1 126 1508 2808 585413
nDirectory 0
nhelp 2808
nhh 13323
ncmdhelp 18992
nhistory 24217
nopthelp 34688
nwizhelp 48335
ndungeon 48998
nasmodeus.lev 51490
nbaalz.lev 52506
nbigrm-1.lev 53644
nbigrm-2.lev 55950
nbigrm-3.lev 58312
nbigrm-4.lev 60618
nbigrm-5.lev 62932
ncastle.lev 65294
nfakewiz1.lev 69047
nfakewiz2.lev 69347
njuiblex.lev 69644
nknox.lev 71838
nmedusa-1.lev 74283
nmedusa-2.lev 76791
nminend-1.lev 79573
nminend-2.lev 82198
nminend-3.lev 84989
nminefill.lev 87362
nminetn-1.lev 87847
nminetn-2.lev 88714
nminetn-3.lev 89766
nminetn-4.lev 90765
nminetn-5.lev 91712
nminetn-6.lev 94025
nminetn-7.lev 95240
noracle.lev 96507
norcus.lev 97206
nsanctum.lev 99592
nsoko1-1.lev 102068
nsoko1-2.lev 103272
nsoko2-1.lev 104498
nsoko2-2.lev 105237
nsoko3-1.lev 106060
nsoko3-2.lev 107067
nsoko4-1.lev 107998
nsoko4-2.lev 108665
ntower1.lev 109359
ntower2.lev 109887
ntower3.lev 110383
nvalley.lev 111007
nwizard1.lev 114086
nwizard2.lev 115219
nwizard3.lev 115893
nastral.lev 116854
nair.lev 119981
nearth.lev 122680
nfire.lev 125641
nwater.lev 128753
nArc-goal.lev 131631
nBar-goal.lev 134293
nCav-goal.lev 136796
nHea-goal.lev 138785
nKni-goal.lev 140354
nMon-goal.lev 143008
nPri-goal.lev 144096
nRan-goal.lev 145356
nRog-goal.lev 147891
nSam-goal.lev 150723
nTou-goal.lev 152587
nVal-goal.lev 155544
nWiz-goal.lev 156967
nArc-fila.lev 159796
nArc-filb.lev 160328
nBar-fila.lev 160860
nBar-filb.lev 161177
nCav-fila.lev 161714
nCav-filb.lev 162071
nHea-fila.lev 162548
nHea-filb.lev 163045
nKni-fila.lev 163702
nKni-filb.lev 164059
nMon-fila.lev 164516
nMon-filb.lev 165070
nPri-fila.lev 165604
nPri-filb.lev 166056
nRan-fila.lev 166608
nRan-filb.lev 166965
nRog-fila.lev 167402
nRog-filb.lev 167990
nSam-fila.lev 168578
nSam-filb.lev 168975
nTou-fila.lev 170371
nTou-filb.lev 170728
nVal-fila.lev 171165
nVal-filb.lev 171574
nWiz-fila.lev 172023
nWiz-filb.lev 172575
nArc-loca.lev 173107
nBar-loca.lev 175898
nCav-loca.lev 178430
nHea-loca.lev 180896
nKni-loca.lev 182325
nMon-loca.lev 183932
nPri-loca.lev 186386
nRan-loca.lev 187412
nRog-loca.lev 189228
nSam-loca.lev 191880
nTou-loca.lev 194868
nVal-loca.lev 197523
nWiz-loca.lev 198979
nArc-strt.lev 201637
nBar-strt.lev 203947
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nHea-strt.lev 208248
nKni-strt.lev 210577
nMon-strt.lev 212032
nPri-strt.lev 214146
nRan-strt.lev 216280
nRog-strt.lev 217990
nSam-strt.lev 220696
nTou-strt.lev 222822
nVal-strt.lev 225440
nWiz-strt.lev 227524
ndata 229765
noracles 438918
noptions 444856
nquest.dat 445494
nrumors 542597
Welcome to NetHack! ( description of version 3.4 )
NetHack is a Dungeons and Dragons like game where you (the adventurer)
descend into the depths of the dungeon in search of the Amulet of Yendor,
reputed to be hidden somewhere below the twentieth level. You begin your
adventure with a pet that can help you in many ways, and can be trained
to do all sorts of things. On the way you will find useful (or useless)
items, quite possibly with magic properties, and assorted monsters. You can
attack a monster by trying to move onto the space a monster is on (but often
it is much wiser to leave it alone).
Unlike most adventure games, which give you a verbal description of
your location, NetHack gives you a visual image of the dungeon level you are
on.
NetHack uses the following symbols:
- and | The walls of a room, possibly also open doors or a grave.
. The floor of a room or a doorway.
# A corridor, or iron bars, or a tree, or possibly a kitchen
sink (if your dungeon has sinks), or a drawbridge.
> Stairs down: a way to the next level.
< Stairs up: a way to the previous level.
@ You (usually), or another human.
) A weapon of some sort.
[ A suit or piece of armor.
% Something edible (not necessarily healthy).
/ A wand.
= A ring.
? A scroll.
! A potion.
( Some other useful object (pick-axe, key, lamp...)
$ A pile of gold.
* A gem or rock (possibly valuable, possibly worthless).
+ A closed door, or a spellbook containing a spell
you can learn.
^ A trap (once you detect it).
" An amulet, or a spider web.
0 An iron ball.
_ An altar, or an iron chain.
{ A fountain.
} A pool of water or moat or a pool of lava.
\ An opulent throne.
` A boulder or statue.
A to Z, a to z, and several others: Monsters.
I Invisible or unseen monster's last known location
You can find out what a symbol represents by typing
'/' and following the directions to move the cursor
to the symbol in question. For instance, a 'd' may
turn out to be a dog.
y k u 7 8 9 Move commands:
\|/ \|/ yuhjklbn: go one step in specified direction
h-.-l 4-.-6 YUHJKLBN: go in specified direction until you
/|\ /|\ hit a wall or run into something
b j n 1 2 3 g
: run in direction until something
numberpad interesting is seen
G, same, except a branching corridor isn't
< up ^: considered interesting (the ^ in this
case means the Control key, not a caret)
> down m: move without picking up objects
F: fight even if you don't sense a monster
If the number_pad option is set, the number keys move instead.
Depending on the platform, Shift number (on the numberpad),
Meta number, or Alt number will invoke the YUHJKLBN commands.
Control may or may not work when number_pad is enabled,
depending on the platform's capabilities.
Commands:
NetHack knows the following commands:
? Help menu.
/ Tell what a symbol represents. You may choose to specify
a location or give a symbol argument.
& Tell what a command does.
< Go up a staircase (if you are standing on it).
> Go down a staircase (if you are standing on it).
. Rest, do nothing for one turn.
_ Travel via a shortest-path algorithm to a point on the map
a Apply (use) a tool (pick-axe, key, lamp...)
A Remove all armor.
^A Redo the previous command
c Close a door.
C Call (name) an individual monster.
d Drop something. d7a: drop seven items of object a.
D Drop multiple items. This command is implemented in two
different ways. One way is:
"D" displays a list of all of your items, from which you can
pick and choose what to drop. A "+" next to an item means
that it will be dropped, a "-" means that it will not be
dropped. Toggle an item to be selected/deselected by typing
the letter adjacent to its description. Select all items
with "+", deselect all items with "=". The moves
you from one page of the listing to the next.
The other way is:
"D" will ask the question "What kinds of things do you want
to drop? [!%= au]". You should type zero or more object
symbols possibly followed by 'a' and/or 'u'.
Da - drop all objects, without asking for confirmation.
Du - drop only unpaid objects (when in a shop).
D%u - drop only unpaid food.
^D Kick (for doors, usually).
e Eat food.
E Engrave a message on the floor.
E- - write in the dust with your fingers.
f Fire ammunition from quiver.
F Followed by direction, fight a monster (even if you don't
sense it).
i Display your inventory.
I Display selected parts of your inventory, as in
I* - list all gems in inventory.
Iu - list all unpaid items.
Ix - list all used up items that are on your shopping bill.
I$ - count your money.
o Open a door.
O Review current options and possibly change them.
A menu displaying the option settings will be displayed
and most can be changed by simply selecting their entry.
Options are usually set before the game with a NETHACKOPTIONS
environment variable, or via a config file (defaults.nh,
NetHack Defaults, nethack.cnf, .nethackrc, etc.), not with
the 'O' command.
p Pay your shopping bill.
P Put on an accessory (ring, amulet, etc).
^P Repeat last message (subsequent ^P's repeat earlier messages).
The behavior can be varied via the msg_window option.
q Drink (quaff) something (potion, water, etc).
Q Select ammunition for quiver.
r Read a scroll or spellbook.
R Remove an accessory (ring, amulet, etc).
^R Redraw the screen.
s Search for secret doors and traps around you.
S Save the game.
t Throw an object or shoot a projectile.
T Take off armor.
^T Teleport, if you are able.
v Displays the version number.
V Display a longer identification of the version, including the
history of the game.
w Wield weapon. w- means wield nothing, use bare hands.
W Wear armor.
x Swap wielded and secondary weapons.
X Switch the game to explore (discovery) mode.
^X Show your attributes.
z Zap a wand.
Z Cast a spell.
^Z Suspend the game.
: Look at what is here.
; Look at what is somewhere else.
, Pick up some things.
@ Toggle the pickup option.
^ Ask for the type of a trap you found earlier.
) Tell what weapon you are wielding.
[ Tell what armor you are wearing.
= Tell what rings you are wearing.
" Tell what amulet you are wearing.
( Tell what tools you are using.
* Tell what equipment you are using; combines the preceding five.
$ Count your gold pieces.
+ List the spells you know; also rearrange them if desired.
\ Show what types of objects have been discovered.
! Escape to a shell, if supported in your version and OS.
# Introduces one of the "extended" commands. To get a list of
the commands you can use with "#" type "#?". The extended
commands you can use depends upon what options the game was
compiled with, along with your class and what type of monster
you most closely resemble at a given moment. If your keyboard
has a meta key (which, when pressed in combination with another
key, modifies it by setting the 'meta' (8th, or 'high') bit),
these extended commands can be invoked by meta-ing the first
letter of the command. An alt key may have a similar effect.
If the "number_pad" option is on, some additional letter commands
are available:
h displays the help menu, like '?'
j Jump to another location.
k Kick (for doors, usually).
l Loot a box on the floor.
n followed by number of times to repeat the next command
N Name an object or type of object.
u Untrap a trapped object or door.
You can put a number before a command to repeat it that many times,
as in "40." or "20s.". If you have the number_pad option set, you
must type 'n' to prefix the count, as in "n40." or "n20s".
Some information is displayed on the bottom line or perhaps in a
box, depending on the platform you are using. You see your
attributes, your alignment, what dungeon level you are on, how many
hit points you have now (and will have when fully recovered), what
your armor class is (the lower the better), your experience level,
and the state of your stomach. Optionally, you may or may not see
other information such as spell points, how much gold you have, etc.
Have Fun, and Happy Hacking!
y k u 7 8 9 Move commands:
\|/ \|/ yuhjklbn: go one step in specified direction
h-.-l 4-.-6 YUHJKLBN: go in specified direction until you
/|\ /|\ hit a wall or run into something
b j n 1 2 3 g: run in direction until something
numberpad interesting is seen
G, same, except a branching corridor isn't
< up ^: considered interesting (the ^ in this
case means the Control key, not a caret)
> down m: move without picking up objects/fighting
F: fight even if you don't sense a monster
If the number_pad option is set, the number keys move instead.
Depending on the platform, Shift number (on the numberpad),
Meta number, or Alt number will invoke the YUHJKLBN commands.
Control may or may not work when number_pad is enabled,
depending on the platform's capabilities.
General commands:
? help display one of several informative texts
#quit quit end the game without saving current game
S save save the game (to be continued later) and exit
! sh escape to some SHELL (if allowed)
^Z suspend suspend the game (independent of your current suspend char)
O options set options
/ whatis tell what a map symbol represents
\ known display list of what's been discovered
v version display version number
V history display game history
X explore switch the game to explore (discovery) mode
^A again redo the previous command (^A denotes the keystroke CTRL-A)
^R redraw redraw the screen
^P prevmsg repeat previous message (subsequent ^P's repeat earlier ones)
# introduces an extended command (#? for a list of them)
Game commands:
^D kick kick (a door, or something else)
^T 'port teleport (if you can)
^X show show your attributes
a apply apply or use a tool (pick-axe, key, camera, etc.)
A armor take off all armor
c close close a door
C call name an individual monster (ex. baptize your dog)
d drop drop an object. d7a: drop seven items of object 'a'
D Drop drop selected types of objects
e eat eat something
E engrave write a message in the dust on the floor (E- use fingers)
f fire fire ammunition from quiver
F fight followed by direction, fight a monster
i invent list your inventory (all objects you are carrying)
I Invent list selected parts of your inventory
Iu: list unpaid objects
Ix: list unpaid but used up items
I$: count your money
o open open a door
p pay pay your bill (in a shop)
P puton put on an accessory (ring, amulet, etc)
q quaff drink something (potion, water, etc)
Q quiver select ammunition for quiver
r read read a scroll or spellbook
R remove remove an accessory (ring, amulet, etc)
s search search for secret doors, hidden traps and monsters
t throw throw or shoot a weapon
T takeoff take off some armor
w wield wield a weapon (w- wield nothing)
W wear put on some armor
x xchange swap wielded and secondary weapons
z zap zap a wand
Z Zap cast a spell
< up go up the stairs
> down go down the stairs
^ trap_id identify a previously found trap
),[,=,",( ask for current items of specified symbol in use
* ask for combination of ),[,=,",( all at once
$ gold count your gold
+ spells list the spells you know; also rearrange them if desired
_ travel move via a shortest-path algorithm to a point on the map
. rest wait a moment
, pickup pick up all you can carry
@ toggle "pickup" (auto pickup) option on and off
: look look at what is here
; farlook look at what is somewhere else by selecting a map symbol
Keyboards that have a meta key can also use these extended commands
via the meta modifier instead of the # prefix:
M-? Display extended command help (if the platform allows this)
M-2 twoweapon toggle two-weapon combat (unless number_pad is enabled)
M-a adjust adjust inventory letters
M-c chat talk to someone
M-d dip dip an object into something
M-e enhance advance or check weapons skills
M-f force force a lock
M-i invoke invoke an object's special powers
M-j jump jump to another location
M-l loot loot a box on the floor
M-m monster use a monster's special ability
M-n name name an item or type of object
M-o offer offer a sacrifice to the gods
M-p pray pray to the gods for help
M-q quit stop playing
M-r rub rub a lamp or a stone
M-s sit sit down
M-t turn turn undead
M-u untrap untrap something
M-v version print compile time options for this version
M-w wipe wipe off your face
If the "number_pad" option is on, these additional variants are available:
n followed by number of times to repeat the next command
h help display one of several informative texts, like '?'
j jump jump to another location
k kick kick something (usually a door)
l loot loot a box on the floor
N name name an item or type of object
u untrap untrap something (usually a trapped object)
^ Show the type of a trap
^[ Cancel command
^A Redo the previous command
^C Quit the game
^D Kick something (usually a door, chest, or box)
^E Search a room (available in debug mode only)
^F Map the level (available in debug mode only)
^G Create a monster (available in debug mode only)
^I Identify all items (available in debug mode only)
^O Show location of special levels (available in debug mode only)
^P Toggle through previously displayed game messages
^R Redraw screen
^T Teleport around level
^V Teleport between levels (available in debug mode only)
^W Wish (available in debug mode only)
^X Show your attributes (intrinsic ones included in debug or explore mode)
^Z Suspend game (only if defined)
a Apply (use) a tool
A Remove all armor
b Go southwest 1 space
B Go southwest until you are on top of something
^B Go southwest until you are near something
c Close a door
C Call (name) a particular monster
d Drop an item
D Drop specific item types
e Eat something
E Engrave writing on the floor
f Fire ammunition from quiver
F Followed by direction, fight a monster (even if you don't sense it)
g Followed by direction, move until you are near something
G Followed by direction, same as control-direction
h Go west 1 space (if number_pad is on, display help message)
H Go west until you are on top of something
^H Go west until you are near something
i Show your inventory
I Inventory specific item types
j Go south 1 space (or if number_pad is on, jump to another location)
J Go south until you are on top of something
^J Go south until you are near something
k Go north 1 space (or if number_pad is on, kick something)
K Go north until you are on top of something
^K Go north until you are near something
l Go east 1 space (or if number_pad is on, loot a box on the floor)
L Go east until you are on top of something
^L Go east until you are near something
m Followed by direction, move without picking anything up or fighting
M Followed by direction, move a distance without picking anything up
n Go southeast 1 space
N Go southeast until you are on something (if number_pad, name an object)
^N Go southeast until you are near something
o Open a door
O Show option settings, possibly change them
p Pay your shopping bill
P Put on an accessory (ring, amulet, etc)
q Quaff (drink) something (potion, water, etc)
Q Select ammunition for quiver
r Read a scroll or spellbook
R Remove an accessory (ring, amulet, etc)
s Search for traps and secret doors
S Save the game
t Throw something
T Take off one piece of armor
u Go northeast 1 space (or if number_pad is on, untrap something)
U Go northeast until you are on top of something
^U Go northeast until you are near something
v Show version
V Show long version and game history
w Wield (put in use) a weapon
W Wear a piece of armor
x Swap wielded and secondary weapons
X Enter explore (discovery) mode (only if defined)
y Go northwest 1 space
Y Go northwest until you are on top of something
^Y Go northwest until you are near something
z Zap a wand
Z Zap (cast) a spell
< Go up a staircase
> Go down a staircase
/ Show what type of thing a symbol corresponds to
? Give a help message
& Tell what a command does
! Do a shell escape (only if defined)
\ Show what object types have been discovered
_ Travel via a shortest-path algorithm to a point on the map
. Rest one move while doing nothing
Rest one move while doing nothing (if rest_on_space option is on)
: Look at what is on the floor
; Show what type of thing a map symbol on the level corresponds to
, Pick up things at the current location
@ Toggle the pickup option on/off
) Show the weapon currently wielded
[ Show the armor currently worn
= Show the ring(s) currently worn
" Show the amulet currently worn
( Show the tools currently in use
* Show all equipment in use (combination of the ),[,=,",( commands)
$ Count your gold
+ List known spells
# Perform an extended command
M-? Display extended command help (if the platform allows this)
M-2 Toggle two-weapon combat (unless number_pad is enabled)
M-a Adjust inventory letters
M-c Talk to someone
M-d Dip an object into something
M-e Advance or check weapons skills
M-f Force a lock
M-i Invoke an object's special powers
M-j Jump to another location
M-l Loot a box on the floor
M-m Use a monster's special ability
M-n Name an item or type of object
M-o Offer a sacrifice to the gods
M-p Pray to the gods for help
M-q Quit
M-r Rub a lamp
M-s Sit down
M-t Turn undead
M-u Untrap something (trap, door, or chest)
M-v Print compile time options for this version of NetHack
M-w Wipe off your face
NetHack History file for release 3.4
Behold, mortal, the origins of NetHack...
Jay Fenlason wrote the original Hack with help from Kenny Woodland,
Mike Thome, and Jon Payne.
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(tm) machines to the Usenet.
Don G. Kneller ported Hack 1.0.3 to Microsoft(tm) C and MS-DOS(tm), producing
PC HACK 1.01e, added support for DEC Rainbow graphics in version 1.03g, and
went on to produce at least four more versions (3.0, 3.2, 3.51, and 3.6).
R. Black ported PC HACK 3.51 to Lattice(tm) C and the Atari 520/1040ST,
producing ST Hack 1.03.
Mike Stephenson merged these various versions back together, incorporating
many of the added features, and produced NetHack version 1.4. He then
coordinated a cast of thousands in enhancing and debugging NetHack 1.4 and
released NetHack versions 2.2 and 2.3.
Later, Mike coordinated a major rewrite of the game, heading a team which
included Ken Arromdee, Jean-Christophe Collet, Steve Creps, Eric Hendrickson,
Izchak Miller, Eric S. Raymond, John Rupley, Mike Threepoint, and Janet Walz,
to produce NetHack 3.0c. The same group subsequently released ten patch-
level revisions and updates of 3.0.
NetHack 3.0 was ported to the Atari by Eric R. Smith, to OS/2 by Timo
Hakulinen, and to VMS by David Gentzel. The three of them and Kevin Darcy
later joined the main development team to produce subsequent revisions of
3.0.
Olaf Seibert ported NetHack 2.3 and 3.0 to the Amiga. Norm Meluch, Stephen
Spackman and Pierre Martineau designed overlay code for PC NetHack 3.0.
Johnny Lee ported NetHack 3.0 to the Macintosh. Along with various other
Dungeoneers, they continued to enhance the PC, Macintosh, and Amiga ports
through the later revisions of 3.0.
Headed by Mike Stephenson and coordinated by Izchak Miller and Janet Walz,
the development team which now included Ken Arromdee, David Cohrs,
Jean-Christophe Collet, Kevin Darcy, Matt Day, Timo Hakulinen, Steve Linhart,
Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Eric 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
individual character quests, a new endgame and many other new features, and
produced NetHack 3.1.
Ken Lorber, Gregg Wonderly and Greg Olson, with help from Richard Addison,
Mike Passaretti, and Olaf Seibert, developed NetHack 3.1 for the Amiga.
Norm Meluch and Kevin Smolkowski, with help from Carl Schelin, Stephen
Spackman, Steve VanDevender, and Paul Winner, ported NetHack 3.1 to the PC.
Jon W{tte and Hao-yang Wang, with help from Ross Brown, Mike Engber, David
Hairston, Michael Hamel, Jonathan Handler, Johnny Lee, Tim Lennan, Rob Menke,
and Andy Swanson developed NetHack 3.1 for the Macintosh, porting it for
MPW. Building on their development, Barton House added a Think C port.
Timo Hakulinen ported NetHack 3.1 to OS/2. Eric Smith ported NetHack 3.1
to the Atari. Pat Rankin, with help from Joshua Delahunty, is responsible
for the VMS version of NetHack 3.1. Michael Allison ported NetHack 3.1 to
Windows NT.
Dean Luick, with help from David Cohrs, developed NetHack 3.1 for X11.
Warwick Allison wrote a tiled version of NetHack for the Atari;
he later contributed the tiles to the DevTeam and tile support was
then added to other platforms.
The 3.2 development team, comprised of Michael Allison, Ken Arromdee, David
Cohrs, Jessie Collet, Steve Creps, Kevin Darcy, Timo Hakulinen, Steve
Linhart, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Eric Smith, Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and
Paul Winner, released version 3.2 in April of 1996.
Version 3.2 marked the tenth anniversary of the formation of the development
team. In a testament to their dedication to the game, all thirteen members
of the original development team remained on the team at the start of work
on that release. During the interval between the release of 3.1.3 and 3.2,
one of the founding members of the development team, Dr. Izchak Miller,
passed away. That release of the game was dedicated to him by the
development and porting teams.
Version 3.2 proved to be more stable than previous versions. Many bugs
were fixed, abuses eliminated, and game features tuned for better game
play.
During the lifespan of NetHack 3.1 and 3.2, several enthusiasts of the game
added their own modifications to the game and made these "variants" publicly
available:
Tom Proudfoot and Yuval Oren created NetHack++, which was quickly renamed
NetHack--. Working independently, Stephen White wrote NetHack Plus.
Tom Proudfoot later merged NetHack Plus and his own NetHack-- to produce
SLASH. Larry Stewart-Zerba and Warwick Allison improved the spellcasting
system with the Wizard Patch. Warwick Allison also ported NetHack to use
the Qt interface.
Warren Cheung combined SLASH with the Wizard Patch to produce Slash'em, and
with the help of Kevin Hugo, added more features. Kevin later joined the
DevTeam and incorporated the best of these ideas in NetHack 3.3.
The final update to 3.2 was the bug fix release 3.2.3, which was released
simultaneously with 3.3.0 in December 1999 just in time for the Year 2000.
The 3.3 development team, consisting of Michael Allison, Ken 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 Paul Winner, released 3.3.0 in
December 1999 and 3.3.1 in August of 2000.
Version 3.3 offered many firsts. It was the first version to separate race
and profession. The Elf class was removed in preference to an elf race,
and the races of dwarves, gnomes, and orcs made their first appearance in
the game alongside the familiar human race. Monk and Ranger roles joined
Archeologists, Barbarians, Cavemen, Healers, Knights, Priests, Rogues,
Samurai, Tourists, Valkyries and of course, Wizards. It was also the first
version to allow you to ride a steed, and was the first version to have a
publicly available web-site listing all the bugs that had been discovered.
Despite that constantly growing bug list, 3.3 proved stable enough to last
for more than a year and a half.
The 3.4 development team initially consisted of Michael Allison, Ken Arromdee,
David Cohrs, Jessie Collet, Kevin Hugo, Ken Lorber, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin,
Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and Paul Winner, with Warwick Allison joining
just before the release of NetHack 3.4.0 in March 2002.
As with version 3.3, various people contributed to the game as a whole as
well as supporting ports on the different platforms that NetHack runs on:
Pat Rankin maintained 3.4 for VMS.
Michael Allison maintained NetHack 3.4 for the MS-DOS platform.
Paul Winner and Yitzhak Sapir provided encouragement.
Dean Luick, Mark Modrall, and Kevin Hugo maintained and enhanced the
Macintosh port of 3.4.
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 interface for the Windows port. Alex Kompel also
contributed a Windows CE port for 3.4.1.
Ron Van Iwaarden maintained 3.4 for OS/2.
Janne Salmijarvi and Teemu Suikki maintained and enhanced the
Amiga port of 3.4 after Janne Salmijarvi resurrected it for 3.3.1.
Christian `Marvin' Bressler maintained 3.4 for the Atari after he
resurrected it for 3.3.1.
There is a NetHack web site maintained by Ken Lorber at http://www.nethack.org/.
- - - - - - - - - -
From time to time, some depraved individual out there in netland sends a
particularly intriguing modification to help out with the game. The Gods of
the Dungeon sometimes make note of the names of the worst of these miscreants
in this, the list of Dungeoneers:
Adam Aronow Izchak Miller Mike Stephenson
Alex Kompel J. Ali Harlow Norm Meluch
Andreas Dorn Janet Walz Olaf Seibert
Andy Church Janne Salmijarvi Pasi Kallinen
Andy Swanson Jean-Christophe Collet Pat Rankin
Ari Huttunen Jochen Erwied Paul Winner
Barton House John Kallen Pierre Martineau
Benson I. Margulies John Rupley Ralf Brown
Bill Dyer John S. Bien Ray Chason
Boudewijn Waijers Johnny Lee Richard Addison
Bruce Cox Jon W{tte Richard Beigel
Bruce Holloway Jonathan Handler Richard P. Hughey
Bruce Mewborne Joshua Delahunty Rob Menke
Carl Schelin Keizo Yamamoto Robin Johnson
Chris Russo Ken Arnold Roderick Schertler
David Cohrs Ken Arromdee Roland McGrath
David Damerell Ken Lorber Ron Van Iwaarden
David Gentzel Ken Washikita Ronnen Miller
David Hairston Kevin Darcy Ross Brown
Dean Luick Kevin Hugo Sascha Wostmann
Del Lamb Kevin Sitze Scott Bigham
Deron Meranda Kevin Smolkowski Scott R. Turner
Dion Nicolaas Kevin Sweet Stephen Spackman
Dylan O'Donnell Lars Huttar Stephen White
Eric Backus Malcolm Ryan Steve Creps
Eric Hendrickson Mark Gooderum Steve Linhart
Eric R. Smith Mark Modrall Steve VanDevender
Eric S. Raymond Marvin Bressler Teemu Suikki
Erik Andersen Matthew Day Tim Lennan
Frederick Roeber Merlyn LeRoy Timo Hakulinen
Gil Neiger Michael Allison Tom Almy
Greg Laskin Michael Feir Tom West
Greg Olson Michael Hamel Warren Cheung
Gregg Wonderly Michael Sokolov Warwick Allison
Hao-yang Wang Mike Engber Yitzhak Sapir
Helge Hafting Mike Gallop
Irina Rempt-Drijfhout Mike Passaretti
Boolean options not under specific compile flags (with default values in []):
(You can learn which options exist in your version by checking your current
option setting, which is reached via the 'O' cmd.)
autodig dig if moving and wielding digging tool [FALSE]
autopickup automatically pick up objects you move over [TRUE]
autoquiver when firing with an empty quiver, select some
suitable inventory weapon to fill the quiver [FALSE]
BIOS allow the use of IBM ROM BIOS calls [FALSE]
cmdassist give help for errors on direction & other commands [TRUE]
confirm ask before hitting tame or peaceful monsters [TRUE]
DECgraphics use DEC/VT line-drawing characters for the dungeon [FALSE]
eight_bit_tty send 8-bit characters straight to terminal [FALSE]
extmenu use a menu for selecting extended commands (#) [FALSE]
fixinv try to retain the same letter for the same object [TRUE]
help print all available info when using the / command [TRUE]
IBMgraphics use IBM extended characters for the dungeon [FALSE]
ignintr ignore interrupt signal, including breaks [FALSE]
legacy print introductory message [TRUE]
lit_corridor show a dark corridor as lit if in sight [FALSE]
lootabc use a/b/c rather than o/i/b when looting [FALSE]
mail enable the mail daemon [TRUE]
null allow nulls to be sent to your terminal [TRUE]
try turning this option off (forcing NetHack to use its own
delay code) if moving objects seem to teleport across rooms
number_pad use the number keys to move instead of yuhjklbn [FALSE]
perm_invent keep inventory in a permanent window [FALSE]
prayconfirm use confirmation prompt when #pray command issued [TRUE]
pushweapon when wielding a new weapon, put your previously
wielded weapon into the secondary weapon slot [FALSE]
rawio allow the use of raw I/O [FALSE]
rest_on_space count the space bar as a rest character [FALSE]
safe_pet prevent you from (knowingly) attacking your pet(s) [TRUE]
showrace show yourself by your race rather than by role [FALSE]
silent don't use your terminal's bell sound [TRUE]
sortpack group similar kinds of objects in inventory [TRUE]
sound enable messages about what your character hears [TRUE]
(note: this has nothing to do with your computer's audio
capabilities, and the game resets it periodically)
sparkle display sparkly effect for resisted magical [TRUE]
attacks (e.g. fire attack on fire-resistant monster)
standout use standout mode for --More-- on messages [FALSE]
time display elapsed game time, in moves [FALSE]
tombstone print tombstone when you die [TRUE]
toptenwin print topten in a window rather than stdout [FALSE]
travel enable the command to travel to a map location via [TRUE]
a shortest-path algorithm, usually invoked by '_'.
verbose print more commentary during the game [TRUE]
There are further boolean options controlled by compilation flags.
Boolean option if INSURANCE was set at compile time:
checkpoint save game state after each level change, for possible [TRUE]
recovery after program crash
Boolean option if NEWS was set at compile time:
news print any news from game administrator on startup [TRUE]
Boolean option if MFLOPPY was set at compile time:
checkspace check free disk space before writing files to disk [TRUE]
Boolean option if EXP_ON_BOTL was set at compile time:
showexp display your accumulated experience points [FALSE]
Boolean option if SCORE_ON_BOTL was set at compile time:
showscore display your approximate accumulated score [FALSE]
Boolean options if TEXTCOLOR was set at compile time:
color use different colors for objects on screen [TRUE for micros]
hilite_pet display pets in a highlighted manner [FALSE]
Boolean option if TIMED_DELAY was set at compile time (tty interface only):
timed_delay on unix and VMS, use a timer instead of sending
extra screen output when attempting to pause for
display effect. on MSDOS without the termcap
lib, whether or not to pause for visual effect. [TRUE]
Boolean option if USE_TILES was set at compile time (MSDOS protected mode only):
preload_tiles 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. [TRUE]
Any Boolean option can be negated by prefixing it with a '!' or 'no'.
Compound options are written as option_name:option_value.
Compound options which can be set during the game are:
boulder override the default boulder symbol with another default: [`]
disclose the types of information you want offered at the end of the
game [ni na nv ng nc]
fruit the name of a fruit you enjoy eating [slime mold]
(basically a whimsy which NetHack uses from time to time).
menustyle user interface for selection of multiple objects:
Traditional -- one object at a time prompting;
Combination -- prompt for classes of interest, then menu;
Partial -- skip class prompt, use menu of all objects;
Full -- menu for classes of interest, then object menu;
only the first letter ('T','C','P','F') matters; 'N' (None)
is a synonym for 'T', as is boolean style negation [Full]
packorder a list of default symbols for kinds of objects that gives the
order in which your pack will be displayed [")[%?+!=/(*`0_]
(If you specify only some kinds of items, the others from the
default order will be appended to the end.)
pickup_burden when you pick up an item that exceeds this encumberance
level (Unburdened, Burdened, streSsed, straiNed, overTaxed,
or overLoaded), you will be asked if you want to continue. [S]
pickup_types a list of default symbols for kinds of objects to autopickup
when that option is on [all]
runmode controls how often the map window is updated when performing
multi-step movement (various running modes or travel command):
teleport -- don't update map until movement stops;
run -- periodically update map (interval is seven steps);
walk -- update map after every step;
crawl -- like walk, but delay after making each step.
(This only affects screen display, not actual movement.) [run]
scores the parts of the score list you wish to see when the game ends
You choose a combination of top scores, scores around the top
scores, and all of your own scores. [!own/3 top/2 around]
suppress_alert disable various version-specific warnings about changes
in game play or the user interface, such as notification given
for the 'Q' command that quitting is now done via #quit
(e.g., use suppress_alert:3.3.1 to stop that and any other
notifications added in that version or earlier) default: [(none)]
Compound options which may be set only on startup are:
align Your starting alignment (align:lawful, align:neutral,
or align:chaotic). You may specify just the first letter. [RANDOM]
catname the name of your first cat [NONE]
dogname the name of your first dog [NONE]
dungeon a list of symbols to be used in place of the default ones for
drawing the dungeon.
The symbols are subjected to a fair amount of processing, so
that you can use C-style escapes such as \n or \081 as well as
indicate control characters by ^x or meta characters by \Mx.
As usual, \ can force the next character to be taken literally.
Since many of the default symbols are overloaded, they are
given here by name instead of symbol, with some added notes:
stone (solid rock, normally ' ')
vwall hwall tlcorn trcorn blcorn brcorn (room boundaries)
crwall tuwall tdwall tlwall trwall (wallified maze characters)
nodoor vodoor hodoor (no, vertical, horizontal open door)
vcdoor hcdoor (vertical, horizontal closed door)
ironbars tree room darkcorr litcorr
upstair dnstair upladder dnladder
altar grave throne sink fountain pool ice lava
vodbridge hodbridge (vertical, horizontal open drawbridge)
vcdbridge hcdbridge (vertical, horizontal closed drawbridge)
air cloud water
default: \ |--------||.-|++##.##<><>_\\#{}.}..##\ #}
effects like dungeon, but for special effects symbols
vbeam hbeam lslant rslant (generic zap beams)
digbeam flashbeam (special beams for digging and cameras)
boomleft boomright (boomerangs)
ss1 ss2 ss3 ss4 (shielding sequence)
sw_topl, sw_topm, sw_topr, (swallow, top row)
sw_midl, sw_midr, (swallow, middle row [no center])
sw_botl, sw_botm, sw_botr (swallow, bottom row)
extl extm extr (explosion matrix top row)
exml exmm exmr (explosion matrix middle row)
exbl exbm exbr (explosion matrix bottom row)
default: |-\\/*!)(0#@*/-\\||\\-//-\\|\ |\\-/
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. [RANDOM]
horsename the name of your first horse [NONE]
menu_* create single character accelerators for menu commands. Below
is a list of all commands. Each is followed by a list of window-
ports that implement them: 'x' is X11, 't' is tty, 'g' is Gem,
'a' is Amiga.
menu_deselect_all deselect all items in a menu [-](gxta)
menu_deselect_page deselect all items on this page of a menu [\](gta)
menu_first_page jump to the first page in a menu [^](gta)
menu_invert_all invert all items in a menu [@](gxta)
menu_invert_page invert all items on this page of a menu [~](gta)
menu_last_page jump to the last page in a menu [|](gta)
menu_next_page goto the next menu page [>](gta)
menu_previous_page goto the previous menu page [<](gta)
menu_search search for a menu item [:](gxa)
menu_select_all select all items in a menu [.](gxta)
menu_select_page select all items on this page of a menu [,](gta)
monsters like dungeon, but for monster symbols
default: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ@\ \\&;:~]
msghistory number of top line messages to save [20]
name the name of your character [obtained by asking the system or
the player]
objects like dungeon, but for object symbols
default: ])[="(%!?+/$*`0_.
pettype your preferred type of pet (cat or dog), if your character
class uses both types; or none for no pet [RANDOM]
race Your starting race (e.g., race:Human, race:Elf). [RANDOM]
role Your starting role (e.g., role:Barbarian, role:Valk).
Although you can specify just the first letter(s), it will
choose only the first role it finds that matches; thus, it
is recommended that you spell out as much of the role name
as possible. You can also still denote your role by
appending it to the "name" option (e.g., name:Vic-V), but the
"role" option will take precedence. [RANDOM]
traps like dungeon, but for trap symbols
arrow_trap dart_trap falling_rock_trap squeaky_board
bear_trap land_mine rolling_boulder_trap sleeping_gas_trap
rust_trap fire_trap pit spiked_pit hole trap_door
teleportation_trap level_teleporter magic_portal web statue_trap
magic_trap anti_magic_trap polymorph_trap
default: ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^"^^^^
windowtype windowing system to be used [depends on operating system]
Compound option if TTY_GRAPHICS was set at compile time:
msg_window the type of message window to use:
single -- One message at a time
full -- Full window with all saved top line messages
reverse -- Same as full, but messages printed most-recent-first
combination -- Two single messages, then as full
default: single
Some sample options lists are:
!autopickup,!tombstone,name:Gandalf,scores:own/3 top/2 around
female,nonews,dogname:Rover,dungeon: |--------||.-|++.##<><>_\\#{}.}..## #}
rest_on_space,!verbose,menustyle:traditional
Debug-Mode Quick Reference:
^E == detect secret doors and traps.
^F == do magic mapping.
^G == create monster.
^I == identify items in pack.
^O == tell locations of special levels.
^T == do intra-level teleport.
^V == do trans-level teleport.
^W == make wish.
^X == show attributes including intrinsic attributes.
#levelchange == change experience level
#lightsources == show mobile light sources
#monpolycontrol == control monster polymorphs
#panic == panic test
#polyself == polymorph self
#seenv == show seen vectors
#stats == show memory statistics
#timeout == look at timeout queue
#vision == show vision array
#wmode == show wall modes
Æ ~!Ȥ The Dungeons of Doom D rogue d ˙˙˙˙ R oracle d ˙˙˙˙ O bigrm
( ˙˙˙˙ B medusa û˙ d ˙˙˙˙ castle ˙˙ d ˙˙˙˙ The Gnomish Mines ˙˙˙˙ Sokoban The Quest Fort Ludios ˙˙˙˙ Gehennom The Elemental Planes ˙˙˙˙ Gehennom G valley d ˙˙˙˙ V sanctum ˙˙ d ˙˙˙˙ juiblex d ˙˙˙˙ J baalz d ˙˙˙˙ B asmodeus d ˙˙˙˙ A wizard1 d ˙˙˙˙ wizard2 d
X wizard3 d
Y orcus
d ˙˙˙˙ O fakewiz1 ú˙ d ˙˙˙˙ F fakewiz2 ú˙ d ˙˙˙˙ G Vlad's Tower ˙˙˙˙ The Gnomish Mines D M minetn d ˙˙˙˙ T minend ˙˙ d ˙˙˙˙ E The Quest Q x-strt d ˙˙˙˙ x-loca d ˙˙˙˙ L x-goal ˙˙ d ˙˙˙˙ Sokoban $ ˙˙˙˙ soko1 d ˙˙˙˙ soko2 d ˙˙˙˙ soko3 d ˙˙˙˙ soko4 d ˙˙˙˙ Fort Ludios K knox ˙˙ d ˙˙˙˙ K Vlad's Tower tower ˙˙˙˙T tower1 d ˙˙˙˙ The Elemental Planes ū˙˙˙E astral d ˙˙˙˙ water d ˙˙˙˙ fire d ˙˙˙˙ air d ˙˙˙˙ earth d ˙˙˙˙ dummy d ˙˙˙˙ Æ ~!Ȥ ˙ F F F
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