carlton@masscomp.UUCP (Carlton Hommel) (12/31/84)
Here are several interesting features I have discovered by playing hack
over the vacation, or by appealing to the source code.
1. Eating cadavers give you the properties of that creature. Eating a
Leppy or Nymph is like swallowing a ring of teleportation. Eating
a Scorpion or Killer Bee will make you immune to poison. Eating a
Floating Eye will make you telepathic when blind. Eating a Wraith
will bump you up a level. Some cadavers are inedible; watch your
dog for details. (Don't eat d, h, or @; or you'll be sorry.)
2. Wielding a Cockatrice is like the fabled 'magic arrow' in rogue.
It may take a few swings, but one shot and the monster dies.Just
make sure you have gloves on at the time.
3. The space just inside a magic shop is a dead zone. Things dropped or
picked up there are not charged to you. Stand in the doorway, with
your dog inside. The dog will wander around, picking up and dropping
things. If he drops something on that first space, you can pick it up
for free.
4. Eat a Leppy. This will let you bamf out of shops with thousands of
zorkmids of plunder. If you find a ring of Control Teleport, you will
be able to sneak into treasure vaults without a staff of digging.
5. Give your dog a name with the "C" key. You will hit the space bar
much less often. Name Leppys and Nymphs, then you can tell what they
have stolen.
6. Leppy bashing: Drop your gold in a doorway. Stand on the space in
front of the doorway. The Leppy will go crazy, trying to steal the
gold, and you can bash him at your leisure.
My two pet peeves:
A. Using the "C" key takes a turn. I would be much happier if I could
name every Orc or Killer Bee in a horde, both for accounting purposes
and to hit the ' ' key less often.
B. The game should double check before attempting to move onto a space
with a tame (and maybe peaceful) animal. It is very irritating to
bash poor Rover accidentally.
Carl Hommel
Wife: I wanna play rogue now.
Husband: Tough! I wanna play hack.