rick@sesame.UUCP (Rick Richardson) (03/03/85)
I'm running hack single user on an AT with VENIX/86. Since I have total control of what goes on, my strategy for winning hack is to use the ghosts to my advantage. I start by playing a tourist, going down to level 2 ASAP, and committing suicide. I then play a caveman, and if I don't get the ghost of the tourist on level 2, I start all over. This way, I'm incredibly strong, and have the camera. After that, about the only way I can die is by cockatrice, stupidity, or greed. Took me a week of solid hack plauing to figure this out, and now that I have won, the fun has disappeared, and I'm back to being productive. I actually liked rogue better because it is *LOTS* harder to win. Rick Richardson PC Research, Inc.
eric@osiris.UUCP (Eric Bergan) (03/05/85)
Another way is to start up a game as a wizard, try the wands immediately to see if one is a wand of wishing. If not, quit immediately (don't waste your time). If so - go on to retrieve the amulet. -- eric ...!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!osiris!eric
plh@ukma.UUCP (Paul L. Hightower) (03/06/85)
Since someone gave away my strategy for using ghosts to win, I'll give away an even better strategy, if somewhat time-consuming. Play wizard until you get a wand of wishing. (Zap your wands immediately, quit if no wand of wishing.) When you get one, wish for : +6 plate mail, 3 scrolls of genocide, and 3 more scrolls of genocide. Genocide c's, k's, D's, N's, R's, and x's . Of course, this strategy is about as much fun as playing Adventure2. Credit goes to Brian Sturgill, University of Kentucky for this method of trivializing Hack. (I am broadcasting this spoiler in the hope that the author will correct it in future versions, restoring some challenge to the game.) Paul Hightower University of Kentucky
rick@sesame.UUCP (Rick Richardson) (03/08/85)
> Another way is to start up a game as a wizard, try the wands immediately > to see if one is a wand of wishing. If not, quit immediately (don't waste your > time). If so - go on to retrieve the amulet. > > eric > ...!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!osiris!eric I have not and never will use the wizard option. This is just plain cheating. Nor have I ever used a wand of wishing. The only one I ever found was unusable, because I had installed the set of mods somebody posted. Those mods were by and large nice cleanups of the presentation, but they *BROKE* the ability to type spaces into any long command, like for invoking a wand of wishing. Needless to say, I was slightly upset. After regressing back out of those mods, I haven't found a wand of wishing since. -- Rick Richardson, PC Research, Inc. {genrad|ihnp4|ima}!wjh12!talcott!sesame!{rick|pcrat!rick} {cbosgd|harvard}!talcott!sesame!{rick|pcrat!rick} rick%sesame@harvard.ARPA
bch@mcnc.UUCP (Byron Howes) (03/08/85)
In article <1168@ukma.UUCP> plh@ukma.UUCP (Paul L. Hightower) writes: >Since someone gave away my strategy for using ghosts to win, I'll give away an >even better strategy, if somewhat time-consuming. Play wizard until you get >a wand of wishing. (Zap your wands immediately, quit if no wand of wishing.) >When you get one, wish for : +6 plate mail, 3 scrolls of genocide, and 3 more >scrolls of genocide. Genocide c's, k's, D's, N's, R's, and x's . Of course, >this strategy is about as much fun as playing Adventure2. Credit goes to Brian >Sturgill, University of Kentucky for this method of trivializing Hack. True, almost anyone can win if they play as Wizard enough. You want a challenge? Try to win as Speliologist. Better yet, try to get all six characters into the top 10. (Sheesh -- gimme a break!) Btw, has anyone who has the 1.01 patches installed figured out how to reliably get into the targeted teleport traps. I know how to find them, but getting into them seems to be a random event... -- Byron C. Howes ...!{decvax,akgua}!mcnc!ecsvax!bch
killmond@dartvax.UUCP (James Killmond) (03/09/85)
> Since someone gave away my strategy for using ghosts to win, I'll give away an > even better strategy, if somewhat time-consuming. Play wizard until you get > a wand of wishing. (Zap your wands immediately, quit if no wand of wishing.) > When you get one, wish for : +6 plate mail, 3 scrolls of genocide, and 3 more > scrolls of genocide. Genocide c's, k's, D's, N's, R's, and x's . Of course, > this strategy is about as much fun as playing Adventure2. Credit goes to Brian > Sturgill, University of Kentucky for this method of trivializing Hack. > > (I am broadcasting this spoiler in the hope that the author will correct it in > future versions, restoring some challenge to the game.) > > Paul Hightower > University of Kentucky *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE *** That strategy will undoubtably win the game for you. However, it will comprise a very boring game, as you said, and you also will get a very low score. In a game I just played, I got a wand of wishing right off and got +6 plate, +3 crysknife, and 3 potions of gain level. When I saw scrolls of genocide, I took care of annoying monsters that weren't worth much, such as R's, x's, and c's. N's are too much fun, and n's, D's, U's, etc. are worth too much exp. to be genocided. The game wasn't a big challenge, but at least it was fun. The real challenge will be to win as a Tourist or a Fighter. Hack hint of the day: Search the close proximity of the m for the prize (no need for obj. detect) Bonus hack hint: N's give random teleport too.
mann@Navajo.ARPA (03/09/85)
> wish for : +6 plate mail ...
After looking at the code, I think the fact that you can wish for +6
plate mail (actually, even +7) is a bug. Everything other than armor is
limited to +3, or +2 if your "luck" rating is bad.
The code in question reads as follows:
if(spe > 3 && spe > otmp->spe)
spe = 0;
else if(let == WAND_SYM)
spe = otmp->spe;
I'm assuming that the test "spe > otmp->spe" is intended mostly for wands,
so that you aren't penalized for asking for a wand with N charges if it was
going to give you M >= N charges anyway. Unfortunately, the "spe" field for
armor has the armor class bonus (10 - armor class, which is 7 for plate
mail) already added in, so a wish for +7 armor sneaks through this code.
Would the author of hack be willing to comment on this?
--Timkillmond@dartvax.UUCP (James Killmond) (03/10/85)
> > Another way is to start up a game as a wizard, try the wands immediately > > to see if one is a wand of wishing. If not, quit immediately (don't waste your > > time). If so - go on to retrieve the amulet. > > > > eric > > ...!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!osiris!eric > > I have not and never will use the wizard option. This is just plain > cheating. Nor have I ever used a wand of wishing. The only one I > ever found was unusable, because I had installed the set of mods somebody > posted. Those mods were by and large nice cleanups of the presentation, > but they *BROKE* the ability to type spaces into any long command, like > for invoking a wand of wishing. Needless to say, I was slightly upset. > After regressing back out of those mods, I haven't found a wand of wishing > since. > -- > Rick Richardson, PC Research, Inc. > > {genrad|ihnp4|ima}!wjh12!talcott!sesame!{rick|pcrat!rick} > {cbosgd|harvard}!talcott!sesame!{rick|pcrat!rick} > rick%sesame@harvard.ARPA *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE *** This is definitely not cheating it just takes the challenge out of the game. Anything possible without changing the actual code is legal and not cheating.
play@mcvax.UUCP (Andries Brouwer) (03/11/85)
In article <1168@ukma.UUCP> plh@ukma.UUCP (Paul L. Hightower) writes: >... Play wizard until you get a wand of wishing. (Zap your wands > immediately, quit if no wand of wishing.) > When you get one, wish for: +6 plate mail, 3 scrolls of genocide, and 3 more > scrolls of genocide. Genocide c's, k's, D's, N's, R's, and x's . Of course, > this strategy is about as much fun as playing Adventure2. > Credit goes to Brian Sturgill for this method of trivializing Hack. > (I am broadcasting this spoiler in the hope that the author will correct it > in future versions, restoring some challenge to the game.) Several people have suggested by news or mail that hack is too easy. In a few weeks I'll distribute version 1.0.2 with the following significant changes: - the endgame has become much more difficult by the additions of swamps full of giant eels that will strangle or drown you, and the Wizard of Yendor (a high level magic user) that will come after you when you take his amulet. - wands of wishing have become much more difficult to come by; just starting a game as wizard will certainly not suffice to earn three wishes. - starting as a speleologist you also have a pick-axe and can dig holes in walls and in the floor (yes, you fall into the next level). We do not yet have much experience with these changes, but I am sure that a hundred letters will tell me what is wrong with them.
mann@Navajo.ARPA (03/11/85)
> > Another way is to start up a game as a wizard, try the wands > > immediately to see if one is a wand of wishing. If not, quit immediately > > (don't waste your time). If so - go on to retrieve the amulet. > > I have not and never will use the wizard option. This is just plain > cheating. The original poster was referring to playing as the Wizard character, not to using the wizard (-w) option. --Tim