How do i play NetHack ?

[Sudo]

Hi, as i'm new to this ASCII game, i would like to know how do i play it.

I'm quite confused at what keyboard shortcut i have to use. It looks like a
fun game although.

Thanks.

[John McCue]

Post by Sudo
Hi, as i'm new to this ASCII game, i would like to know
how do i play it.
I'm quite confused at what keyboard shortcut i have to use.
It looks like a fun game although.

Yes it is lots of fun, you can do this to learn by
using a built in tutorial:

Create an account, see:

https://www.hardfought.org/nethack/

That also has some playing instructions, and this wiki
can help too:

https://nethackwiki.com/wiki/NetHack

Then use ssh and login and select option
NetHack 3.7.0-hdf

I would first let it create a character for you, then you
will be asked if you want to play in tutorial mode.
Select yes and off you go :)

Post by Sudo
Thanks.

Good Luck nad have fun!

[Janis Papanagnou]

Post by John McCue

Post by Sudo
Hi, as i'm new to this ASCII game, i would like to know
how do i play it.
I'm quite confused at what keyboard shortcut i have to use.
It looks like a fun game although.

I would suggest to read the guidebook that comes with Nethack
first. In the game there's some builtin quick help function
that you can start interrogate with the '?' command; one help
option is also the commands and keyboard keys to invoke them.

Post by John McCue
Yes it is lots of fun, you can do this to learn by

This is also a good recommendation; just recently I found it
in some Nethack variant first. The tutorial is well written
and it can (at least in that variant) also be interrogated
by chapters interactively in case you want to re-read some
of the on-the-fly information.

Post by John McCue
[...]
I would first let it create a character for you, then you
will be asked if you want to play in tutorial mode.
Select yes and off you go :)

Janis

[Sudo]

Ah ok thanks haha, i'm just trying to find a version that works with Windows
95 (as i'm writing this off Windows 95 actually.)


-sudolinux64, Adam.

Post by Janis Papanagnou

Post by John McCue

Post by Sudo
Hi, as i'm new to this ASCII game, i would like to know
how do i play it.
I'm quite confused at what keyboard shortcut i have to use.
It looks like a fun game although.

I would suggest to read the guidebook that comes with Nethack
first. In the game there's some builtin quick help function
that you can start interrogate with the '?' command; one help
option is also the commands and keyboard keys to invoke them.

Post by John McCue
Yes it is lots of fun, you can do this to learn by

This is also a good recommendation; just recently I found it
in some Nethack variant first. The tutorial is well written
and it can (at least in that variant) also be interrogated
by chapters interactively in case you want to re-read some
of the on-the-fly information.

Post by John McCue
[...]
I would first let it create a character for you, then you
will be asked if you want to play in tutorial mode.
Select yes and off you go :)

Janis

[Janis Papanagnou]

Post by Sudo
Ah ok thanks haha, i'm just trying to find a version that works with Windows
95 (as i'm writing this off Windows 95 actually.)

Oh, Win95, that's certainly a surprising platform that you choose
to use.

I'd anyway start following John McCue's advice to play on a server.
You only need some terminal program[*] in that case.

Good luck! :-)

Janis

[*] Terminal programs should be available also for Win95, I suppose.
For the Hardfought servers you need a secure connection (ssh access).
Unfortunately I cannot help you for questions concerning Windows[TM].

[Benjamin Heiligenbrunner]

Post by Janis Papanagnou

Post by Sudo
Ah ok thanks haha, i'm just trying to find a version that works with Windows
95 (as i'm writing this off Windows 95 actually.)

Oh, Win95, that's certainly a surprising platform that you choose
to use.
I'd anyway start following John McCue's advice to play on a server.
You only need some terminal program[*] in that case.
Good luck! :-)
Janis
[*] Terminal programs should be available also for Win95, I suppose.
For the Hardfought servers you need a secure connection (ssh access).
Unfortunately I cannot help you for questions concerning Windows[TM].

This site [1] seems to have what you seek. There's a "popular version"
from 2005 available there; I guess that should work but I haven't tested
it. I just hope the Hardfought server still accepts some of the
authentication and encryption protocols that were in use at that time…
Probably best feel your way back or forward between the PuTTY versions
available until one works for you.

And of course, I have to say that connecting such a computer to the
Internet is a major risk in itself. Although probably a smaller one
than with e.g. Windows NT, since the network stack in 95 was just an
add-on to the operating system, and isn't too deeply integrated.

BTW, I just saw there's still a download of Nethack 3.4.3 for Windows 95
available here [2]. That version was the only one available for ~10
years, so there should still be enough knowledge (and all those old
spoiler text files…) available. Although of course you'll miss the bug
fixes, improvements, and changes implemented since then.

Benjamin


1. http://www.oldversion.com/windows/putty/
2. https://nethack.org/v343/downloads.html

[Sudo]

Post by Benjamin Heiligenbrunner

Post by Janis Papanagnou

Post by Sudo
Ah ok thanks haha, i'm just trying to find a version that works with Windows
95 (as i'm writing this off Windows 95 actually.)

Oh, Win95, that's certainly a surprising platform that you choose
to use.
I'd anyway start following John McCue's advice to play on a server.
You only need some terminal program[*] in that case.
Good luck! :-)
Janis
[*] Terminal programs should be available also for Win95, I suppose.
For the Hardfought servers you need a secure connection (ssh access).
Unfortunately I cannot help you for questions concerning Windows[TM].

This site [1] seems to have what you seek. There's a "popular version"
from 2005 available there; I guess that should work but I haven't tested
it. I just hope the Hardfought server still accepts some of the
authentication and encryption protocols that were in use at that time.
Probably best feel your way back or forward between the PuTTY versions
available until one works for you.
And of course, I have to say that connecting such a computer to the
Internet is a major risk in itself. Although probably a smaller one
than with e.g. Windows NT, since the network stack in 95 was just an
add-on to the operating system, and isn't too deeply integrated.
BTW, I just saw there's still a download of Nethack 3.4.3 for Windows 95
available here [2]. That version was the only one available for ~10
years, so there should still be enough knowledge (and all those old
spoiler text files.) available. Although of course you'll miss the bug
fixes, improvements, and changes implemented since then.
Benjamin
1. http://www.oldversion.com/windows/putty/
2. https://nethack.org/v343/downloads.html
--
Seek freedom and become captive of your desires.
Seek discipline and find your liberty.
-- Frank Herbert, Dune Chronicles

well yeah i can indeed understand for Windows 95 haha, but no worries, this
isn't my Main PC (which is on Linux) This is my secondary PC, i use it
reguarlarly to play older games.

Anyways, thanks for those links !

-sudolinux, Adam.

[Janis Papanagnou]

Post by Sudo
well yeah i can indeed understand for Windows 95 haha, but no worries, this
isn't my Main PC (which is on Linux) This is my secondary PC, i use it
reguarlarly to play older games.

Hey, if you have a Linux computer... - there's no need to play a
(conceptually) "old" game on an old system. Linux is fine and a
guarantee that it works out of the box.

Janis

[Benjamin Heiligenbrunner]

Post by Janis Papanagnou

Post by Sudo
well yeah i can indeed understand for Windows 95 haha, but no worries, this
isn't my Main PC (which is on Linux) This is my secondary PC, i use it
reguarlarly to play older games.

Hey, if you have a Linux computer... - there's no need to play a
(conceptually) "old" game on an old system. Linux is fine and a
guarantee that it works out of the box.

On a Linux system, there's a very good chance that you can simply
install Nethack with the default package management system of your
distribution. :-)

Benjamin

[Sudo]

Post by Janis Papanagnou

Post by Sudo
well yeah i can indeed understand for Windows 95 haha, but no worries, this
isn't my Main PC (which is on Linux) This is my secondary PC, i use it
reguarlarly to play older games.

Hey, if you have a Linux computer... - there's no need to play a
(conceptually) "old" game on an old system. Linux is fine and a
guarantee that it works out of the box.
Janis

Well, i'm quite used to the Windows interface, but hey i guess that would be
more faster to use Linux for playing the game.

-sudolinux, Adam.

[B. R. 'BeAr' Ederson]

How do i play NetHack ?

Carefully, addictively and most of all happily. ;-)

i'm just trying to find a version that works with Windows 95

Just tested the latest non-beta vanilla Nethack 3.6.7 DOS version on DOS 5.0
without any adjustments. And it worked out of the box. I had to forcibly
withdraw from the game on level 5 with full health, lots of fine equipment,
an altar for each deity (level 1, 2, and 4; the latest having the correct
alignment), and so on. The game /really/ likes to lure the player in. And
in a false sense of early achievement... ;-)

https://www.nethack.org/v367/ports/download-msdos.html

The current Windows port doesn't work on Win95. But the DOS port does.
I transferred my above mentioned DOS game to a pristine Win95 setup.
(First non-beta release.) And it started inside a DOS command window
without problems and fired up my saved game like a breeze.

Happy hacking!
BeAr