ftp.update.uu.se/ftp.update.uu.se.2014.03.zip/ftp.update.uu.se/pub/rainbow/msdos/games/hackinfo.lzh/SCROLL.WIS

Text File | 1985-10-06 | 21KB | 463 lines

     ---------------------   Intro    ---------------------

Hack is a D&D type of game where (you), the faithful explorer get
to descend countless levels in a dungeon looking for a mysterious
amulet rumored to be on the 29th level. You have a choice of what
type of explorer you want to be: a Fighter, a Cave-man, a Wizard,
a Knight,  a Speleologist,  or a Tourist.   There are shops where
you  can  buy  items (or try to steal them) and  a  multitude  of
monsters  that  want to kill you.   You begin the game with  your
faithful companion, a little dog.

Basically,  Hack  is  a pretty good (or great) imitation  of  D&D
available for the Rainbow and other PC DOS machines.  It has many
enthusiasts who play it almost every day - it's quite addicting.



Wizards, Cavemen, Knights, etc. who contributed to this Scroll of
Wisdom that you might get greater enjoyment out of HACK:

     Kurt Reisler        David Purks         Jared Brennan
     Rick McClinton      Tony Movshon        John DeCarlo
               Scott Novell        Richard Shrout
                        <many others>






     ---------------------   History   ---------------------

PC-HACK is a "hacked" version of the classic UNIX game of  ROGUE.
It is a 39 level D&D type game with a huge number of monsters and
problems to be faced by the intrepid player character.   Hack and
Rogue  are quite different,  in detail,  but it is clear from the
general  orientation  of the game that the  current  versions  of
Rogue  and  Hack share a common ancestor,  an earlier version  of
Rogue.   HACK was written in Amsterdam, Holland, not at Columbia.
Those who have played both can detail the differences.  The Rogue
sources  were  once posted to the Usenet,  and this  version  was
probably the ancestor of them all ... <kr>

Actually,  there  was  a  game on the original  UI  Plato  called
OBULETTE,  that may have been the granddaddy of them all, but who
cares.  It is  public domain and a great way to lose a few hours.
<kr>


     --------------------- Environment ---------------------

You can copy save files to make a backup files of  yourself.   If
you  get  killed you can then rename your backup file  and  start
again from where you last saved the game.

In  order to use the generic version of Hack,  users with IBM PCs
and  compatibles will have to install the ANSI.SYS device  driver
in their CONFIG.SYS file before they play HACK.   This causes the
PC to behave like a standard ANSI Standard terminal (i.e.  like a
VT-100).   There should be a copy of it on your DOS  distribution
diskette.

The  "graphics" HACK uses are not fancy.   It draws a map of each
level  as you explore using '+---+'  type   drawings.   Monsters,
treasure and other objects are represented by various characters.

The  way to save the game is by the "S" (capital s) command.   It
will  then   save the game in the file  you  have  defined.  (set
hacksave=[d]:hack.sav)   It may then tell you to hit any key when
the save disk is ready. You can save it on your game disk or your
defined file,  (may be other drive, or hard disk) or you can pull
out the game disk and slip in another in the same drive it.

To restart where you left off,  you can set the hacksave variable
to the disk,  or just run hack and wait for it to say 'press  any
key  when the SAVE disk is ready',  switch floppies,  and hit any
key.   There  is  no way  to tell it not to start from  the  save
file,  so if you have a save file  called 'hack.sav' on your save
disk,  and  you have not defined the hacksave  variable  (default
is: default directory:hack.sav) it will start from the  file when
you run the game.

It  does not matter what your name is (set hack=Schmoo) when  you
save and restart a game,  so you can save as 'Tharg' and continue
the game as 'Charlie Brown'.

"There  is  a novel way accumulating large  quantities  of  magic
items.   Here's   how  it works:   when you lock up  the  system,
reboot,  or  turn the computer  off while running the game  (note
that the last method isn't smart), your  LEVELs are still one the
disk  -- and  they take priority when you start the  game  again!
So,  what  I have done is start out with a wizard,  with all  his
magic items,  gone up to the second level,  and rebooted.   I now
have  several   hundred  items  in  my  own  "shop."   I  am  now
transporting this up to the next  level,  and,  having saved  the
second  level under a different name,  now have  twice the number
of items I had before.   This is cheating of the worst kind,   of
course, but its interesting at least." <jb>


     ---------------------   General   ---------------------

WARNING!!! HACK is addicting and can be harmful to ones health!

Wizards are good, but not as good as knights and cavemen are even
better!

Try  searching the walls of the rooms near large empty spaces  on
the screen to find secret passages.   You can use '10s' to search
10  times then move down the wall two spaces and do '10s'  again,
and so on.   The reason for this is that search (s) examines each
of the 8 compass points around you.

Source code can make very interesting reading for characters with
bellyaches from eating one too many dead corpses....

Engravings  occur several ways in HACK.   Sometimes you  will  be
told that there is "Something [written/burned] in the [dust/rock]
here."  Sometimes it will read "A? ?eu?e?" and implies there is a
hidden  passage  to  a "vault" nearby.   If you do get  into  the
vault,  watch out for the guards; they are as bad as shopkeepers.
You can  also engrave things in the floor.  For a hint as to what
to engrave, you may have to re-read the _Lord_of_the_Rings_. <kr>

Ors and bees travel in packs....Back into a corridor so you  only
have to fight one of them at at time.

Wands   of death,  rings of fire  resistance,   and  spears   are
definitely helpful when dealing with angry dragons.  Dead dragons
make good eating.

Ghosts generally are more of annoyance than anything else.   They
guard caches of supplies which can be quite handy.  Using magical
weapons  is a definite plus when dealing with ghosts - try a wand
of death (interesting concept!),  fire, or cold.  Patience is the
word when you fight a ghost.

Don't tarry tearing yourself out of that lurker or trapper  - you
may be  digested before you know it!   Wands of digging make nice
holes in the beasts.

If  you have a case of teleportitis (blipping madly from place to
place),  try wearing a ring of teleport control.  The disease can
be caught by eating a newly killed Nymph or Leprechaun.

Sometimes the best things in life turn out to be Mimics.

Try  killing monsters from across the room - wield (w) a bow  and
throw (t) an arrow.  Using a better bow and arrow (higher pluses)
mean greater chances of hitting and killing what you shoot.

Killing unicorns is bad bad luck.


To kill a leprechaun - drop all your gold before you attack.   If
you  don't,  he'll  just  steal your gold when he  hits  you  and
disappear.  Don't  forget to guard the gold you dropped or  he'll
steal it anyway!  He may still steal the gold out from under your
feet but at least you have a better chance of killing him.

BONES  files are a record of characters which have attempted  the
dungeon  before  you and failed.   They contain  the  character's
name,  a map of the level the character died on,  and a  treasure
cache which the character's ghost guards.

"In  order to go below the labyrinths near the end of the dungeon
(level 23+)  you need the following:  helmet, scroll of teleport,
and  a  potion of confusion.   You also need a ring  of  teleport
control  and a ring of levitation.   By the time  you reach  this
level you should also be fire proof,  poison resistant, and  VERY
LUCKY!" <kr>  Talk about perverse!

Gems  are useful if you are into paying shopkeepers  for  things.
You  can  also  increase  your luck level  by  throwing  them  at
unicorns.  Otherwise...

Beware  wands of vibration - they can be a very earth  shattering
experience.   The  message comes from the RUMORS file.   Most  of
them  are  wrong,  and  some  are deliberate  lies.   Others  are
misleading or totally irrelevant.

A  dead  lizard is a good thing.   Carrying one (not  eating  it)
will  protect  you from the hissing of a cockatrice (which  would
otherwise turn you to stone).   If you have a pair of  gloves,  a
cockatrice makes a good weapon.   Carrying it down stairs  though
can be harmful to your health.

Worm's teeth can be changed to crysknives:  wield a tooth, read a
scroll  of enchant weapon,  and Voila!  They are instant death to
anything  they hit.   Don't drop or throw them though - it causes
them to lose their edge.

The potion that makes you feel good is restore strength.

Remember that wearing rings increase the rate of food consumption.

Do not try to eat food or open tins in the same room as a  nymph.
She may steal you blind.

"I hate cockatrices.   I also hate xans.   and umber hulks.   and
invisible   stalkers.    and  chameleons.    and  dragons.    and
leprechauns.   and nymphs.   and ghosts.   and imps.  and kobolds
(one  would think they would at least  have the common decency to
be edible,  for god's sake).   and everything  else.   and never,
ever, have I found a wand of digging near a trapper  (or a lurker
above,  for  that  matter).   and  a  fading  corridor  does  NOT
enlighten  your insight,  no matter how many times  it  happens."
<jb>

     ---------------------    Dogs     ---------------------

In order to tame your little dog, whistle for him  (if you find a
whistle)  and  feed  him when he comes.   Tripe rations  or  your
favorite  newly dead monster make good dog food.   Avoid  hitting
him.   Dogs  are  handy  for  killing   monsters  when  you   are
incapacitated.  They also steal things from  shops and bring them
to you.

You  can  use  the  'f'  command   (go  forward  until  you  find
something) in  order to keep from hitting the little dog.

If  you're in a situation where the little dog (Phydeaux?) is  in
the way,  just hit the '.' (rest) until he moves.  The little pup
is  extremely  energetic and doesn't like to sit in one place for
very long.

Your  little  dog will be left behind if you go  downstairs  when
he's not in  the room with you.

Sometimes it's possible to tame large dogs...if they attack while
you are  attempting to tame them though,  don't hesitate to  kill
them.


     ---------------------    Food     ---------------------

Look   for   scrolls  of  identification  and  rings  of   poison
resistance to help you decide what to eat and survive afterwards.
Certain  critters  are  beneficial if  eaten.   Others  are  slow
death.   Remember  that  wearing  rings  INCREASE  rate  of  food
consumption.

SUBJECT:  Bletch...  rotten food,  the room spins...  If your dog
eats  it,  you MIGHT be able to eat it.   Trial and error is  the
best teacher.  Remember that corpses spoil in a few moves.

Tins  may  contain spinach - tell HACK to eat the  tin.   They're
rather   difficult to open but well worth the effort if  they  do
contain  spinach   (remember what it does to Popeye!)  Or it  may
just contain something like  apple juice or salmon.   The  salmon
makes  your  fingers slippery which causes  you to drop things  -
including cursed weapons.

Bad food will cause you to be confused.   This means your ability
to go  where you want to is flurbed.   Also,  reading scrolls and
drinking potions in this state can  be interesting and  hazardous
to your health.   HOWEVER,  eating certain monsters will make you
sick AND confer certain magic abilities,  such as  the ability to
teleport or see invisible critters, as well as other  things.

These are poisonous:
  killer bees
  homunculi
  kobolds
  acid blobs
  snakes
  giant scorpions
  giant ants
These have various effects, besides being slightly poisonous:
  leprechauns   -- teleportitis
  nymphs        -- teleportitis
  floating eyes -- monster detection when blind
  mimics        -- (you mimic a chest of gold for a while)
  unicorns      -- teleportitis
  bats          -- confusion
  one (1) freshly dead killer bee will protect you from killer
             bee stings.  Eating any more bees is deadly.
  ("slightly poisonous" means "You feel sick.")
  ("teleportitis" means you bounce around the dungeon a lot.)
Everything  else  can be eaten -- if you get to them before  they
become tainted.   Orcs are slightly poisonous a lot of the  time,
but can be nutritious sometimes.  <jb>

When you see "Ulch -- that meat was tainted!  You get very sick."
you are dead unless you have an extra healing potion.


     ---------------------    Rings    ---------------------

Rings work automatically when you put them on.   Remember though,
rings cause digestion to speed up.   How do you tell if a ring is
cursed when you don't have an identify scroll?  Put it on. If you
can't get it off,  it's cursed and you have to use a remove curse
scroll to get it off.

Zoos are fun - if you happen to have a ring of conflict on.

The ring which glows red or white at times is a ring of warning -
white  is  a monster.   Red means a trap (or a sleeping  monster,
maybe).

Rings may be cursed - in which case you won't be able to get them
off.   If that happens with a ring of teleportation you'll end of
with teleportitis.

     ---------------------    Wands    ---------------------

Wands are manually worked.  The 'z' command will zap a wand. This
is not mentioned in the help file.  It prompts you for which wand
you'd  like  to  use and then performs  it's  function,  such  as
lighting  the  room,  or it will ask you for a direction  to  zap
(such as the wand of fire) before working.

Wands  of  polymorph  are a definite no-no  when  you  have  been
swallowed   whole  - try imagining you're inside a wet paper  bag
and cut or beat your way out.

Beware bouncing zaps from a wand - they can be deadly.

Distance is of no consequence to a wand (within a room).  It does
use up  charges to zap one though and they have a limited  number
of charges.  Scrolls of identify will tell you how many charges a
wand has left.

Offensive  wands like cold,  fire,  and magic missile will  often
have their beams bounce off the wall - occasionally right back at
YOU!

Wands of wishing are picky - be sure to spell out in full,  using
the same  name that Hack uses, what you're wishing for.

Wands of wishing can be used to wish for wands of wishing....they
may be  blank or have no charge though.


     ---------------------   Scrolls   ---------------------

The  identify scroll works like the 'D' command.  It will prompt:
"What kind of objects do you wish to identify?  [)]%/* a ]".  The
objects   in the brackets [] are types of things you  hold.   You
then  input  the type of things to identify,  like   '!<cr>'   to
identify potions.  Suppose you have  four potions.   It will tell
you,  one potion at a time,  the color of the potion (e.g., a sky
blue  potion)  and  ask you (ynaq)?   Type 'y'  to  identify  the
potion displayed,  'n' to go on to the next one; 'a' occasionally
causes  Hack  to identify all the rest.  'q' quits and  does  not
identify any more.  <rm>

"You  feel  like someone is helping you" - This is  a  scroll  of
remove   curse.   Handy after reading a scroll of punishment,  or
removing cursed  weapons from your hands.   When you're confused,
it curses everything you're wearing!

The  hardest thing about using a scroll of genocide  is  deciding
what  type  of creature you really don't want to see again....how
many  times have you  been killed by (k) killer bees - or was  it
(U) umber hulks - or was it  (x) xans - or was it....

Never use a Scroll of Genocide to eliminate @'s ... No matter how
tired   you are of being killed by shopkeepers (@) when you  bump
into them or have  no money,  don't use a scroll  of genocide  to
kill them.....remember,  you too are a @ and scrolls of  genocide
are not particular.

Do not read a Scroll of Genocide when confused or you will die.

Scrolls  of enchantment come in two flavors....+1 &  +2....Beware
enchanting   something  too many times - your precious  +4  Elven
Cloak  may  end  up a puddle  on the floor or your  +5  mace  may
become so much rusty iron filings.

The scroll that doesn't seem to do anything is taming.

The scroll that causes laughter in the distance is scare monster.

When  you see '__0',  you have read a scroll of  punishment.   To
remove  the  ball  and  chain,  read a  scroll of  remove  curse.
Also,  the heavy ball makes a nifty weapon.   It  will crush just
about anything when thrown.   It  may  also crush you when  going
down stairs.


     --------------------- Shopkeepers ---------------------

A useful pastime while in the game: steal from shops!  Wand shops
and scroll shops are the easiest.  "Antique Walking Sticks" shops
are  filled with all sorts of goodies like wands of death,  cold,
magic  missiles,  digging,  etc.   Pick up what you can and  then
carefully   use  a  wand  of digging to  make  a  new  door.  The
shopkeeper is too dumb to realize there is another door and won't
even  recognize you if you go back into the  shop.   Many  useful
wands  and scrolls can be gained this way.   It can also give you
much needed duplicate wands for  use when the you see the  awful,
unbearable,  capitalized  'Nothing Happens'  when you wield  your
favorite  wand  of cold - not a pleasant sight when  you  are  up
against a room full of Wraiths, Vampires, and Umber Hulks!

Don't  try reading a scroll you haven't paid for unless it's  the
teleportation scroll you're using to get out of the shop.

NEVER zap a shopkeeper with a wand of teleport.  It will make him
angry  and he'll come back fast.   He'll then very promptly  kill
you.  Few souls can survive being hit even once by a  shopkeeper.

Shopkeepers are easily angered - be careful not to bump them.

If  you  manage to steal items from a shop and stay on  the  same
level  as  that shop,  the shopkeeper may find you and follow you
around, pestering  you to pay.  As long as he does not corner you
or  you don't accidentally hit  him,  this is no  major  problem.
However,  if  you  die in a shop,  and go  back to the same  shop
(remember the bones files),  the shopkeeper will kick  your  butt
again.  Vault guards have no such memory.

Don't  think that you can steal things from a shop,  and then  go
back   in to sell it.   It doesn't work and you end up giving  it
back to the  shopkeeper as charity to replenish his stock.

Especially  brave souls have (in desperation) used wands of cold,
fire, and  magic missiles to attempt to kill shopkeepers.  A very
few have even managed  to succeed.  Resourceful players have used
wands  of  polymorph  on a shopkeeper  to turn him  into  a  more
manageable beastie - some have really botched the  effort  though
and turned the shopkeeper into a purple worm.

Don't  try  to sell a scroll to shopkeeper who runs  an   Antique
Walking Stick  store - he'll be happy to take it from you  though
and sell it back to you  at a BIG profit (that goes for any other
specialty   shop  - you  can  sell   anything  to  Antique  Items
shopkeepers).

Shopkeepers are not too bright - they'll buy spent wands....maybe
that's  what makes them so powerful - they beat you over the head
with dead wands.

     ---------------------  IBM Bugs   ---------------------

The  IBM  version  of hack is either very buggy or I  had  a  bad
connection  when I downloaded it.   It is faster, though, and the
omnipotent mode  is very useful. <jb>

Also, whenever I run the IBM version of hack, trying very hard to
still   urges  to  hit the '?' key when quaffing  or  reading  or
whatever,  I  get down to about the 23rd level and then hit about
150  demons  on  that  level and the  next.   This  can  be  very
annoying... <jb>

"There  is absolutely no way of getting down to the lower  levels
in  the ms-dos version of hack.   After looking at the sources, I
noticed something in the scrolls section about elevators (?!) ...
which  isn't quite  the same as what I've experienced ...  in any
case,  there is no control  over vertical teleportation ... also,
the  zoo in this version seems to  be a mishmash of the  zoo  and
fort knox ...  and the graveyard does exist,  I think, but is not
named ... the swamp just isn't there ..."  <jb>