Difference between revisions of "NetHack"
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{{wikipedia|NetHack}} | {{wikipedia|NetHack}} | ||
| − | '''''NetHack''''' is a [[roguelike]] computer game, and the most famous and popular of its kind. The latest version is 3.4.3, released on 8 December 2003 | + | '''''NetHack''''' is a [[roguelike]] computer game, and the most famous and popular of its kind. The latest version is 3.4.3, released on 8 December 2003. |
'''Vanilla''' NetHack refers to the version as it was released by the [[DevTeam]], without any additional [[patch]]es. | '''Vanilla''' NetHack refers to the version as it was released by the [[DevTeam]], without any additional [[patch]]es. | ||
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The game is properly spelt "NetHack", with two capital letters. "nethack" is also correct when used to refer to the name of the game binary. "Nethack" is a common misspelling. See also [[Spelling]]. | The game is properly spelt "NetHack", with two capital letters. "nethack" is also correct when used to refer to the name of the game binary. "Nethack" is a common misspelling. See also [[Spelling]]. | ||
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| + | ==External links== | ||
| + | *[http://www.nethack.org/ Official site] | ||
Revision as of 03:41, 25 January 2007
NetHack is a roguelike computer game, and the most famous and popular of its kind. The latest version is 3.4.3, released on 8 December 2003.
Vanilla NetHack refers to the version as it was released by the DevTeam, without any additional patches.
Contents
Screenshot
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Wizard the Tenderfoot St:16 Dx:11 Co:13 In:13 Wi:14 Ch:8 Chaotic
Dlvl:1 $:0 HP:13(14) Pw:0(3) AC:7 Xp:1/0 T:7
Why do people like NetHack?
NetHack enjoys popularity in niches. Mathematicians, programmers, engineers, linguists and writers all feel a strong pull, though anyone with an eye for detail, a sense of completeness, a respect for complexity, and a head for numbers will be at home.
On the surface, the game is a hack'n'slash Dungeons and Dragons clone, but its subtle sense of humour and intellectual rigor elevate it from the faintly nerdy to the sharply geeky.
Just as a mathematician seeks elegant expressions over fuzzy generalities, NetHack eschews graphics in favour of perfectly crafted, well-defined ASCII characters. While other games are dated by their interfaces, NetHack is preserved in ascetic purity.
The programmer is drawn to NetHack as an extension of the operating system. Its culture is deeply intertwined with that of the Unix systems, and indeed is a staple fixture on any good Unix system - a known quantity, ageless, familiar, and soothing; whatever hairy command-line tasks are required, nethack(6) is always there.
NetHack is hard: while other games can be completed in an afternoon, you may go years without finishing NetHack. NetHack is unforgiving: if you die, you stay dead. There is no save-and-reload crutch here. Put simply, NetHack is a harsh mistress, whose respect you must earn. In time, you learn to respect it back.
NetHack is deep: in your first game, you will die quickly, and come back worrying about how to survive. You will learn, eventually, and move onto higher concerns. You will stop worrying about your score, and start considering questions of optimality, efficiency, and elegance. You will consult tables and guides in search of an edge. You may dive into the very source code, looking to explain that one-in-a-thousand shot you just pulled off. You will probably learn some C, and possibly get into heated debates about the merits of pseudorandom number generators, expected returns, inconsistencies between competing mythologies, and the ethics of exploiting bugs.
NetHack is history: Descending from Rogue, NetHack has 26 years of development behind it. It is one of the few computer games widely played by people who are younger than it. From this history arises a kind of authority.
Graphical user interfaces
As well as the standard ASCII interface, many official and unofficial graphical user interfaces are available. The best known are Falcon's Eye and Vulture's Eye. Vulture's (includes Vulture's Eye) is actually a continuation of the Falcon's Eye project, but some players still perfer Falcon's Eye.
Spelling
The game is properly spelt "NetHack", with two capital letters. "nethack" is also correct when used to refer to the name of the game binary. "Nethack" is a common misspelling. See also Spelling.
External links
- This page is a stub. Should you wish to do so, you can contribute by expanding this page.
A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:
"I think this page should be a kind of FAQ, as it's probably the first place strangers will visit upon seeing the Main Page."
