical inter-
- face for the Windows port. Alex Kompel also contributed a Win-
- dows CE port for 3.4.1.
+ face for the Windows port. Alex Kompel also contributed a
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 67
+
+
+
+ Windows CE port for 3.4.1.
Ron Van Iwaarden was the sole maintainer of NetHack for OS/2
the past several releases. Unfortunately Ron's last OS/2 machine
The release of NetHack 3.4.3 in December 2003 marked the be-
ginning of a long release hiatus. 3.4.3 proved to be a remarkably
-
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 67
-
-
-
stable version that provided continued enjoyment by the community
for more than a decade. The devteam slowly and quietly continued
to work on the game behind the scenes during the tenure of 3.4.3.
Smolkowski ensured that NetHack 3.6.0 continued to operate on
various Unix flavors and maintained the X11 interface.
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 68
+
+
+
Ken Lorber, Haoyang Wang, Pat Rankin, and Dean Luick main-
tained the port of NetHack 3.6.0 for Mac.
thank the generous people primarily responsible for the public
NetHack servers available for playing the game at nethack.alt.org
and devnull.net. In addition to providing a way for the public to
-
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 68
-
-
-
play a game of NetHack from almost anywhere, they have hosted an-
nual NetHack tournaments for many, many years.
Del Lamb Kevin Smolkowski Sascha Wostmann
Derek S. Ray Kevin Sweet Scott Bigham
Deron Meranda Lars Huttar Scott R. Turner
+
+
+
+ NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
+
+
+
+
+
+ NetHack Guidebook 69
+
+
+
Dion Nicolaas Leon Arnott Sean Hunt
Dylan O'Donnell M. Drew Streib Stephen Spackman
Eric Backus Malcolm Ryan Stefan Thielscher
Helge Hafting Mike Gallop Warwick Allison
Irina Rempt-Drijfhout Mike Passaretti Yitzhak Sapir
Izchak Miller Mike Stephenson
-
-
-
- NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
-
-
-
-
-
- NetHack Guidebook 69
-
-
-
J. Ali Harlow Mikko Juola
Brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks
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projects / nethack / commitdiff