HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: HEDDEN@ESDSDF.dnet.ge.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Statues in NetHack
Date: 2 Sep 1992 15:52:31 -0500
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu


Sometimes people ask about statues.
Here's some info I gleaned from the code.
If anyone has more to offer, please let's hear it.

SPOILER ALERT


"Common" uses for statues:
  Wield them and then use them to force open chests.
  Break them open with a pickaxe, force bolt spell or wand of
    striking to see if they contain a spellbook.

"Wierd" uses(?):
  Use for weight in the "cursed bag of holding" abuse.
  Wield as a weapon.
  etc.

A statue's weight is 1.5 times the weight of the corresponding
monster. 

When created (such as when a new level is generated), statues have a
probability of containing a spellbook based on the dungeon level as
follows:

     Level         Probability
                   of Spellbook

     1,2,3         0
     4,5           1/12 (8.3%)
     6,7           2/13 (15.4%)
     8,9           3/14 (21.4%)
     10,11         4/15 (26.7%)
     12,13         5/16 (31.3%)
      ...            ...
     20,21         9/20 (45.0%)
      ...            ...
     30,31         14/25 (56.0%)
      ...            ...
     50            24/35 (68.6%)

The exceptions are:
  Monsters turned to stone by being hit with a cockatrice corpse;
  Statues with "player" names (such as are encountered on the
    medusa level or a bones level).
These statues will definitely NOT contain a spellbook!

However, you can use a wand of polymorph on boulders and statues of
the types noted in the exception above with a 90% probability of
changing them into a (different) statue (10% chance of polymorphing
into a boulder).  When so polymorphed, the probabilities for
spellbooks apply.  So, after using a cockatrice corpse to clean out a
treasure zoo, beehive, throne room, etc., pile all the statues
together, polymorph them, and then break them open with your pickaxe. 
(You could even carry the statues down deeper into the dungeon before
polymorphing them in order to increase the odds of getting spellbooks.
However, some might be too heavy to carry.)

The cursed/blessed status of a spellbook from a statue will be the
same as that of the statue (i.e., blessed statues yield blessed
spellbooks, etc.). 

Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
From: water@david.wheaton.edu (Paul Waterman)
Subject: Re: Progress report
Organization: Wheaton College
Distribution: rec.games.hack
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 13:05:00 GMT

In article <1992Aug26.093918.1@vxdesy.desy.de> pawlak@vxdesy.desy.de writes:
>
>Oh, come on... When any software team gives any date of release, we are already
>trained to understand it as 'not earlier than'... So?

Hey, in *my* mind, that's the wrong attitude for a software development team
to have.  Sure, if you want to say "It will not be released before X," 
that's great.  But to say "It will be released on X," and then not to
do it - that's a problem. 

Why do you think people don't like Lotus any more?  "It'll be released on...
umm... (sound of dart hitting dartboard) January 12."  "Sorry, we didn't
make that release date.  It's going to be delayed three years..."

	  - Paul
Xref: sparky rec.games.hack:5766 rec.games.moria:3730 rec.games.misc:16955
From: dave@carina.unm.edu (Dave Grisham)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack,rec.games.moria,rec.games.misc
Subject: Re: Moria
Date: 25 Aug 92 19:01:41 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

Where is PC Moria?  E-mail please.
grish
dave@carina
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
From: hafting@Lise.Unit.NO (Helge Hafting)
Subject: Re: first level of hell
Organization: Norwegian Institute of Technology
Distribution: rec.games.hack
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 92 12:18:04 GMT

In article <thompsje.715271199@craft.camp.clarkson.edu>, thompsje@craft.camp.clarkson.edu (Jeffrey E. Thompson) writes:
 > 
 > 
 > I've been playing PC Nethack for about 3 months now and I finally got a
 > character who lived to reach the castle.  I had to break into the back door
 > because I didn't have an instrument and I fell through a trap door to the first
 > level of hell.  I found a way up, but I couldn't find a way down. I tried
 > cursed scrolls of teleportation, blessed scrolls of teleportation and wands
 > of digging with no luck.  I got a ring of teleport control, but it wouldn't
 > let me teleport to a different level, only to another spot on the same level.
 > 
 > Can anybody give me a solution to this one or have I just screwed up somewhere
 > along the line ?
Seems that you have tried the right thing.
Remember that a cloak of magic protection may protect against a level teleport...
-- 
 |  |      ^         |  |      /   ^   o
 |__| _   /|  _  _   |__| _   /|  /|   |    _   _
 |  |/_| / | / \/_|  |  |/ | /-+-/-+- /| /|/ | / \
 |  |\__/  |/\_/\_   |  |\_|/  |   \_/ |/ |  |/\_/
            __/                /              __/
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
From: jwk3@po.CWRU.Edu (John W. Kale)
Subject: Re: Inadequacy with info.
Reply-To: jwk3@po.CWRU.Edu (John W. Kale)
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 92 18:29:43 GMT


In a previous article, jl4l+@andrew.cmu.edu (John Lerchey) says:

>Ok.  So my last good character died after the gods abandoned him without
>any reason that I could see (see my last post).
>
>She is armed with Excalibur and Stormbringer.   As I type, I killed an
>Uruk Hai and sacrificed the corpse.  "You have a feeling of inadequacy."
>
>So what gives?  I really don't want to lose another potentially good
>character tothe whims of some gods that all of a sudden don't like me
>even though I sacrifice everything that I can kill to them!  Doesn't
>anyone out there have a clue for me??
>
	A notion or two (I don't pretend to KNOW the answers... This
is speculation. You have been warned.)
	Perhaps to mollify your god, you need some really spectacular
sacrifice. As your character gains levels, a relatively easy to kill
monster like an Uruk-Hai may be worth less and less in your god's eyes.
Have you sacrificed anything really mean, like a dragon or a troll
lately?
	This is just a thought, again: could there be a problem with
alignment rollover, that is, if you are too good to your god, could
your alignment "wrap around" to become negative?
	Finally, you must have done something to make your god angry.
Praying too often will do it; killing friendly creatures will do it.
If you have done either of these things, well, don't do them again.
	There is, most likely, a random factor involved in determining
the acceptability of a sacrifice. You could just be having the world's
worst luck, I suppose.
						-John
-- 
Looking down the barrel of a loaded gun  |       John Kale          ''''
Just to see where the bullets come from! |   jwk3@po.cwru.edu       -o-o
        -Screaming Blue Messiahs         |                   ---UUU---U--UUU--
   --->SUSPICION BREEDS CONFIDENCE - Dept. of Records' Motto, "Brazil"<---
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
From: fabian@kiwi.cis.ohio-state.edu (anjanette louise fabian)
Subject: I'm going for it!!!
Summary: minor cheat, bones level
Organization: The Ohio State University Dept. of Computer and Info. Science
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 16:04:31 GMT

	Well I've got my AC to -28, hp at 225, +7 Excalibur and a few 
tidbits to save my tush from obliteration.  I'm going for the wizard, but
before I go I'll pass a cheat or two along.

	After trying to decide which character class to play, priest:
identify & praying  vs  wizard LOTS of neat stuff to start, I got a wizard
going but with pitiful stats and hit points.  I deliberately piled everything
I could find on a lawful altar and went and offered myself to the ravenous 
beasts.  I wasn't sure it would work but a few characters later I stumbled
upon _the_ bones level and set about IDing everything, including my most
prized possession- a ring of protection +7! This got my character equipped
to handle the next stages of the dungeon.  Other than that I have made it
with one wand of wishing (4 wishes) and a grateful djinni (wand of polymorph).
Only 4 shops (small ones), potions, general, weapons (worthless), armor 
(shield of reflection). No temples! I have gold stashed everywhere, but
nothing to do with it.  I have piles of gems, thanks to polypiling, and
grateful unicorns everywhere.  

	Well, wish Jeremiah luck!

Anjanette Fabian

Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
From: dbeedle@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Dave Beedle)
Subject: Statues...
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 18:27:09 GMT
Organization: Illinois State University

   Just what are statues and figurines used for anyway?
-- 
  Dave Beedle                                    Office of Academic Computing
                                                    Illinois State University
  Internet:  dbeedle@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu                    136A Julian Hall  
  "Relax, don't worry!  Have a homebrew!"                  Normal, IL   61761
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
From: rji@trellis.cs.nott.ac.uk (Rob Ingram)
Subject: Re: Graphics based hacks
Organization: Communications Research Group
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 92 12:11:26 GMT

In article <1992Aug27.114047.15147@ncsu.edu>, mrmarcel@eos.ncsu.edu (MICHAEL RONN MARCELAIS) writes:
|> In article <1992Aug27.091304.24558@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>, paoletti@cps.msu.edu (David R. Paoletti) writes:
|> |> In article <1992Aug23.023418.1003@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu> tswingle@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (Tom Swingle) writes:
|> |> >
|> |> >I thought that it would be even nicer, though, if everything could be redefined
|> |> >to be represented by different characters--you, monsters, objects, etc.  Then,
|> |> >you could have everything changed by a program like this to look different by
|> |> >using some otherwise unused character to represent them (usually the ones above
|> |> >chr(127)).
|> |> 
|> |> I think that this is a great idea also.  I know that it would
|> |> only take some mods to the wonderful CHRHACK by Mike Marcelais
|> |> to support redifining characters on the PC version.
|> |> 
|> Well, two things:  1)  ChrHack 3.1 was going to support redefining the font
|> (gothic letters, etc) and will come out whenever Nethack3.1 comes out.
|> (If they wait too much longer, I'll just release 3.0k :-)  2)  With the
|> Xnethack, couldn't you just define a font that would work.
|>           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The trouble with this is that most of the X fonts are proportionally
spaced (those that look nice anyway) so the walls are all over the
place. If a nice looking font is found it usually just makes it
more difficult to see what is happening. Proper graphics or a specially
designed font are definitely needed.

			Rob.


-- 
_______________________________________________________________________________
|                       | Rob Ingram                                          |
|  "Hang loose kid!"    | University of Nottingham                            |
|                       | Department of Computer Science                      |
|                       | Nottingham, UK.                                     |
|_______________________|_____________________________________________________|
|                       |      "Women: Can't live with 'em, can't get them    |
|  rji@cs.nott.ac.uk    |       to dress in skimpy leather Nazi outfits"      |
|_______________________|_____________________________________________________|
Organization: Consulting, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 17:37:27 -0400 
From: John Lerchey <jl4l+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: More Ideas for 3.1

Dev team,

We know you're busy, and work hard, and *I* at least, appreciate it!!! :)

Anyway, some things I was thinking about.  Wouldn't it make sense for
holy/unholy water to be made by use of an alter of *your characters
alignment* instead of law/chaos??  I mean, it's a real drag to play a
chaotic and never be able to get holy water unless you leave someone
elses alter alone...

Keep up the good work!

John K. Lerchey
Carnegie Mellon University

jl4l@andrew.cmu.edu

Any similarity between these opinions and those of anyone with power,  
authority or a decent spell checker is purely coincidental.
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
From: gryder@caddy.Data-IO.COM (Gerald Ryder)
Subject: Re: news
Organization: Data I/O Corporation
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 18:59:07 GMT

In article <1992Aug19.231927.9577@uoft02.utoledo.edu>, dweddin@uoft02.utoledo.edu writes:
|> hey,
|> 
|> i have a real old version on net hack (seversl years old) and
|> i have just started playing. so here is my question....
|> 
|> what is the point of being able to engrave messages on the
|> floor with my finger or my weapon (which goes dull). 
|> 
|> please send the answer to me direct since i'm not in this group
|> much.
|> 
|> thanks in advance!!!
|> 
|> don

Please post this as I would like to know also.

--

					gerald

					gryder@data-io.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
From: water@david.wheaton.edu (Paul Waterman)
Subject: Re: Progress report
Organization: Wheaton College
Distribution: rec.games.hack
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 13:48:20 GMT

In article <86977@netnews.upenn.edu> izchak@linc.cis.upenn.edu (Izchak Miller) writes:
>All we can say at this point
>is that NetHack 3.1 exists, and that it is worth waiting for its completion.
>It would be easy to say "soon", but the truth is that we can't exactly say
>yet how soon is "soon."  Please be patient with us a while longer.
>
>For the development team,
>
>-Izchak

I would like to pulicly say "Thank you" for all of the devoted Nethackers
out there.  When, in a fit of stress-induced mania, I posted that article
asking for some kind of response (which, I must admit, was probably
worded a little too strongly), this was exactly what I wanted.

Thanks.

	  - Paul
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
From: st890270@pip.cc.brandeis.edu (LUCIFER)
Subject: Re: Additional Intrinsics
Reply-To: st890270@pip.cc.brandeis.edu
Organization: Brandeis University
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 15:52:33 GMT

RE: gaining chracter class intrinsics:

How about being able to id cursed/blessed and a shorter prayer time out
being given to the Hand of Elbereth?

I think gem Ident. should come from dwarves (but very rarely, and not be 
an automatic intrinsic?)

and Kicking, trap det, and turning should come from special tomes (rare ones)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
From: kaoru@is.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp (Kaoru MAEDA)
Subject: Re: grouping items
Reply-To: kaoru@is.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Organization: Dept. of Information Science, Univ. of Tokyo, Japan.
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 08:51:05 GMT

In article <9208251339.AA03249@NADC.NADC.NAVY.MIL> 
	dashiell@NADC.NADC.NAVY.MIL (A. Kaniss) writes:

 >How do you group multiple potions into one slot?

Just drop on the same spot.
Items won't group if they are different:
	in curse/bless status
	in identification status
	in enchantment status
	in naming status
	(... possibly more... I can't recall)

For example, you can have upto 6 groups for potions of water:
	2 potions of water		(unidentified, uncursed)
	2 potions of water		(unidentified, cursed)
	2 potions of water		(unidentified, blessed)
	2 uncursed potions of water	(identified, uncursed)
	2 potions of unholy water	(identified, cursed)
	2 potions of holy water		(identified, blessed)

Minor spoiler ahead:

If you drop all these potions of water on a Lawful alter,
you'll get
	12 potions of holy water
because they all get blessed and identified (unless you
are blind).
--------------------------------------------------
 Kaoru Maeda		 kaoru@is.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp
 Dept. of Inf. Sci., Fac. of Sci., Univ. of Tokyo
--------------------------------------------------
From: jont@harlqn.co.uk (Jon Thackray)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Re: Dragon Armour.
Date: 4 Sep 92 12:54:08 GMT
	<1992Aug21.050816.9618@uoft02.utoledo.edu>
Organization: Harlequin Limited, Cambridge, England

Warning, spoliers may follow










































Whilst on the subject of acquiring dragon armour, something strange
happened to me for which I would welcome some hints. I was playing a
priest who was reasonably equipped to take on a dragon, having boots
of speed and Excalibur, so I could hit it and step away without being
hit. I also had a wand of polymorph to apply to the corpse. So not
much later I had a nice suit of uncursed +0 Black Dragon Scale Mail.
Great I thought, this will do nicely until I can find the one I really
want, viz the Gray (spelling!) Dragon. Some time later however,
without as far as I know stepping on any form of trap I suddenly
polymorphed into a black dragon, getting a message like "You merge
with the scaly armour you're wearing" or some such. I searched around
to see if it was a polymorph trap but as far as I can tell it wasn't.
So my questions are:-
1) Why has this happened?
2) Could I have prevented it?
3) How can I polymorph back ( I can't wear any of my nice armour as a
dragon)
4) Is there any difference between created dragon scale mail and
wished for dragon scale mail.

Just for general interest, here are some observations from playing
this character. I like Priests cos I don't have to worry about things
being cursed. However, I found them quite hard to start. It didn't
seem to matter what I did, by the time I reached about level 6 (me,
not the dungeon), I would meet something I could in no way deal with,
and that would be that. My impression is that one is best off
exploring as much as possible looking for equipment, and letting one's
pet do the fighting, as the nature of the opponents seems more related
to one's character level than dungeon level. Anyway, the break for
this one came when he found a cursed scroll of genocide. I chose
nurses, and managed to increase my hit points from around 40 to around
100. The other break was finding boots of speed, these really are
amazingly useful for low level weedy characters. I have now also
acquired a cloak of displacement, helm of brilliance, Stormbringer and
several useful intrinsics and various other junk, so I was unhappy to
be turned into a dragon and be unable to use it. Ah well, all part of
nethack's rich tapestry I suppose!
--

Jon Thackray                    jont@uk.co.harlqn       44 223 872522 (voice)
Harlequin Ltd.                  jgt1@uk.ac.cam.phx      44 223 872519 (fax)
Barrington Hall
Barrington
Cambridge CB2 5RG
England
From: agrimm@slate.mines.colorado.edu (Snarf)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Re: Should I polymorph or not??
Date: 26 Aug 92 16:22:37 GMT
Organization: Colorado School of Mines

In article <1992Aug25.063152.804@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> paoletti@cps.msu.edu (David R. Paoletti) writes:
>In article <1992Aug24.034504.27366@newshost.anu.edu.au> sjm@merlin.anu.edu.au (Stephen Meatheringham) writes:
>>I accidentally stepped on a polymorph trap and was luckily wearing a ring of
>>poly. control.   I polymorphed into a Vampire Lord - was this good choice??
>>I have a lovely -17 AC, but the 47 HP are a worry.   Can (or should I) poly.
>>back to my old self with a -8 AC and 102 HP??
>>
>>Any comments?
>
>Vampire Lord is an awesome monster to polymorph into for the
>following reasons:
>
>   you get an additional -10 to your AC
>   you bite (and drain levels) in addition to your normal attack
>   you regenerate
>
>Dave Paoletti :)

AND you levitate while retaining the ability to pick things up.  A unique
and HIGHLY useful ability.  Of course, if you revert to human while over a
water area...

-- 
Snarf (alias Andy Grimm)                         agrimm@slate.mines.colorado.edu
"And if I refuse?"                                  |Cheery thought for the day:
"If you refuse, you die, she dies, EVERYBODY dies." |  Jump off a cliff, 20,000
"Sounded reasonable to me!"            -Heavy Metal |  lemmings can't be wrong!
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
From: dcb@wdl1.wdl.loral.com (David C Blume)
Subject: Re: Additional Intrinsics
Organization: Loral Western Development Labs
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 16:48:37 GMT

snelling@bnr.ca (Peter Snelling) writes:
>It's always annoyed me that some characters have "intrisic" abilities
>which aren't really intrinsics which anyone else could gain.
>
>I think that ANY character class should be able to gain ANY intrinsic,
>even those pseudo intrinsics listed above.
>
>Possible ways to get these "intrinsics":
>- Eat a unicorn -> chance of gaining identify gem ability
>- Eat a monster which kicks -> chance of gaining kicking bonus
>- Eat a temple priest/priestess -> chance of gaining better prayer time out,
>      chance of gaining blessed/uncursed/cursed identification
>      (but also get aggravate monster). 
>
>What does everyone else think?

I agree.  As a matter of fact, I've already implemented some of those!
However, eating a human is not rewarded in my game.  (Except for what
they might be carrying... spellbooks, skeleton keys...)

The way to get the enchantment identification intrinsic in my game is
only by sitting on a thrown, (very low chance, you must already have all the
other intrinsics a thrown can give, and you must be very "lucky"), or by
praying (must be extremely lucky, and have all the other intrinsics.  Or
by becoming the Hand of Elbereth/Servant of Arioch).

--David
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| David Blume            | "I got killed by monsters."                  |
| dcb@wdl1.wdl.loral.com | -- Why my roommate screamed out of nowhere.  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
From: bill@snoopy (Bill Poitras)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Re: Statues...
Date: 27 Aug 92 18:38:11 GMT
Reply-To: bill@msi.com
Organization: Molecular Simulations, Inc.
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5

Dave Beedle (dbeedle@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu) wrote:
:    Just what are statues and figurines used for anyway?

Statues sometimes come to life when you walk over them.  If you break open
a statue (with a pick-axe or spell/wand of force bolt/striking) you
sometimes find a spellbook.

Figurines when applied (they are tools) come to life and become your pet
(that may not be true of cursed figurines).
--
+-----------------+-------------------------------+-------------------------+
| Bill Poitras    | Molecular Simulations Inc.    | Tel (408)522-9229       |
| (bill)          | Sunnyvale, CA USA             |                         | 
|                 | FAX (408)732-0831             | bill@msi.com            |
+-----------------+-------------------------------+-------------------------+
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack,rec.games.moria,rec.games.misc
From: lrfox@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (linda ream fox)
Subject: Re: Omega
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 04:44:51 GMT


I don't know if it's the same game; but there is a PC game for the Amiga
called OMEGA that in, at least, version 1.61.  Haven't run it myself but
it's available on various ftp sites and on GEnie.

    LRFox
From: leachb@amdahl2.lat.oz.au (Mr Phase)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Re: Admin question...
Date: 29 Aug 92 07:51:34 GMT
Organization: Comp Sci, La Trobe Uni, Australia
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4

agrimm@slate.mines.colorado.edu (Snarf) writes:
: 
: 	Luckily, it's really easy.  What you need to do is set the
: executable as SUID.  The command should be something like "chmod u+s
: nethack" depending on your system. This causes all files accessed or generated
: by the program to think that the user is you.  Of course, the executable
: and its directory must be publicly readable.

I have installed Nethack in my user directory on our local system.  Can I use
the same method?  Using this method it is just the nethack executable and
root directory that need world read access?  All files/directories below
them simply require the standard user read/write/execute?

--

| Bernard - leachb@amdalh2.lat.oz.au                      |
| "Thou shalt not suffer a Pepsi, for it is the AntiCola" |
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack