From: yucao@sandman.uucp (Yu Cao)
Subject: [rec.games.hack] Frequently Asked Questions (WEEKLY)
Followup-To: rec.games.hack
Supersedes: <rec.games.hack_FAQ_717836402@cco.caltech.edu>
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 07:00:23 GMT
Expires: Tue, 27 Oct 1992 07:00:03 GMT

Archive-name: nethack-faq
Last-modified: 28 May 1992

(5/28/92 - archive site names added in spoiler section)
(4/09/92 - VMS SPAN and ftp info updated)
(2/14/92 - WCST Spoiler directory location in comp.sources.games added)

-----------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: E-mail your FAQ suggestions and corrections to:

     yucao@cco.caltech.edu

I am not a member of the development team, nor am I an expert.  If you
don't see an answer to your question here, please, post an article.

"What is NetHack?"

     NetHack is a single-user, fantasy role-playing computer game, and a
     direct descendant of the games Hack and Rogue.  The "Net" in
     NetHack refers to its development by a team of programmers here in
     the USENet community.

"What is the latest version?"

     NetHack 3.0j    {or 3.0 patchlevel 10, 3.0.10}

"Where do I get it from (source code and executable files)?"

     FTP: linc.cis.upenn.edu  pub/NH3.0/*                   {130.91.6.8}
          Official site for source and PC/AMIGA/ATARI/OS2/MAC binaries.
          FTP instructions are at the bottom of this article.

     UUCP: ftp.uu.net or other sites that keep comp.sources.games
           archives.

     VMS: NSI/DECnet(SPAN) from ACDURS::SYS$LCL:[SRC.NETHACK]  {or 9583::}
          or anonymous ftp from uars.acd.ucar.edu in [.SRC.NETHACK].

     COMPUSERVE: The GAMERS Forum library.

"Who do I contact to report a bug or to get installation help?"

     nethack-bugs@linc.cis.upenn.edu

"Where do i go for more information on playing the game?"

     o    during play: "?" and "/" commands, fortune cookies and the
          Oracle.
     o    The guidebook which accompanies the game.
     o    Explore-mode: nethack -X    {you start with a wand of wishing}

"Where can I get spoilers from?

     o    Articles posted on rec.games.hack.  (The standard behavior is
          to insert a ctrl-L character before the spoiler so that those
          who wish avoid them can skip the article.)

     o    The WCST Nethack Spoiler File.  Available at sites that archive
          comp.sources.games, and in the Compuserve GAMERS Forumlibrary.
          The latest release is version 7.00.  You can find it at sites
          that archive comp.sources.games in directory:

          comp.sources.games/volume13/nh-spoilers3

          Here is a list of some of the archive sites: (please download
          from within your continent)

          ftp.uu.net                                       {137.39.1.9}
          wuarchive.wustl.edu                           {128.252.135.4}
          usc.edu                                     {128.125.253.136}
          brolga.cc.uq.oz.au                            {130.102.128.5}
          ftp.waseda.ac.jp                                 {133.9.1.32}
          nic.funet.fi                                  {128.214.6.100}

"What is Wizard mode, and how do I use it?"

     The game maintainer can use wizard-mode as a debugging aid.  Try:
     "nethack -u wizard -D" or "nethack -uWizard -D"

"I've undergone a Name Change and then saved the game.  How do I restore
the game?"

     In most implementations you have to tell the game your new name, as
     in: "nethack -u <newname>"

"I've cleaned out the castle, where are the downstairs?"

     Part of the challenge of nethack is figuring out mysteries like
     this.  Relax!  This is intentional!  There is a way...

"The Dungeon collapsed.  Can I recover this game?"

     Find the panic save file (*.e), if it exists, and remove the ".e"
     suffix.  If the file exists, it is likely, but not guaranteed, to
     work after renaming.  If the file does not exist, the game cannot
     be recovered, even if all the level files remain, because the
     player information is not in any of those files.


"When will the next version be released and what will be different?"

     No information is available at this time.  Thank you for your
     patience.

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                         Basic FTP instructions

If your machine is directly connected to internet, you can obtain the
source code and official binary releases for some popular computers.

Type in the command:

     ftp linc.cis.upenn.edu

or

     ftp 130.91.6.8

You will be connected to upenn, and it will prompt for a username.
Type in the username:

     anonymous

Use your e-mail address for a password, such as:

     boris@moose.squirrel.whatsammata.edu

Paying attention to upper and lower case, change directories to the
Nethack base directory, by typing:

     cd pub/NH3.0

This directory contains the source and instructions for compiling and
installing Nethack on a variety of machines.  You might want to first
obtain the READ_FIRST file that's in this directory.  Try either one of
these two commands:

     get READ_FIRST
     get READ_FIRST _____.____        {use any local file name you like}

If you want to know what files are available in any directory, type:

     dir

If you want a binary version of NetHack, type in one of the following
commands:

     cd PC
     cd os2
     cd mac
     cd amiga
     cd atari

Each of these directories contain the binaries and instructions for
installation.  Use the DIR command, and get the README file first.

Regardless what version you want, you'll need to know that there are two
ways to transfer, in "ascii" or in "binary" mode.  By default, you're
already in ascii mode.  If you wish to transfer binary files, type:

     binary

To switch to binary mode.  If you need to switch back, type:

     ascii

As you've seen above, you get files by typing one of these commands:

     get <file>
     get <file> <local.file.name>
     mget <wildcarded file name>

If your local system can handle Unix file structures, you can get all
the source and instructions by typing:

     mget *

To leave your FTP session, type:

     quit

Files that end with either "...uu" or "...uue" are files in Unix
"uuencode" format.  These are binary files encoded into  ascii format,
and must be decoded by a Unix "uudecode" command.  There are versions of
uudecode for many platforms.  Check with your system administrator,
local BBS, etc.  Also, the Nethack source files are all of the form:

     <filename>.tar.Z.uu

Once uudecoded, require two additional Unix programs, "uncompress" (the
'Z' means compressed), and "tar".  Like uudecode, there are versions of
these programs for other platforms.

-- 
Yu Cao 					yucao@cco.caltech.edu
Caltech 103-33                          
Pasadena, CA 91125