HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: skaven@carson.u.washington.edu (Willilam Gilliland)
Subject: Re: obscure message
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 22:06:15 GMT

In article <1992Oct7.172522.16503@wdl.loral.com> dcb@wdl1.wdl.loral.com (Predecrement David) writes:
>KAABLAMM!!!  The air currents set it off!
>
>--David "Just read it for the first time today!" Blume
>+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
>| David Blume            | "These games aren't meant to be fun,         |
>| dcb@wdl1.wdl.loral.com | "They're meant to be *played!*" Phil Requist |
>+-finger acct. for prefs------------------------------------------------+


You levitated over a landmine.

Speaking of obscure messages, how many Gauntlet messages are there?  I have
gotten 'Wizard, your life force is running out' and 'Valkyrie is about to die'.
I assume there are messages for the elf and barbarian (warrior) but what are 
they?


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep.            
-- Rob him.
He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a politician.
-- Elect him.
He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is innocent.
-- Lie to him.
He who knows, and knows that he knows, is dangerous.
-- Kill him.
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
From: lmulcahy@nyx.cs.du.edu (Larry Mulcahy)
Subject: Re: Ascended at last
X-Disclaimer: Nyx is a public access Unix system run by the University
	of Denver for the Denver community.  The University has neither
	control over nor responsibility for the opinions of users.
Keywords: cockatrice scrolls
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 92 23:32:23 GMT

In article <1992Oct7.150154.28065@wixer.cactus.org> trav@wixer.cactus.org (traveller) writes:
>In article <1992Oct7.005513.7446@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> lmulcahy@nyx.cs.du.edu (Larry Mulcahy) writes:
>>In article <1992Oct6.194424.26344@slate.mines.colorado.edu> agrimm@slate.mines.colorado.edu (Snarf) writes:

>>>(3) If you use a magic marker and rip the scrolls up in your haste, it
>>>    means you haven't yet id's the scrolls as blank.  Try reading one.

>>This must be what it was... I dipped some useless scroll in a fountain
>>and the label changed.  Then I used M-n to name it blank paper.  I
>>never did actually read one.

>actually, what happened was that you were trying to write a scroll you didn't
>know. if you have not yet read the scroll you try to write, there is a very
>amazingly slim chance you will be able to write it <like 5%>. but you should
>probably go ahead and read a blank first too since it doesn't use them up..

The scroll got ripped to shreds before it ever asked what kind of
scroll I was trying to write.  I was trying to write genocide which
was definitely identified since I started the game with one.
From: jims@cats.ucsc.edu (James Michael Spring)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Patches/Variants for Nethack
Date: 13 Oct 1992 19:55:27 GMT
Organization: University of California; Santa Cruz
Distribution: wordld
NNTP-Posting-Host: am.ucsc.edu


I've heard rumors of patches for nethack that add variations and
upgrades from other genres like starwars, or somesuch, and others.
If they exist could someone either send me copies or tell me where
I could get them?
Thanks
-Jim





jims@cats.ucsc.edu
From: wollum@hdpe.ecn.purdue.edu (pack backer)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Re: messages on floor
Date: 15 Oct 92 19:40:34 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network

In article <Bw64oC.53s@news.cso.uiuc.edu> rnmg1200@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Walrus and April) writes:
>I've gotten that one too, and still don't know what it means.  I've also 
>gotten this one:
>
>"You'll never get it past the stairs"
>

Were you on a bones level?  I think I got that message when E)ngraving
with a wand of polymorph.

Mark
North Carolina State University Class of 1990
_______________________________________________________________
A sign in my office says:

Do NOT turn off cooling system unless the sun goes away or goes
supernova!
_______________________________________________________________
wollum@ecn.purdue.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
From: bill@snoopy (Bill Poitras)
Subject: Re: Nymphs/Leprachauns
Reply-To: bill@msi.com
Organization: Molecular Simulations, Inc.
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 00:57:35 GMT

MATTHEW KAPHAN (funky@nevada.edu) wrote:
: What is the method to keep nymphs from stealing things from me, and 
: lepracauns also?  I just started playing the game, and I'm having a lot
: of trouble staying alive unless i'm in exploratory mode.  Any hints to help
: me out?

1) Genocide them.  A blessed scroll of Genocide works best because you
can genocide a whole class of monsters (like 'n's or 'l's).

2) Zap them with wands or spells of cancellation.  That robs them of
thier special powers.

3) Don't carry anything that they can steal.  This is a better defense
against lepracauns than nymphs for obvious reasons.
--
+-----------------+-------------------------------+-------------------------+
| Bill Poitras    | Molecular Simulations Inc.    | Tel (408)522-9229       |
| (bill)          | Sunnyvale, CA USA             |                         | 
|                 | FAX (408)732-0831             | bill@msi.com            |
+-----------------+-------------------------------+-------------------------+
From: rankin@eql.caltech.edu (Pat Rankin)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Re: Shop generation question
Date: 14 Oct 1992 19:06 PST
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Distribution: world
Reply-To: nethack.rankin@eql.caltech.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: eql10.caltech.edu
Summary: bug
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

In article <1992Oct14.102511.18773@ugle.unit.no>, wolff@kjemi.unit.no (Erik Wolff . Kjemiteknikk) writes:
|> P. Snelling writes:
|> "Also, if the shop is "big", it is not allowed to be a wand shop or a
|>  book shop -- these are turned into general stores."
| 
| I recently encountered a wand-shop that was app. 3-by-9 (e.g. 27 wands)
| I wonder if you could define more precisely what 'big' is?
[...]

In article <1992Oct14.152605.26548@bmers95.bnr.ca>, snelling@bnr.ca (Peter Snelling) writes...
> The isbig routine seems to return true if the area is > 20.
> From how I interpret the code, you shouldn't ever see a wand shop
> with 27 (or so) wands in it.  The code is not exactly crystal clear,
> but I'll include the relevant part of mkroom.c here for those of you
> who are really curious.
[...]
>       register int area = (sroom->hx - sroom->lx) * (sroom->hy - sroom->ly);
>       return( area > 20 );

     Looks like off-by-one error (squared :-) to me.  If the hx/ly fields
represent the inside region of the room, 3x9 will result in 16 instead of 27
using that calculation.  A shop with 27 wands would actually need to be
either 4x9 or 3x10; the former would be caught by even the buggy area check
(24), but the latter would slip through (18).

		Pat Rankin, rankin@eql.caltech.edu
From: acct252@carroll1.cc.edu (Matt Sheahan)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Re: How about funny message guessing?
Date: 16 Oct 92 23:32:50 GMT
Organization: Carroll College-Waukesha, WI

jcastner@nyx.cs.du.edu (John Castner) writes:

>OK, I'll play (partly because I want to know what this one message meant.)

>"You seem to hear the growling of a confused bear"

Damn if I know.

>Also, just recently got these, but I know what caused them.  Do you?

>"Far out... a light show!"
>"You feel a holy dread"

Hm.  Respectively, using a wand of light and drinking a potion of holy water,
both while tripping (potion of hallucination)?
--
===============================================================================
__   /| All that glitters has a high refractive index.
\~o.O'  The meek will inherit the earth; the rest of us will go to the stars.
=(___)= Don't open your eyes, take it from me; I have found you can find
   U    happiness in slavery...      Matt Sheahan, Jantz Raynor, Corwin, Mancer
 Ack!!  Rub her feet.       Question reality.           acct252@carroll1.cc.edu
===============================================================================
From: holland@dutiws.tudelft.nl (Gerhard den Hollander)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Bones
Date: 15 Oct 92 09:14:50 GMT
Organization: Delft University of Technology

I accidentally wiped out all my biones files
(and good, no QU here)
so good anyone who has PC-nethack 30j
sned me a few bones ?

thanks
From: dashiell@NADC.NAVY.MIL (A. Kaniss)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: nethack and mice
Date: 7 Oct 92 17:49:30 GMT

I downloaded for a friend who has a microsoft mouse a file listed as
being able to make nethack useable with a mouse.
There was no documentation in the file but there was a
nethack.def file and a nethack.mnu file archived in the file.
What I would like to know is:
(1) are these files for a microsoft mouse or a logitek mouse?
sing
these files we were unable to get the mouse to wk  work once
nethack was loaded with or without these files on the hard disk?
(3)  I downloaded this file from compuserve and found no accompanying
documentation.  Is this a new trend in programming?

jude <dashiell@nadc.nadc.navy.mil>
From: scott@nv10.uswnvg.com (Scott Eckelman)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Re: pets and cursed items
Date: 11 Oct 92 03:25:33 GMT
Organization: US West NewVector, Inc., Bellevue, WA

In article <1992Oct9.223242.21140@yenta.alb.nm.us> dt@yenta.alb.nm.us (David B. Thomas) writes:
>I know that pets will initially avoid stepping on cursed items, and that
>you can train them to overcome this fear by throwing food onto a cursed
>item.
>
>My question is: what if your pet kills a monster that is carrying a cursed
>item, and is hungry.  Will the pet pounce on the food, and lose the innate
>fear of cursed items?
>
>						little david

Hungry pets will jump on the pile and eat the corpse, then jump off.
If there is a cursed item there, they don't appear to step back on it.


I did discover one interesting thing about cursed piles and food, though:

I was ready to descend a level, and was trying to get my pet to follow, but
to no avail.  He just wouldn't leave one room, even though there were no
cursed items in the way.  I finally discovered that there was a cursed
tripe ration in the room -- my pet wanted the food, but wouldn't step on
the pile to get the cursed food.  As soon as I picked it up, he was
happy to follow.
From: livigni@bldrdoc.gov (David livigni 303-497-5898)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Stupid Death
Date: 13 Oct 92 21:29:27 GMT

Stupid Death # 1.987E987

Make one wrong step in the Endgame and Drown!

What a pisser.

David Livigni

-- 
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
@   Anything stated here is my opinion only    @
@   livigni@bldrdoc.gov                        @
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
From: su@prag.com (Sean D. Ackley)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Multi-player version of hack?
Date: 15 Oct 92 20:04:31 GMT
Reply-To: su@prag.com (Sean D. Ackley)
Organization: PRA Group International (510-732-9895)


Is there a multi-player version of hack/nethack for dos networks or unix?

If not, is there any games like this that are multi-player, and where to
find them.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
When the morning sun rises, the hawks fly free as the wind. -- r. hawk

MHS:  su@prag                  Compuserve:  70214,2111
                               FAX:         510-732-0289
rhawk@prag.com                 PRODIGY:     RWCR77A       FidoNet:
rhawk@prag.mhs.compuserve.com  AOL:         SACKLEY       1:161/450
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: jbbb+@andrew.cmu.edu (Joshua John Buergel)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Re: messages on floor
Date: 15 Oct 92 00:16:55 GMT
	<Bw4DtC.9EH@news.iastate.edu>
Organization: Sophomore, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

>I have recently found this on the floor several times. What does it mean? or,
>more importantly, what is it useful for?
> 
>Something is written here in the dust.  You read: "ad ?e?ar um".

Spoiler Alert:





























This means that there is a secret door right next to this writing.  I
never figured out exactly what it says, but it appears to be latin of
some sort.  At any rate, search the walls right next to where you find
the message, and you'll find a secret door.  Ten to one it will be into
a 'closet', or a pasage of only one place.  Odds are there will also be
a trap in this closet, so searching for a while standing in the doorway
is a good idea, usually.  Often it will be a teleportation trap that
will put you into a vault on the level (if there is one).  Make sure you
have some way to get out of the vault before you pop through.

Joshua Buergel      | Every time she slit her wrists
allroy+@cmu.edu     | I wish she hit instead of missed.
jbbb@andrew.cmu.edu | Every secret family crime
                    | All my love a waste of time.
                    |    - ALL, Scary Sad
From: michael@wang.com (michael aldrich)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Re: More obscure messages
Date: 15 Oct 92 13:52:04 GMT
Organization: Wang Labs, Lowell MA, USA

ranger@titan.ucc.umass.edu (John C. Tennyson) writes:

>In article <1992Oct13.190957.10543@ncsu.edu> mrmarcel@eos.ncsu.edu (MICHAEL RONN MARCELAIS) writes:

>:   How about this one(unix only)
>:
>:   Segmentation fault -- core dumped
>:
>Now there is a fimiliar message isnt that the one you get when you insult, 
>punch or make comments about the terminal paranting?

	while eating an apple  the msg was  "core dumped"  glad it was the 
	apples.. (:
---
        ***       EMAIL**************************************************
       * * *      michael@wang.com    
      *  *  *                          NOTHING                      SMILE
     *   *   *    Michael Aldrich             LEFT             SMILE
     *   *   *    WANG LABORATORIES INC.          TO      SMILE
     *  ***  *    One Industrial Avenue             DO BUT
      ** * **     Lowell Ma  01851
       * * *      MS 019-490     
        ***       508 967 1500   
       PEACE      *******************************************************
From: daly@ecs.umass.edu (Bryon Daly, ECE dept, UMass, Amherst)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Re: PC Nethack query
Date: 12 Oct 92 10:12:32 GMT

In article <1992Oct11.202958.21458@msi.com>, bill@snoopy (Bill Poitras) writes:
> Mr. John T Jensen (comjohn@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz) wrote:
> : My 12-year old has asked me to post three questions about PC nethack (sorry,
> : don't know what version he has):
> : 
> : 1)      He has found half a dozen or so throne rooms, killed all the
> : 	monsters, and sits on the throne.  When he does, he is told
> : 	"you feel out of place" and the throne disappears.  Has anyone
> : 	any comment?
> 
> What happens greatly depends on the luck of your character.  I don't have
> the specifics, but having really high luck (a luck stone would also help)
> greatly increases your chances with a lot of things, including getting a
> wish from a throne.  Throwing identified gems (not glass) to a unicorn of
> your alignment (black=chaotic, grey=nuetral, white=lawful) will bring you
> luck if the unicorn catches it.

From the source code, I figured out the following:
Luck is secondary to what happens when you sit on a throne:
First, the game determines whether anything at all happens.  (If nothing,
you get the "..out of place" message).  This is purely random and something
will happen about 1 in 6 tries, regardless of luck.
Next, if something does happen the game decides what.  Again, purely random
(not based on luck at all).  There are 13 different things, some good, some
bad.  One of the possibilities is getting a wish if your luck is high enough.
(If it isn't, it boosts your luck by 1 instead).
Lastly, the game decides (purely randomly) if the throne vanishes or not.

With unicorns, a far easier way to boost luck is to throw an unidentified
gem at any unicorn (similar alignment or not).  This should boost your
luck by 1 whether the gem is real or fake.

> 
> : 2)	He knows how to get Excalibur, but wants to know how to get:
> : -	a katana named Snickersnee
> : -	a war hammer named Mjollnir
> : -	a broadsword named Stormbringer
> 
> These weapons have some sort of alignment (Snickersnee and Mjollnir are
> lawful, and Stormbringer is chaotic).  You can get them either by wishing
> or if your alignment matches that of the weapon, if you offer enough
> monsters at your altar, then eventually your god will give you a special
> weapon.  It might turn out to be the one you want.
> 
> : 3)	The verb 'pray' does not give a syntax error, but 'offer' does.
> : 	There are altars.  Any suggestions?
> 
> What do you mean a syntax error?  What is the message the program gives?

I'm not sure what you mean either.  Is he standing on the altar when
he tries to #offer?  Is he offering freshly killed monster corpses?

-Bryon
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
From: nate@psygate.psych.indiana.edu (Nathan Engle)
Subject: Re: Annoying critters
Organization: Psych Department, Indiana University
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 19:28:56 GMT

mtbb134@ms.uky.edu (Darrell Epperson) writes:
>Is there anyway (in Nethack 3.0 for the PC) to get rid of
>the dumb cat or dog?

    Sure. Generally I try to find a room with one door, get the "dumb chum" 
to follow me in, and then step outside and close the door. Dogs and cats 
don't know how to open doors, so unless there's a teleport trap or trap door 
in that room you'll never see it again.

>Some poeple might find them useful, but I think they're just annoying...

    I dunno. If you're interested in a more challenging game and don't mind 
being mobbed by murderous monsters you could just kill your dog with missile 
weapons and eat it. Aggravate monsters is a fun intrinsic, tho' not 
particularly desirable in most circumstances. But, hey. The *challenge* is 
what you play the game for anyway, right?

--
Nathan Engle                        Software Juggler
Psychology Department               Indiana University
nate@psygate.psych.indiana.edu      nengle@copper.ucs.indiana.edu
From: coutu@cithe303.cithep.caltech.edu (Stephane Coutu)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Eating Q's
Date: 13 Oct 1992 20:31:58 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Reply-To: coutu@cithe501.cithep.caltech.edu.UUCP (Stephane Coutu)
NNTP-Posting-Host: cithe303.cithep.caltech.edu


Does anybody out there remember what used to happen when one ate a
quantum mechanic corpse in ol' hack? If my memory serves me well, one
got a message to the effect that one's position seemed very uncertain.
At the time I didn't know what it meant, but I now believe one
received intrinsic displacement. It's nice to be able to receive intrinsic
speed from a Q in nethack, but I don't understand why the possibility
of gaining intrinsic displacement was removed. Quantum mechanistically, it
would make sense to be able to receive either intrinsic. So if the
following idea generates enough interest among the nethaddict community,
I will formally submit it to the dev team. The idea is the following:

If you have neither intrinsic speed nor displacement, eating a Q would
give you one of the two (50/50 to decide which). (Perhaps eating Werner's 
corpse could give you both!)

If you have either intrinsic speed or displacement, but not both, eating
a Q would give you a 50% chance of gaining the other intrinsic, otherwise
you would lose the one you have. (Eating Werner's corpse could flip the
intrinsics: if you have displacement, you lose it and gain speed, and vice
versa.)

If you have both intrinsics, eating a Q would remove one of them (50/50 to
decide which). (Eating Werner's corpse would remove both.)

In all cases, wearing a cloak of displacement would still give you
displacement regardless of whether you have the displacement intrinsic.
Gaining/losing speed would work as it currently does, with the possibility
of being normal, fast or ultrafast. With this whole scheme, being greedy and
wanting both intrinsics could take time and require you to eat a lot of Q's,
as you could waste a lot of corpses gaining one intrinsic, and losing it
again trying to get the other one. It would make the whole thing more
uncertain, which is the whole point, isn't it?

Let me know what you think!

Stephane Coutu
"Kissing a smoker is like licking an ashtray."  -- Bathroom graffiti.
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
From: snelling@bnr.ca (Peter Snelling)
Subject: Re: Alright, another mystery message
Reply-To: snelling@bnr.ca (Peter Snelling)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 92 20:12:29 GMT

In article <1992Oct8.173925.16693@u.washington.edu>, scythe@byron.u.washington.edu (The Grim Reaper) writes:
|> New mystery message-
|> "What would you write, Jonah was here?"
|> Guesses anyone?
|> 
|> 
|> --------------------+-------------------------+
|> HIC IACET ARTVRVS   + The Grim Reaper         + 
|> IN INSVLA AVALONIA  + SCYTHE@U.WASHINGTON.EDU +
|> REX QVONDAM REXQVE  + ----------------------- +
|> FVTVRVS             +                         +
|> --------------------+-------------------------+
|> 

Good one!

You get it when you try to write (Enscribe) when you're inside
a trapper (or some other monster).

-- 
Peter Snelling
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
From: trump@leland.Stanford.EDU (Michael Jason Lewis)
Subject: Re: Alright, another mystery message
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 92 20:05:39 GMT

In article <1992Oct8.173925.16693@u.washington.edu> scythe@byron.u.washington.edu (The Grim Reaper) writes:
>New mystery message-
>"What would you write, Jonah was here?"
>Guesses anyone?

You attempted to engrave after being swallowed by a what's-it-called?

- Mike
trump@leland.stanford.edu
From: dcb@wdl1.wdl.loral.com (Predecrement David)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Re: Polypiling
Date: 15 Oct 92 16:41:30 GMT
Organization: Tomobiki-cho

rswa@DIALix.oz.au (Radio Spares) writes:
>
>If you play the game in the spirit in which it was created (i.e. you're an
>adventurer - go adventuring. Be not afraid of monsters - attack til your
>last hit point) the game will always be difficult and enjoyable.

Don't forget strategy!  It's not wise to wake up any ol' Jabberwock or
challenge any ol' Minotaur (or even Soldier Ant) if your character
is not up to it.  Some times the best thing really is to run away and live
to fight another day...

--David
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| David Blume            | "These games aren't meant to be fun,         |
| dcb@wdl1.wdl.loral.com | "They're meant to be *played!*" Phil Requist |
+-finger acct. for prefs------------------------------------------------+
From: brown@pollux (Daniel Brown)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Re: messages on floor
Date: 15 Oct 92 16:00:16 GMT
Organization: University of Georgia

In article <2221@dutiws.tudelft.nl> holland@dutiws.tudelft.nl (Gerhard den Hollander) writes:
>In article <cer=Vri00Uh7E8FKg=@andrew.cmu.edu> jbbb+@andrew.cmu.edu (Joshua John Buergel) writes:
>>>I have recently found this on the floor several times. What does it mean? or,
>>>more importantly, what is it useful for?
>>> 
>>>Something is written here in the dust.  You read: "ad ?e?ar um".
>
>It sais Ad aerarium,
>which is latin,
>dunno what exactly it means,
>probably something like
>"To the gold"

Actually, it means "to the vault" (I think).
-- 
Daniel W. Brown (brown@pollux.cs.uga.edu)
From: v104pwrb@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Michael J Peet)
Newsgroups: rec.games.hack
Subject: Re: How about funny message guessing?
Date: 13 Oct 92 17:02:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1992Oct5.174911.11694@u.washington.edu>, scythe@byron.u.washington.edu (The Grim Reaper) writes...
>A funny message I found while in wizard mode:
>An alarm sounds throughout the dungeon! -more-
>but no one seems to respond.
> 
>Any guesses how I got it?

	Hmm.. Genociding Keystone Kops and then robbing a shop?

mike