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Nethack 3.4.0
Dark_Nova writes "Nethack 3.4.0 - the latest version of the greatest game ever created - has just been released. See the release notes for details about what's new, or go here to download it."
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The game is amazingly deep. There's just so much you can do in it. There are tons of easter-eggs buried in there and lots of references to other works of fiction
I'm sure others who have more knowledge in Nethack will provide more info. I myself am not an expert on the subject.
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Tell me they've got rid of the horrible "configure the thing by editting config.h" and replaced it with autoconf or somesuch. I don't mind picking out the game options by hand, but making sure it uses the right term\(cap|lin\)/ncurses library is a pain in the ass.
(Anyway, I'm a slashem addict myself)
Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
I think Nethack has a large following because it is a well-balanced, difficult, and elaborate game.
If you look at something like Diablo... One could argue that Nethack is a more elaborate game. You can be sure though that the Diable developers played Nethack before.
Sure, you don't have fancy graphics... even though some people got good results on that...
http://slashem.sourceforge.net
It is still turn-based... so what? A lot of recent RPGs are turned-based at least in part (Might and Magic, Wizardry...).
Heres a game that has real playability. You could play nethack for 100 hours+ and still not "master" it. I consider this to be more entertaining than playing some shoot-em-up that can be solved in 10 hours or less. Other games may be pretty, but this game has SOUL.
... many hours of playability. If new game authors would make games with the same appeal and infinite replayability as nethack, I might *never* go outside again! :D
The infocom games were similar
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Nethack isn't perfect though. I think the Monk could use some tweaking (perhaps a slight improvement in fighting ability or the ability to advance beyond the basic skill level in attack spells in exchange for a stricter penalty for eating meat).
My only political goal is to see to it that no political party achieves its goals.
Has anyone checked out Falcon's Eye? It's a frontend for NetHack that has 3D isometric graphics and background music, and it's available for Linux, DOS and Windows. It looks fabulous, and I think it's a great way to get new people interested in the game.
A few months back I listed by top three games of all time in regards to how much time I spent on them. (No indication if they were the "best" games I played, just the ones with the most hours logged.
#3 was the Diablo series and expansion.
#2 was the Civ series. Each one grabs me and doesn't let go. I've played for 24 hour blocks of time.
#1 was Nethack. It's so incredible, so in depth. And so easy to die and have to start again.
If you haven't tried this yet, and you have enough imagination not to need fancy graphics, give this a try. Then go read some strategies on the web, get completely overwhelmed by possibilities, and try again. 8) "Hmm, if I engrave Elbereth on the floor with this unidentified wand, what will that do..."
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LITTLE GIRL: But which cookie will you eat FIRST? C. MONSTER: Me think you have misconception of cookie-eating process.
It takes far longer to get into and appreciate the wonder that is nethack. You can turn off autopick up and the game becaomes incredibly more complex as you go. I finished nethack a few times, my shortest overall time was around 19 hours. The first time it took me about 45 hours of playtime.
:)
How many other games can you do this?
Run from a pack of monsters you can't possible beat. So as you approach an open stretch of water you fire a wand of cold, or spell and freeze the top of the water. You skoot across the water (possibly slipping if wearing metal shoes) to the other side. Then you wait on the other side for the monster's to approach. After they are over the water, on the ice, you send them so fire. Okay boom it hits them. Maybe it hurts them a lot... but that doesn't matter because the fire melts the ice and if they can't swim then you can watch 'em drown. This is just one of dozens of cool things you can do in nethack.
My favourite nethack memory was wearing a ring of conflict and watching the four horseman of the apocolypse kill each other over and over again as I sacrificed the Amulet on the wrong alter and laughed as my god tried in vain to kill me for this blasphemy.
Nethack R00lz!@#!E
--- I do not moderate.
The interface hasn't changed at all in forever, there aren't really any graphics
N SHOTS
Au contraire. http://www.hut.fi/~jtpelto2/nhfeatures.html#SCREE
Yes that is nethack. You can spew all you want about "gameplay is king", but I'm guessing even you don't play chess with scraps of cardboard with letters on them for your pieces. When I go to the symphony, I like to dress nice and see my date dressed nice, even though we're just listening. If you really wanted to cut out all the "irrelevant crap" in life, you'd just get a feeding tube and have your muscles electrically stimulated (something I fear I'll need after playing nethack, yes. I might pick up falcon's eye just for kicks though)
I've finally had it: until slashdot gets article moderation, I am not coming back.
Tension? That's a bit of an understatement. It's brought me to tears on more than one occasion. Before anyone makes fun of me, I would like to see you get all the way to the bottom level as a vegetarian monk only to have your quest artifact stolen (thus removing my only source of magic resistance) and your robe vaporized (thus preventing you from successfully casting any spell which might help to improve your situation) and NOT cry. I've also died on the astral plane while holding a couple of amulets of life saving (I forgot to take off the amulet of magical breathing after the plane of water). This game isn't just tough; it will break you. You die hundreds of times and then you finally get a character that you think can make it, but all of a sudden, at the time calculated by the game to be most devestating to you, your character meets up with something that you're not quite prepared for, or that you wouldn't expect to give you any trouble and your character is dead.
My only political goal is to see to it that no political party achieves its goals.