- NetHack 3.6.4 -- General information December 18, 2019
+ NetHack 3.7.0 work-in-progress -- General information
-NetHack 3.6 is an enhancement to the dungeon exploration game NetHack,
+NetHack 3.7 is an enhancement to the dungeon exploration game NetHack,
which is a distant descendent of Rogue and Hack, and a direct descendent of
-NetHack 3.4 as there was no NetHack 3.5 release.
-
-NetHack 3.6.4 is the official release of NetHack that follows NetHack 3.6.3
-and contains all bug fixes since 3.6.3, including one security-related fix for
-a vulnerability that affects NetHack versions 3.6.0, 3.6.1, 3.6.2, and 3.6.3.
+NetHack 3.6.
-text in there was written for the development team's own use and is provided
-"as is", so please do not ask us to further explain the entries in that file.
-Some entries might be considered "spoilers", particularly in the "new features"
+NetHack 3.7.0 work-in-progress is not a release of NetHack. As a .0 version,
+and still very early in its development cycle, there has already been changes
+made, and there will continue to be many more prior to an eventual release.
+ The file doc/fixes36.4 in the source distribution has a full list of fixes. The
section.
-Below you will find some other general notes that were not considered
-spoilers:
-
- * fix potential buffer overflow when parsing run-time configuration file
- * GDBPATH and GREPPATH from sysconf or -D... on compilation command line were
- * being processed even if PANICTRACE was disabled but only being freed
- * at end of game when that was enabled
- * fix the article used in the message when your steed encounters a polymorph
- * trap
- * allow teleporting onto the vibrating square
- * message "your knapsack can't accomodate any more items" when picking stuff
- * up or removing such from container was inaccurate if there was some
- * gold pending; vary the message rather than add more convoluted pickup
- * code
- * dozen-ish assorted spelling/typo fixes in messages and source comments
- * wizard mode wishing for terrain would leave it unmapped if done while blind
- * wizard mode terrain wish could leave hero in water (severe vision limits)
- * or in lava (trapped, sinking) which wasn't there any more
- * flying hero can go down (via '>') holes or trap doors instead of escaping
- * trap
- * polymorphed hero hiding on the ceiling can now use '>' to unhide instead of
- * being told "you can't go down here"
- * fix compilation on platforms that split the ncurses and tinfo libraries
- * Windows: allow all game files to be on a portable device via the sysconf
- * option 'portable_device_paths'
+In short -- there are likely to be bugs. Don't treat NetHack-3.7 branch as
+released code, and if stability is paramount, then the most recent
+NetHack 3.6.3 release is safest for you.
+
+We're making the .0 work-in-progress available so that you can observe, test
+out, and contribute to its development. Constructive suggestions, GitHub pull
+requests, and bug reports are all welcome and encouraged.
+
+The file doc/fixes37.0 in the source distribution has a full list of bug-fixes
+included so far, as well as brief mentions of some of the other code changes.
+The text in there was written for the development team's own use and is
+provided "as is", so please do not ask us to further explain the entries in
+that file. Some entries might be considered "spoilers", particularly in the
+"new features" section.
+
+Along with the game improvements and bug fixes, NetHack 3.7 strives to make
+some general architectural improvements to the game or to its building
+process. Among them:
+
+ * Remove barriers to building NetHack on one platform and operating system,
+ for later execution on another (possibly quite different) platform and/or
+ operating system. That capability is generally known as "cross-compiling."
+ See the file "Cross-compiling" in the top-level folder for more information
+ on that.
+
+ * Replace the build-time "yacc and lex"-based level compiler, the "yacc and
+ lex"-based dungeon compiler, and the quest text file processing done
+ by NetHack's "makedefs" utility, with Lua text alternatives that are
+ loaded and processed by the game during play.
+
+ * Write game savefiles and bonesfiles in a more portable and consistent way
+ to open up the possibility of utilizing them between different platforms,
+ such as between your desktop computer and your hand-held device.
+
+ * Add support to make the game restartable without exit (a.k.a. "play again"
+ support). Toward that end, many previously scattered and separate variables
+ have been gathered into a central 'g' structure in decl.h/decl.c. That
+ will benefit the porting effort to some platforms that are under
+ consideration.
+
+Here are some other general notes on the changes in NetHack 3.7 that were not
+considered spoilers:
+ - automatic annotation "gateway to Moloch's Sanctum" for vibrating square
+ level once that square's location becomes known (found or magic
+ mapped); goes away once sanctum temple is found (entered or high altar
+ mapped)
+ - savefile: add support to deconstruct internal data structures down into
+ their individual fields and save those fields instead of the entire
+ struct
+ - savefile: use little-endian format for fields where that makes a difference
- - - - - - - - - - -
projects / nethack / commitdiff