Attempted revision of the NH Code

[nyra]

I found the most recent offerings of the code a bit out of sync -
entries on the Platinum Yendorian Express Card, a whole code segment
just for twoweaponing which isn't that huge an issue anymore and
several individual entries which simply are outdated by 3.4.1
standards. I also found the, hmm, granularity lacking in some cases
and decided to just go and try a full overhaul.

Warning: it's horribly verbose (just like that completely unnecessary
preface, as well as the current zero-content parenthese).

--------------------- The NetHack Code 1.3n --------------------------

Maintained by Raisse the Thaumaturge (rai...@valdyas.org, in real
life: Irina Rempt-Drijfhout) from an idea seeded by Ed Chang and taken
up by Dan Shiovitz. Updated for version 3.3.0 by Dylan O'Donnell.
Updated for 3.4.1 by Aaron Davidson.

1.3n Version information:

This is an overhaul release which might bring the code close to an
upgrade in version number. Before it is approved, i will not change
the official serial identifier, though.

Additions spawned by the "forthcoming" section: inventory, playing
speed.

Changes in this version: rewritten most entries. Added & and Z;
sketched out L. Removed 2 and Y. Rolled P, S and D into P (Religion);
combined $ and t into $ (valuables). Made sb and wb optional.

-nyra

Acknowledgements:

Aero (ae...@clark.net) contributed large chunks of $, E, PS, PP, N, b
and B, and also gave me the idea to put it into the first person;
Ed Chang (cha...@sina.eecs.berkeley.edu) contributed I and part of
Sp and suggested the short overview, and John Fouhy
(jfo...@actrix.gen.nz) made some helpful suggestions for Sp.
Philipp Lucas (phl...@online-club.de) commented on some of the
1.2 updates. Wingnut (j...@pinn.net) made several *? suggestions.

Pat Rankin, Adam Atkinson, Jukka Lahtinen, Viljo Viitanen, as well as
a number of people whose names were unfortunately vaporized by a
scroll of install Linux, told me about platforms.

Martin Read (mp...@hermes.cam.ac.uk) was probably the first person
actually to *use* it.

Raisse, killed by strangulation

0. Overview

Abbreviations

[ Armor C Conflict
) Weapons I Intrinsics
P Religion @W The Wizard of Yendor
Z spell use N Nurses
p Pets & Sex
$ Valuables L Alchemy
i Inventory X Experience
s Shops Ps Playing speed
W Wishing So Sources
E Elbereth Sp Spoilers
PS Polymorph self sb Save file backups
PP Polypile wb Wizard bones
G Genocide + Death

Examples

NH 3.3.0L D Raisse-Wiz-Hum-Fem-Neu HP:150 Pw:150 AC:-20
/* no L or T as this is a "D" code */
[+ )++ 2 P S+ D+ p++ $ t s++ W+ E PS+ PP+ G C I++
@W(*) N !Y X+ So Sp++ sb-- !wb

NH 3.3.0L A Reakk-Bar-Hum-Mal-Neu HP:161(257) Pw:65 AC:-40 L:20
T:54959
[+++ )++ !2 P S++ D++ p $ !t s W+ E--- PS-- PP++ G+ C- I++
@W(8)tw N-- !Y X++ So++ Sp++++ !sb wb-- +0

NH 3.4.1W C Yoshi-Val-Hum-Fem-Law HP:114 Pw:28 AC:-13 L:12 T:24887
[+ )+ 2 P S D !p $ t+ s+ W++ E- PS- PP+ G+ C- I++
!@W N Y+ X-- So+ Sp+++ !sb wb- +0

NH 3.4.1 W + Schnatterinchen Wiz-Gno-Fem-Neu HP:-1(155) L:21 T:~180K
[+ )+ P+++ Z++ p- $- i++ s+ W- E+ !PS PP++ G-- !C
I++ !@W !N !& !L X- Ps- So- Sp++ +1,genocidal confusion

Note that the "sb" and "wb" variables aren't displayed, as they're the
"default" value of "!x"

1. Preliminaries

NH

This is just to show that it's not a *geek* code.

Version

For instance: 3.4.1, +, S'EM
If you play more than one version either separate with a slash or
put the less often used one in parentheses, e.g. S'EM(3.3.0)

Platform

Your type of machine. This list is far from exhaustive, but it's
being worked on.

D DOS
U Unix
L Linux
M Mac
V VMS
P Psion
At Atari
Am Amiga
Ac Acorn
O OS/2
W Windows 95/98/Me
WN Windows NT/2000/XP
CE Windows CE

Type

The type of game that the NHC refers to:

D default - usual or preferred playing style
A ascension - latest or best ascension
C current game
F most fun game
+ silliest, saddest, most stupid or most spectacular death
(optionally include cause of death)

2. Status line

Name, class, race, gender, alignment - these should be self-evident.

If you've got "D" for Type above, you can use the rest of this
section to indicate the minimum you want before you feel comfortable.

Hit points

Maximum hit points; optionally current hit points with max HP
in parentheses, as they appear on the status line. Some people
dislike having "too many" hitpoints and may (additionally) add
a maximum, preceded by a "<".

Power

Maximum power; optionally current power with max Pw in
parentheses, for spellcasting types.

AC

Current AC with your standard equipment, or desired maximum
AC. Optionally with naked AC in parentheses. If AC greatly varies
according to circumstances, separate the typical values with
slashes.

Level

Self-evident. If you think this gives any useful information,
you might provide Experience in non-D games.

Turns

If your status line shows them. Same goes for score.

3. Equipment

--- This section starts a new line of the NHC ---

[ Armor

[+++ I only accept the very best: I always wind up with a
collection of highly powerful magic armour pieces, and all of
them will be damageproofed and enchanted to the very maximum.
My wishes are spent on armour and magic markers, and if my speed
boots go to +4, I will deliberately disenchant and then re-enchant
them until they're perfect. I dislike to wear non-magical armours
in slots for which magical items are available; plain leather
gloves will only ever be used as placeholders until I can acquire
something better. I have a list of AC ratings and armour-conferred
abilities I consider necessary for specific parts of the game.
Towards the end, my armour alone pushes my AC into the vicinity
of –40, and with a healthy amount of divine protection, I'm not
far from invulnerable.Spare magic marker charges are spent on
backup armour in the hopes of getting past +5.

[++ I take great care to get myself kitted out properly,
with a nice dragonscale armour and various armour pieces adding
important abilities like speed, ESP or displacement. I know the
armour list by heart and mix and match what I can find to make
a great combination. If i really want a specific armour item, I
won't hesitate to spend a wish on it, if I have wishes available.
I typically don't tackle Gehennom before I have –25 or better AC,
and also have clear criteria of what my armour and AC must be like
to risk the various quests.

[+ I have a good idea of which armours are special and what
their general qualities are. I spend a fair amount of time looking
for better armours - pre-enchanted stuff and the high-quality body
armours some creatures may wear. I know some tricks to "create"
better armour pieces and spend time with dragons or wands of
polymorph in hopes of getting lucky and generating something good.
Of course, there still are wishes to fill the really dangerous gaps,
but I prefer to use them for other purposes.

[ There are some magical armours that I very much like, to
the exclusion of all other items fitting in the same slot - mostly
because i rarely manage to work out what the other sorts are and
how they should be used. I have a reasonable idea of which AC
ratings are good and don't engage in anything I know I'm not
equipped for.

[- Generally, I go with the "if it's heavier, it's probably
better" rule. Of course, when I'm too concerned with being burdened
by my bronze plate mail, I'll drop it and wear some studded leather
instead. Rust monsters are my bane, as they can quickly and easily
ruin my AC, which is mostly derived from various bits of dwarven
equipment. I often end up stumbling through long stretches of
dungeon to uncurse an unfortunate pair of boots or an annoying
helmet.

[-- Many of my characters get skewered by leocrottas in the
deeper reaches of the mines, as they have terrible armour ratings
thanks to rusty stuff requiring exchange, frequently leading to
being stuck with cursed cloaks and the like. And if I avoid putting
on unchecked items to steer clear of curses, I end up with vital
slots staying open, which just invites mess-ups with xans or
mind flayers or cockatrices.

![ This character is naked by design (or of course all
characters, in case of a "D" code).

[? I've got this cloak on and I found this neat armour, but
for some strange reason I can't wear both at the same time ?!

) Weapons

)+++ I have the damage ratings for the various weapons
memorised, and will always use one of the high-end artefact
weapons, blessed, damageproofed and enchanted to +7 (even if
this requires dancing with disenchanters). If at all possible,
it's paired with a +7 secondary weapon for two-weapon combat.
Self-polymorph is tempting to allow two-weaponing for classes
who don't have the skill.
Of course, I'll optimise my skills to fit my weapon choice
perfectly, and if my optimal artefact is difficult to obtain,
I will plan to make sure I can safely wish for it.

)++ I have an artefact, donated by my deity, and enchanted
as high as it can go without turning to dust. And it's one of
the better artefacts, too, not one of the cheesy *bane-thingies.
If I need no shield and the character has the skill available, I'll
two-weapon it with another powerful and enchanted weapon. If I
luck into an early wish, I use it to get a good artefact weapon
right away.

)+ I know which weapons are strong and which are weak, and
use those that are strong and that I have skill in. If I get my
hands on an artefact, I'll probably use it, unless I already
have a really good and apparently better weapon than it. I can
spot pre-enchanted weapons with a bit of effort and will keep
them and enchant them further. Two-weapon combat is quite a lot
stronger than any single weapon once there's enough enchantments
on the gear, so I'll use it if it looks feasible.

) I determine which weapons are strongest by how hard they
hurt if monsters swing them at me, but I'd be hard pressed if
I had to choose between a silver sabre and a long sword.
Pre-enchantments often elude me, as I tend to confuse the
shop prices, and one or two points of enchantment don't make
that much of a difference anyway, do they? I tend to stick
to one "good" weapon and enchant it, given the opportunity.

)- I determine the relative strengths of weapons by
hitting monsters with them. I often change weapons just because
one _appears_ to be better than the other. I use them until
they're really rusty, then replace them with something similar.
Sometimes I need to replace a weapon because I realise i'm
restricted in its skill and can't really hit, let alone hurt
monsters with it.

)-- I'm wielding a cursed bullwhip. Those mimics sure are tough.

!) I'm trying to ascend bare-handed.

)? This game is im-possible! I'm wielding the magic marker,
which the game itself clearly states is mightier than the sword
and can't even kill a measly ape!

Especially notable weapons can be spelled out behind the "weapon"
entry; this will typically be unorthodox weapons, like
"+7 Stormbringer" in a Knight's code, "banana" in a particularly
silly game, but also "+9 Sting".

4. Playing style

P (prayer) Religion

P+++ If gods can provide it, I'll get it. My main "home base"
in the dungeon is a sufficiently deep altar, preferably with a
friendly cleric nearby. I'll spend a lot of time there, donating
money to the priestess, generating monsters, sacrificing their
remains and offering a prayer whenever I'm eligible to (unless
I'm chain-sacrificing for luck or a gift). I take this to extremes
by swapping in a cursed luckstone before prayers to avoid
inconvenient crowning, artificially reducing level to make
donations cheaper and using specialised pets to get the money
back for more donations. When I finally leave, I usually have
a half-dozen artefacts, know most spells, have a naked AC beyond
–10 and will remain clairvoyant for the rest of the game.

P++ I hang around altars a lot and invariably gain a lot
of benefits from it: several artefacts, at least nine points
of protection, a couple of books and crowning. I marvel at
priests' carrying capacity - my characters couldn't even lift
that much gold.

P+ If I can find a usable altar, I will stay a while
and hope I can reap some rewards. Typically I get something out
of it - an artefact or two, maximum luck and several points of
protection, but I won't waste time hunting for the last lousy
point - there still are unicorns for luck. I rarely pray on an
altar, except for holy water - prayers are much better used as
last resort in a desperate situation.

P I manage the religious parts of the game reasonably well,
although I commit the occasional blunder. I can make holy water
and get protection, but as far as the finer points go, I prefer
to avoid difficulties by not facing them - getting yourself
accidentally converted or skewered by an angry priest isn't
much fun.

P- I step carefully around altars, they've doomed a few too
many of my characters. Just make an error sacrificing and you
summon an angry demon! I prefer not to bother the gods too much,
as I'm not sure what they take exception to. At least praying so
rarely means praying has few chances of getting me into trouble...

P-- I hear chatting to priests is somehow helpful, but they
only ever call me a cheapskate. What kind of donation do they
expect, half my purse??? And whenever I pray, I lose a level or
get roasted by lightning from the sky!

!P I'm an atheist. I wish I could escape the dungeon with
the amulet instead of handing it over to some silly deity.

P? What are those strange underscore thingies good for?
Whenever I sit on them or kick them, I hear some strange voices,
does this mean anything?

Z Spell use

Z+++ Magic is my main method of doing things, be it killing
monsters, be it moving around. If I'm playing anything but a
wizard, I'll wish for one of the artefacts that allow recharging
or regenerating power points, using a helm of opposite alignment
if necessary to be able to use it. Even the archetypical non-
magical classes like cavepeople will be kitted out to cast several
spells with good success. Assuming they survive their first attempts
at reading books, that is.

Z++ Magic is one of the features of the game I like most. All
of my characters have a good collection of spells by the end of
the game and can use at least several of them reasonably. The
specialised spellcasters will of course use magic quite a lot -
often they'll move around with several temporary spells like
detect monsters and haste self active at the same time.

Z+ If I'm playing a spellcaster, I'll try to acquire a bunch
of spellbooks and will also spend some of my skill slots improving
my casting skills. With non-spellcasters, I like to have a single
spell memorised, to allow confusion on demand once I hit the endgame.

Z Wizards are the only class I heavily use magic with. Others
don't get much mileage out of spells and I don't bother reading
spellbooks with fighters. The better convenience spells like
identify will still be cast if I have a chance. A real shame
so many spells are practically useless, though.

Z- I don't really bother much with magic - even wizards can
get along quite nicely with their staff or that special dagger.
I'll pick off the occasional distant foe with a force bolt, but
I often forget I have a spell around to do something that might
interest me.

Z-- Even when playing a wizard, I'm much too fond of my
dwarven mithril to give it up for spell-friendly armour. And
my non-wizards habitually get paralysed and killed when reading
books, so I just leave them alone.

!Z The only spellbook I read in this (every?) game is going
to be the Book of the Dead.

Z? This book made me go blind when I looked into it. This must
be some kind of tasteless smut.

p Pets

p+++ I don't have a pet, i'm the pet of an Archon and his
gang of purple worms, winged gargoyles and the Umber Hulk. They
can be a bit of a mess to get across stairs, but there's nothing
they can't handle, esp. since they get all the "good" equipment
I stumble upon, as well as all those dead wraiths and gain level
potions.

p++ I carefully acquire, equip and improve pets to have my
own small army which often ends up doing most of the killing in
the later stages of the game.

p+ I don't like facing the dungeon alone, and I find it normal
to look after the well-being of my companion(s) just as I look
after the health of my character. I keep them happy and healthy
and if I can turn them into something stronger or make new friends,
so much the better. There are no favourite pets, though, anything
that's nice and big, and maybe even something I can ride on.

p Pets are useful to keep off some of the heat in the
early game, spot bad items and shoplift, but once they can't
stand their own, they're not really worth it anymore. I won't
go so far as abandoning them, but once I reached Minetown, I
don't find the loss of a pet particularly lamentable.

p- Pets generally get in the way and steal my experience
points. And the pets I polymorph always turn into something even
weaker than a kitten.

p-- If I'm feeling generous, I'll abandon my pet on level one,
instead of kicking it to death.

!p My defaults.nh setting makes sure I start without any pets.

p? Why is the studio audience applauding?

$ Valuables (gold and gems)

$++++ I'm collecting sacks so I have a chance of getting
the 200K gold I've found up the stairs of level one. And once
I've successfully double-bagged all the gold, I'll take my wand
of polymorph to the gargantuan rock piles I've created from a
few hundred broken boulders...

$+++ I hang onto every zorkmid I encounter. My first wish
goes on a blessed touchstone. I have several thousand zorkmids
of credit in every shop, even Itzchak's lighting store. I
habitually detect treasures on every level and mine hidden gold
and jewels out of the walls; and I avoid identifying glass, so
I can sell it in shops.

$++ When I notice a vault on a level, I'll mark the level
and come back with detection gear and/or a pick-axe. I also hunt
down every possible source of valuable gems - I love playing
valkyries and cavemen simply for the many giants in their
respective quests.

$+ I identify worthless glass by frequencies and glass
golems and hang onto most other gems I can find; if this
hampers my carrying capacity too much, i'll dump the soft
ones. I'll loot vaults I can find via "ad aerarium" or potions
of object detection, esp. on the levels that can have a portal
to Ludios. I won't cart around gold once I've gained enough
protection and have done my shopping - gems are much more
valuable compared to their weight.

$ Money is for spending. Shopkeepers and priests can use
it better than my character - and it's bloody heavy, too. If I
see an "ad aerarium" inscription on the ground, I take a look.
And hopefully I can get out before the guard shows up. I only
check gems by engraving and #name them as hard or soft so I know
which ones to pick up and which to leave alone; if I can carry
any more, that is.

$- I don't care much for treasure. Loose gold lying around
will be picked up and if I stumble into a vault, I'll take what
I can find; but then I often can only get out by following the
guardian, meaning I can't take any of the cash with me. I'll
pick up gems lying around, too, but the shopkeepers never offer
much money for them, and scrolls of identify are too valuable
to waste on mere baubles.

$-- What should I carry gems for? That's just sling
ammunition. And money's not much use either; you can simply
kill the shopkeeper.

!$ My character has taken a vow of poverty. I entirely
ignore gold and precious stones.

$? I found some strange metal objects with the head of
some flat-headed king printed on them. Now where's the toll
booth where I can give to the King what is the King's?

i Inventory
i+++ I always precisely know what is in my inventory,
in any carried containers and in my various stashes on several
key levels. A large collection of specific items has their
habitual lower-case "slots" they'll always be adjusted to and
I know the exact weight of what I'm carrying (I might even use
a patch which displays current vs. max. weight on the status
line). If I have enough surplus slots open, I'll arange other
stuff to allow for cute prompts like "What do you want to eat
(CHOW or ?*) ?" I frequently switch between the various
inventory styles to whichever is most beneficial to me at the
time.

i++ I don't cart around stuff I'm not needing on my
journey - that's what stashes are for. I adjust the inventory
slots of my oft-used items to make their use easy and intuitive
and know pretty well what I possess. I have a preferred inventory
style, know its strengths and how to compensate for its weaknesses
and have my good reasons for using it as opposed to the others.

i+ I don't carry too much and use special levels to store
some of the stuff I wish to hang onto. I rarely end up burdened
and will drop stuff to get un-burdened, although the decisions can
be pretty hard. I arrange some of my inventory slots around to get
oft-used stuff into less awkward slots or get dangerous items out
of harm's way (don't want to accidentally break a wand of polymorph
when I really want to unlock a door). I've tried out a few inventory
styles and stick with the one I like best.

i I occasionally spend time burdened and just can't decide
to let go of some neat item I would need to drop to lower my load.
Well, in a bad fix I can just drop my bag and retrieve it once
the danger is over. I stash items I don't need right now but
unless the stash is really well marked that's rather close to
the Squirrel School of Provision Management: hide it and never
find it again. I'm using whatever inventory style is in my
defaults file - it seems to work well enough.

i- My characters are usually burdened, verging on stressed.
In final inventory listings I frequently notice I'd been carrying
both entirely useless items I could easily have eliminated and
useful items which might have made my character's life a lot
easier hadn't I completely forgotten I was carrying them. I
don't stash items, though - I'd never find them again. On occasion
I break a wand by accident, because it ended up in an inventory
slot in which I was expecting something else. I've noticed there
are supposed to be different "inventory styles", but I've not
tried out what they do so far.

i-- Going up stairs always requires my going up and down
several times, because the game won't let me carry up all my
stuff at once. I recently noticed that you can actually walk
down a staircase and not only _fall_ down them - quite
surprising. I won't store any of my stuff anywhere - I
worked hard to get it and won't let it sit on the floor
where some filthy goblin can pick it up.

!i I'm playing this game without once using the "i"
command or any other way of getting any inventory place
displayed. I've also disabled fixinv.

i? You mean the purpose of the game isn't determining
how long it takes before you're unable to pick up anything
else and get splattered by a grid bug???

s Shops

s+++ I love shops. I have the "identify objects by
price" spoiler open all the time and never test an item
I don't know the price of. I also won't rest before I own
all of the shopkeeper's merchandise and money. A shopkeeper
who has no more use for me gets slaughtered, or milked for
infinite cream pies.

s++ Shops are nice. They help me determine the nature
of some of the more obscure or dangerous items and are a
good source of income. If I want to have some piece of shop
merchandise, I always know of a way to get it without
paying for it.

s+ When there's a shop around, I'll use the opportunity
to sort through my inventory and maybe acquire some new
provisions. I know the costs of some key items and prefer
to identify them by "shop service" instead of just trying out.

s I don't care too much for shops. If they have
something good on offer, I'll buy it, and I'll also give
away some junk to raise some funds, but there's much more
fun and accomplishment in taking stuff from the monsters
I vanquish.

s- Shops never seem to have the stuff I need, and I'm
not prepared to spend all my money shopping anyway.

s-- Shopkeepers are my main reason of death - they sure
can't take a joke!

!s The entire shopping issue is crass commercialism!
Burn down the shops! Hang the shopkeepers!

s? Who is that person cursing shoplifters?

5. Indulgences and restrictions

W Wishing

W+++ I wish for anything I desire, as long as the game
allows it. And I'll do anything to improve the chances for
more wishes, like dipping things into fountains and
collecting/alchemising smoky potions.

W++ I wish for what I like, when I have the opportunity.
When I have all the "musts" covered, i'll wish for neat things
until my wish ressources run dry. But my wish list is so long
this virtually never happens.

W+ I practically never wish for artefacts, but anything
else is fair game. I won't spend all wishes immediately, but
use them when I find I'm itching for something specific.

W I wish for the things I need, but I won't invoke wishes
for trivial things like moderately neat magic boots. I use
wishes sparingly and like to have two or three in reserve for
when i really need them.

W- I don't like wishing for things, and sometimes even
hang around in dangerous areas insufficiently equipped while
I'm waiting for another opportunity to arise of laying hands
on the desired object. If this doesn't work, I will - reluctantly -
spend a wish after all.

W-- I have a knack of wishing for exactly the wrong thing -
a weapon I can't effectively use, a spellbook of a spell I'll
never be able to cast or an armour that turns out –3 when I
wished for +3.

!W I'm on a wishless ascension.

W? I wished for the Amulet of Yendor and got it.
Neat, huh? Now why does the game claim I "escaped with
a fake amulet" ?

E Elbereth

E+++ I'll spend hundreds of turns engraving
'Elbereth' with a hard gem at least once in every room
of the dungeon. Once I meet the major liches, there's
of course a source of athames, which engrave faster. I
also often scribble the name in the dust, to train Wisdom.

E+ I'm always prepared to put an E-word on the floor,
preferably in a permanent fashion. Helped me out of countless
tight corners, that.

E Real Adventurers can handle most problems by themselves,
but being able to gain some protection from the Star Queen
is invaluable. If I'm in a bad pickle, I will invoke Elbereth
to save my behind.

E- The E-word is a last resort, and I use it as such.
Admittedly, it happens that I remember it too late or use it
against the wrong sort of foes.

E-- I used my last possible turn to inscribe Elbereth and
in the next round, an unimpressed captain cut me to ribbons. I
won't try that stupid trick again.

!E My source code has #define ELBERETH commented out.

E? What was it again? "Owlbreath" or "Galadriel"?

PS Polymorph self

PS+++ I'm using the patch which allows starting in creature
form. Or I constantly juggle with polymorph+polymorph control
and have a favourite form or two which will be "fixed" by
means of an amulet of unchanging. After the very early game, I
rarely spend more than a hundred turns in my original shape.

PS++ A ring of polymorph control is worth a wish. Once I
have that, I'll switch shape to fit mood and opportunity;
acquiring some intrinsics by eating rings is an occasion I
rarely miss.

PS+ If I have control, I'll turn myself into something
else, if I can see a concrete benefit coming from it. For
actual combat and adventuring, though, my original shape
is best.

PS Self-Polymorph is more an accident I try to avoid
than something I strive for. I won't do it unless it appears
necessary to overcome an obstacle.

PS- I prefer to solve my problems without turning myself
into some freaky monstrosity.

PS-- All the good stuff can't be polymorphed into, and what
looks good as a monster just ends up very dead as a player -
typically as a statue.

!PS I don't voluntarily polymorph-self. I might even go so
far as to change the source to get rid of this stupid feature.

PS? Why do I keep turning into all those monsters? Has
it something to do with this cursed ring?

PP Polypiling

PP++++ My name is Efembe.

PP+++ I'm tempted to downgrade to one of the older versions,
where you could get infinite unicorn horns. I carefully sort,
uncurse/cancel and stack promising but (to me) useless objects
in carefully size-controlled heaps and keep polymorphing them
until nothing is left. I know which items are magical and which
aren't and use lots of holy water to reduce item loss while
polypiling.

PP++ One of the main objectives in my games is creating
a good polypile base, where all not immediately useful scrolls,
rings, amulets and potions will be accumulated and transmuted.
This practice is my main source of important rings and scrolls,
and also provides me with the odd magic tool, weapon or armour.
And of course I'll "re-shuffle" my spellbooks this way.

PP+ If I have a wand of polymorph or two, I'll shoot it
at a large heap of items, like the immense armour stacks in
Ludios or the Castle, spiced up with a bunch of miscellaneous
magical gadgets like surplus scrolls and rings. This usually
nets me a handful of objects worth keeping, which is quite a
good result from single wand shots. Once my wand is empty or
when the piles are too small to warrant hopes of further gains,
I'll move on.

PP If I feel like it, I might try out polypiling, but I'm
usually not patient enough to collect the amounts of items
necessary to make it really worthwile.

PP- I prefer using wands of polymorph on monsters, and
maybe on myself. And the stuff I polypile usually turns into
even less interesting items, so it's no real loss.

PP-- Ugh, I accidentally turned my bag of holding full
of goodies into a blessed greased tin opener. Never again!

!PP I don't polypile on principle. I identify all potions
by quaffing or throwing at monsters, just to avoid the
accidental polymorphed item when dipping.

PP? Wha' happen? Where'd the golem come from?

G Genocide

G+++ When genociding, nothing's holy. When I can, I
genocide absolutely everything genocidable. A must-have item
is an amulet of unchanging, so I can even wipe out my own
original race.

G++ I genocide everything that's even remotely dangerous.
By the time I reach the planes, not only liches and mind flayers,
but also dragons and minotaurs are gone. I'll even wipe out
ants and snakes, because they annoy me.

G+ I have a few groups of monsters I will normally wipe
out, because they're too scary or annoying to handle.

G If I get an early genocide, it'll be goodbye for soldier
ants, mumakil or rust monsters, depending on what scares or
annoys me most. Later on, I tend to take out the big scary
things, like Liches.

G- I'll use the genocides that come my way, but I'm often
at a loss as to what to wipe out.

G-- Hmm, genociding "h" doesn't seem to be a good idea
when you're a dwarf ...

!G I prefer to wipe out a species with my own hands, thanks.

G? This feature must be broken - I specified Orcus,
Demogorgon, the Wizard of Yendor, the Chromatic Dragon and
even lowly shopkeepers, and the game refused them all. What
am I supposed to genocide, newts?

C Conflict

C+++ Once I acquire a ring of conflict, it never goes off
again, apart maybe from chatting with my quest leader. Given
the chance, I'll even eat such a ring; the Sceptre of Might
is my preferred quest reward.

C++ A ring of conflict is one of my main props. About half
of my foes get killed by their magically angered companions;
who needs pets when you can get your enemies to do the dirty
work for you?

C+ I frequently put on a ring of conflict to make hacking
through the crowds easier.

C I occasionally use a ring of conflict to occupy
monsters, taking some of the pressure off me.

C- Sometimes I carry a ring of conflict, but I rarely
remember to put it on, especially since I often don't like
the idea of replacing one of the rings I'm wearing already.

C-- Either I forget putting on the ring when I'm in the
middle of a crowd, or I forget taking it off when I'm visiting
a temple.

!C a) I find conflict cheesy and won't use it.
b) I prefer staying upon my steed.

C? Ouch! What has Ms. Asidonhopo against me?

I Intrinsics:

--- This section starts a new line of the NHC ---

I+++ I keep a checklist of which intrinsics I've got.
I don't feel content before I have them all. Given a chance,
I'll even polymorph into a metallivore to gain some of the
intrinsics that can only be had from rings. Good or bad
doesn't really matter - I might even acquire "You aggravate
monsters." just to expand the list and am tempted to dare
a game with intrinsic levitation.

I++ I know which intrinsics I will need when and plan
accordingly. I'm especially pleased when I find a tinning kit,
because that makes gaining intrinsics and strength so much
easier and safer.

I+ I have a good idea of which intrinsics my character
possesses and which might be needed next. Just to be on the
safe side, I like to get crowned for the big parcel of resists.

I I often play orcs, as they're least restricted in
what they can eat. Monks are also a preferred choice, as they
gain intrinsics as they level up, relieving me of the burden
of keeping track of what I have and what I need.

I- I invariably end up with unwanted intrinsics, like
monster aggravation from cannibalism or teleportitis from
nymphs. I also often ruin characters by eating poisonous
meat, reducing their strength so much I can't carry any gear,
let alone defend myself from attackers. I still acquire a
nice list of intrinsics by the end of a game, but I'm rather
unsure where they've come from.

I-- I go to great lengths trying to acquire poison
resistance with my healers, and my lvl 19 tourists keep dying
to poisoned spikes or stepping into lava.

!I I'm playing an intrinsicless game. I hope I can
collect enough potions of hallucination to wheather the
touches of death the wizard of Yendor is bound to try on me.

I? I just felt a chill - who left the door open?

6. @W The Wizard of Yendor

This takes arguments in () to indicate what you did to him, what he
did to you (alternatively: what you're prepared to do to him once you
meet him) and how many times you killed him before you finally got
him off your back.

s I stoned him.
sSs I stoned/unstoned/re-stoned him for lots of points.
( I broke the statue.
% I stone-to-fleshed the rocks.
p I polymorphed the rubble.
j I jumped up and down on the bits (rocks/gems/
meatballs/food items...).
2 I bisected or beheaded him.
w I zapped a wand of death at him.
t I tinned him.
e I ate him/fed his corpse/tin/remains to my pet.
d He double-troubled me.
S He stole an item/items from me.
T He teleported off the level at some point (most
fun if in conjunction with S)
* (as the only argument except (#)) Anything goes with the Wiz.

(#) I killed him # times.

!@W I've never even seen him.

@W? I've never even heard of him.

7. Abuses

N Nurses

N++ I dance with nurses whenever I have a chance.
I'll reverse-genocide them on a non-teleport level and
carefully work with them to get my hitpoints to the "nurse
maximum". After that, I'll preserve them for bad times -
full healing from a tin is well worth the cannibalism
penalty.

N+ Getting my life rating improved by the occasional
co-operative nurse is part of my normal preparation for
the confrontation with the wizard.

N If I find a nurse on a no-teleport level with
nothing dangerous nearby, I'm willing to take off my
armour and have a good chat with her.

N- Whenever I find a nurse, I'm on a level where
she'll port out of the way before she's had a chance
to improve my hitpoints; or I'm much too occupied fending
off monsters to make use of her.

N-- Whenever I strip down for a nurse, up comes a black
dragon and disintegrates me. No thanks.

!N I don't take my clothes off for any monster, not
even a nurse.

N? Why is that nurse hitting me? I thought their job
was helping people!

& Sex (InkubusSukkubus)

&+++ My characters are called Stiffy Makane or
Public Pussy Pamela. I consort with any and every demonic
seducer until they get a splitting headache. I even use
amulets of change and specific polymorphs to make sure I
can have my way with every single one of them. I marvel at
my characters' iron constitution.

&++ I spend time with in-/succubi to gain levels and
recharge my power. I kick sinks to get more of them, but
I'll only really engage them when my stats are good enough
and I'm not in immediate danger.

&+ I know when having some fun with a demon lover is
safe and profitable and will chat them up once the occasion
arises. I'm very careful to avoid getting myself exposed
when it's not prudent, e.g. in the presence of an angry
black dragon.

& I prefer not to get involved with sex fiends, but
if they can persuade my character, I hope for the best and
might take a second try if the first encounter was
unsatisfactory.

&- I generally avoid passionate encounters - my
characters either aren't up to it or don't want to scramble
back into their clothes while in the middle of a nasty dungeon.

&-- I avoid *cubi like the plague. I wish I could
castrate or otherwise sexually mutilate my character to
make them forever impotent.

!& My characters are chaste. Should they ever get seduced,
they will commit suicide on the spot, out of shame.

&? Argh! The dishwasher has returned! I'm fucked!

L aLchemy

L+++ I collect and alchemise every single potion I can
find. Potions that can't be enhanced will be polypiled until
they turn into something I can transmute. My characters end
up with hundreds and hundreds of hitpoints, and a dozen or
more diluted potions of full healing.

L++ Alchemy is a great tool to build up a truly powerful
character. Everyone can and should get 500 HP before tackling
the endgame.

L+ I use alchemy to give my characters a final boost
of up to a hundred hitpoints before facing the Wizard.

L I use alchemy to get the more fragile classes up to
something more durable and if necessary provide a few more
potions of full healing in preparation of potential close
calls.

L- I know a few alchemy recipes and use them if I can
get the components, but it's not that important for me and
I could do just as well without.

L-- I guess alchemy can be pretty powerful, but I can
only make potions of sickness, and my character is lawful.

!L The only potion I'll dip another potion into is the
one of holy water. I don't use alchemy.

L? I dipped a potion of fruit juice into one of acid and
the mixture evaporated. What's going on here?

8. Experience and knowledge

X Experience

X++++ My default name is Marvin.

X+++ I've ascended every class, every race and have
succeeded with most single challenges; I've even combined
a few of the easier conducts to make the game more interesting.

X++ I've ascended most/all classes and have also done
the occasional moderate challenge game, e.g. without wishes
or genocides.

X+ I've ascended a couple of games and think about
trying out some specific styles or challenges.

X Any time now, I might score my first ascension. I've
seen Rodney and been to the Planes, now I only need the one
lucky sod who doesn't fall to the many tripwires the game
provides.

X- I've seen Medusa. Not a pretty sight.

X-- I always pick classes who have a nice quest. But I
still need to survive Sokoban.

!X I play blindfolded. And I'm not using a screen reader,
either. I never find out what's going on, let alone whether
my character still lives.

X? I WANT 2 HECK INTO SUM1Z DATABASE! NE1 HEAR KNOW HOW 2?

These "player expertise" ratings are for "default" games.
For an individual game, substitute the achievements of the
character (so far). A player with X+++ expertise would still
insert X-- if a "+" code character died on the Oracle level
or X+ if an encoded "A" game was a plain no-tricks ascension.

Ps Playing speed

Ps++++ I've ascended in less than 10 000 turns.

Ps+++ It's pretty trivial to win a wizard game before
the first spell is forgotten.

Ps++ I've won a game in about 30 000 turns once. Games
that take more than 50 000 turns I consider unnecessarily slow.

Ps+ I've had a few fast games of less than 50 000 turns,
but 60 000 is closer to what I consider a normal ascension
speed.

Ps There's so much to do! I might hit the bottom of
Gehennom around turn 60 000 when I hurry, but then it's
still more than 10 000 turns of preparing before I even
open the wizard's chamber.

Ps- I play slowly and carefully. Many of my characters
run into food trouble because they're so reluctant to descend.
I regularly spend more than a hundred thousand turns before I
tackle the endgame.

Ps-- I play so slowly that I often quit because the game
doesn't seem to advance at all.

Ps--- I stay on dungeon level one until the soldier ants
drive me away.

!Ps I play NetHack like others play chess by e-mail.
One move per day, carefully considered. I still have to leave
level one in my first game.

Ps? If you start as a tourist and eat all your food at once,
you can finish the game in less than a hundred turns!

Once again, adjust for the current character if not a default code,
based on how slow/fast the character in question feels/felt.

So Sources

So++++ I'm a Dev Team member.

So+++ I know much of the source by heart and have my own
collection of (working) NetHack patches.

So++ I have the sources on my machine and can reference,
compile and (with a bit of luck) alter them.

So+ I've looked at the source and understand what's going
on. I'd be reluctant to meddle with them, though.

So I've looked at the sources, but my understanding of
them is rather limited. Plainly put, I'm ignorant in spite of
my best efforts.

So- I've looked at the sources and got all confused.

So-- The sources are just so much chinese to me. I can
hardly make head or tail of the _commentary_.

!So I want to play the game, I'm not interested in
fiddling with it; and looking behind the scenes can really
spoil the fun.

So? There's a bunch of strange text files on my
computer, with labels like moncastu.c. They consist of
garbled nonsense with weird statements of the sort
'const char *point_msg; /* spellcasting monsters are impolite */'
I don't have the faintest idea where they come from and what
they're good for. But I'll better not remove them, maybe my Win98
crashes otherwise.

Sp Spoilers

Sp++++ My name is Dylan O'Donnell

Sp+++ I've written or edited publicly available spoiler files.

Sp++ I know most of what's in the spoilers, and am able
to spot most weird occurences or strange messages I encounter.

Sp+ I have a voluminous collection of spoilers downloaded
and refer to them when I'm in doubt. Finding out things on my
own has its own charm, though, so I refrain from immersing
myself in spoilers when I don't find the subject vital to the
game.

Sp I will read spoilerish information posted on the
newsgroup; it often provides good information on things that
are hard to spot by just playing the game. I still keep getting
surprised by the things that the game does in some special
cases and without doubt I'm missing many possibilities of
special effects and unusual messages.

Sp- I consult the oracle to find out some more about
the game. Sounds like I should keep the horn of the next
unicorn I kill - it might be useful. The old (3.0.j) spoilers
I have lying around somewhere didn't make this very clear.

Sp-- I've read the guidebook. This should provide
enough information to play the game. I've seen some postings
with long lists of stuff, but I'm not sure what they mean.

!Sp I'm going to solve this damn game by myself, no matter
how long it takes.

Sp? Spoilers are people that look over your shoulder
and keep commenting while they play. They really spoil the
fun - I don't want to have anything to do with them.

9.Cheats

Note: if your attitudes are !sb and !wb, you can just as
well ignore this. There are likely so many of them it's not
going to add any tangible information whatsoever.

sb Save file backups

sb+++ I back up and restore save files to manipulate
in-game variables - get a better sacrificing gift, scum up a
wish from a throne, re-read the same scroll of identify until
I get my entire pack identified. The game's way too hard if
you don't force it to be nice.

sb++ Of course I back up save files. It's the only way to win.

sb+ I back up save files to insure against particularly stupid
deaths. I've even used them on occasion.

sb I make backups to insure against typos.

sb- I back up save files, but I've never used one.

!sb I do not back up savefiles. If I'm playing a
dangerously unstable version which might crash unrecoverably
(cue the infamous 3.4.0 boulder on a landmine bug), a backup
for exactly and exclusively such cases may be _barely_
acceptable.

sb? I don't know where the save files are on my system.

wb Wizard bones

wb++ I deliberately create bones files in wizard mode so I can
cheat without actually doing anything illegal.

wb+ If a debug character of mine dies, i toss a coin to
see whether I'll create a bonesfile or not. If yes, it'll be
saved and kept until regular games dispose of it.

wb I use wizard bones when I find them and silently thank
whoever left them.

wb- I rarely create bones in wizard mode, and there's
hardly anything interesting in them anyway, except maybe for
the +100 yellow dragon scale mail buried in rock and the
level 49 kobold shaman.

!wb I don't create bones in wizard mode, except for
other wizard games. Should a wizard bonesfile accidentally
slip into a regular game, I will leave the contents well
alone.

wb? I don't know how to get into wizard mode, let alone how to
leave a bones file.

10. Death (yours)

+# Number of times died. In a "D" code, this will
either be "0" or "n+1" to indicate you try to die as often
as possible while still ascending.

--
Bqsfttfusftptusbjutbmbvupsjufeftspijtfueftfnqfsfv-stbqsftbxp
jsqspdmbnfuspjtgpjttbmjcfsufmbgsbodftftutpvnjtbeftdp
nqbhojftgjobodjfttesfsftrvjejtqptfoueftsjdifttfevqbztfuqbsmf
npzfo evofqsfttbdifuffeijsjhfoumqjojpo. - Voufnpjoxfsjejrvf.

[Yoshi348]

nyra wrote:
> I found the most recent offerings of the code a bit out of sync -
> entries on the Platinum Yendorian Express Card, a whole code segment
> just for twoweaponing which isn't that huge an issue anymore and
> several individual entries which simply are outdated by 3.4.1
> standards. I also found the, hmm, granularity lacking in some cases
> and decided to just go and try a full overhaul.
>
> Warning: it's horribly verbose (just like that completely
> unnecessary preface, as well as the current zero-content
> parenthese).

[snip]

I had made a few changes, but you blew me out of the water. I guess I
should let a more experienced Hacker take care of this, but it was fun
fixing it for a little while.

> 1.3n Version information:

> This is an overhaul release which might bring the code close to an
> upgrade in version number. Before it is approved, i will not change
> the official serial identifier, though.

I approve, and I definetly think an entire rewrite for 3.4.1
constitutes a 2.0 version number.

-Aaron Davidson

NH code down for reconstruction ;)

[Yoshi348]

Oh, and also, replace artefact with artifact. I noticed that alot.

--
-Aaron Davidson

NH code down for reconstruction. Please pick your nose until
refreshed.

[nyra]

Yoshi348 schrieb:

> Oh, and also, replace artefact with artifact. I noticed that alot.

Um, why?

<begin quote>
Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American
English. 1993.

artifact, artefact (n.)
Both spellings are Standard; artifact is more frequent in the United
States, artefact in Britain.
<end quote>

I prefer the spelling that's closer to what i'm used to from my native
language, although i _might_ be willing to adapt for a semi-official
text if i can find a compelling reason.

[Yoshi348]

nyra wrote:
> Yoshi348 schrieb:
>
>> Oh, and also, replace artefact with artifact. I noticed that alot.
>
> Um, why?
>
> <begin quote>

> Kenneth G. Wilson (1923-). The Columbia Guide to Standard American

> English. 1993.
>
> artifact, artefact (n.)
> Both spellings are Standard; artifact is more frequent in the United
> States, artefact in Britain.
> <end quote>
>
> I prefer the spelling that's closer to what i'm used to from my
> native language, although i _might_ be willing to adapt for a
> semi-official text if i can find a compelling reason.

Oops, sorry. I didn't know that was one of those American/British
things.

I downloaded a copy and changed a few things I personally didn't like,
would you want that posted, or for your copy to remain eu natural?

--
-Aaron Davidson

[Dion Nicolaas]

nyra <ny...@gmx.net> wrote in message news:<3EA887AE...@gmx.net>...

> I found the most recent offerings of the code a bit out of sync -
> entries on the Platinum Yendorian Express Card, a whole code segment
> just for twoweaponing which isn't that huge an issue anymore and
> several individual entries which simply are outdated by 3.4.1
> standards. I also found the, hmm, granularity lacking in some cases
> and decided to just go and try a full overhaul.

> Warning: it's horribly verbose (just like that completely unnecessary
> preface, as well as the current zero-content parenthese).

That's why it's coded up :-)

> Changes in this version: rewritten most entries. Added & and Z;
> sketched out L. Removed 2 and Y. Rolled P, S and D into P (Religion);
> combined $ and t into $ (valuables). Made sb and wb optional.

Actually, any section is optional. The shortest legal code is this:
NH

> Examples

The first three examples are no longer legal, according to the new
version.

> NH
>
> This is just to show that it's not a *geek* code.

Yoshi's last version <
http://www.nicolaas.net/erebus/nhcode/v13/nhcode.txt > had this:

NH13
The code version number you're using, without periods, because
we're running out of room.

I like that, for two reasons: I made it up :-), and the next version
of the NetHack Code Decoder <
http://www.nicolaas.net/erebus/nhcode/nhcodec.cgi > will support it
:-)
No, for three reasons: as in your new version some items have more or
less the same description for a different number of plusses (e.g.

Sp+++ I've written or edited publicly available spoiler files.

used to be Sp++++), it is *necessary* to include a version number
somewhere. Apart from the fact that you changed almost *all*
descriptions, so people might want to stick to a different version.

> W Windows 95/98/Me
> WN Windows NT/2000/XP

I don't really understand the distinction here. You use the same
NetHack.exe (or NetHackW.exe), whatever Windows you're using. Why not
just:
W Windows

and then add something about tiles/graphical interface/color somewhere
else? After all, that is a holy war people might want to express their
opinion about in a NetHack code.

> [ Armor
>
> [+++ I only accept the very best: I always wind up with a

> collection of highly powerful magic armour pieces, and all of [...]

It might be my newsreader only, but did you reformat all lines after
the first to start in the first column? That would break the NetHack
Code Decoder completely, as it tries to guess where items start and
stop form layout...

> s I stoned him.
> sSs I stoned/unstoned/re-stoned him for lots of points.

> S He stole an item/items from me.

I see a great opportunity for confusion here...

> & Sex (InkubusSukkubus)

Strange spelling of Incubus/Succubus. And as for artefact/artifact:
The DevTeam uses artifact in the sources and in the database.

> +# Number of times died. In a "D" code, this will
> either be "0" or "n+1" to indicate you try to die as often
> as possible while still ascending.

In 1.2.2, this entry read:
+# Number of times died. N/A in a "D" code - everybody hopes
to die 0 times, of course.

++ I try to die as often as possible before I ascend (only
in a "D" code).

Why change the notation?

I'll leave commenting on contents to others...

--
---. /) | http://erebus.nicolaas.net/
/ \ / _ _ | _ _ _ The NetHack Index at Erebus
-/ )\ | (_(_ (_) \_ ()\ ()\ \ dnic...@myrealbox.com
_/___/ \| -------------------' Dion Nicolaas

[nyra]

Dion Nicolaas schrieb:

>
> nyra <ny...@gmx.net> wrote in message news:<3EA887AE...@gmx.net>...
>

> > Changes in this version: rewritten most entries. Added & and Z;
> > sketched out L. Removed 2 and Y. Rolled P, S and D into P (Religion);
> > combined $ and t into $ (valuables). Made sb and wb optional.
>
> Actually, any section is optional.

O.k., I actually recommend to leave them out. I mean, how many people
who regularly savefile-scum and play with wizard bones are likely to
make their own NH Code block? Looks a bit too much like an opportunity
to show off one's righteousness.

> > NH
> >
> > This is just to show that it's not a *geek* code.
>
> Yoshi's last version <
> http://www.nicolaas.net/erebus/nhcode/v13/nhcode.txt > had this:
>
> NH13
> The code version number you're using, without periods, because
> we're running out of room.

That's a very good idea, esp. seeing as how my editing _does_ break
"compatibility". I'm not sure how to add it, though - if put behind
the code identfier it would look like this:
NH13 3.4.1 [...]
which i think is pretty ugly.

> > W Windows 95/98/Me
> > WN Windows NT/2000/XP
>
> I don't really understand the distinction here. You use the same
> NetHack.exe (or NetHackW.exe), whatever Windows you're using. Why not
> just:
> W Windows

Platforms are one of the things i really don't know much about, so i
left this section as it was, except for moving /XP down one position
which i thought to remember someone suggested. I don't see the
distinction, either.

> > [ Armor
> >
> > [+++ I only accept the very best: I always wind up with a
> > collection of highly powerful magic armour pieces, and all of [...]
>
> It might be my newsreader only, but did you reformat all lines after
> the first to start in the first column?

Yes, i used a variable-width font while editing, resulting in such odd
line lengths that if i had sent it "as is", the whole thing would have
ended up an unreadable mess.

> That would break the NetHack
> Code Decoder completely, as it tries to guess where items start and
> stop form layout...

I've got the whole thing on my harddisc and could re-format it so the
line lengths fit.

> > s I stoned him.
> > sSs I stoned/unstoned/re-stoned him for lots of points.
> > S He stole an item/items from me.
>
> I see a great opportunity for confusion here...

Oh yes. O.k.:
c I treated him with cockatrice products.
cFc I stoned/turned to flesh/stoned him again.

> > & Sex (InkubusSukkubus)
>
> Strange spelling of Incubus/Succubus.

Stupid joke (similarly for the names given in the &+++ entry btw;
although that's a different stupid joke). You might pay a visit to the
website www.inkubussukkubus.com if you're curious.

> And as for artefact/artifact:
> The DevTeam uses artifact in the sources and in the database.

Sure. The DevTeam also uses "armor" in the sources and the database
and people rarely complain that the (proper ;) spelling "armour" is
used in some online resources.
If the spelling "artefact" is so rarely used that a vast majority of
people consider it wrong, i'll change it. So far i've counted one full
and two half-votes in favour of change (when the argument mainly
points to the spelling the game uses, that's only half a vote for me)
and none in favour of leaving it.

> > +# Number of times died. In a "D" code, this will
> > either be "0" or "n+1" to indicate you try to die as often
> > as possible while still ascending.
>
> In 1.2.2, this entry read:
> +# Number of times died. N/A in a "D" code - everybody hopes
> to die 0 times, of course.
>
> ++ I try to die as often as possible before I ascend (only
> in a "D" code).
>
> Why change the notation?

Not intentionally. I started with Aaron's write-up, which didn't
contain the "maximum deaths" option (maybe it wasn't based on 1.2.2?).
I changed it "back" to "++", although i don't like the look of it.

[Tina Hall]

nyra <ny...@gmx.net> wrote:

[Nethack code overhaul]

This starts out interesting, and then ends in:

[...]

> Turns
>
> If your status line shows them. Same goes for score.
>
>
> 3. Equipment
>
> --- This section starts a new line of the NHC ---

Where's the rest?

Tina, with a random end-of-game for your amusement:
3.3.1 4416 0 4 4 -1 48 1 20010326 20010326 42 Arc Hum Mal Neu Damien,
killed by a water moccasin

[David Corbett]

nyra at ny...@gmx.net wrote on 4/26/03 12:46 AM:

> Dion Nicolaas schrieb:
>>
>> nyra <ny...@gmx.net> wrote in message news:<3EA887AE...@gmx.net>...
>>
>>> Changes in this version: rewritten most entries. Added & and Z;
>>> sketched out L. Removed 2 and Y. Rolled P, S and D into P (Religion);
>>> combined $ and t into $ (valuables). Made sb and wb optional.
>>

Okay, it's way too verbose. Some sections need some serious snipping - it's
not necessary to specify every detail. The &, Z and L sections are a good
idea, though.

>> Actually, any section is optional.
>
> O.k., I actually recommend to leave them out. I mean, how many people
> who regularly savefile-scum and play with wizard bones are likely to
> make their own NH Code block? Looks a bit too much like an opportunity
> to show off one's righteousness.
>

The sb and wb sections are redundant, IMO. As you say, not many people are
going to admit to sb++ wb++.

>>> & Sex (InkubusSukkubus)
>>
>> Strange spelling of Incubus/Succubus.
>
> Stupid joke (similarly for the names given in the &+++ entry btw;
> although that's a different stupid joke). You might pay a visit to the
> website www.inkubussukkubus.com if you're curious.
>

Um, no, thanks.

>> And as for artefact/artifact:
>> The DevTeam uses artifact in the sources and in the database.
>
> Sure. The DevTeam also uses "armor" in the sources and the database
> and people rarely complain that the (proper ;) spelling "armour" is
> used in some online resources.
>

Bloody Americans. They can't spell anything right. :-)

> If the spelling "artefact" is so rarely used that a vast majority of
> people consider it wrong, i'll change it. So far i've counted one full
> and two half-votes in favour of change (when the argument mainly
> points to the spelling the game uses, that's only half a vote for me)
> and none in favour of leaving it.
>

I don't think I use the word outside of a NH context. I'd vote for
"artifact" in this case (even though my spell checker says it's wrong :-)

>>> +# Number of times died. In a "D" code, this will
>>> either be "0" or "n+1" to indicate you try to die as often
>>> as possible while still ascending.
>>
>> In 1.2.2, this entry read:
>> +# Number of times died. N/A in a "D" code - everybody hopes
>> to die 0 times, of course.
>>
>> ++ I try to die as often as possible before I ascend (only
>> in a "D" code).
>>
>> Why change the notation?
>
> Not intentionally. I started with Aaron's write-up, which didn't
> contain the "maximum deaths" option (maybe it wasn't based on 1.2.2?).
> I changed it "back" to "++", although i don't like the look of it.

It wasn't - it was based on 1.2. In the latest 1.3 version (on Dion's site)
the equivalent of "++" is "LS+++".

[Bwooce]

Tina Hall <Tina...@railroad.robin.de> deserves a cookie for saying:
> Where's the rest?

It's all there, Tina. I suspect a problem with your newsreader or
server. Perhaps a cap on message size?

--
Bruce Labbate | I spent my whole life trying not to be
shiftless layabout | careless. Women and children can be
| careless. But not men.
| - Don Corleone

[Bwooce]

nyra <ny...@gmx.net> deserves a cookie for saying:

> If the spelling "artefact" is so rarely used that a vast majority of
> people consider it wrong, i'll change it. So far i've counted one full
> and two half-votes in favour of change (when the argument mainly
> points to the spelling the game uses, that's only half a vote for me)
> and none in favour of leaving it.

Note: I'm American (sorry).

I'm strongly in favor of "artifact." First and foremost, this is the
Nethack code. The only spelling appearing anywhere in the code or the
database for nethack is "artifact." Even a google search for "nethack
artefact" (sans quotation marks) only turns up 22 pages, some of which
are non-English and most of which are only indirectly related to
nethack. ("Nethack artifact," by comparison, turns up 2820 pages.)

Secondly, dictionary.com's first entry lists "artefact" as a variant.
It does not even appear in web1913 on the dict servers.

The personal preference of the current maintainer is irrelevant when it
is in conflict with the spelling established by the game itself. The
source is canon. Everything else is secondary.

--
Bruce Labbate | And maybe I'm too young,
shiftless layabout | To keep good love from going wrong.
| But tonight you're on my mind, so
| (You'll never know) - Jeff Buckley

[Darshan Shaligram]

Bwooce <sol...@gehennom.net> writes:
> nyra <ny...@gmx.net> deserves a cookie for saying:
> > If the spelling "artefact" is so rarely used that a vast majority of
> > people consider it wrong, i'll change it.

[...]

> I'm strongly in favor of "artifact."

[snip good reasons for "artifact" being the better choice]

Agreed. "Artefact" always trips my mental typo alarm.

--
Darshan Shaligram dars...@aztec.soft.net

[nyra]

David Corbett schrieb:

>
> nyra at ny...@gmx.net wrote on 4/26/03 12:46 AM:
>
> > Dion Nicolaas schrieb:
> >>
> >> nyra <ny...@gmx.net> wrote in message news:<3EA887AE...@gmx.net>...
> >>
> >>> Changes in this version: rewritten most entries. Added & and Z;
> >>> sketched out L. Removed 2 and Y. Rolled P, S and D into P (Religion);
> >>> combined $ and t into $ (valuables). Made sb and wb optional.
> >>
> Okay, it's way too verbose. Some sections need some serious snipping - it's
> not necessary to specify every detail.

I found the previous versions a bit too terse in many cases, not
giving a good enough idea of the "value" that had been thought of. I'm
aware i fell in the opposite extreme.

I've also tried to "unify" the general style of entries, which were to
stretch from "n+++" to "n--" normally, where "n+++" was supposed to
mean "I'm seriously overdoing it here" and "n--" "I'm spectacularly
incompetent resp. i ignore this although i know better". I found some
of the over-detailing necessary to make the extremes sufficiently
clear.

> >>> & Sex (InkubusSukkubus)
> >>
> >> Strange spelling of Incubus/Succubus.
> >
> > Stupid joke (similarly for the names given in the &+++ entry btw;
> > although that's a different stupid joke). You might pay a visit to the
> > website www.inkubussukkubus.com if you're curious.
> >
> Um, no, thanks.

It's a reasonably harmless music group for all i know.

>
> >> And as for artefact/artifact:
> >> The DevTeam uses artifact in the sources and in the database.
>

> > If the spelling "artefact" is so rarely used that a vast majority of
> > people consider it wrong, i'll change it. So far i've counted one full
> > and two half-votes in favour of change (when the argument mainly
> > points to the spelling the game uses, that's only half a vote for me)
> > and none in favour of leaving it.
> >
> I don't think I use the word outside of a NH context. I'd vote for
> "artifact" in this case (even though my spell checker says it's wrong :-)

Looks like i'm gonna swallow my personal orthography objection and do
a quick search&replace <g>. Seems there's a few too many people who
consider "artefact" weird or wrong.

[nos...@here.com]

On Fri, 25 Apr 2003 00:56:14, nyra <ny...@gmx.net> wrote:

A heartfelt plea on behalf of English speakers ... may we please have
NH accept *English* spellings as equivalent to American ones. How
many times have I asked for grey dragon scale mail or tried to write a
scroll of enchant armour? (Or is there some way to make it do this
already?)

Even after living here for 12 years I still find it hard to remember
to misspell things. :-)

--
Reply-to field is bogus for the obvious reasons. Respond to nh at
triton dot vg.
Herewith start of attempt to use strange code in signature:-
NH3.4.1O C Nereid-Arc-Hum-Fem-Law HP:103 Pw:68 AC:-24 L:14 T:34873
[++)++$+p+ (more to come after I finish reading)

[David Damerell]

<nos...@here.com> wrote:
>A heartfelt plea on behalf of English speakers ... may we please have
>NH accept *English* spellings as equivalent to American ones. How
>many times have I asked for grey dragon scale mail or tried to write a
>scroll of enchant armour?

Never, or you'd know that it works.
--
David Damerell <dame...@chiark.greenend.org.uk> Kill the tomato!

[nos...@here.com]

"Ouch!" the garter snake hisses, slithering back under a set of grey
dragon scales; "I guess it really has been quite a while since I tried
it."

--
Reply to: field is bogus. Respond to
Jon Saxton <triton /at/ triton /dot/ vg> OS/2 software developer
U.S. Agent for Triton Technologies International Ltd.
http://www.triton.vg
NH3.4.1O C Nereid-Arc-Hum-Fem-Law HP:103 Pw:68 AC:-24 L:14 T:37951
[++)++$+p+ and more

[Seraph]

nyra <ny...@gmx.net> wrote in news:3EA8995E...@gmx.net:

> Yoshi348 schrieb:
>
>> Oh, and also, replace artefact with artifact. I noticed that alot.
>
> Um, why?
>
> <begin quote>
> Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American
> English. 1993.
>
> artifact, artefact (n.)
> Both spellings are Standard; artifact is more frequent in the United
> States, artefact in Britain.
> <end quote>
>
> I prefer the spelling that's closer to what i'm used to from my native
> language, although i _might_ be willing to adapt for a semi-official
> text if i can find a compelling reason.
>

I would think that using the spelling that nethack uses would be a better
idea.

After all, its "You did not wish for any artifacts" for a conduct right?

--
Most people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features
yet.

[Tina Hall]

Bwooce <sol...@gehennom.net> wrote:
> Tina Hall <Tina...@railroad.robin.de> deserves a cookie for
> saying:

>> Where's the rest?
>
> It's all there, Tina. I suspect a problem with your
> newsreader or server. Perhaps a cap on message size?

Much bigger messages get through with no problem, so more than
about 5k should have made it. I vaguely remember something about
a 64k limit, but I think that was the other gate, not this one.

(And I still don't _have_ a newsreader. I haven't found a real
limit within the software I do use, it just complains^Wasks for
confirmation with stuff I want to send out that's bigger than
configured for the respective destination.)

Tina, with a random end-of-game for your amusement:

3.3.1 122 0 1 1 6 6 1 20010124 20010124 42 Wiz Hum Mal Cha Warlock,
killed by the wrath of Anhur

[nos...@here.com]

On Fri, 25 Apr 2003 14:00:51, Bwooce <sol...@gehennom.net> wrote:

> nyra <ny...@gmx.net> deserves a cookie for saying:
> > If the spelling "artefact" is so rarely used that a vast majority of
> > people consider it wrong, i'll change it. So far i've counted one full
> > and two half-votes in favour of change (when the argument mainly
> > points to the spelling the game uses, that's only half a vote for me)
> > and none in favour of leaving it.

I prefer artefact, but see my commentary below.

> Note: I'm American (sorry).

Apology accepted. I married one.

> I'm strongly in favor of "artifact." First and foremost, this is the
> Nethack code. The only spelling appearing anywhere in the code or the
> database for nethack is "artifact." Even a google search for "nethack
> artefact" (sans quotation marks) only turns up 22 pages, some of which
> are non-English and most of which are only indirectly related to
> nethack. ("Nethack artifact," by comparison, turns up 2820 pages.)

Popularity does not necessarily imply correctness. On an early
episode of "Who wants to be a millionaire" the question was asked
"What is the capital of Australia?". The choices were Sydney,
Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra. The contestant thought he knew the
answer but decided to ask the audience anyway. The audience voted for
Sydney which coincided with the contestant's choice so he gave that
answer and was surprised to be eliminated.

> Secondly, dictionary.com's first entry lists "artefact" as a variant.
> It does not even appear in web1913 on the dict servers.

I have to admit that the Oxford English Dictionary seems to suggest
that artifact is the more "correct" spelling. The entry for artefact
just points at artifact. And artifact is probably more consistent
with similarly constructed words like artificial. Therefore, despite
my personal preference for the other form, I vote for artifact.

> The personal preference of the current maintainer is irrelevant when it
> is in conflict with the spelling established by the game itself. The
> source is canon. Everything else is secondary.

Not sure that I agree with that. Too often wrong things stay wrong
because of some stupid precedent. However I've already told one story
too many ... and I ended up agreeing with the artifact spelling
anyway.

> --
> Bruce Labbate | And maybe I'm too young,
> shiftless layabout | To keep good love from going wrong.
> | But tonight you're on my mind, so
> | (You'll never know) - Jeff Buckley

--

Reply to: field is bogus. Respond to
Jon Saxton <triton /at/ triton /dot/ vg> OS/2 software developer

NH3.4.1O C Nereid-Arc-Hum-Fem-Law HP:103 Pw:68 AC:-24 L:14 T:34873
[++)++$+p+ and more

[Boudewijn Waijers]

nyra, cunningly disguised as ny...@gmx.net wrote:

[...]

Nyra,

I am trying to send you some suggestions by e-mail, but ny...@gmx.net
returns the following error:

This is the Postfix program at host matilda.tiscali.nl.

I'm sorry to have to inform you that the message returned
below could not be delivered to one or more destinations.

For further assistance, please send mail to <postmaster>

If you do so, please include this problem report. You can
delete your own text from the message returned below.

The Postfix program

<ny...@gmx.net>: host mx0.gmx.de[213.165.64.100] said: 550 {mx027-rz3}
<ny...@gmx.net>... User is inactive

--
Boudewijn Waijers (bwaijers at tiscali.nl).

There are 10 types of people in the world:
those who understand binary, and those who don't.

[Bwooce]

Tina Hall <Tina...@railroad.robin.de> deserves a cookie for saying:

> Bwooce <sol...@gehennom.net> wrote:
>> It's all there, Tina. I suspect a problem with your
>> newsreader or server. Perhaps a cap on message size?

> Much bigger messages get through with no problem, so more than
> about 5k should have made it. I vaguely remember something about
> a 64k limit, but I think that was the other gate, not this one.

> (And I still don't _have_ a newsreader. I haven't found a real
> limit within the software I do use, it just complains^Wasks for
> confirmation with stuff I want to send out that's bigger than
> configured for the respective destination.)

Well, by "newsreader" I mean whatever the heck method you're using to
post to Usenet. :) Regardless, the full message made it to my server,
so the entire message is out there buzzing around Usenet and happily
propagating.

--
Bruce Labbate | Start with your fingers
shiftless layabout | They finger the change
| That carries you home in our evening.
| - Kristin Hersh

[nyra]

Boudewijn Waijers schrieb:

>
> nyra, cunningly disguised as ny...@gmx.net wrote:
>
> [...]
>
> Nyra,
>
> I am trying to send you some suggestions by e-mail, but ny...@gmx.net
> returns the following error:

Oopsie.

Yes, it looks like i only have a single active e-mail adress, which is
<52001661034...@T-Online.de>

Kill kenny to reply.

[Bwooce]

nyra <ny...@gmx.net> deserves a cookie for saying:

> Yes, it looks like i only have a single active e-mail adress, which is
> <52001661034...@T-Online.de>

> Kill kenny to reply.

Dear lord.

--
Bruce Labbate | Pretension's like delusion,
shiftless layabout | but more class mobile.
| - Billings
|

[Roger Broadbent]

Jukka Lahtinen <juk...@despammed.com> wrote in
news:yrjllxz...@despammed.com:

> "Yoshi348" <yosh...@sbcglobal.net> writes:
>> nyra wrote:
>> > Yoshi348 schrieb:
>
>> >> Oh, and also, replace artefact with artifact. I noticed that alot.
>> > Um, why?

>> > Both spellings are Standard; artifact is more frequent in the
>> > United States, artefact in Britain.
>

>> Oops, sorry. I didn't know that was one of those American/British
>> things.
>

> Anyway, the game itself uses the spelling 'artifact'.
> "You did not wish for any artifacts" is probably the only thing where
> many players see it, but it exists in many function and variable names
> and in the file name artifact.c.
>

As one of those strange British English-speakers, I would probably use
"artefact" if I were using the original and current common usage meaning -
a man-made object (or effect). "Artifact" would however be a valid British
English spelling, and not simply a result of American cultural imperialism
;-).

If using it in the sense of a unique and powerful magical object in a
roguelike/FRP setting (probably manufactured by some sentient being), I
would probably use "artifact". This is probably because my exposure to this
novel use of the term comes via American English sources [AD&D].

So I would support use of the "artifact" spelling when used in this
context, as to me they are in effect two separate words that happen to be
homophones.

This would be in contrast to "armour" for example, where I would always use
the British spelling, and my dictionary (Concise Oxford) labels "armor" as
"chiefly American".

Roger

Roger

[Roger Broadbent]

nos...@here.com wrote in news:HIpBdTRdkjhH-pn2-smDJY6EyeUyE@thalassa:

> On Fri, 25 Apr 2003 14:00:51, Bwooce <sol...@gehennom.net> wrote:
>
> I have to admit that the Oxford English Dictionary seems to suggest
> that artifact is the more "correct" spelling. The entry for artefact
> just points at artifact. And artifact is probably more consistent
> with similarly constructed words like artificial.

My COED (Concise Oxford Dictionary Sixth Edition 1976 Fifth Impression 1978
ISBN 0-19-861121-8) does the precise reverse! According to an article I
found on usenet (link to Google http://tinyurl.com/ac64), the OED seems
rather undecided on this issue; my conclusion is that either is valid in
British English, which suggests that the Code ought to use the more
internationally accepted "artifact".

On the other point, http://www.quinion.com/words/qa/qa-art1.htm notes the
conflict between "artefact" and "artificial" which both come from the Latin
"arte" and then notes:

The confusion of spelling actually goes back to classical times, since
the direct ancestor of artifice and artificial is Latin artificium, a
thing made by skill or art.

So it's actually all the Italians' fault!

Roger

[Yoshi348]

Okey dokey folks. I suggest that maybe this would be an alternate NH
code, if anybody wants it. It's pretty radically different, but still
fairly good. Myself, I will make a revision to my version of the code,
and the PYEC is definetly OUT. I might add some new stuff too, then
post it up.

--
-Yoshi348

You say armour, I say armor. You say artefact, I say artifact.

[David Damerell]

Tina Hall <Tina...@railroad.robin.de> wrote:
>(And I still don't _have_ a newsreader.

Yes, you do - software that reads news is a newsreader, albeit perhaps not
a very good one.
--
David Damerell <dame...@chiark.greenend.org.uk> flcl?

[Tina Hall]

David Damerell <dame...@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
> Tina Hall <Tina...@railroad.robin.de> wrote:

> >(And I still don't _have_ a newsreader.
>
> Yes, you do - software that reads news is a newsreader,

So rolling a plane down a motorway turns it into a car? Using a
knife to loosen/fasten a screw turns it into a screwdriver?

Thought not. :)

> albeit perhaps not a very good one.

It's rather nice Fido point-software. Not perfect, but with many
features I wouldn't want to miss.

Tina, with a random end-of-game for your amusement:

3.3.1 15913 0 3 3 -3 60 1 20010206 20010206 42 Wiz Hum Mal Cha Warlock,
killed by a soldier ant

[Bwooce]

Tina Hall <Tina...@railroad.robin.de> deserves a cookie for saying:

> David Damerell <dame...@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
>> Tina Hall <Tina...@railroad.robin.de> wrote:
>> >(And I still don't _have_ a newsreader.
>>
>> Yes, you do - software that reads news is a newsreader,

> So rolling a plane down a motorway turns it into a car?

I fail to see how this compares.

> Using a knife to loosen/fasten a screw turns it into a screwdriver?

This I do understand, and yes, the knife is being used as a screwdriver.

If you use a certain piece of software to read news, it's a newsreader.
It can be other things as well, but it's at least a newsreader.

>> albeit perhaps not a very good one.

> It's rather nice Fido point-software. Not perfect, but with many
> features I wouldn't want to miss.

Such as?

--
Bruce Labbate | "Hulk squeezed those stupid
shiftless layabout | plants so hard snacks popped
| out of their head."
| - Mr. Fish

[Tina Hall]

Bwooce <sol...@gehennom.net> wrote:
> Tina Hall <Tina...@railroad.robin.de> deserves a cookie for
> > saying: David Damerell <dame...@chiark.greenend.org.uk>
> > wrote:
> >> Tina Hall <Tina...@railroad.robin.de> wrote:

> >> >(And I still don't _have_ a newsreader.
> >>
> >> Yes, you do - software that reads news is a newsreader,
>
> > So rolling a plane down a motorway turns it into a car?
>
> I fail to see how this compares.

Using something out of its environment doesn't turn it into
something else entirely. Same as below. Using a plane as a car
doesn't make it a car.

> > Using a knife to loosen/fasten a screw turns it into a
> > screwdriver?
>
> This I do understand, and yes, the knife is being used as a
> screwdriver.

That doesn't change what it is - a knife, not a screwdriver.

> If you use a certain piece of software to read news, it's a
> newsreader. It can be other things as well, but it's at least
> a newsreader.

No it isn't, see above.

> >> albeit perhaps not a very good one.
>
> > It's rather nice Fido point-software. Not perfect, but with
> > many features I wouldn't want to miss.
>
> Such as?

I don't think I can list all the stuff I'm used to without
missing anything. All I can do is an attempt...

- Colors are the way I want (including different colors for
different quote levels). (There's a minor nag since an update,
where the status display during a call doesn't conform to this
anymore, though.)

- Different groups determining freely configurable, possibly
even random, headers/footers (the stuff at the beginning and end
of a post/mail), how long the respective mails/posts are kept,
the relevant server and other stuff. (Display, and content of
what's displayed of the actual mail/post header can be configured
too.) Overruling the configured time to keep the respective posts/
mails, they can be marked to keep or delete, or just killed
straight away (apart from just set to highlight, read/unread, or
be edited).

- Just one key difference between post and mail (in respect on
how to incite a reply).

- Macros; mapping of keys so I can read single-handed, without
moving about on the keyboard for ESC or other stuff (to exit a
post/mail, call up threading and such).

- Parking of (half-)finished posts/mails as well as keeping
specially marked posts/mails/parked stuff displayed among the new
stuff so I can refer to it later without having to search for it.
(Maybe I should mention that it can also display only all unread
stuff, or everything from date or time so and so, or everything
from today, 'new' is just default.)

- Once it does its 'netcall' (sending off my posts/mails as well
as getting new stuff) I can leave the room, it'll hang up all on
its own and unpack/sort through the stuff (maybe I should
especially mention packed mails/posts too).

- Filter; XP itself has just a feature that can kill posts on
user adress, an add-on supplies a rather nice filter software
that can search for all sorts of stuff and do things to the found
posts/mails (like kill, set to delete, highlight, mark as read,
move), so (depending on attributions present) I can ignore
replies to those killfiled too, and read them only when they're
from people I definitely want to read.

- Ordering and unsubscribing from newsgroups and fido areas is
dead easy.

Probably more that I can't think of right now - it's hard to
remember stuff that's just there just as daylight or stars, and
air is.

The only thing that I really don't like is the search function.
Either I don't understand it, or it really does only fixed
strings (no and/or).

Tina, with a random end-of-game for your amusement:

3.3.1 1727 2 4 4 -2 47 1 20010121 20010121 42 Wiz Hum Mal Cha Warlock,
killed by a dog

[David Damerell]

Tina Hall <Tina...@railroad.robin.de> wrote:
>Using something out of its environment doesn't turn it into
>something else entirely. Same as below. Using a plane as a car
>doesn't make it a car.

I think you are failing to distinguish words that describe function -
screwdriver, newsreader - from words that do not.
--
David Damerell <dame...@chiark.greenend.org.uk> Distortion Field!

[Dr. Richard E. Hawkins]

In article <MSGID_2=3A2437=2F22.13=40fidonet...@fidonet.org>,

Tina Hall <Tina...@railroad.robin.de> wrote:
>David Damerell <dame...@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
>> Tina Hall <Tina...@railroad.robin.de> wrote:

>> >(And I still don't _have_ a newsreader.

>> Yes, you do - software that reads news is a newsreader,

>So rolling a plane down a motorway turns it into a car?

It *is* an automobile . . .

>Using a
>knife to loosen/fasten a screw turns it into a screwdriver?

>Thought not. :)

Of course not. Knives are screwdrivers from the start, just yearning to
come out of the closet, err, knifeblock and head off to the wild life in
the toolbox!

:)

hawk
--
Richard E. Hawkins, Asst. Prof. of Economics /"\ ASCII ribbon campaign
doc...@psu.edu Smeal 178 (814) 375-4700 \ / against HTML mail
These opinions will not be those of X and postings.
Penn State until it pays my retainer. / \

[tomandcatherine]

Building my NH code block, plus a couple comments...

NH 3.4.1 WN C Phineas Wiz-Hum-Mal-Law HP:3938 PW:2867 AC:-128(-96) L:30
T:266K
[+++ )+++ P+++ Z+ !p $++++ i++ s+ W+ E+ !PS PP++ !G C-
I++ !@W !N !& L+++ X+ Ps- So+ Sp+++ sb- !wb +1(c)

[in inventory]
> line). If I have enough surplus slots open, I'll arange other
> stuff to allow for cute prompts like "What do you want to eat
> (CHOW or ?*)

How about [gruB or ?*] :)

> W I wish for the things I need....

Would it be possible to add an extra character to the end of this, like
W++S means the same as W++, but that smoky potions are coming into play in
this game and yielding some extra wishes that might be used differently
than the normal wishes? I'm playing a W style (between 3 /oW I zapped
one, once), but with smoky !oEH (and with energy important enough to me
that I'd rather drink gain energy/level than take these to FH) I'm getting
a lot of extra wishes that I'm using on things like potions of gain level.
So I'm sort of like... W / W+++ depending on where the wishes are coming
from :)

> E Elbereth
>
> E+++ I'll spend hundreds of turns engraving
> E+ I'm always prepared to put an E-word on the floor,

No E++? Oops!

> !@W I've never even seen him.

Is this what you'd expect for "I haven't gotten to him yet" or "he's still
asleep"? Or should I use @W(0) meaning, I haven't killed him yet?

> sb I make backups to insure against typos.
>
> sb- I back up save files, but I've never used one.

What about "I use save backups to insure against game bugs, and
occasionally use them"? That doesn't seem to fit either sb- or !sb very
well.

[nyra]

tomandcatherine schrieb:

>
> Building my NH code block, plus a couple comments...
>
> NH 3.4.1 WN C Phineas Wiz-Hum-Mal-Law HP:3938 PW:2867 AC:-128(-96) L:30
> T:266K
> [+++ )+++ P+++ Z+ !p $++++ i++ s+ W+ E+ !PS PP++ !G C-
> I++ !@W !N !& L+++ X+ Ps- So+ Sp+++ sb- !wb +1(c)
>
> [in inventory]
> > line). If I have enough surplus slots open, I'll arange other
> > stuff to allow for cute prompts like "What do you want to eat
> > (CHOW or ?*)
>
> How about [gruB or ?*] :)

Would hog the "g" and "r" slots, which are prime locations for items
that can be "a"pplied and would thus not quite fit. Obviously, some
inventory-maniacs will use a whole different scheme for organising
their stuff, but i think for the specific incarnation sketched out
above, arranging special prompts from capitals only would be most
adequate ...

> > W I wish for the things I need....
>
> Would it be possible to add an extra character to the end of this, like
> W++S means the same as W++, but that smoky potions are coming into play in
> this game and yielding some extra wishes that might be used differently
> than the normal wishes?

Hmm, i'd say that's one of the exceptional bits which are a bit too
difficult to encode without leading to "code overload" (i think i'm
going over the top with the mods available for the Wizard already).

General optional rule: if you keep to one of the attitudes generally,
but deviate in specific cases, add the "deviation" in brackets, like
[-(+++) if e.g. you don't care much about armour in general but try
really hard to get a +8 hawaiian shirt.

> > E Elbereth
> >
> > E+++ I'll spend hundreds of turns engraving
> > E+ I'm always prepared to put an E-word on the floor,
>
> No E++? Oops!

No. The "max" is already taking it to excess and deserves the full
three '+', but the "always ready to use" isn't massive enough to
warrant two. If you think you're somewhere between these two, you can
of course use E++. I just couldn't think of a useful description for
an intermediate attitude.

> > !@W I've never even seen him.
>
> Is this what you'd expect for "I haven't gotten to him yet" or "he's still
> asleep"? Or should I use @W(0) meaning, I haven't killed him yet?

Ah, good point. If you haven't _seen_ him yet (including telepathy and
all that) in a current game, it's '!@W', if you've already seen but
not killed him so far, it's '@W(0)'.

To make it a bit clearer:

!@W I still have to see him.

> > sb I make backups to insure against typos.
> >
> > sb- I back up save files, but I've never used one.
>
> What about "I use save backups to insure against game bugs, and
> occasionally use them"? That doesn't seem to fit either sb- or !sb very
> well.

It's supposed to be !sb - security measure vs. the game seriously
misbehaving. I'll put it a bit less strictly.

!sb Backing up savefiles to get around obstacles posed by the game
is cheating. If the game suffers from serious bugs, especially if
these can unrecoverably crash the game, backups against exclusively
these eventualities are barely acceptable.

[nyra]

nyra schrieb:
[...]

1 May Update (NH Code 1.3.o):

I've condensed individual entries, corrected some typos, adjusted the
spelling of "artefact" to "artifact", thrown out "wb" (wizard bones)
entirely and introduced "b" (bones files) instead - suggested by
"elpuerc0" and forwarded by Boudewijn Waijers - and generally tried to
make it all sufficiently unambiguous and understandable.

Raisse isn't listed as maintainer anymore, but rather as author of the
first release; her e-mail adress is also no longer provided for
contact.

It should be mostly compatible to previously-released versions of the
code, too.

> Warning: it's horribly verbose

The warning still holds. Should i post it to the group again, or is
there some better place to upload it?

[Dylan O'Donnell]

nyra <ny...@gmx.net> writes:
> tomandcatherine schrieb:

>
> > > E Elbereth
> > >
> > > E+++ I'll spend hundreds of turns engraving
> > > E+ I'm always prepared to put an E-word on the floor,
> >
> > No E++? Oops!
>
> No. The "max" is already taking it to excess and deserves the full
> three '+', but the "always ready to use" isn't massive enough to
> warrant two. If you think you're somewhere between these two, you can
> of course use E++. I just couldn't think of a useful description for
> an intermediate attitude.

E++ When in doubt, my first reaction is to engrave Elbereth to be
on the safe side. Preferably a few copies.

--
: Dylan O'Donnell http://www.spod-central.org/~psmith/ :
: "Peek-a-boo, I can't see you, everything must be grand; :
: Boo-ka-pee, you can't see me, as long as I've got me head in t'sand..." :
: -- Michael Flanders, "The Ostrich" :

[Dion Nicolaas]

nyra <ny...@gmx.net> wrote in message news:<3EB158F6...@gmx.net>...

> nyra schrieb:
> [...]
>
> 1 May Update (NH Code 1.3.o):

[...]

> > Warning: it's horribly verbose
>
> The warning still holds. Should i post it to the group again, or is
> there some better place to upload it?

Since I'm going to put it on my website eventually (if you agree), I
might as well keep the intermediate versions... Mail me a version and
I'll make it available at
http://www.nicolaas.net/erebus/nhcode/v20beta/nhcode.txt . Or
something.

--
---. /) | http://erebus.nicolaas.net/
/ \ / _ _ | _ _ _ The NetHack Index at Erebus
-/ )\ | (_(_ (_) \_ ()\ ()\ \ dnic...@myrealbox.com
_/___/ \| -------------------' Dion Nicolaas

[Tor Inge Johannessen]

I just found out that I was nearly the only one using regular geekcode in
this NG, so I thought I should take a peek. Remember, I've never ascended
a char and is not as experienced as most of you that uses NHCode.

nyra wrote:-

> NH
>
> This is just to show that it's not a *geek* code.

Maybe a version of NHCode too? I know there is a limited space, but we
have four lines of .sig to put it into, if we want to.

> W Windows 95/98/Me
> WN Windows NT/2000/XP

As metioned, W is enough since the same binary runs on all.

> G Genocide

Where should I put myself when I'm genociding when I have no other option
of getting rid of the monster. I.E Meeting one monster that I know I
can't take out.

> & Sex (InkubusSukkubus)

[snip]

> &? Argh! The dishwasher has returned! I'm fucked!

Do NOT remove this! I had nearly a C|N>K experience when I read this, and
I had to go to the serverroom (with a lot of noisy servers) to finish
laughing.

> X Experience

Here is a personal thought. Experience based on ascended characters is
somewhat unfair for us that has not ascended. I've made it through
sokoban, found the quest and continued downwards. But not much longer.
I'm one of those that has 90% YASD, 9% YAAD and 1% "Oh well, the RNG have
been so generous, that I just deserved to die..."

It's a good point that the middle (X) is haven't ascended yet, since the
turning point is when one have ascended the first char. But the following
should have been fixed:

> X- I've seen Medusa. Not a pretty sight.
>
> X-- I always pick classes who have a nice quest. But I
> still need to survive Sokoban.

Either:

X- I've seen Medusa. Not a pretty sight.

X-- I've barely survived Sokoban...

X--- I'm having a though time in the gnomish mines.

Or:

X- Who's that Medusa person that everyone talks about?

X-- I always pick classes who have a nice quest. But I still ned to
survive sokoban.

On a personal note, I've never seen medusa, but Sokoban has been defeated
a lot of times lately. So it's hard to place myself when you have two
named statements that is both false.

> Ps Playing speed

Ok, again. This is for the ones that has ascended before. What about us
that have never reached the very bottom of the DoD? I mean, the Ps- and
Ps-- is ok for everyone, but if I rush through the first levels and die
before Medusa?

Tor Inge
- working on a NH13 .sig
--
NH13n 3.4.1 WN D Shiriken Wiz-Elf-Mal-Cha HP:100 Pw:200 AC:-20

[+ )+ P+ Z+++ p $ i++ s+ W++ E- PS- PP G- C--
I++ !@W N- &? !L X-- Ps !So Sp++ !wb !wb +0

[Rachel Jacobs]

psmit...@spod-central.org (Dylan O'Donnell) wrote in message news:<86ptn21...@strackenz.spod-central.org>...

>
> E++ When in doubt, my first reaction is to engrave Elbereth to be
> on the safe side. Preferably a few copies.

I think almost all my promsing characters die because they forgot to
engrave Elbereth

[nyra]

Tor Inge Johannessen schrieb:

>
> I just found out that I was nearly the only one using regular geekcode in
> this NG, so I thought I should take a peek. Remember, I've never ascended
> a char and is not as experienced as most of you that uses NHCode.

Well, the Code _should_ be a nice little gadget for absolutely
everybody who cares to construct a NH Code block. So your input is
very much appreciated.

> nyra wrote:-
>
> > NH
> >
> > This is just to show that it's not a *geek* code.
>
> Maybe a version of NHCode too? I know there is a limited space, but we
> have four lines of .sig to put it into, if we want to.

Hm, i've just marked it as option for the next revision ;) A structure
of

NHCodeX.Y.Z
3.4.1 etc.

would be o.k. for a .sig, _and_ it would make the first code line less
susceptible to overflowing.

> > G Genocide
>
> Where should I put myself when I'm genociding when I have no other option
> of getting rid of the monster. I.E Meeting one monster that I know I
> can't take out.

Probably a simple "G". The "higher" ratings are typical of a more
planned use of genocide, less of an ad-hoc attitude.

> > X Experience
>
> Here is a personal thought. Experience based on ascended characters is
> somewhat unfair for us that has not ascended.

Yeah, it's a bit of a problem; i _tried_ to give sufficient depth to
both the "has ascended" and "hasn't ascended (yet!)" halves of the
spectrum, but i really found myself unable to do better than this with
three descriptions for each (the X++++ is a super-exceptional case,
basically something almost out of human reach; X--- would need to be a
similar feat in the opposite direction; see Ps---).

> It's a good point that the middle (X) is haven't ascended yet, since the
> turning point is when one have ascended the first char. But the following
> should have been fixed:
>
> > X- I've seen Medusa. Not a pretty sight.
> >
> > X-- I always pick classes who have a nice quest. But I
> > still need to survive Sokoban.

I think i'll adapt/amend X- to make clear it really means "My best
games so far have ended somewhere between Sokoban/the Mines and the
Castle". Except that i like the current description.

> > Ps Playing speed
>
> Ok, again. This is for the ones that has ascended before. What about us
> that have never reached the very bottom of the DoD?

I admit you've got me there. Problem is that 'round here, the prime
parameter for measuring "playing speed" is the "turns to ascend",
which means it's not much use for players without ascensions, and
generally of limited use for games which didn't end in an ascension.
It is possible to extrapolate, but before Medusa the differences
between a "Ps-" and a "Ps++" game/player are still rather small. If
you can't relate to it, just leave out this segment (every bit of the
code is optional), but it'd be unfair to have a code segment which is
practically reserved for regular Ascenders. Marked as "needs
improvement" for now.

[Martin Crisp]

On Fri, 2 May 2003 22:07:46 +1000, Tor Inge Johannessen wrote
(in message <Xns936F8FB9A6DF8...@213.131.157.161>):

>> W Windows 95/98/Me
>> WN Windows NT/2000/XP
>
> As metioned, W is enough since the same binary runs on all.

Whereas M for Mac is not enough, as Unix, Linux, DOS, and Windows
binaries can (theoretically, at least) be run on Macs.

Have Fun
Martin

[Dion Nicolaas]

dnic...@myrealbox.com (Dion Nicolaas) wrote in message news:<63f6f346.03050...@posting.google.com>...

> nyra <ny...@gmx.net> wrote in message news:<3EB158F6...@gmx.net>...
> > nyra schrieb:
> > [...]
> >
> > 1 May Update (NH Code 1.3.o):
> [...]
>
> > > Warning: it's horribly verbose
> >
> > The warning still holds. Should i post it to the group again, or is
> > there some better place to upload it?
>
> Since I'm going to put it on my website eventually (if you agree), I
> might as well keep the intermediate versions... Mail me a version and
> I'll make it available at
> http://www.nicolaas.net/erebus/nhcode/v20beta/nhcode.txt . Or
> something.

... where it now is. Enjoy, all!

I'll replace it with new revisions if they become available; when it
is final, I'll update the webpage at
http://www.nicolaas.net/erebus/nhcode/ .

Dion

[Boudewijn Waijers]

Martin Crisp, cunningly disguised as Spam....@tesseract.com.au wrote:
> Tor Inge Johannessen wrote:

[restoring reference]
>>nyra <ny...@gmx.net> wrote...

>>> W Windows 95/98/Me
>>> WN Windows NT/2000/XP

>> As metioned, W is enough since the same binary runs on all.

> Whereas M for Mac is not enough, as Unix, Linux, DOS, and Windows
> binaries can (theoretically, at least) be run on Macs.

You cannot even transfer a unix binary from one unix system to another, so
the transfer to a Mac is *very* theoretical, indeed.

[Martin Crisp]

On Sun, 4 May 2003 21:42:06 +1000, Boudewijn Waijers wrote
(in message <b93222$fei$3...@reader1.tiscali.nl>):

> Martin Crisp, cunningly disguised as Spam....@tesseract.com.au wrote:
>> Tor Inge Johannessen wrote:
>
> [restoring reference]

Sorry.

>>> nyra <ny...@gmx.net> wrote...
>
>>>> W Windows 95/98/Me
>>>> WN Windows NT/2000/XP
>
>>> As metioned, W is enough since the same binary runs on all.
>
>> Whereas M for Mac is not enough, as Unix, Linux, DOS, and Windows
>> binaries can (theoretically, at least) be run on Macs.
>
> You cannot even transfer a unix binary from one unix system to another, so
> the transfer to a Mac is *very* theoretical, indeed.

But given that Mac OS X _is_ a Unix system?

Have Fun
Martin [at least the toptenwin no longer appears in console...]