The World of Computer Software/The World of Computer Software.iso/hacktutr.zip/TUTORIAL.1

Text File | 1987-12-29 | 32KB | 879 lines

            An introduction to the wonderful world of
                    HACK


            Written by Douglas Rosengard
             with contributions from
            Erik Lauer.



CHAPTER 1:    What is Hack?

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."
- Dorothy
    Hack is a single-player, interactive fantasy game in which you play a

mighty hero, determined to recover the powerful Amulet of Yendor. This task
will not be easy, however. During your quest, you will journey deep into the
earth, battle strange and ferocious creatures, be blinded, confused and
encounter deadly traps. And, perhaps worst of all, you will slowly starve.
    Have no fear, however. Although an unending horde may assail you, and
you are a weakling at the start of your trek, you have the potential to far
surpass all of your mightiest enemies. As you defeat your foes, you become
more
powerful, learning how to fight better, and increasing your stamina. You will
also find many items, some ordinary, while others have great powers.
    In addition, you are not quite alone. You will find shops who can
sell
you useful items. And what fool would adventure without a faithful watchdog
beside him. But beware! The gods frown upon those who turn against their
allies.

    Here begins your journey into a new and exciting world...
    the world of HACK.



CHAPTER 2:    A brief introduction to the game of Hack.

    The first step is to run the game itself. Type hack (or whatever the
name of your version is), and press return. The first thing which will happen
is that it will welcome you to the game, and ask you what type of character
you wish to play. For now, we will play a Caveman. Type "c" to indicate this
to the program.
    After a few moments, the game will start. You will see
something like this :

Your Command ?

        -------
        |.....|
        |...@.|
        +.d...|
        |.....|
        |.....+
        ----+--


    AC 7     Str 18    Hp 12(12)    Exp : 0    Level : 1

    You are the "@" symbol. What you see is a single room in the Dungeon

of Doom. The dungeon is divided into many "level." Most levels consist of up
to nine rooms connected by a twisting passageways.
    The "." are simply empty places on the floor of the room. The "-" and

"|" symbols are the walls of the room. The "+" symbol represents doorways
leading out of the room. Finally, the "d" symbol is your faithful dog.
    Don't worry yet about the information on the bottom of the screen.
    The "Your Command?" at the top of the screen indicates that the
program is waiting for you to give it a command. In Hack, the world literally
waits on your command. Until you type in something for it to do, NOTHING will
happen during the game. This means that you can leave the computer, eat
lunch,
and come back, and the game will be exactly as you left it.
    (Note : The command prompt is not always as it appears above.
Basically, if nothing is happening on the screen, the program is waiting for
you to give it a command.)



    Let's move the character one space to the left. Movement is
performed by typing the key (make sure your caps lock is off) which
corresponds
to the direction you want to go in.
The direction keys are :
    y  k  u
     \ | /
    h- @ -l
     / | \
    b  j  n

This means that if you type "h", the "@" will move one space to the left.
If you type "u", the "@" will move diagonally up and to the right one space.
So to move to the left one space, we type "h". The room now looks something
like this :

    -------
    |.....|
    |..@<.|
    +..d..|
    |.....|
    |.....+
    ----+--

Notice that not only have you moved one space to the left, but the dog has
moved one space to the right. The dog's movements are controlled by the
program, and he will move when all the other computer controlled people
(and monsters) move.
The "<" symbol is the way out of the dungeon. "<" represents a set of stairs
which go up to the previous level. If you leave the dungeon, then the game
ends. Similarly, the ">" symbol represents stairs going to the next level.
To climb or descend the stairs, type the stair symbol you are on.
That is, to climb up, type "<". To go down, type ">".

    Once you have moved a few times, you should have the idea of how
basic movement works in Hack. Now to deal with other things.



    Type "i". You now see a list of objects. It will look something like
this :
(a)    +1 Club (weapon in hand)
(b)    +1 Bow
(c)    43 +0 arrows
(d)    +0 Leather armor (being worn)


The "i" command stands for "Inventory." The list of objects is the list of
items in your possession. Most items will be carried in your characters
"back-pack." Those that are not, such as the club in the above example,
are indicated in your inventory. "Weapon in hand" means that your character
is holding that item in his hand. If he attacks a creature, he will hit it
with this weapon. "being worn" means the character is wearing that item. In
particular, the character will wear armor to protect himself from damage.

    You may have seen symbols in the room other than the ones discussed.
The general rule is : if a symbol is a letter, than it is a creature.
Otherwise, it is an object. There are exceptions to both parts of the rule,
however, so be careful.
    To see a list of all the object symbols, type "?". This will send you
into the help subroutine. If the program asks you "Long or Short help?" type
"s" for now. A list of all the objects and commands will be printed on the
screen. Read them carefully, and follow the prompts.
    The long help contains information on how to play hack. It is
strongly
recommended that you read this also.
    To pick up an item, you simply walk over it. When this occurs, you
will
automatically attempt to pick up the item. Be aware, however, that items are
not weightless, and so you may find yourself unable to pick up an item
because
it weighs to much.
    To move onto a space without picking up an item, type "m", and then
the
direction you wish to move. If there is something on the space you are on,
you
may look at it by typing ":".

The last thing which will be covered is combat.



    Let's say that you have been wandering about for a little while, and
you have found a monster. The monster appears as a symbol on the map, just
like
the little dog. Combat in hack is very simple. There are three ways that you
can fight a monster :

1)    You can bash it with your weapon.
2)    You can throw or shoot something at it.
3)    You can zap it with a wand, or cast a spell at it.
    Spells are only used in nethack.

To accomplish 1), you simply attempt to move into the space the monster is
currently in. So, for example, if the creature is one space to the left of
your character, and you type "h", you will attack it.
Likewise, monsters attack you by moving into your space.
    For 2), you must have something to throw. You can throw anything, but
it is strongly recommended that you use a weapon if you want to do damage to
the creature. To throw an object in your inventory, type "t". The game now
asks what object you wish to throw. To see your inventory, type "*". To see
the weapons in your inventory, type "?". Once you have decided what to throw,
type the objects letter, and then the direction you wish to throw it in. You
will now (hopefully) hit the monster with whatever you threw.
    To use a bow and arrows for maximum effect, you must be wield the
bow,
and then "throw" an arrow. To wield a different weapon, type "w", and then
the letter of the object you wish to wield. Be careful that you are not
bashing a creature with your bow, as this is not very effective. The same
applies for slings and rocks.
    For 3), the procedure is similar to 2). Type "z" (for zap), and the
letter of the wand you wish to use. If the program now prompts you to type
a direction, then type the direction you want to blast in. There are three
basic effects possible when zapping a wand :
1)    The wand has no direction, and simply does something.
    Example : When a wand of light is zapped, it will light up the room.
2)    The wand affects whatever is in the given direction.
    Example : A wand of slow monster will slow down any monster it is
        zapped at.
3)    The wand shoots a "ray" or "bolt" in the given direction. It will
    try to hit any creature in its path, and may bounce off of
    walls and doors. BE CAREFUL! It is very easy to bounce such a
    blast into yourself.
    Example : A wand of fire shoots a bolt of fire in the indicated
    direction.

Note that you may throw or zap in any direction (including up or down) that
you may move in.



    When you attack a creature (or are attacked by one), if the attack
hits
damage is done by the attacker. This damage is represented as hit points, or
HP for short. Every creature, including yourself, has a certain number of
these
hit points. When you take damage, you will lose a certain number of them. The
greater the damage, the more hit points you will lose. If a creature is
reduced
to less than one hit point, it dies. Hence, ALWAYS BE AWARE OF HOW MANY HIT
POINTS YOU HAVE LEFT, because if you lose them them all, the game is over,
and
you have lost.
    The amount of HP's damage that is done depends on a number of
different
factors, such as what weapon you are wielding and what you current strength
is.
Your strength is the number listed after "STR" on the bottom of the screen.
This is discussed later on, and you do not have to worry to much about it to
start.
    Any attack has a percent chance to hit which depends on a few key
statistics.
    The first of these is the armor class of the defender, or AC for
short. This number ranges (usually) from 10 to -10. It may go higher or lower
depending on the circumstances. In particular, armor classes for a winning
character very often do go below -10. The lower the number, the better the
chance that any attack on that defender will miss.
    The second factor is the "level" of the attacker. Your level is
listed
on the bottom of the screen. Initially it is 1, but it will raise as you kill
monsters. For every monster you kill, you will be awarded points, called
experience points (EXP). Your level is directly determined by the number of
EXP you possess. In addition, your hit points will increase every time you
go up a level as well.
    The final factor is a vague factor known as luck. The program will
not tell you what your luck is, but it is used in many factors of the game.
Basically, the higher your luck, the better you are at doing almost
everything.
There are ways to modify your luck, which are up to you to find.

Now you should know enough to play the game, and discover things on your own.
What follows is a summary of the commands and symbols, and then a section
which
discusses more advanced topics. It is meant to act as a guide to players of
what their options are.

The final section contains "spoilers", or information which gives away
something in the game which might "spoil" the game for those who prefer
to find the information on their own. CONSIDER CAREFULLY YOUR DECISION TO
READ
THIS SECTION. Only if you are truly stuck should you have to resort to
reading
it, and many players feel that spoilers are another form of cheating.

That being said, enjoy the game!



CHAPTER 3:    COMMAND SUMMARY AND DESCRIPTIONS

(The following is an excerpt from the long help command in nethack)

Commands:
        Hack knows the following commands:
        ?       help: print this list.
        Q       Quit the game.
        S       Save the game.
        !       Escape to a shell.
        ^Z      Suspend the game.
        <       up: go up the staircase (if you are standing on it).
        >       down: go down (just like up).
        kjhlyubn - go one step in the direction indicated.
                k: north (i.e., to the top of the screen),
                j: south, h: west, l: east, y: ne, u: nw, b: se, n: sw.
        KJHLYUBN - Go in that direction until you hit a wall or run
                into something.
        m       (followed by one of kjhlyubn): move without picking up
                any objects.
        M       (followed by one of KJHLYUBN): Move far, no pickup.
        g       (followed by one of kjhlyubn): move until something
                interesting is found.
        G       (followed by one of KJHLYUBN): as previous, but forking
                of corridors is not considered interesting.
        i       print your inventory.
        I       print selected parts of your inventory, like in
                I* - print all gems in inventory;
                IU - print all unpaid items;
                IX - print all used up items that are on your shopping bill;
                I$ - count your money.
        s       search for secret doors and traps around you.
        ^       ask for the type of a trap you found earlier.
        )       ask for current wielded weapon.
        [       ask for current armor.
        =       ask for current rings.
        $       count how many gold pieces you are carrying.
        .       rest, do nothing.
        ,       pick up some things.
        :       look at what is here.
        ^T      teleport.
        ^R      redraw the screen.
        ^P      repeat last message
                (subsequent ^P's repeat earlier messages).
        /       (followed by any symbol): tell what this symbol represents.
        \       tell what has been discovered.
        e       eat food.
        w       wield weapon. w- means: wield nothing, use bare hands.
        q       drink (quaff) a potion.
        r       read a scroll.



        T       Take off armor.
        R       Remove Ring.
        W       Wear armor.
        P       Put on a ring.
        X       transcribe (learn) a spell.
        x       print a list of know spells.
        z       zap a wand.
        t       throw an object or shoot an arrow.
        p       pay your shopping bill.
        d       drop something. d7a: drop seven items of object a.
        D       Drop several things.
                In answer to the question "What kinds of things do you
                want to drop? [!%= au]" you should give zero or more
                object symbols possibly followed by 'a' and/or 'u'.
                'a' means: drop all such objects, without asking for
                        confirmation.
                'u' means: drop only unpaid objects (when in a shop).
        a       use, apply - Generic command for using a key to lock
                or unlock a door, using a camera, using a rope, etc.
        c       call: name a certain object or class of objects.
        C       Call: Name an individual monster.
        E       Engrave: Write a message in the dust on the floor.
                E- means: use fingers for writing.
        O       Set options. You will be asked to enter an option line.
                If this is empty, the current options are reported.
                Otherwise it should be a list of options separated by commas.
                Possible boolean options are: oneline, time, news, tombstone,
                rest_on_space, fixinvlet, beginner, male, female.
                They can be negated by prefixing them with '!' or "no".
                A string option is name; it supplies the answer to the
question
                "Who are you?"; it may have a suffix.
                A compound option is endgame; it is followed by a description
                of what parts of the list of topscorers should be printed
                when the game is finished.
                Usually one will not want to use the 'O' command, but instead
                put a HACKOPTIONS="...." line in one's environment.
        v       print version number.

        You can put a number before a command to repeat it that many times,
        as in "20s" or "40.".



COMMAND REFERENCE MANUAL:
The following is a more complete description of the commands in hack.
The syntax used is:
(Command name) (additional prompts)
Example: a [*? or letter] means type "a". At the next prompt, type a letter,
* or ?

a [*? or letter]
-    apply an item which has an unusual use, such as a camera, leash or
lunch box.
    All such items fall under the class of Tools.
    "a ?" - gives an list of all Tools in the inventory.
    "a *" - prints the inventory.
    "a <letter>" - If that letter is in the inventory, applies that item
if
         possible.

b
-    move one space down and to the left.

B
-    move down and to the left until an object is encountered.

c [yn] [?* or letter] <name>
-    allows the user to name an object or type of object in his
inventory.
    At the prompt "Do you want to name an individual object? [yn]"
    type "y" if you wish to name a specific item in your inventory, or
    type "n" if you wish to name a type of object.
    "c y" - Typing "?" or "*" displays the inventory.
        If the letter of an object is typed, the user is prompted for
the
         name of the object. This name will be used whenever the
program
         refers to that object.
        Example :"c y <long sword's letter> Stormbringer" results in
the
             long sword being called "Stormbringer", as in the
inventory
             listing:
             "a long sword named Stormbringer"
    "c n" - Typing "?" will list all unidentified items in the inventory.
        Typing "*" will display the inventory.
        If the letter of an object is typed which is not identified,
then the
        user will be prompted for the new name of that type of item.
        Example :"c n <white potion's letter> Feel Good" results in
all white
             potions being referred to as "a potion of Feel
Good."
        The name will be nullified when the item is identified.

C [hjkl.] <name>
-    allows the user to name a specific creature. At the prompt, a cursor
will
    appear.
    Move the cursor with the keys "hjkl" as with normal movement. When
the cursor
    is over the monster to be named, type ".", and then the name of the
creature.
    This name only that monster, and not that class of monsters.
    Example : naming your little dog "Spot" will result in any future
references
          to the little dog as "Spot", as in
          "Spot hits the acid blob. Spot kills the acid blob!"



d [?*$ number or letter]
-    allows the user to drop either his gold or a specific item in his
inventory.
    Typing "?" or "*" displays the inventory.
    Typing a letter drops all items labelled with that letter.
    Typing "$" drops all of the users gold.
    Typing a number, and then either a letter or "$" drops that number of
the
        item being dropped
    Example : "d 3 <darts letter>" drops 3 darts.
          "d 250 $" drops 250 gold.

D [`()[]%/=?!*$ and/or a] <return> [nyaq]
-    Allows the user to selectively drop items from a selected set of
object types.
    To use, type a string which consists of object symbols of the types
which are
    to be dropped. If this string is followed by an "a", all items of the
listed
    types are dropped.
    Otherwise, the program displays in inventory order each item which is
one of
    the selected types, and prompts the user with "[nyaq]".
    Typing "n" will keep the item in the inventory, and prompt for the
next item.
    Typing "y" will drop that item, and prompt for the next item.
    Typing "a" will drop that item, and all subsequent items.
    Typing "q" will abort the command.
    Example : "D %/=* a" will drop all food, wands rings and gems in the
         inventory.

e [?* or letter]
-    eats something in the inventory.
    Typing "?" displays all food in the inventory.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    Typing a letter of a Comestible results in the user eating one of
that item.

E [?*- or a letter] <phrase>
-    allows the user to engrave a phrase on the ground with some
specified object.
    Typing "?" displays all items listed after "-" in the prompt.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    Typing a letter wields that item if the item can be engraved with.
    Typing "-" unwields the users weapon (if uncursed), and writes in the
dust
        with the users fingers.
    Once the writing implement is selected, the user is prompted for a
phrase.
    This phrase is written in that spot. If a sharp object or magic
marker was
    used, the engraving is permanent, and whenever the user walks over
the spot,
    he will see the    phrase which is engraved there.
    If fingers are used, the engraving will smudge after the user takes
an
    action,    and not be as legible.
    The effects of different objects on Engravings are left to the
readers
    imagination.

(f or g) [yuhjklbn]
-     moves the user in the specified direction until next to an object,
    intersection, door, stairs or unfriendly monster.

(F or G) [yuhjklbn]
-    moves the user as above, but ignores intersections.



h
-    moves the user one space to the left.

H
-    moves the user to the left until he moves onto an object.

i
-    displays the inventory

I [`)([%/=?!+]
-    Allows the user to display objects of specific types in the
inventory.
    At the prompt, type the symbols for the types of objects you wish to
display.
    Example: "I %=!?" gives a list of all food,rings, potions and scrolls
in the
    inventory.

j
-    Moves the user down one space

J
-    Moves the user down until he moves onto an object.

k
-    Moves the user up one space.

K
-    Moves the user up until he moves onto an object.

l
-    Moves the user one space to the right.

L
-    Moves the user to right until he moves onto an object

m [yuhjklbn]
-    Moves the user one space in the specified direction, but if the user
moves
    onto an    object, he will not attempt to pick it up.

M [yuhjklbn]
-    As above, but moves in the specified direction until no legal moves
are
    possible.

n
-    Moves the user one space down and to the right.

N
-    Moves the user down and to the right until he moves onto an object.



O <option>
-    Allows the user to set game options during play. Possible options
include:
    help : gives help on setting options in hack.
    rest_on_space : makes the space bar act as the "." command.
    time : displays the number of turns the user has been playing for on
the
        bottom line of the screen.
    tombstone : Is on if after the user dies a tombstone is displayed.
    (fe)male : Sets the users sex.

    Compound options include:
    name:<users name> : sets the users name and class, as in "Merlin-W".
    dogname : gives the name of the users (first) dog (e.g. dogname:Spot)
    packorder:<")[%?+/=!(*0> : sets the default packorder of the
inventory.
        The inventory will be sorted by the object type given. The
above
        order is the default.
        Example: Since "?" comes before "/", scrolls are displayed
before
            wands.
    endgame:<options> : describes what is displayed after the game is
ended.
        options are separated by the "/" character.
        options include:
        own scores : displays all scores with the users name in the
high
                score list.
        <number> top scores : displays the top <number> scores
        <number> around my score : displays the <number> scores
greater than
             and less than the user's score.
        Example : "endgame:own scores/5 topscores/4 around my score"

p
-    If the user has unpaid items in his inventory or on his bill for a
shop, he
     will pay the shopkeeper the full amount of the bill if possible.

P [?* or letter] [rl]
-    Puts a ring on one of the users hands. Only one ring is allowed per
hand.
    Typing "?" displays all rings in the inventory.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    If the letter of a ring is typed, the program will ask which hand to
place
     the ring on, if both hands are available.
    Ring's powers remain in effect as long as the ring is worn.

q [?* or letter]
-     Quaffs a potion.
    Typing "?" displays all potions in the inventory.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    If the letter of a potion is typed, the user will quaff that potion.
Potions
    are only usable once. After quaffed, the item is destroyed.

Q [yn]
-    Quit the game.



r [?* or letter]
-    Reads a scroll in the inventory.
    Typing "?" displays all scrolls in the inventory.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    If the letter of a scroll is typed, the user will read that scroll.
Some
    scrolls may have to be named by the user after being read. In these
cases the
    program will ask what to call the scroll. Type in the name, as if
typing in
    the name for the "c" command.
    All scrolls (except for possibly blank paper) may only be read once.
They are
    destroyed after use.

R [rl]
-    Remove the ring on the right or left hand. If the ring is cursed, it
can not
    be removed with this command.

s
-    Search for secret doors and traps. There is a fair chance on each
use of this
    command that any neighboring secret door or trap will become visible.
Do not
    expect only one search to be sufficient.

S
-    Save the game in progress. The next time the game is played, the old
game
    will be    restored from the point at which the user left off.
This command
    ends (temporarily) the game in progress.

t [?* or letter] [yuhjklbn<>]
-    Throws an object in the inventory in the specified direction.
    Typing "?" lists all weapons in the inventory.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    Typing the letter of an object makes the game prompt for the desired
        direction.After typing the direction, the object is thrown
away
        from the character in that direction.

T [?* or letter]
-    Removes a specified piece of armor which the user is wearing.
    Typing "?" lists all worn items (except rings).
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    Typing the letter of a worn piece of armor takes off the armor.
    Note that this command may take a number of turns to execute.

u
-    Move one space up and to the right.

U
-    Move up and to the right until the character moves onto an object.

v
-    Print the version number and information.

V
-    Prints author's credits and version information.



w [?* or letter]
-    Wields an item in the inventory (usually a weapon).
    Typing "?" displays all weapons.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    Typing the letter of an item in inventory makes the user wield that
object
    as his weapon. This object is used in all close combat as the user's
weapon.
    If the user is wielding a cursed item, this command is aborted.
    If the user is wearing a shield, he can not wield a two-handed sword.

W [?* or letter]
-    Allows the user to wear a specified piece of armor.
    Typing "?" will display all unworn pieces of armor.
    Typing "*" will display the inventory.
    Typing the letter of a piece of armor will, if possible, result in
the user
    wearing    that piece of armor.
    The user must remove his cloak before altering his body armor.
    If the current armor of that type is cursed, this command is aborted.

x
-    List all spells that have been transcribed by the user.

X [?* or letter]
-    Attempt to transcribe a spellbook.
    Typing "?" lists all spellbooks in the users inventory.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    Typing the letter of a spell book results in the user attempting to
    transcribe the spell book into memory.
    Note that transcription success depends on level, and also
transcribing a
    spell may take a while.

y
-    Move one space up and to the left.

Y
-    Move up and to the left until the user moves onto an object.

z [?* or letter] [direction or string?]
-    Zaps a wand in the inventory.
    Typing "?" displays all wands in the inventory.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    Typing the letter of a wand zaps that wand. Note that wands have a
limited
    number of charges, and will not work (usually) after their charges
are
    depleted.
    Some wands require the user to specify a direction in which they may
be
    zapped.
    One wand requires the typing of a string. (The user must find this
one.)

<a number> <a command>
-    If a number if typed before a command character, then the command
which
    follows    will be executed that number of times, or until
something swings
    at the user, or the command is no longer possible.
    Example : "5h" moves the user five spaces to the left.
    Example : "10s" searches ten times.



@
-    Toggles the pick-up option (default is ON). When this option is OFF,
the user
    will not automatically pick up any item in a space he moves into. He
must
    pick it up using the "," command. Note that this is particularly
useful in
    rooms which are crowded with worthless items, and when walking over
dead
    cockatrices.

# [command]
-    Allows the user to use an extended command. To use an extended
command, type
    "#" followed by the command's name, and return.
    The possible commands are :
    "?" - Displays the set of extended commands
    "breathe" - If the user is able, he will breathe fire like a dragon.
    "cast" [letter] -
        casts a spell which the user knows.
        Typing the letter of a displayed spell will cast that
spell.The
        number listed next to the spell is its mana cost. This is
deducted
        from the users current mana. Spell effects are left to the
readers
        imagination.
    "dip" [letter] -
        dips a specified object into something, such as a pool or a
potion.
        To dip an item into a pool, stand over the pool and use the
dip
        command.
    "pray" - Plead to the gods for help. The reader may experiment with
this
        command at his own choosing (or risk).
    "remove" - If the user has the ability to do so, he can remove a
cursed item,
           such as an iron ball.
    "sit" - Sit down on the space you are in. Sit in thrones at your own
peril.
    "turn" - Attempt to turn undead creatures. Turned creatures will flee
in
        terror from the user. Only knights and priests may turn
undead.
    "wipe" - Wipe of the user's face. Useful when it is dirty.

$
-    Counts the users money. If the user has a large quantity of money.

^ [yuhjklbn]
-    Tells the user what type of trap a "^" represents.
    If the user is adjacent to a trap, and types "^" followed by the
direction
    the trap is in, the program will tell the user what the name of the
trap is.
    Example: "This is a sleep trap."

)
-    This displays the what the user's currently wielded weapon is.

=
-    This displays what rings the user is wearing.

[
-    This displays the armor that the user is wearing.



\
-    This displays a list of all items (except weapons and armor) that
have
    been identified, or have been named by the user.

:
-    This displays everything that is in the user's space.

, [`)([%/=?!+ aA]
-    This allows the user to pick up items in his space. All gold is
automatically
    picked up. If there is only one item, it is picked up.
    If there are multiple items on the space, the user is prompted for
which types
    of item he wishes to pick up. To pick up all items in the space, type
"a".
    To pick up all items of one or more types, input a string consisting
of
    the symbols for the types you wish to pick up, followed by "A"
    To pick up only certain items of specific types, input the types as
above,
    but do not type "A".
    The program will display, one item at a time, every item in the
inventory
    which is of the specified types, followed by the prompt "[ynaq]"
    Typing "y" picks up that item, and displays the next.
    Typing "n" displays the next item.
    Typing "a" picks up that item, and all remaining items of the named
types.
    Typing "q" aborts the command.
    The program will not allow the user to pick up any item which is too
heavy.

.
-    The user does nothing for one turn.

/ [symbol]   (for versions before nethack.)
-    displays help on the symbol typed at the prompt.
    Example : "/=" tells the user that "=" represent rings.

/ [yuhjklbn.] (for nethack)
-    allows the user to display help about any visible symbol.
    The user moves the displayed cursor with normal movement keys onto
the
    symbol in question, and then types "." Help is then displayed on that
symbol.

<
-    Climb up to the previous level. The user must be on a "<" symbol.

>
-    Go down to the next level. The user must be on a ">" symbol.

^R
-    redraws the screen.