From d939238ea6f9c9789655e0746e42c252d1ff311d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: nhw_cron Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:16:08 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] This is cron-daily v1-Jan-12-2026. 005guidebook updated: doc/Guidebook.txt --- doc/Guidebook.txt | 3496 ++++++++++++++++++++++----------------------- 1 file changed, 1748 insertions(+), 1748 deletions(-) diff --git a/doc/Guidebook.txt b/doc/Guidebook.txt index dad815917..b652a455e 100644 --- a/doc/Guidebook.txt +++ b/doc/Guidebook.txt @@ -3736,24 +3736,24 @@ other religious figure; a true atheist would hear the words but attach no special meaning to them. - Most players fight with a wielded weapon (or tool intended to be - wielded as a weapon). Another challenge is to win the game without - using such a wielded weapon. You are still permitted to throw, fire, - and kick weapons; use a wand, spell, or other type of item; or fight + A pauper starts the game with no possessions, no spells, and no + weapon or spell skills (and if playing as a knight, your pony will not + have a saddle). Can only be initiated by starting a new game with + OPTIONS=pauper set in your run-time configurtion file or NETHACKOP- + TIONS environment variable. Once the game is underway, you can + acquire and use items, spells, and skills in the usual way. + + Most players fight with a wielded weapon (or tool intended to be + wielded as a weapon). Another challenge is to win the game without + using such a wielded weapon. You are still permitted to throw, fire, + and kick weapons; use a wand, spell, or other type of item; or fight with your hands and feet. - In NetHack, a pacifist refuses to cause the death of any other - monster (i.e. if you would get experience for the death). This is a - particularly difficult challenge, although it is still possible to + In NetHack, a pacifist refuses to cause the death of any other + monster (i.e. if you would get experience for the death). This is a + particularly difficult challenge, although it is still possible to gain experience by other means. - An illiterate character does not read or write. This includes - reading a scroll, spellbook, fortune cookie message, or t-shirt; writ- - ing a scroll; or making an engraving of anything other than a single - "X" (the traditional signature of an illiterate person). Reading an - engraving, or any item that is absolutely necessary to win the game, - is not counted against this conduct. The identity of scrolls and - spellbooks (and knowledge of spells) in your starting inventory is NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -3766,60 +3766,60 @@ - assumed to be learned from your teachers prior to the start of the + An illiterate character does not read or write. This includes + reading a scroll, spellbook, fortune cookie message, or t-shirt; writ- + ing a scroll; or making an engraving of anything other than a single + "X" (the traditional signature of an illiterate person). Reading an + engraving, or any item that is absolutely necessary to win the game, + is not counted against this conduct. The identity of scrolls and + spellbooks (and knowledge of spells) in your starting inventory is + assumed to be learned from your teachers prior to the start of the game and isn't counted. - There is a side-branch to the main dungeon called "Sokoban," - briefly described in the earlier section about Traps. As mentioned - there, the goal is to push boulders into pits and/or holes to plug - those in order to both get the boulders out of the way and be able to - go past the traps. There are some special "rules" that are active - when in that branch of the dungeon. Some rules can't be bypassed, - such as being unable to push a boulder diagonally. Other rules can, + There is a side-branch to the main dungeon called "Sokoban," + briefly described in the earlier section about Traps. As mentioned + there, the goal is to push boulders into pits and/or holes to plug + those in order to both get the boulders out of the way and be able to + go past the traps. There are some special "rules" that are active + when in that branch of the dungeon. Some rules can't be bypassed, + such as being unable to push a boulder diagonally. Other rules can, such as not smashing boulders with magic or tools, but doing so causes - you to receive a luck penalty. No message about that is given at the + you to receive a luck penalty. No message about that is given at the time, but it is tracked as a conduct. The #conduct command and end of - game disclosure will report whether you have abided by the special - rules of Sokoban, and if not, how many times you violated them, pro- + game disclosure will report whether you have abided by the special + rules of Sokoban, and if not, how many times you violated them, pro- viding you with a way to discover which actions incur bad luck so that - you can be better informed about whether or not to avoid repeating + you can be better informed about whether or not to avoid repeating those actions in the future. (Note: the Sokoban conduct will only be displayed if you have entered the Sokoban branch of the dungeon during - the current game. Once that has happened, it becomes part of dis- - closed conduct even if you haven't done anything interesting there. - Ending the game with "never broke the Sokoban rules" conduct is most - meaningful if you also manage to perform the "obtained the Sokoban + the current game. Once that has happened, it becomes part of dis- + closed conduct even if you haven't done anything interesting there. + Ending the game with "never broke the Sokoban rules" conduct is most + meaningful if you also manage to perform the "obtained the Sokoban prize" achievement (see Achievements below).) - There are several other challenges tracked by the game. It is - possible to eliminate one or more species of monsters by genocide; + There are several other challenges tracked by the game. It is + possible to eliminate one or more species of monsters by genocide; playing without this feature is considered a challenge. When the game - offers you an opportunity to genocide monsters, you may respond with - the monster type "none" if you want to decline. You can change the - form of an item into another item of the same type ("polypiling") or - the form of your own body into another creature ("polyself") by wand, + offers you an opportunity to genocide monsters, you may respond with + the monster type "none" if you want to decline. You can change the + form of an item into another item of the same type ("polypiling") or + the form of your own body into another creature ("polyself") by wand, spell, or potion of polymorph; avoiding these effects are each consid- - ered challenges. Polymorphing monsters, including pets, does not - break either of these challenges. Finally, you may sometimes receive - wishes; a game without an attempt to wish for any items is a chal- + ered challenges. Polymorphing monsters, including pets, does not + break either of these challenges. Finally, you may sometimes receive + wishes; a game without an attempt to wish for any items is a chal- lenge, as is a game without wishing for an artifact (even if the arti- fact immediately disappears). When the game offers you an opportunity - to make a wish for an item, you may choose "nothing" if you want to + to make a wish for an item, you may choose "nothing" if you want to decline. 8.1. Achievements - End of game disclosure will also display various achievements - representing progress toward ultimate ascension, if any have been - attained. They aren't directly related to conduct but are grouped - with it because they fall into the same category of "bragging rights" - and to limit the number of questions during disclosure. Listed here - roughly in order of difficulty and not necessarily in the order in - which you might accomplish them. - - Rank - Attained rank title Rank. - Shop - Entered a shop. - + End of game disclosure will also display various achievements + representing progress toward ultimate ascension, if any have been + attained. They aren't directly related to conduct but are grouped + with it because they fall into the same category of "bragging rights" NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -3832,6 +3832,12 @@ + and to limit the number of questions during disclosure. Listed here + roughly in order of difficulty and not necessarily in the order in + which you might accomplish them. + + Rank - Attained rank title Rank. + Shop - Entered a shop. Temple - Entered a temple. Mines - Entered the Gnomish Mines. Town - Entered Mine Town. @@ -3839,12 +3845,12 @@ Novel - Read a passage from a Discworld Novel. Sokoban - Entered Sokoban. Big Room - Entered the Big Room. - Soko-Prize - Explored to the top of Sokoban and found a + Soko-Prize - Explored to the top of Sokoban and found a special item there. - Mines' End - Explored to the bottom of the Gnomish Mines + Mines' End - Explored to the bottom of the Gnomish Mines and found a special item there. Medusa - Defeated Medusa. - Tune - Discovered the tune that can be used to open + Tune - Discovered the tune that can be used to open and close the drawbridge on the Castle level. Bell - Acquired the Bell of Opening. Gehennom - Entered Gehennom. @@ -3864,27 +3870,21 @@ Notes: - Achievements are recorded and subsequently reported in the order - in which they happen during your current game rather than the order + Achievements are recorded and subsequently reported in the order + in which they happen during your current game rather than the order listed here. - There are nine titles for each role, bestowed at experi- - ence levels 1, 3, 6, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, and 30. The one for experi- - ence level 1 is not recorded as an achievement. Losing enough levels + There are nine titles for each role, bestowed at experi- + ence levels 1, 3, 6, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, and 30. The one for experi- + ence level 1 is not recorded as an achievement. Losing enough levels to revert to lower rank(s) does not discard the corresponding achieve- ment(s). - There's no guaranteed Novel so the achievement to read one might - not always be attainable (except perhaps by wishing). Similarly, the - Big Room level is not always present. Unlike with the Novel, there's + There's no guaranteed Novel so the achievement to read one might + not always be attainable (except perhaps by wishing). Similarly, the + Big Room level is not always present. Unlike with the Novel, there's no way to wish for this opportunity. - The "special items" hidden in Mines' End and Sokoban are not - unique but are considered to be prizes or rewards for exploring those - levels since doing so is not necessary to complete the game. Finding - other instances of the same objects doesn't record the corresponding - achievement. - @@ -3898,60 +3898,60 @@ - The Medusa achievement is recorded if she dies for any reason, + The "special items" hidden in Mines' End and Sokoban are not + unique but are considered to be prizes or rewards for exploring those + levels since doing so is not necessary to complete the game. Finding + other instances of the same objects doesn't record the corresponding + achievement. + + The Medusa achievement is recorded if she dies for any reason, even if you are not directly responsible, and only if she dies. The 5-note tune can be learned via trial and error with a musical - instrument played closely enough--but not too close!--to the Castle + instrument played closely enough--but not too close!--to the Castle level's drawbridge or can be given to you via prayer boon. - Blind, Deaf, Nudist, and Pauper are also conducts, and they can - only be enabled by setting the correspondingly named option in + Blind, Deaf, Nudist, and Pauper are also conducts, and they can + only be enabled by setting the correspondingly named option in NETHACKOPTIONS or run-time configuration file prior to game start. In - the case of Blind and Deaf, the option also enforces the conduct. - They aren't really significant accomplishments unless/until you make + the case of Blind and Deaf, the option also enforces the conduct. + They aren't really significant accomplishments unless/until you make substantial progress into the dungeon. 9. Options - Due to variations in personal tastes and conceptions of how - NetHack should do things, there are options you can set to change how + Due to variations in personal tastes and conceptions of how + NetHack should do things, there are options you can set to change how NetHack behaves. 9.1. Setting the options Options may be set in a number of ways. Within the game, the `O' - command allows you to view all options and change most of them. You - can also set options automatically by placing them in a configuration + command allows you to view all options and change most of them. You + can also set options automatically by placing them in a configuration file, or in the NETHACKOPTIONS environment variable. Some versions of - NetHack also have front-end programs that allow you to set options + NetHack also have front-end programs that allow you to set options before starting the game or a global configuration for system adminis- trators. 9.2. Using a configuration file - The default name of the configuration file varies on different + The default name of the configuration file varies on different operating systems. - On UNIX, Linux, and macOS it is ".nethackrc" in the user's home + On UNIX, Linux, and macOS it is ".nethackrc" in the user's home directory. The file may not exist, but it is a normal ASCII text file and can be created with any text editor. - On Windows, the name is ".nethackrc" located in the folder - "%USERPROFILE%\NetHack\". The file may not exist, but it is a normal - ASCII text file can can be created with any text editor. After run- - ning NetHack for the first time, you should find a default template - for the configuration file named ".nethackrc.template" in - "%USERPROFILE%\NetHack\". If you have not created the configuration + On Windows, the name is ".nethackrc" located in the folder + "%USERPROFILE%\NetHack\". The file may not exist, but it is a normal + ASCII text file can can be created with any text editor. After run- + ning NetHack for the first time, you should find a default template + for the configuration file named ".nethackrc.template" in + "%USERPROFILE%\NetHack\". If you have not created the configuration file, NetHack will create one for you using the default template file. - On MS-DOS, it is "defaults.nh" in the same folder as nethack.exe. - Any line in the configuration file starting with `#' is treated - as a comment and ignored. Empty lines are ignored. - - Any line beginning with `[' and ending in `]' is a section marker - (the closing `]' can be followed by whitespace and then an arbitrary NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -3964,29 +3964,36 @@ - comment beginning with `#'). The text between the square brackets is - the section name. Section markers are only valid after a CHOOSE + On MS-DOS, it is "defaults.nh" in the same folder as nethack.exe. + + Any line in the configuration file starting with `#' is treated + as a comment and ignored. Empty lines are ignored. + + Any line beginning with `[' and ending in `]' is a section marker + (the closing `]' can be followed by whitespace and then an arbitrary + comment beginning with `#'). The text between the square brackets is + the section name. Section markers are only valid after a CHOOSE directive and their names are case-insensitive. Lines after a section - marker belong to that section up until another section starts or a - marker without a name is encountered or the file ends. Lines within - sections are ignored unless a CHOOSE directive has selected that sec- + marker belong to that section up until another section starts or a + marker without a name is encountered or the file ends. Lines within + sections are ignored unless a CHOOSE directive has selected that sec- tion. - You can use different configuration directives in the file, some - of which can be used multiple times. In general, the directives are - written in capital letters, followed by an equals sign, followed by + You can use different configuration directives in the file, some + of which can be used multiple times. In general, the directives are + written in capital letters, followed by an equals sign, followed by settings particular to that directive. Here is a list of allowed directives: OPTIONS There are two types of options, boolean and compound options. Bool- - ean options toggle a setting on or off, while compound options take - more diverse values. Prefix a boolean option with "no" or `!' to - turn it off. For compound options, the option name and value are - separated by a colon. Some options are persistent, and apply only + ean options toggle a setting on or off, while compound options take + more diverse values. Prefix a boolean option with "no" or `!' to + turn it off. For compound options, the option name and value are + separated by a colon. Some options are persistent, and apply only to new games. You can specify multiple OPTIONS directives, and mul- - tiple options separated by commas in a single OPTIONS directive. + tiple options separated by commas in a single OPTIONS directive. (Comma separated options are processed from right to left.) Example: @@ -3996,28 +4003,21 @@ HACKDIR Default location of files NetHack needs. On Windows HACKDIR defaults - to the location of the NetHack.exe or NetHackw.exe file so setting + to the location of the NetHack.exe or NetHackw.exe file so setting HACKDIR to override that is not usually necessary or recommended. LEVELDIR - The location that in-progress level files are stored. Defaults to + The location that in-progress level files are stored. Defaults to HACKDIR, must be writable. SAVEDIR - The location where saved games are kept. Defaults to HACKDIR, must + The location where saved games are kept. Defaults to HACKDIR, must be writable. BONESDIR The location that bones files are kept. Defaults to HACKDIR, must be writable. - LOCKDIR - The location that file synchronization locks are stored. Defaults to - HACKDIR, must be writable. - - TROUBLEDIR - The location that a record of game aborts and self-diagnosed game - problems is kept. Defaults to HACKDIR, must be writable. NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -4030,10 +4030,18 @@ + LOCKDIR + The location that file synchronization locks are stored. Defaults to + HACKDIR, must be writable. + + TROUBLEDIR + The location that a record of game aborts and self-diagnosed game + problems is kept. Defaults to HACKDIR, must be writable. + AUTOCOMPLETE - Enable or disable an extended command autocompletion. Autocomple- + Enable or disable an extended command autocompletion. Autocomple- tion has no effect for the X11 windowport. You can specify multiple - autocompletions. To enable autocompletion, list the extended com- + autocompletions. To enable autocompletion, list the extended com- mand. Prefix the command with "!" to disable the autocompletion for that command. @@ -4042,13 +4050,13 @@ AUTOCOMPLETE=zap,!annotate AUTOPICKUP_EXCEPTION - Set exceptions to the pickup_types option. See the "Configuring + Set exceptions to the pickup_types option. See the "Configuring Autopickup Exceptions" section. BINDINGS - Change the key bindings of some special keys, menu accelerators, + Change the key bindings of some special keys, menu accelerators, extended commands, or mouse buttons. You can specify multiple bind- - ings. Format is key followed by the command, separated by a colon. + ings. Format is key followed by the command, separated by a colon. See the "Changing Key Bindings" section for more information. Example: @@ -4071,19 +4079,11 @@ OPTIONS=!rest_on_space If [] is present, the preceding section is closed and no new section - begins; whatever follows will be common to all sections. Otherwise + begins; whatever follows will be common to all sections. Otherwise the last section extends to the end of the options file. MENUCOLOR - Highlight menu lines with different colors. See the "Configuring - Menu Colors" section. - - MSGTYPE - Change the way messages are shown in the top status line. See the - "Configuring Message Types" section. - - ROGUESYMBOLS - Custom symbols for the rogue level's symbol set. See SYMBOLS below. + Highlight menu lines with different colors. See the "Configuring NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -4096,16 +4096,25 @@ + Menu Colors" section. + + MSGTYPE + Change the way messages are shown in the top status line. See the + "Configuring Message Types" section. + + ROGUESYMBOLS + Custom symbols for the rogue level's symbol set. See SYMBOLS below. + SOUND Define a sound mapping. See the "Configuring User Sounds" section. SOUNDDIR - Define the directory that contains the sound files. See the "Con- + Define the directory that contains the sound files. See the "Con- figuring User Sounds" section. SYMBOLS - Override one or more symbols in the symbol set used for all dungeon - levels except for the special rogue level. See the "Modifying + Override one or more symbols in the symbol set used for all dungeon + levels except for the special rogue level. See the "Modifying NetHack Symbols" section. Example: @@ -4115,9 +4124,9 @@ WIZKIT Debug mode only: extra items to add to initial inventory. Value is - the name of a text file containing a list of item names, one per - line, up to a maximum of 128 lines. Each line is processed by the - function that handles wishing. Entries are added to the wish his- + the name of a text file containing a list of item names, one per + line, up to a maximum of 128 lines. Each line is processed by the + function that handles wishing. Entries are added to the wish his- tory; see the wizwish-command. Example: @@ -4128,6 +4137,31 @@ Here is an example of configuration file contents: + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 + + + + + + NetHack Guidebook 64 + + + # Set your character's role, race, gender, and alignment. OPTIONS=role:Valkyrie, race:Human, gender:female, align:lawful # @@ -4147,39 +4181,24 @@ - - - - - - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 - - - - - - NetHack Guidebook 64 - - - 9.3. Using the NETHACKOPTIONS environment variable - The NETHACKOPTIONS variable is a comma-separated list of initial - values for the various options. Some can only be turned on or off. + The NETHACKOPTIONS variable is a comma-separated list of initial + values for the various options. Some can only be turned on or off. You turn one of these on by adding the name of the option to the list, - and turn it off by typing a `!' or "no" before the name. Others take - a character string as a value. You can set string options by typing - the option name, a colon or equals sign, and then the value of the - string. The value is terminated by the next comma or the end of + and turn it off by typing a `!' or "no" before the name. Others take + a character string as a value. You can set string options by typing + the option name, a colon or equals sign, and then the value of the + string. The value is terminated by the next comma or the end of string. - For example, to set up an environment variable so that color is - on, legacy is off, character name is set to "Blue Meanie", and named + For example, to set up an environment variable so that color is + on, legacy is off, character name is set to "Blue Meanie", and named fruit is set to "lime", you would enter the command % setenv NETHACKOPTIONS "color,\!leg,name:Blue Meanie,fruit:lime" - in csh (note the need to escape the `!' since it's special to that + in csh (note the need to escape the `!' since it's special to that shell), or the pair of commands $ NETHACKOPTIONS="color,!leg,name:Blue Meanie,fruit:lime" @@ -4187,35 +4206,16 @@ in sh, ksh, or bash. - The NETHACKOPTIONS value is effectively the same as a single - OPTIONS directive in a configuration file. The "OPTIONS=" prefix is - implied and comma separated options are processed from right to left. - Other types of configuration directives such as BIND or MSGTYPE are + The NETHACKOPTIONS value is effectively the same as a single + OPTIONS directive in a configuration file. The "OPTIONS=" prefix is + implied and comma separated options are processed from right to left. + Other types of configuration directives such as BIND or MSGTYPE are not allowed. - Instead of a comma-separated list of options, NETHACKOPTIONS can - be set to the full name of a configuration file you want to use. If - that full name doesn't start with a slash, precede it with `@' (at- - sign) to let NetHack know that the rest is intended as a file name. - If it does start with `/', the at-sign is optional. - - 9.4. Customization options - - Here are explanations of what the various options do. Character - strings that are too long may be truncated. Some of the options - listed may be inactive in your dungeon. - - Some options are persistent, and are saved and reloaded along - with the game. Changing a persistent option in the configuration file - applies only to new games. - - accessiblemsg - Add location or direction information to messages (default is off). - - acoustics - Enable messages about what your character hears (default on). Note - that this has nothing to do with your computer's audio capabilities. - Persistent. + Instead of a comma-separated list of options, NETHACKOPTIONS can + be set to the full name of a configuration file you want to use. If + that full name doesn't start with a slash, precede it with `@' (at- + sign) to let NetHack know that the rest is intended as a file name. NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -4228,19 +4228,39 @@ + If it does start with `/', the at-sign is optional. + + 9.4. Customization options + + Here are explanations of what the various options do. Character + strings that are too long may be truncated. Some of the options + listed may be inactive in your dungeon. + + Some options are persistent, and are saved and reloaded along + with the game. Changing a persistent option in the configuration file + applies only to new games. + + accessiblemsg + Add location or direction information to messages (default is off). + + acoustics + Enable messages about what your character hears (default on). Note + that this has nothing to do with your computer's audio capabilities. + Persistent. + alignment - Your starting alignment (align:lawful, align:neutral, or - align:chaotic). You may specify just the first letter. Many roles - and the non-human races restrict which alignments are allowed. See + Your starting alignment (align:lawful, align:neutral, or + align:chaotic). You may specify just the first letter. Many roles + and the non-human races restrict which alignments are allowed. See role for a description of how to use negation to exclude choices. If align is not specified, there is no default value; player will be - prompted unless role and/or race forces a choice for alignment. + prompted unless role and/or race forces a choice for alignment. Cannot be set with the `O' command. Persistent. autodescribe - Automatically describe the terrain under cursor when asked to get a - location on the map (default true). The whatis_coord option con- + Automatically describe the terrain under cursor when asked to get a + location on the map (default true). The whatis_coord option con- trols whether the description includes map coordinates. autodig @@ -4252,36 +4272,16 @@ sistent. autopickup - Automatically pick up things onto which you move (default off). + Automatically pick up things onto which you move (default off). Persistent. - See pickup_types and also autopickup_exception for ways to refine + See pickup_types and also autopickup_exception for ways to refine the behavior. Note: prior to version 3.7.0, the default for autopickup was on. autoquiver - This option controls what happens when you attempt the `f' (fire) - command when nothing is quivered or readied (default false). When - true, the computer will fill your quiver or quiver sack or make - ready some suitable weapon. Note that it will not take into account - the blessed/cursed status, enchantment, damage, or quality of the - weapon; you are free to manually fill your quiver or quiver sack or - make ready with the `Q' command instead. If no weapon is found or - the option is false, the `t' (throw) command is executed instead. - Persistent. - - autounlock - Controls what action to take when attempting to walk into a locked - door or to loot a locked container. Takes a plus-sign separated - list of values: - - Untrap - prompt about whether to attempt to find a trap; it might - fail to find one even when present; if it does find one, - it will ask whether you want to try to disarm the trap; - if you decline, your character will forget that the door - or box is trapped; - Apply-Key - if carrying a key or other unlocking tool, prompt about + This option controls what happens when you attempt the `f' (fire) NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -4294,24 +4294,44 @@ + command when nothing is quivered or readied (default false). When + true, the computer will fill your quiver or quiver sack or make + ready some suitable weapon. Note that it will not take into account + the blessed/cursed status, enchantment, damage, or quality of the + weapon; you are free to manually fill your quiver or quiver sack or + make ready with the `Q' command instead. If no weapon is found or + the option is false, the `t' (throw) command is executed instead. + Persistent. + + autounlock + Controls what action to take when attempting to walk into a locked + door or to loot a locked container. Takes a plus-sign separated + list of values: + + Untrap - prompt about whether to attempt to find a trap; it might + fail to find one even when present; if it does find one, + it will ask whether you want to try to disarm the trap; + if you decline, your character will forget that the door + or box is trapped; + Apply-Key - if carrying a key or other unlocking tool, prompt about using it; - Kick - kick the door (if you omit untrap or decline to attempt - untrap and you omit apply-key or you lack a key or you - decline to use the key; has no effect on containers); - Force - try to force a container's lid with your currently - wielded weapon (if you omit untrap or decline to attempt + Kick - kick the door (if you omit untrap or decline to attempt untrap and you omit apply-key or you lack a key or you + decline to use the key; has no effect on containers); + Force - try to force a container's lid with your currently + wielded weapon (if you omit untrap or decline to attempt + untrap and you omit apply-key or you lack a key or you decline to use the key; has no effect on doors); - None - none of the above; can't be combined with the other + None - none of the above; can't be combined with the other choices. Omitting the value is treated as if autounlock:apply-key. Preceding autounlock with `!' or "no" is treated as autounlock:none. - Applying a key might set off a trap if the door or container is - trapped. Successfully kicking a door will break it and wake up - nearby monsters. Successfully forcing a container open will break - its lock and might also destroy some of its contents or damage your + Applying a key might set off a trap if the door or container is + trapped. Successfully kicking a door will break it and wake up + nearby monsters. Successfully forcing a container open will break + its lock and might also destroy some of its contents or damage your weapon or both. The default is Apply-Key. Persistent. @@ -4323,31 +4343,11 @@ Allow saving and loading bones files (default true). Persistent. boulder - Set the character used to display boulders (default is the "large + Set the character used to display boulders (default is the "large rock" class symbol, ``'). catname - Name your starting cat (for example "catname:Morris"). Cannot be - set with the `O' command. - - character - Synonym for "role" to pick the type of your character (for example - "character:Monk"). See role for more details. - - checkpoint - Save game state after each level change, for possible recovery after - program crash (default on). Persistent. - - cmdassist - Have the game provide some additional command assistance for new - players if it detects some anticipated mistakes (default on). - - confirm - Have user confirm attacks on pets, shopkeepers, and other peaceable - creatures (default on). Persistent. - - dark_room - Show out-of-sight areas of lit rooms (default on). Persistent. + Name your starting cat (for example "catname:Morris"). Cannot be NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -4360,17 +4360,38 @@ + set with the `O' command. + + character + Synonym for "role" to pick the type of your character (for example + "character:Monk"). See role for more details. + + checkpoint + Save game state after each level change, for possible recovery after + program crash (default on). Persistent. + + cmdassist + Have the game provide some additional command assistance for new + players if it detects some anticipated mistakes (default on). + + confirm + Have user confirm attacks on pets, shopkeepers, and other peaceable + creatures (default on). Persistent. + + dark_room + Show out-of-sight areas of lit rooms (default on). Persistent. + deaf Start the character permanently deaf (default false). Persistent. dropped_nopick - If this option is on, items you dropped will not be automatically - picked up, even if autopickup is also on and they are in - pickup_types or match a positive autopickup exception (default on). + If this option is on, items you dropped will not be automatically + picked up, even if autopickup is also on and they are in + pickup_types or match a positive autopickup exception (default on). Persistent. disclose - Controls what information the program reveals when the game ends. + Controls what information the program reveals when the game ends. Value is a space separated list of prompting/category pairs (default is "ni na nv ng nc no", prompt with default response of `n' for each candidate). Persistent. The possibilities are: @@ -4382,7 +4403,7 @@ c - display your conduct; also achievements, if any; o - display dungeon overview. - Each disclosure possibility can optionally be preceded by a prefix + Each disclosure possibility can optionally be preceded by a prefix which lets you refine how it behaves. Here are the valid prefixes: y - prompt you and default to yes on the prompt; @@ -4390,30 +4411,9 @@ + - disclose it without prompting; - - do not disclose it and do not prompt. - The listings of vanquished monsters and of genocided types can be + The listings of vanquished monsters and of genocided types can be sorted, so there are two additional choices for `v' and `g': - ? - prompt you and default to ask on the prompt; - # - disclose it without prompting, ask for sort order. - - Asking refers to picking one of the orderings from a menu. The `+' - disclose without prompting choice, or being prompted and answering - `y' rather than `a', will default to showing monsters in the order - specified by the sortvanquished option. - - Omitted categories are implicitly added with `n' prefix. Specified - categories with omitted prefix implicitly use `+' prefix. Order of - the disclosure categories does not matter, program display for end- - of-game disclosure follows a set sequence. - - (for example "disclose:yi na +v -g o") The example sets inventory to - prompt and default to yes, attributes to prompt and default to no, - vanquished to disclose without prompting, genocided to not disclose - and not prompt, conduct to implicitly prompt and default to no, and - overview to disclose without prompting. - - Note that the vanquished monsters list includes all monsters killed - by traps and each other as well as by you. And the dungeon overview NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -4426,22 +4426,43 @@ - shows all levels you had visited but does not reveal things about + ? - prompt you and default to ask on the prompt; + # - disclose it without prompting, ask for sort order. + + Asking refers to picking one of the orderings from a menu. The `+' + disclose without prompting choice, or being prompted and answering + `y' rather than `a', will default to showing monsters in the order + specified by the sortvanquished option. + + Omitted categories are implicitly added with `n' prefix. Specified + categories with omitted prefix implicitly use `+' prefix. Order of + the disclosure categories does not matter, program display for end- + of-game disclosure follows a set sequence. + + (for example "disclose:yi na +v -g o") The example sets inventory to + prompt and default to yes, attributes to prompt and default to no, + vanquished to disclose without prompting, genocided to not disclose + and not prompt, conduct to implicitly prompt and default to no, and + overview to disclose without prompting. + + Note that the vanquished monsters list includes all monsters killed + by traps and each other as well as by you. And the dungeon overview + shows all levels you had visited but does not reveal things about them that you hadn't discovered. dogname - Name your starting dog (for example "dogname:Fang"). Cannot be set + Name your starting dog (for example "dogname:Fang"). Cannot be set with the `O' command. extmenu - Changes the extended commands interface to pop-up a menu of avail- - able commands. It is keystroke compatible with the traditional + Changes the extended commands interface to pop-up a menu of avail- + able commands. It is keystroke compatible with the traditional interface except that it does not require that you hit Enter. It is implemented for the tty interface (default off). - For the X11 interface, which always uses a menu for choosing an - extended command, it controls whether the menu shows all available - commands (on) or just the subset of commands which have tradition- + For the X11 interface, which always uses a menu for choosing an + extended command, it controls whether the menu shows all available + commands (on) or just the subset of commands which have tradition- ally been considered extended ones (off). female @@ -4449,37 +4470,16 @@ command. fireassist - This option controls what happens when you attempt the `f' (fire) - and don't have an appropriate launcher, such as a bow or a sling, - wielded. If on, you will automatically wield the launcher. Default + This option controls what happens when you attempt the `f' (fire) + and don't have an appropriate launcher, such as a bow or a sling, + wielded. If on, you will automatically wield the launcher. Default is on. fixinv An object's inventory letter sticks to it when it's dropped (default - on). If this is off, dropping an object shifts all the remaining + on). If this is off, dropping an object shifts all the remaining inventory letters. Persistent. - force_invmenu - Commands asking for an inventory item show a menu instead of a text - query with possible menu letters. Default is off. - - fruit - Name a fruit after something you enjoy eating (for example - "fruit:mango") (default "slime mold"). Basically a nostalgic whimsy - that NetHack uses from time to time. You should set this to some- - thing you find more appetizing than slime mold. Apples, oranges, - pears, bananas, and melons already exist in NetHack, so don't use - those. - - gender - Your starting gender (gender:male or gender:female). You may spec- - ify just the first letter. Although you can still denote your gen- - der using either of the deprecated male and female options, if the - gender option is also present it will take precedence. See role for - a description of how to use negation to exclude choices. - - If gender is not specified, there is no default value; player will - be prompted unless role and/or race forces a choice for gender. NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -4492,59 +4492,59 @@ + force_invmenu + Commands asking for an inventory item show a menu instead of a text + query with possible menu letters. Default is off. + + fruit + Name a fruit after something you enjoy eating (for example + "fruit:mango") (default "slime mold"). Basically a nostalgic whimsy + that NetHack uses from time to time. You should set this to some- + thing you find more appetizing than slime mold. Apples, oranges, + pears, bananas, and melons already exist in NetHack, so don't use + those. + + gender + Your starting gender (gender:male or gender:female). You may spec- + ify just the first letter. Although you can still denote your gen- + der using either of the deprecated male and female options, if the + gender option is also present it will take precedence. See role for + a description of how to use negation to exclude choices. + + If gender is not specified, there is no default value; player will + be prompted unless role and/or race forces a choice for gender. Cannot be set with the `O' command. Persistent. goldX When filtering objects based on bless/curse state (BUCX), whether to - treat gold pieces as X (unknown bless/curse state, when "on") or U - (known to be uncursed, when "off", the default). Gold is never - blessed or cursed, but it is not described as "uncursed" even when + treat gold pieces as X (unknown bless/curse state, when "on") or U + (known to be uncursed, when "off", the default). Gold is never + blessed or cursed, but it is not described as "uncursed" even when the implicit_uncursed option is "off". help - If more information is available for an object looked at with the - `/' command, ask if you want to see it (default on). Turning help - off makes just looking at things faster, since you aren't inter- - rupted with the "More info?" prompt, but it also means that you - might miss some interesting and/or important information. Persis- + If more information is available for an object looked at with the + `/' command, ask if you want to see it (default on). Turning help + off makes just looking at things faster, since you aren't inter- + rupted with the "More info?" prompt, but it also means that you + might miss some interesting and/or important information. Persis- tent. herecmd_menu When using a windowport that supports mouse and clicking on yourself - or next to you, show a menu of possible actions for the location. + or next to you, show a menu of possible actions for the location. Same as "#herecmdmenu" and "#therecmdmenu" commands. hilite_pet - Visually distinguish pets from similar animals (default off). The - behavior of this option depends on the type of windowing you use. + Visually distinguish pets from similar animals (default off). The + behavior of this option depends on the type of windowing you use. In text windowing, text highlighting or inverse video is often used; with tiles, generally displays a heart symbol near pets. With the tty or curses interface, the petattr option controls how to - highlight pets and setting it will turn the hilite_pet option on or + highlight pets and setting it will turn the hilite_pet option on or off as warranted. - hilite_pile - Visually distinguish piles of objects from individual objects - (default off). The behavior of this option depends on the type of - windowing you use. In text windowing, text highlighting or inverse - video is often used; with tiles, generally displays a small plus- - symbol beside the object on the top of the pile. - - hitpointbar - Show a hit point bar graph behind your name and title in the status - display (default off). - - The "curses" interface supports it even if the status highlighting - feature has been disabled when building the program. The "tty" and - "mswin" (aka "Windows GUI") interfaces support it only if status - highlighting is left enabled when building. You don't need to set - up any highlighting rules in order to display the bar. If there is - one for hitpoints in effect and it specifies color, that color will - be used for the bar. However if it specifies video attributes, they - will be ignored in favor of inverse. For tty and curses, blink will - also be used if the current hitpoint value is at or below the criti- - cal HP threshold. @@ -4558,19 +4558,41 @@ + hilite_pile + Visually distinguish piles of objects from individual objects + (default off). The behavior of this option depends on the type of + windowing you use. In text windowing, text highlighting or inverse + video is often used; with tiles, generally displays a small plus- + symbol beside the object on the top of the pile. + + hitpointbar + Show a hit point bar graph behind your name and title in the status + display (default off). + + The "curses" interface supports it even if the status highlighting + feature has been disabled when building the program. The "tty" and + "mswin" (aka "Windows GUI") interfaces support it only if status + highlighting is left enabled when building. You don't need to set + up any highlighting rules in order to display the bar. If there is + one for hitpoints in effect and it specifies color, that color will + be used for the bar. However if it specifies video attributes, they + will be ignored in favor of inverse. For tty and curses, blink will + also be used if the current hitpoint value is at or below the criti- + cal HP threshold. + The "Qt" interface also supports hitpointbar, by drawing a solid bar - above the name and title with a hard-coded color scheme. (As of + above the name and title with a hard-coded color scheme. (As of this writing, having the bar enabled unintentionally inhibits resiz- - ing the status panel. To resize that, use the #optionsfull command - to toggle the hitpointbar option off, perform the resize while it's + ing the status panel. To resize that, use the #optionsfull command + to toggle the hitpointbar option off, perform the resize while it's off, then use the same command to toggle it back on.) horsename - Name your starting horse (for example "horsename:Trigger"). Cannot + Name your starting horse (for example "horsename:Trigger"). Cannot be set with the `O' command. ignintr - Ignore interrupt signals, including breaks (default off). Persis- + Ignore interrupt signals, including breaks (default off). Persis- tent. implicit_uncursed @@ -4588,30 +4610,8 @@ your character as lit (default off). Persistent. lootabc - When using a menu to interact with a container, use the old `a', - `b', and `c' keyboard shortcuts rather than the mnemonics `o', `i', - and `b' (default off). Persistent. - - mail - Enable mail delivery during the game (default on). Persistent. - - male - An obsolete synonym for "gender:male". Cannot be set with the `O' - command. - - mention_decor - Give feedback when walking onto various dungeon features such as - stairs, fountains, or altars which are ordinarily only described - when covered by one or more objects (default off). Cannot be set - with the `O' command. Persistent. - - mention_map - Give feedback when interesting map locations change (default off). - - mention_walls - Give feedback when walking against a wall (default off). Persis- - tent. - + When using a menu to interact with a container, use the old `a', + `b', and `c' keyboard shortcuts rather than the mnemonics `o', `i', NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -4624,27 +4624,49 @@ + and `b' (default off). Persistent. + + mail + Enable mail delivery during the game (default on). Persistent. + + male + An obsolete synonym for "gender:male". Cannot be set with the `O' + command. + + mention_decor + Give feedback when walking onto various dungeon features such as + stairs, fountains, or altars which are ordinarily only described + when covered by one or more objects (default off). Cannot be set + with the `O' command. Persistent. + + mention_map + Give feedback when interesting map locations change (default off). + + mention_walls + Give feedback when walking against a wall (default off). Persis- + tent. + menucolors - Enable coloring menu lines (default off). See "Configuring Menu + Enable coloring menu lines (default off). See "Configuring Menu Colors" on how to configure the colors. menustyle Controls the method used when you need to choose various objects (in - response to the Drop (aka droptype) command, for instance). The - value specified should be the first letter of one of the following: - traditional, combination, full, or partial. Default is full. Per- + response to the Drop (aka droptype) command, for instance). The + value specified should be the first letter of one of the following: + traditional, combination, full, or partial. Default is full. Per- sistent. - Traditional was the only method available for very early versions; - it consists of a prompt for object class characters, followed by an - object-by-object prompt for all items matching the selected object + Traditional was the only method available for very early versions; + it consists of a prompt for object class characters, followed by an + object-by-object prompt for all items matching the selected object class(es). Combination starts with a prompt for object class(es) of - interest, but then displays a menu of matching objects rather than + interest, but then displays a menu of matching objects rather than prompting one-by-one. Full displays a menu of object classes rather - than a character prompt, and then a menu of matching objects for + than a character prompt, and then a menu of matching objects for selection. (Choosing its `A' (Autoselect-All) choice skips the sec- - ond menu. To avoid choosing that by accident, set paranoid_con- - firm:AutoAll to require confirmation.) Partial skips the object + ond menu. To avoid choosing that by accident, set paranoid_con- + firm:AutoAll to require confirmation.) Partial skips the object class filtering and immediately displays a menu of all objects. menu_deselect_all @@ -4656,10 +4678,22 @@ menu_first_page Key to jump to the first page in a menu. Default `^'. + + + NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 + + + + + + NetHack Guidebook 72 + + + menu_headings - Controls how the headings in a menu are highlighted. Takes a text - attribute, or text color and attribute separated by ampersand. For - allowed attributes and colors, see "Configuring Menu Colors". Not + Controls how the headings in a menu are highlighted. Takes a text + attribute, or text color and attribute separated by ampersand. For + allowed attributes and colors, see "Configuring Menu Colors". Not all ports can actually display all types. menu_invert_all @@ -4675,25 +4709,13 @@ Key to go to the next menu page. Default `>'. menu_objsyms - Inventory and other object menus are normally separated by object + Inventory and other object menus are normally separated by object class (weapons, armor, and so forth), with a menu header line at the - beginning of each group. You can have menus add the display symbol - - - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 - - - - - - NetHack Guidebook 72 - - - + beginning of each group. You can have menus add the display symbol for the class of objects for each header line. You can also add the - display symbol for the individual item in each menu entry. For a + display symbol for the individual item in each menu entry. For a tiles map, that would be a small rendition of an object's tile. For - a text map, it is the same character as is used for the object's + a text map, it is the same character as is used for the object's class, which would be most useful when there are no headers separat- ing objects among classes. Possible values are @@ -4702,13 +4724,13 @@ 1 - Headers - show symbols on header lines but not entries; 2 - Entries - show symbols on menu entry lines but not headers; 3 - Both - show symbols on headers and entries; - 4 - Conditional - only show symbols for entries if there are no + 4 - Conditional - only show symbols for entries if there are no headers; - 5 - One-or-other - show symbols on headers, or on entries if no + 5 - One-or-other - show symbols on headers, or on entries if no headers. - Supported by tty and curses. When setting the value, it can be - specified by digit or keyword. The default value is Conditional + Supported by tty and curses. When setting the value, it can be + specified by digit or keyword. The default value is Conditional (4). menu_overlay @@ -4719,31 +4741,9 @@ Key to go to the previous menu page. Default `<'. menu_search - Key to search for some text and toggle selection state of matching + Key to search for some text and toggle selection state of matching menu items. Default `:'. - menu_select_all - Key to select all items in a menu. Default `.'. - - menu_select_page - Key to select all items on this page of a menu. Default `,'. - - menu_shift_left - Key to scroll a menu--one which has been scrolled right--back to the - left. Implemented for perm_invent only by curses and X11. Default - `{'. - - menu_shift_right - Key to scroll a menu which has text beyond the right edge to the - right. Implemented for perm_invent only by curses and X11. Default - `}'. - - mon_movement - Show a message when hero notices a monster movement (default is - off). - - monpolycontrol - Prompt for new form whenever any monster changes shape (default NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -4756,6 +4756,28 @@ + menu_select_all + Key to select all items in a menu. Default `.'. + + menu_select_page + Key to select all items on this page of a menu. Default `,'. + + menu_shift_left + Key to scroll a menu--one which has been scrolled right--back to the + left. Implemented for perm_invent only by curses and X11. Default + `{'. + + menu_shift_right + Key to scroll a menu which has text beyond the right edge to the + right. Implemented for perm_invent only by curses and X11. Default + `}'. + + mon_movement + Show a message when hero notices a monster movement (default is + off). + + monpolycontrol + Prompt for new form whenever any monster changes shape (default off). Debug mode only. montelecontrol @@ -4773,12 +4795,12 @@ port is the same as specifying 0. msghistory - The number of top line messages to keep (and be able to recall with + The number of top line messages to keep (and be able to recall with `^P') (default 20). Cannot be set with the `O' command. msg_window - Allows you to change the way recalled messages are displayed. Cur- - rently it is only supported for tty (all four choices) and for + Allows you to change the way recalled messages are displayed. Cur- + rently it is only supported for tty (all four choices) and for curses (`f' and `r' choices, default `r'). The possible values are: s - single message (default; only choice prior to 3.4.0); @@ -4786,30 +4808,8 @@ f - full window, oldest message first; r - full window reversed, newest message first. - For backward compatibility, no value needs to be specified (which - defaults to "full"), or it can be negated (which defaults to "sin- - gle"). - - name - Set your character's name (defaults to your user name). You can - also set your character's role by appending a dash and one or more - letters of the role (that is, by suffixing one of -A -B -C -H -K -M - -P -Ra -Ro -S -T -V -W). If -@ is used for the role, then a random - one will be automatically chosen. - - On some systems, the default is the player's user name; on others, - there is no default and the player will be prompted. The former can - made to behave like the latter by specifying a generic name such as - ``player''. Cannot be set with the `O' command. - - news - Read the NetHack news file, if present (default on). Since the news - is shown at the beginning of the game, there's no point in setting - this with the `O' command. - - nudist - Start the character with no armor (default false). Persistent. - + For backward compatibility, no value needs to be specified (which + defaults to "full"), or it can be negated (which defaults to "sin- NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -4822,6 +4822,28 @@ + gle"). + + name + Set your character's name (defaults to your user name). You can + also set your character's role by appending a dash and one or more + letters of the role (that is, by suffixing one of -A -B -C -H -K -M + -P -Ra -Ro -S -T -V -W). If -@ is used for the role, then a random + one will be automatically chosen. + + On some systems, the default is the player's user name; on others, + there is no default and the player will be prompted. The former can + made to behave like the latter by specifying a generic name such as + ``player''. Cannot be set with the `O' command. + + news + Read the NetHack news file, if present (default on). Since the news + is shown at the beginning of the game, there's no point in setting + this with the `O' command. + + nudist + Start the character with no armor (default false). Persistent. + null Send padding nulls to the terminal (default on). Persistent. @@ -4837,45 +4859,23 @@ -1 - by letters but use `z' to go northwest, `y' to zap wands For backward compatibility, omitting a value is the same as specify- - ing 1 and negating number_pad is the same as specifying 0. (Set- - tings 2 and 4 are for compatibility with MS-DOS or old PC Hack; in - addition to the different behavior for `5', `Alt-5' acts as `G' and - `Alt-0' acts as `I'. Setting -1 is to accommodate some QWERTZ key- - boards which have the location of the `y' and `z' keys swapped.) - When moving by numbers, to enter a count prefix for those commands - which accept one (such as "12s" to search twelve times), precede it + ing 1 and negating number_pad is the same as specifying 0. (Set- + tings 2 and 4 are for compatibility with MS-DOS or old PC Hack; in + addition to the different behavior for `5', `Alt-5' acts as `G' and + `Alt-0' acts as `I'. Setting -1 is to accommodate some QWERTZ key- + boards which have the location of the `y' and `z' keys swapped.) + When moving by numbers, to enter a count prefix for those commands + which accept one (such as "12s" to search twelve times), precede it with the letter `n' ("n12s"). packorder - Specify the order to list object types in (default + Specify the order to list object types in (default "")[%?+!=/(*`0_"). The value of this option should be a string con- taining the symbols for the various object types. Any omitted types are filled in at the end from the previous order. paranoid_confirmation - A space separated list of specific situations where alternate - prompting is desired. The default is "paranoid_confirmation:pray - swim trap". - - Confirm - for any prompts which are set to require "yes" rather - than `y', also require "no" to reject instead of - accepting any non-yes response as no; changes pray and - AutoAll to require "yes" or `no' too; - quit - require "yes" rather than `y' to confirm quitting the - game or switching into non-scoring explore mode; - die - require "yes" rather than `y' to confirm dying (not - useful in normal play; applies to explore mode); - bones - require "yes" rather than `y' to confirm saving bones - data when dying in debug mode; - attack - require "yes" rather than `y' to confirm attacking a - peaceful monster; - wand-break - require "yes" rather than `y' to confirm breaking a - wand with the apply command; - eating - require "yes" rather than `y' to confirm whether to - continue eating; - Were-change - require "yes" rather than `y' to confirm changing form - due to lycanthropy when hero has polymorph control; - pray - require `y' to confirm an attempt to pray rather than + A space separated list of specific situations where alternate NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -4888,60 +4888,60 @@ - immediately praying; on by default; (to require "yes" + prompting is desired. The default is "paranoid_confirmation:pray + swim trap". + + Confirm - for any prompts which are set to require "yes" rather + than `y', also require "no" to reject instead of + accepting any non-yes response as no; changes pray and + AutoAll to require "yes" or `no' too; + quit - require "yes" rather than `y' to confirm quitting the + game or switching into non-scoring explore mode; + die - require "yes" rather than `y' to confirm dying (not + useful in normal play; applies to explore mode); + bones - require "yes" rather than `y' to confirm saving bones + data when dying in debug mode; + attack - require "yes" rather than `y' to confirm attacking a + peaceful monster; + wand-break - require "yes" rather than `y' to confirm breaking a + wand with the apply command; + eating - require "yes" rather than `y' to confirm whether to + continue eating; + Were-change - require "yes" rather than `y' to confirm changing form + due to lycanthropy when hero has polymorph control; + pray - require `y' to confirm an attempt to pray rather than + immediately praying; on by default; (to require "yes" rather than just `y', set Confirm too); trap - require `y' to confirm an attempt to move into or onto - a known trap, unless doing so is considered to be + a known trap, unless doing so is considered to be harmless; when enabled, this confirmation is also used for moving into visible gas cloud regions; (to require - "yes" rather than just `y', set Confirm too); confir- - mation can be skipped by using the `m' movement pre- + "yes" rather than just `y', set Confirm too); confir- + mation can be skipped by using the `m' movement pre- fix; swim - prevent walking into water or lava; on by default; (to - deliberately step onto/into such terrain when this is + deliberately step onto/into such terrain when this is set, use the `m' movement prefix when adjacent); - AutoAll - require confirmation when the `A' (Autoselect-All) + AutoAll - require confirmation when the `A' (Autoselect-All) choice is selected in object class filtering menus for - menustyle:Full; (to require "yes" rather than just + menustyle:Full; (to require "yes" rather than just `y', set Confirm too); - Remove - require selection from inventory for `R' and `T' com- + Remove - require selection from inventory for `R' and `T' com- mands even when wearing just one applicable item; all - turn on all of the above. By default, the pray, swim, and trap choices are enabled, the others disabled. To disable them without setting any of the other choices, - use paranoid_confirmation:none. To keep them enabled while setting - any of the others, you can include them in the new list, such as + use paranoid_confirmation:none. To keep them enabled while setting + any of the others, you can include them in the new list, such as paranoid_confirmation:attack pray swim Remove or you can precede the - first entry in the list with a plus sign, paranoid_confirma- - tion:+attack Remove. To remove an entry that has been previously - set without removing others, precede the first entry in the list - with a minus sign, paranoid_confirmation:-swim. To both add some - new entries and remove some old ones, you can use multiple para- - noid_confirmation option settings, or you can use the `+' form and - list entries to be added by their name and entries to be removed by - `!' and name. The positive (no `!') and negative (with `!') entries - can be intermixed. - - pauper - Start the character with no possessions (default false). Persis- - tent. - - perm_invent - If true, always display your current inventory in a window (default - false). - - This only makes sense for windowing system interfaces that implement - this feature. For those that do, the perminv_mode option can be - used to refine what gets displayed for perm_invent. Setting that to - a value other than none while perm_invent is false will change it to - true. - - perminv_mode - Augments the perm_invent option. Value is one of - - none - behave as if perm_invent is false; - all - show all inventory except for gold; + first entry in the list with a plus sign, paranoid_confirma- + tion:+attack Remove. To remove an entry that has been previously + set without removing others, precede the first entry in the list + with a minus sign, paranoid_confirmation:-swim. To both add some + new entries and remove some old ones, you can use multiple para- + noid_confirmation option settings, or you can use the `+' form and + list entries to be added by their name and entries to be removed by NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -4954,6 +4954,32 @@ + `!' and name. The positive (no `!') and negative (with `!') entries + can be intermixed. + + pauper + Start the character with no possessions (default false). Persis- + tent. + + Also start with no spells or skills, which are tied to starting + equipment. Does not inhibit acquiring and using items, spells, and + skills once play has started. + + perm_invent + If true, always display your current inventory in a window (default + false). + + This only makes sense for windowing system interfaces that implement + this feature. For those that do, the perminv_mode option can be + used to refine what gets displayed for perm_invent. Setting that to + a value other than none while perm_invent is false will change it to + true. + + perminv_mode + Augments the perm_invent option. Value is one of + + none - behave as if perm_invent is false; + all - show all inventory except for gold; full - show full inventory including gold; in-use - only show items which are in use (worn, wielded, lit lamp). @@ -4966,48 +4992,22 @@ petattr Specifies one or more text highlighting attributes to use when show- ing pets on the map. Effectively a superset of the hilite_pet bool- - ean option. Curses or tty interface only; value is one of none, - bold, dim, underline, italic, blink, and inverse. Some of those + ean option. Curses or tty interface only; value is one of none, + bold, dim, underline, italic, blink, and inverse. Some of those choices might not work, depending upon terminal hardware or terminal emulation software. pettype Specify the type of your initial pet, if you are playing a character class that uses multiple types of pets; or choose to have no initial - pet at all. Possible values are "cat", "dog", "horse", and "none". + pet at all. Possible values are "cat", "dog", "horse", and "none". If the choice is not allowed for the role you are currently playing, it will be silently ignored. For example, "horse" will only be hon- ored when playing a knight. Cannot be set with the `O' command. pickup_burden - When you pick up an item that would exceed this encumbrance level - (Unencumbered, Burdened, streSsed, straiNed, overTaxed, or over- - Loaded), you will be asked if you want to continue. (Default `S'). - Persistent. - - pickup_stolen - If this option is on and autopickup is also on, try to pick up - things that a monster stole from you, even if they aren't in - pickup_types or match an autopickup exception. Default is on. Per- - sistent. - - pickup_thrown - If this option is on and autopickup is also on, try to pick up - things that you threw, even if they aren't in pickup_types or match - an autopickup exception. Default is on. Persistent. - - pickup_types - Specify the object types to be picked up when autopickup is on. - Default is all types. Persistent. - - The value is a list of object symbols, such as pickup_types:$?! to - pick up gold, scrolls, and potions. You can use autopickup_excep- - tion configuration file lines to further refine autopickup behavior. - - There is no way to set pickup_types to "none". (Setting it to an - empty value reverts to "all".) If you want to avoid automatically - picking up any types of items but do want to have autopickup on in - order to have autopickup_exception settings control what you do and + When you pick up an item that would exceed this encumbrance level + (Unencumbered, Burdened, streSsed, straiNed, overTaxed, or over- NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -5020,60 +5020,60 @@ - don't pick up, you can set pickup_types to `.'. That is the type - symbol for venom and you won't come across any venom items so won't + Loaded), you will be asked if you want to continue. (Default `S'). + Persistent. + + pickup_stolen + If this option is on and autopickup is also on, try to pick up + things that a monster stole from you, even if they aren't in + pickup_types or match an autopickup exception. Default is on. Per- + sistent. + + pickup_thrown + If this option is on and autopickup is also on, try to pick up + things that you threw, even if they aren't in pickup_types or match + an autopickup exception. Default is on. Persistent. + + pickup_types + Specify the object types to be picked up when autopickup is on. + Default is all types. Persistent. + + The value is a list of object symbols, such as pickup_types:$?! to + pick up gold, scrolls, and potions. You can use autopickup_excep- + tion configuration file lines to further refine autopickup behavior. + + There is no way to set pickup_types to "none". (Setting it to an + empty value reverts to "all".) If you want to avoid automatically + picking up any types of items but do want to have autopickup on in + order to have autopickup_exception settings control what you do and + don't pick up, you can set pickup_types to `.'. That is the type + symbol for venom and you won't come across any venom items so won't unintentionally pick such up. pile_limit - When walking across a pile of objects on the floor, threshold at + When walking across a pile of objects on the floor, threshold at which the message "there are few/several/many objects here" is given - instead of showing a popup list of those objects. A value of 0 + instead of showing a popup list of those objects. A value of 0 means "no limit" (always list the objects); a value of 1 effectively means "never show the objects" since the pile size will always be at least that big; default value is 5. Persistent. playmode - Values are "normal", "explore", or "debug". Allows selection of - explore mode (also known as discovery mode) or debug mode (also + Values are "normal", "explore", or "debug". Allows selection of + explore mode (also known as discovery mode) or debug mode (also known as wizard mode) instead of normal play. Debug mode might only - be allowed for someone logged in under a particular user name (on - multi-user systems) or specifying a particular character name (on - single-user systems) or it might be disabled entirely. Requesting + be allowed for someone logged in under a particular user name (on + multi-user systems) or specifying a particular character name (on + single-user systems) or it might be disabled entirely. Requesting it when not allowed or not possible results in explore mode instead. Default is normal play. price_quotes Whenever the game mentions the name of an object you haven't identi- fied yet, it also mentions the range of buy and sell prices you have - seen for that item (to help narrow down what it could be). The - price shown is the unit price for one item (even when you are look- - ing at a stack of multiple items). Many players may want to turn - this on while identifying objects, and then turn it back off again - for general play. Default is off. - - pushweapon - Using the `w' (wield) command when already wielding something pushes - the old item into your alternate weapon slot (default off). Like- - wise for the `a' (apply) command if it causes the applied item to - become wielded. Persistent. - - query_menu - Use a menu when asked specific yes/no queries, instead of a prompt. - - quick_farsight - When set, usually prevents the "you sense your surroundings" message - where play pauses to allow you to browse the map whenever clairvoy- - ance randomly activates. Some situations, such as being underwater - or engulfed, ignore this option. It does not affect the clairvoy- - ance spell where pausing to examine revealed objects or monsters is - less intrusive. Default is off. Persistent. - - race - Selects your race (for example, race:human). Choices are human, - dwarf, elf, gnome, and orc but most roles restrict which of the non- - human races are allowed. See role for a description of how to use - negation to exclude choices. - + seen for that item (to help narrow down what it could be). The + price shown is the unit price for one item (even when you are look- + ing at a stack of multiple items). Many players may want to turn NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -5086,60 +5086,60 @@ - If race is not specified, there is no default value; player will be - prompted unless role forces a choice for race. Cannot be set with + this on while identifying objects, and then turn it back off again + for general play. Default is off. + + pushweapon + Using the `w' (wield) command when already wielding something pushes + the old item into your alternate weapon slot (default off). Like- + wise for the `a' (apply) command if it causes the applied item to + become wielded. Persistent. + + query_menu + Use a menu when asked specific yes/no queries, instead of a prompt. + + quick_farsight + When set, usually prevents the "you sense your surroundings" message + where play pauses to allow you to browse the map whenever clairvoy- + ance randomly activates. Some situations, such as being underwater + or engulfed, ignore this option. It does not affect the clairvoy- + ance spell where pausing to examine revealed objects or monsters is + less intrusive. Default is off. Persistent. + + race + Selects your race (for example, race:human). Choices are human, + dwarf, elf, gnome, and orc but most roles restrict which of the non- + human races are allowed. See role for a description of how to use + negation to exclude choices. + + If race is not specified, there is no default value; player will be + prompted unless role forces a choice for race. Cannot be set with the `O' command. Persistent. reroll - Allows rerolling your character's starting inventory and attributes + Allows rerolling your character's starting inventory and attributes (default false). Persistent. - Note that rerolling your character is not a recommended way to play - if aiming merely to win (a lucky start has a much smaller influence - on whether or not you win the game than your actions later in the - game). This option exists partly as an acknowledgement that some + Note that rerolling your character is not a recommended way to play + if aiming merely to win (a lucky start has a much smaller influence + on whether or not you win the game than your actions later in the + game). This option exists partly as an acknowledgement that some players will insist on doing so anyway, and partly because rerolling may be necessary for certain types of challenge games. rest_on_space - Make the space bar a synonym for the `.' (#wait) command (default + Make the space bar a synonym for the `.' (#wait) command (default off). Persistent. role Pick your type of character (for example, role:Samurai); synonym for - character. See name for an alternate method of specifying your + character. See name for an alternate method of specifying your role. - This option can also be used to limit selection when role is chosen - randomly. Use a space-separated list of roles and either negate - each one or negate the option itself instead. Negation is accom- + This option can also be used to limit selection when role is chosen + randomly. Use a space-separated list of roles and either negate + each one or negate the option itself instead. Negation is accom- plished in the same manner as with boolean options, by prefixing the - option or its value(s) with `!' or "no". - Examples: - - OPTIONS=role:!arc !bar !kni - OPTIONS=!role:arc bar kni - - There can be multiple instances of the role option if they're all - negations. - - If role is not specified, there is no default value; player will be - prompted. Cannot be set with the `O' command. Persistent. - - roguesymset - This option may be used to select one of the named symbol sets found - within "symbols" to alter the symbols displayed on the screen on the - rogue level. - - rlecomp - When writing out a save file, perform run length compression of the - map. Not all ports support run length compression. It has no effect - on reading an existing save file. - - runmode - Controls the amount of screen updating for the map window when - engaged in multi-turn movement (running via shift+direction or con- - trol+direction and so forth, or via the travel command or mouse NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -5152,6 +5152,32 @@ + option or its value(s) with `!' or "no". + Examples: + + OPTIONS=role:!arc !bar !kni + OPTIONS=!role:arc bar kni + + There can be multiple instances of the role option if they're all + negations. + + If role is not specified, there is no default value; player will be + prompted. Cannot be set with the `O' command. Persistent. + + roguesymset + This option may be used to select one of the named symbol sets found + within "symbols" to alter the symbols displayed on the screen on the + rogue level. + + rlecomp + When writing out a save file, perform run length compression of the + map. Not all ports support run length compression. It has no effect + on reading an existing save file. + + runmode + Controls the amount of screen updating for the map window when + engaged in multi-turn movement (running via shift+direction or con- + trol+direction and so forth, or via the travel command or mouse click). The possible values are: teleport - update the map after movement has finished; @@ -5159,10 +5185,10 @@ walk - update the map after each step; crawl - like walk, but pause briefly after each step. - This option only affects the game's screen display, not the actual - results of moving. The default is "run"; versions prior to 3.4.1 - used "teleport" only. Whether or not the effect is noticeable will - depend upon the window port used or on the type of terminal. Per- + This option only affects the game's screen display, not the actual + results of moving. The default is "run"; versions prior to 3.4.1 + used "teleport" only. Whether or not the effect is noticeable will + depend upon the window port used or on the type of terminal. Per- sistent. safe_pet @@ -5170,42 +5196,16 @@ sistent. safe_wait - Prevents you from waiting or searching when next to a hostile mon- + Prevents you from waiting or searching when next to a hostile mon- ster (default on). Persistent. sanity_check - Evaluate monsters, objects, and map prior to each turn (default + Evaluate monsters, objects, and map prior to each turn (default off). Debug mode only. scores - Control what parts of the score list you are shown at the end (for - example "scores:5 top scores/4 around my score/own scores"). Only - the first letter of each category (`t', `a', or `o') is necessary. - Persistent. - - showdamage - Whenever your character takes damage, show a message of the damage - taken, and the amount of hit points left. - - showexp - Show your accumulated experience points on bottom line (default - off). Persistent. - - showrace - Display yourself as the glyph for your race, rather than the glyph - for your role (default off). Note that this setting affects only - the appearance of the display, not the way the game treats you. - Persistent. - - showscore - Show your approximate accumulated score on bottom line (default - off). By default, this feature is suppressed when building the pro- - gram. Persistent. - - showvers - Include the game's version number on the status lines (default off). - Potentially useful if you switch between different versions or vari- - ants, or you are making screenshots or streaming video. Using the + Control what parts of the score list you are shown at the end (for + example "scores:5 top scores/4 around my score/own scores"). Only NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -5218,9 +5218,35 @@ - statuslines:3 option is recommended so that there will be more room - available for status information, unless you're using NetHack's Qt - interface or your terminal emulator window displays fewer than 25 + the first letter of each category (`t', `a', or `o') is necessary. + Persistent. + + showdamage + Whenever your character takes damage, show a message of the damage + taken, and the amount of hit points left. + + showexp + Show your accumulated experience points on bottom line (default + off). Persistent. + + showrace + Display yourself as the glyph for your race, rather than the glyph + for your role (default off). Note that this setting affects only + the appearance of the display, not the way the game treats you. + Persistent. + + showscore + Show your approximate accumulated score on bottom line (default + off). By default, this feature is suppressed when building the pro- + gram. Persistent. + + showvers + Include the game's version number on the status lines (default off). + Potentially useful if you switch between different versions or vari- + ants, or you are making screenshots or streaming video. Using the + statuslines:3 option is recommended so that there will be more room + available for status information, unless you're using NetHack's Qt + interface or your terminal emulator window displays fewer than 25 lines. Persistent. silent @@ -5232,46 +5258,20 @@ The possible values are: - o - list object types by class, in discovery order within each + o - list object types by class, in discovery order within each class; default; - s - list object types by sortloot classification: by class, by sub- - class within class for classes which have substantial groupings - (like helmets, boots, gloves, and so forth for armor), with - object types partly-discovered via assigned name coming before + s - list object types by sortloot classification: by class, by sub- + class within class for classes which have substantial groupings + (like helmets, boots, gloves, and so forth for armor), with + object types partly-discovered via assigned name coming before fully identified types; c - list by class, alphabetically within each class; a - list alphabetically across all classes. - Can be interactively set via the `O' command or via using the `m' + Can be interactively set via the `O' command or via using the `m' prefix before the `\' or ``' command. - sortloot - Controls the sorting behavior of the pickup lists for inventory and - #loot commands and some others. Persistent. - The possible values are: - - full - always sort the lists; - loot - only sort the lists that don't use inventory letters, like - with the #loot and pickup commands; - none - show lists the traditional way without sorting; default. - - sortpack - Sort the pack contents by type when displaying inventory (default - on). Persistent. - - sortvanquished - Controls the sorting behavior for the output of the #vanquished com- - mand and also for the #genocided command. Persistent. - - The possible values are: - - t - traditional--order by monster level; ties are broken by internal - monster index; default; - d - order by monster difficulty rating; ties broken by internal - index; - a - order alphabetically, first any unique monsters then all the - others; NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -5284,13 +5284,40 @@ + sortloot + Controls the sorting behavior of the pickup lists for inventory and + #loot commands and some others. Persistent. + + The possible values are: + + full - always sort the lists; + loot - only sort the lists that don't use inventory letters, like + with the #loot and pickup commands; + none - show lists the traditional way without sorting; default. + + sortpack + Sort the pack contents by type when displaying inventory (default + on). Persistent. + + sortvanquished + Controls the sorting behavior for the output of the #vanquished com- + mand and also for the #genocided command. Persistent. + + The possible values are: + + t - traditional--order by monster level; ties are broken by internal + monster index; default; + d - order by monster difficulty rating; ties broken by internal + index; + a - order alphabetically, first any unique monsters then all the + others; c - order by monster class, by low to high level within each class; n - order by count, high to low; ties are broken by internal monster index; z - order by count, low to high; ties broken by internal index. - Can be interactively set via the `m O' command or via using the `m' - prefix before either the #vanquished command or the #genocided com- + Can be interactively set via the `m O' command or via using the `m' + prefix before either the #vanquished command or the #genocided com- mand. sounds @@ -5298,7 +5325,7 @@ on). sparkle - Display a sparkly effect when a monster (including yourself) is hit + Display a sparkly effect when a monster (including yourself) is hit by an attack to which it is resistant (default on). Persistent. spot_monsters @@ -5312,33 +5339,6 @@ If negated or set to zero, disables status hiliting. See "Configur- ing Status Hilites" for further information. - status_updates - Allow updates to the status lines at the bottom of the screen - (default true). - - suppress_alert - This option may be set to a NetHack version level to suppress alert - notification messages about feature changes for that and prior ver- - sions (for example "suppress_alert:3.3.1"). - - symset - This option may be used to select one of the named symbol sets found - within "symbols" to alter the symbols displayed on the screen. Use - "symset:default" to explicitly select the default symbols. - - time - Show the elapsed game time in turns on bottom line (default off). - Persistent. - - timed_delay - When pausing momentarily for display effect, such as with explosions - and moving objects, use a timer rather than sending extra characters - to the screen. (Applies to "tty" and "curses" interfaces only; - "X11" interface always uses a timer-based delay. The default is on - if configured into the program.) Persistent. - - - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -5350,6 +5350,31 @@ + status_updates + Allow updates to the status lines at the bottom of the screen + (default true). + + suppress_alert + This option may be set to a NetHack version level to suppress alert + notification messages about feature changes for that and prior ver- + sions (for example "suppress_alert:3.3.1"). + + symset + This option may be used to select one of the named symbol sets found + within "symbols" to alter the symbols displayed on the screen. Use + "symset:default" to explicitly select the default symbols. + + time + Show the elapsed game time in turns on bottom line (default off). + Persistent. + + timed_delay + When pausing momentarily for display effect, such as with explosions + and moving objects, use a timer rather than sending extra characters + to the screen. (Applies to "tty" and "curses" interfaces only; + "X11" interface always uses a timer-based delay. The default is on + if configured into the program.) Persistent. + tips Show some helpful tips during gameplay (default on). Persistent. @@ -5357,8 +5382,8 @@ Draw a tombstone graphic upon your death (default on). Persistent. toptenwin - Put the ending display in a NetHack window instead of on stdout - (default off). Setting this option makes the score list visible + Put the ending display in a NetHack window instead of on stdout + (default off). Setting this option makes the score list visible when a windowing version of NetHack is started without a parent win- dow, but it no longer leaves the score list around after game end on a terminal or emulating window. @@ -5366,7 +5391,7 @@ travel Allow the travel command via mouse click (default on). Turning this option off will prevent the game from attempting unintended moves if - you make inadvertent mouse clicks on the map window. Does not + you make inadvertent mouse clicks on the map window. Does not affect traveling via the `_' ("#travel") command. Persistent. tutorial @@ -5377,33 +5402,8 @@ Provide more commentary during the game (default on). Persistent. whatis_coord - When using the `/' or `;' commands to look around on the map with - autodescribe on, display coordinates after the description. Also - works in other situations where you are asked to pick a location. - - The possible settings are: - - c - compass ("east" or "3s" or "2n,4w"); - f - full compass ("east" or "3south" or "2north,4west"); - m - map (map column x=0 is not used); - s - screen [row,column] (row is offset to match tty usage); - n - none (no coordinates shown) [default]. - - The whatis_coord option is also used with the "/m", "/M", "/o", and - "/O" sub-commands of `/', where the "none" setting is overridden - with "map". - - whatis_filter - When getting a location on the map, and using the keys to cycle - through next and previous targets, allows filtering the possible - targets. - - n - no filtering [default] - v - in view only - a - in same area only - - The area-filter tries to be slightly predictive--if you're standing - on a doorway, it will consider the area on the side of the door you + When using the `/' or `;' commands to look around on the map with + autodescribe on, display coordinates after the description. Also NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -5416,6 +5416,31 @@ + works in other situations where you are asked to pick a location. + + The possible settings are: + + c - compass ("east" or "3s" or "2n,4w"); + f - full compass ("east" or "3south" or "2north,4west"); + m - map (map column x=0 is not used); + s - screen [row,column] (row is offset to match tty usage); + n - none (no coordinates shown) [default]. + + The whatis_coord option is also used with the "/m", "/M", "/o", and + "/O" sub-commands of `/', where the "none" setting is overridden + with "map". + + whatis_filter + When getting a location on the map, and using the keys to cycle + through next and previous targets, allows filtering the possible + targets. + + n - no filtering [default] + v - in view only + a - in same area only + + The area-filter tries to be slightly predictive--if you're standing + on a doorway, it will consider the area on the side of the door you were last moving towards. Filtering can also be changed when getting a location with the "get- @@ -5423,53 +5448,28 @@ whatis_menu When getting a location on the map, and using a key to cycle through - next and previous targets, use a menu instead to pick a target. + next and previous targets, use a menu instead to pick a target. (default off) whatis_moveskip - When getting a location on the map, and using shifted movement keys - or meta-digit keys to fast-move, instead of moving 8 units at a + When getting a location on the map, and using shifted movement keys + or meta-digit keys to fast-move, instead of moving 8 units at a time, move by skipping the same glyphs. (default off) windowtype - When the program has been built to support multiple interfaces, - select which one to use, such as "tty" or "X11" (default depends on - build-time settings; use "#version" to check). Cannot be set with + When the program has been built to support multiple interfaces, + select which one to use, such as "tty" or "X11" (default depends on + build-time settings; use "#version" to check). Cannot be set with the `O' command. - When used, it should be the first option set since its value might - enable or disable the availability of various other options. For + When used, it should be the first option set since its value might + enable or disable the availability of various other options. For multiple lines in a configuration file, that would be the first non- - comment line. For a comma-separated list in NETHACKOPTIONS or an - OPTIONS line in a configuration file, that would be the rightmost + comment line. For a comma-separated list in NETHACKOPTIONS or an + OPTIONS line in a configuration file, that would be the rightmost option in the list. - wizweight - Augment object descriptions with their objects' weight (default - off). Debug mode only. - zerocomp - When writing out a save file, perform zero-comp compression of the - contents. Not all ports support zero-comp compression. It has no - effect on reading an existing save file. - - 9.5. Window Port Customization options - - Here are explanations of the various options that are used to - customize and change the characteristics of the windowtype that you - have chosen. Character strings that are too long may be truncated. - Not all window ports will adjust for all settings listed here. You - can safely add any of these options to your configuration file, and if - the window port is capable of adjusting to suit your preferences, it - will attempt to do so. If it can't it will silently ignore it. You - can find out if an option is supported by the window port that you are - currently using by checking to see if it shows up in the Options list. - Some options are dynamic and can be specified during the game with the - `O' command. - - align_message - Where to align or place the message window (top, bottom, left, or - right) NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -5482,16 +5482,43 @@ + wizweight + Augment object descriptions with their objects' weight (default + off). Debug mode only. + + zerocomp + When writing out a save file, perform zero-comp compression of the + contents. Not all ports support zero-comp compression. It has no + effect on reading an existing save file. + + 9.5. Window Port Customization options + + Here are explanations of the various options that are used to + customize and change the characteristics of the windowtype that you + have chosen. Character strings that are too long may be truncated. + Not all window ports will adjust for all settings listed here. You + can safely add any of these options to your configuration file, and if + the window port is capable of adjusting to suit your preferences, it + will attempt to do so. If it can't it will silently ignore it. You + can find out if an option is supported by the window port that you are + currently using by checking to see if it shows up in the Options list. + Some options are dynamic and can be specified during the game with the + `O' command. + + align_message + Where to align or place the message window (top, bottom, left, or + right) + align_status - Where to align or place the status window (top, bottom, left, or + Where to align or place the status window (top, bottom, left, or right). ascii_map - If NetHack can, it should display the map using simple characters - (letters and punctuation) rather than tiles graphics. In some - cases, characters can be augmented with line-drawing symbols; use - the symset option to select a symbol set such as DECgraphics or - IBMgraphics if your display supports them. Setting ascii_map to + If NetHack can, it should display the map using simple characters + (letters and punctuation) rather than tiles graphics. In some + cases, characters can be augmented with line-drawing symbols; use + the symset option to select a symbol set such as DECgraphics or + IBMgraphics if your display supports them. Setting ascii_map to True forces tiled_map to be False. color @@ -5500,15 +5527,27 @@ eight_bit_tty If NetHack can, it should pass eight-bit character values (for exam- - ple, specified with the traps option) straight through to your ter- + ple, specified with the traps option) straight through to your ter- minal (default off). font_map - if NetHack can, it should use a font by the chosen name for the map + if NetHack can, it should use a font by the chosen name for the map window. font_menu - If NetHack can, it should use a font by the chosen name for menu + If NetHack can, it should use a font by the chosen name for menu + + + NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 + + + + + + NetHack Guidebook 85 + + + windows. font_message @@ -5520,7 +5559,7 @@ tus window. font_text - If NetHack can, it should use a font by the chosen name for text + If NetHack can, it should use a font by the chosen name for text windows. font_size_map @@ -5535,19 +5574,6 @@ font_size_status If NetHack can, it should use this size font for the status window. - - - - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 - - - - - - NetHack Guidebook 85 - - - font_size_text If NetHack can, it should use this size font for text windows. @@ -5556,8 +5582,8 @@ than in a window. guicolor - Use color text and/or highlighting attributes when displaying some - non-map data (such as menu selector letters). Curses interface + Use color text and/or highlighting attributes when displaying some + non-map data (such as menu selector letters). Curses interface only; default is on. large_font @@ -5567,17 +5593,29 @@ If NetHack can, it should display the map in the manner specified. player_selection - If NetHack can, it should pop up dialog boxes, or use prompts for + If NetHack can, it should pop up dialog boxes, or use prompts for character selection. popup_dialog If NetHack can, it should pop up dialog boxes for input. preload_tiles - If NetHack can, it should preload tiles into memory. For example, + If NetHack can, it should preload tiles into memory. For example, in the protected mode MS-DOS version, control whether tiles get pre- + + + NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 + + + + + + NetHack Guidebook 86 + + + loaded into RAM at the start of the game. Doing so enhances perfor- - mance of the tile graphics, but uses more memory. (default on). + mance of the tile graphics, but uses more memory. (default on). Cannot be set with the `O' command. scroll_amount @@ -5594,81 +5632,43 @@ support this option. softkeyboard - Display an onscreen keyboard. Handhelds are most likely to support + Display an onscreen keyboard. Handhelds are most likely to support this option. splash_screen - If NetHack can, it should display an opening splash screen when it + If NetHack can, it should display an opening splash screen when it starts up (default yes). - - - - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 - - - - - - NetHack Guidebook 86 - - - statuslines Number of lines for traditional below-the-map status display. Acceptable values are 2 and 3 (default is 2). When set to 3, the tty interface moves some fields around and mainly - shows status conditions on their own line. A display capable of - showing at least 25 lines is recommended. The value can be toggled + shows status conditions on their own line. A display capable of + showing at least 25 lines is recommended. The value can be toggled back and forth during the game with the `O' command. The curses interface does likewise if the align_status option is set to top or bottom but ignores statuslines when set to left or right. - The Qt interface already displays more than 3 lines for status so + The Qt interface already displays more than 3 lines for status so uses the statuslines value differently. A value of 3 renders status in the Qt interface's original format, with the status window spread - out vertically. A value of 2 makes status be slightly condensed, - moving some fields to different lines to eliminate one whole line, + out vertically. A value of 2 makes status be slightly condensed, + moving some fields to different lines to eliminate one whole line, reducing the height needed. (If NetHack has been built using a ver- - sion of Qt older than qt-5.9, statuslines can only be set in the - run-time configuration file or via NETHACKOPTIONS, not during play + sion of Qt older than qt-5.9, statuslines can only be set in the + run-time configuration file or via NETHACKOPTIONS, not during play with the `O' command.) term_cols and term_rows - Curses interface only. Number of columns and rows to use for the - display. Curses will attempt to resize to the values specified but - will settle for smaller sizes if they are too big. Default is the + Curses interface only. Number of columns and rows to use for the + display. Curses will attempt to resize to the values specified but + will settle for smaller sizes if they are too big. Default is the current window size. - tile_file - Specify the name of an alternative tile file to override the - default. - - Note: the X11 interface uses X resources rather than NetHack's - options to select an alternate tile file. See NetHack.ad, the sam- - ple X "application defaults" file. - - tile_height - Specify the preferred height of each tile in a tile capable port. - - tile_width - Specify the preferred width of each tile in a tile capable port - - tiled_map - If NetHack can, it should display the map using tiles graphics - rather than simple characters (letters and punctuation, possibly - augmented by line-drawing symbols). Setting tiled_map to True - forces ascii_map to be False. - - use_darkgray - Use bold black instead of blue for black glyphs (TTY only). - - - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -5680,17 +5680,40 @@ + tile_file + Specify the name of an alternative tile file to override the + default. + + Note: the X11 interface uses X resources rather than NetHack's + options to select an alternate tile file. See NetHack.ad, the sam- + ple X "application defaults" file. + + tile_height + Specify the preferred height of each tile in a tile capable port. + + tile_width + Specify the preferred width of each tile in a tile capable port + + tiled_map + If NetHack can, it should display the map using tiles graphics + rather than simple characters (letters and punctuation, possibly + augmented by line-drawing symbols). Setting tiled_map to True + forces ascii_map to be False. + + use_darkgray + Use bold black instead of blue for black glyphs (TTY only). + use_inverse - If NetHack can, it should display inverse when the game specifies + If NetHack can, it should display inverse when the game specifies it. vary_msgcount - If NetHack can, it should display this number of messages at a time + If NetHack can, it should display this number of messages at a time in the message window. windowborders Whether to draw boxes around the map, status area, message area, and - persistent inventory window if enabled. Curses interface only. + persistent inventory window if enabled. Curses interface only. Acceptable values are 0 - off, never show borders @@ -5699,11 +5722,11 @@ 3 - on, except forced off for perm_invent 4 - auto, except forced off for perm_invent - (The 26x82 size threshold for `2' refers to number of rows and col- + (The 26x82 size threshold for `2' refers to number of rows and col- umns of the display. A width of at least 110 columns (80+2+26+2) is needed to show borders if align_status is set to left or right.) - The persistent inventory window, when enabled, can grow until it is + The persistent inventory window, when enabled, can grow until it is too big to fit on most displays, resulting in truncation of its con- tents. If borders are forced on (1) or the display is big enough to show them (2), setting the value to 3 or 4 instead will keep borders @@ -5711,29 +5734,6 @@ tional lines of inventory plus widen each inventory line by two col- umns. - windowcolors - If NetHack can, it should display all windows of a particular style - with the specified foreground and background colors. Windows GUI - and curses windowport only. The format is - - OPTION=windowcolors:style foreground/background - - where style is one of "menu", "message", "status", or "text", and - foreground and background are colors, either numeric (hash sign fol- - lowed by three pairs of hexadecimal digits, #rrggbb), one of the - named colors (black, red, green, brown, blue, magenta, cyan, orange, - bright-green, yellow, bright-blue, bright-magenta, bright-cyan, - white, gray, purple, silver, maroon, fuchsia, lime, olive, navy, - teal, aqua), or (for Windows only) one of Windows UI colors (true- - black, activeborder, activecaption, appworkspace, background, btn- - face, btnshadow, btntext, captiontext, graytext, greytext, high- - light, highlighttext, inactiveborder, inactivecaption, menu, menu- - text, scrollbar, window, windowframe, windowtext). - - wraptext - If NetHack can, it should wrap long lines of text if they don't fit - in the visible area of the window. - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -5746,60 +5746,60 @@ + windowcolors + If NetHack can, it should display all windows of a particular style + with the specified foreground and background colors. Windows GUI + and curses windowport only. The format is + + OPTION=windowcolors:style foreground/background + + where style is one of "menu", "message", "status", or "text", and + foreground and background are colors, either numeric (hash sign fol- + lowed by three pairs of hexadecimal digits, #rrggbb), one of the + named colors (black, red, green, brown, blue, magenta, cyan, orange, + bright-green, yellow, bright-blue, bright-magenta, bright-cyan, + white, gray, purple, silver, maroon, fuchsia, lime, olive, navy, + teal, aqua), or (for Windows only) one of Windows UI colors (true- + black, activeborder, activecaption, appworkspace, background, btn- + face, btnshadow, btntext, captiontext, graytext, greytext, high- + light, highlighttext, inactiveborder, inactivecaption, menu, menu- + text, scrollbar, window, windowframe, windowtext). + + wraptext + If NetHack can, it should wrap long lines of text if they don't fit + in the visible area of the window. + 9.6. Crash Report Options - Please note that NetHack does not send any information off your + Please note that NetHack does not send any information off your computer unless you manually click submit on a form. OPTION=crash_email:email_address OPTION=crash_name:your_name - These options are used only to save you some typing on the + These options are used only to save you some typing on the crash report and #bugreport forms. OPTION=crash_urlmax:bytes - This option is used to limit the length of the URLs generated - and is only needed if your browser cannot handle arbitrarily + This option is used to limit the length of the URLs generated + and is only needed if your browser cannot handle arbitrarily long URLs. 9.7. Platform-specific Customization options - Here are explanations of options that are used by specific plat- + Here are explanations of options that are used by specific plat- forms or ports to customize and change the port behavior. altkeyhandling - Select an alternate way to handle keystrokes (Win32 tty NetHack - only). The name of the handling type is one of "default", "ray", + Select an alternate way to handle keystrokes (Win32 tty NetHack + only). The name of the handling type is one of "default", "ray", "340". altmeta - On systems where this option is available, it can be set to tell - NetHack to convert a two character sequence beginning with ESC into + On systems where this option is available, it can be set to tell + NetHack to convert a two character sequence beginning with ESC into a meta-shifted version of the second character (default off). - This conversion is only done for commands, not for other input - prompts. Note that typing one or more digits as a count prefix - prior to a command--preceded by n if the number_pad option is set-- - is also subject to this conversion, so attempting to abort the count - by typing ESC will leave NetHack waiting for another character to - complete the two character sequence. Type a second ESC to finish - cancelling such a count. At other prompts a single ESC suffices. - - BIOS - Use BIOS calls to update the screen display quickly and to read the - keyboard (allowing the use of arrow keys to move) on machines with - an IBM PC compatible BIOS ROM (default off, OS/2, PC, and ST NetHack - only). - - rawio - Force raw (non-cbreak) mode for faster output and more bulletproof - input (MS-DOS sometimes treats `^P' as a printer toggle without it) - (default off, OS/2, PC, and ST NetHack only). Note: DEC Rainbows - hang if this is turned on. Cannot be set with the `O' command. - - subkeyvalue - (Win32 tty NetHack only). May be used to alter the value of key- - strokes that the operating system returns to NetHack to help compen- NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -5812,19 +5812,42 @@ - sate for international keyboard issues. OPTIONS=subkeyvalue:171/92 - will return 92 to NetHack, if 171 was originally going to be - returned. You can use multiple subkeyvalue assignments in the con- + This conversion is only done for commands, not for other input + prompts. Note that typing one or more digits as a count prefix + prior to a command--preceded by n if the number_pad option is set-- + is also subject to this conversion, so attempting to abort the count + by typing ESC will leave NetHack waiting for another character to + complete the two character sequence. Type a second ESC to finish + cancelling such a count. At other prompts a single ESC suffices. + + BIOS + Use BIOS calls to update the screen display quickly and to read the + keyboard (allowing the use of arrow keys to move) on machines with + an IBM PC compatible BIOS ROM (default off, OS/2, PC, and ST NetHack + only). + + rawio + Force raw (non-cbreak) mode for faster output and more bulletproof + input (MS-DOS sometimes treats `^P' as a printer toggle without it) + (default off, OS/2, PC, and ST NetHack only). Note: DEC Rainbows + hang if this is turned on. Cannot be set with the `O' command. + + subkeyvalue + (Win32 tty NetHack only). May be used to alter the value of key- + strokes that the operating system returns to NetHack to help compen- + sate for international keyboard issues. OPTIONS=subkeyvalue:171/92 + will return 92 to NetHack, if 171 was originally going to be + returned. You can use multiple subkeyvalue assignments in the con- figuration file if needed. Cannot be set with the `O' command. video Set the video mode used (PC NetHack only). Values are "autodetect", - "default", "vga", or "vesa". Setting "vesa" will cause the game to - display tiles, using the full capability of the VGA hardware. Set- + "default", "vga", or "vesa". Setting "vesa" will cause the game to + display tiles, using the full capability of the VGA hardware. Set- ting "vga" will cause the game to display tiles, fixed at 640x480 in - 16 colors, a mode that is compatible with all VGA hardware. Third - party tilesets will probably not work. Setting "autodetect" - attempts "vesa", then "vga", and finally sets "default" if neither + 16 colors, a mode that is compatible with all VGA hardware. Third + party tilesets will probably not work. Setting "autodetect" + attempts "vesa", then "vga", and finally sets "default" if neither of those modes works. Cannot be set with the `O' command. video_height @@ -5834,38 +5857,15 @@ Set the VGA mode resolution width (MS-DOS only, with video:vesa) videocolors - Set the color palette for PC systems using NO_TERMS (default - 4-2-6-1-5-3-15-12-10-14-9-13-11, (PC NetHack only). The order of - colors is red, green, brown, blue, magenta, cyan, bright.white, - bright.red, bright.green, yellow, bright.blue, bright.magenta, and + Set the color palette for PC systems using NO_TERMS (default + 4-2-6-1-5-3-15-12-10-14-9-13-11, (PC NetHack only). The order of + colors is red, green, brown, blue, magenta, cyan, bright.white, + bright.red, bright.green, yellow, bright.blue, bright.magenta, and bright.cyan. Cannot be set with the `O' command. videoshades - Set the intensity level of the three gray scales available (default - dark normal light, PC NetHack only). If the game display is diffi- - cult to read, try adjusting these scales; if this does not correct - the problem, try !color. Cannot be set with the `O' command. - - 9.8. Regular Expressions - - Regular expressions are normally POSIX extended regular expres- - sions. It is possible to compile NetHack without regular expression - support on a platform where there is no regular expression library. - While this is not true of any modern platform, if your NetHack was - built this way, patterns are instead glob patterns; regardless, this - document refers to both as `regular expressions.' This applies to - Autopickup exceptions, Message types, Menu colors, and User sounds. - - 9.9. Configuring Autopickup Exceptions - - You can further refine the behavior of the autopickup option - beyond what is available through the pickup_types option. - - By placing autopickup_exception lines in your configuration file, - you can define patterns to be checked when the game is about to - autopickup something. - - + Set the intensity level of the three gray scales available (default + dark normal light, PC NetHack only). If the game display is diffi- NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -5878,24 +5878,46 @@ + cult to read, try adjusting these scales; if this does not correct + the problem, try !color. Cannot be set with the `O' command. + + 9.8. Regular Expressions + + Regular expressions are normally POSIX extended regular expres- + sions. It is possible to compile NetHack without regular expression + support on a platform where there is no regular expression library. + While this is not true of any modern platform, if your NetHack was + built this way, patterns are instead glob patterns; regardless, this + document refers to both as `regular expressions.' This applies to + Autopickup exceptions, Message types, Menu colors, and User sounds. + + 9.9. Configuring Autopickup Exceptions + + You can further refine the behavior of the autopickup option + beyond what is available through the pickup_types option. + + By placing autopickup_exception lines in your configuration file, + you can define patterns to be checked when the game is about to + autopickup something. + autopickup_exception Sets an exception to the pickup_types option. The autopickup_excep- tion option should be followed by a regular expression to be used as - a pattern to match against the singular form of the description of + a pattern to match against the singular form of the description of an object at your location. - In addition, some characters are treated specially if they occur as + In addition, some characters are treated specially if they occur as the first character in the pattern, specifically: < - always pickup an object that matches rest of pattern; > - never pickup an object that matches rest of pattern. - The autopickup_exception rules are processed in the order in which - they appear in your configuration file, thus allowing a later rule + The autopickup_exception rules are processed in the order in which + they appear in your configuration file, thus allowing a later rule to override an earlier rule. Exceptions can be set with the `O' command, but because they are not - included in your configuration file, they won't be in effect if you + included in your configuration file, they won't be in effect if you save and then restore your game. autopickup_exception rules and not saved with the game. @@ -5905,33 +5927,11 @@ autopickup_exception=">*corpse" autopickup_exception=">* cursed*" - The first example above will result in autopickup of any type of + The first example above will result in autopickup of any type of arrow. The second example results in the exclusion of any corpse from - autopickup. The last example results in the exclusion of items known + autopickup. The last example results in the exclusion of items known to be cursed from autopickup. - 9.10. Changing Key Bindings - - It is possible to change the default key bindings of some special - commands, menu accelerator keys, and extended commands, by using BIND - stanzas in the configuration file. Format is key, followed by the - command to bind to, separated by a colon. The key can be a single - character ("x"), a control key ("^X", "C-x"), a meta key ("M-x"), a - mouse button, or a three-digit decimal ASCII code. - - For example: - - BIND=^X:getpos.autodescribe - BIND=\:menu_first_page - BIND=v:loot - - Extended command keys - You can bind multiple keys to the same extended command. Unbind a - key by using "nothing" as the extended command to bind to. You can - also bind the "", "", and "" keys. - - Menu accelerator keys - The menu control or accelerator keys can also be rebound via OPTIONS NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -5944,60 +5944,60 @@ - lines in the configuration file. You cannot bind object symbols or + 9.10. Changing Key Bindings + + It is possible to change the default key bindings of some special + commands, menu accelerator keys, and extended commands, by using BIND + stanzas in the configuration file. Format is key, followed by the + command to bind to, separated by a colon. The key can be a single + character ("x"), a control key ("^X", "C-x"), a meta key ("M-x"), a + mouse button, or a three-digit decimal ASCII code. + + For example: + + BIND=^X:getpos.autodescribe + BIND=\:menu_first_page + BIND=v:loot + + Extended command keys + You can bind multiple keys to the same extended command. Unbind a + key by using "nothing" as the extended command to bind to. You can + also bind the "", "", and "" keys. + + Menu accelerator keys + The menu control or accelerator keys can also be rebound via OPTIONS + lines in the configuration file. You cannot bind object symbols or selection letters into menu accelerators. Some interfaces only sup- port some of the menu accelerators. Mouse buttons - You can bind "mouse1" or "mouse2" to "nothing", "therecmdmenu", + You can bind "mouse1" or "mouse2" to "nothing", "therecmdmenu", "clicklook", or "mouseaction". Special command keys - Below are the special commands you can rebind. Some of them can be - bound to same keys with no problems, others are in the same "con- + Below are the special commands you can rebind. Some of them can be + bound to same keys with no problems, others are in the same "con- text", and if bound to same keys, only one of those commands will be available. Special command can only be bound to a single key. count - Prefix key to start a count, to repeat a command this many times. + Prefix key to start a count, to repeat a command this many times. With number_pad only. Default is `n'. getdir.help - When asked for a direction, the key to show the help. Default is + When asked for a direction, the key to show the help. Default is `?'. getdir.mouse - When asked for a direction, the key to initiate a simulated mouse - click. You will be asked to pick a location. Use movement key- - strokes to move the cursor around the map, then type the get- + When asked for a direction, the key to initiate a simulated mouse + click. You will be asked to pick a location. Use movement key- + strokes to move the cursor around the map, then type the get- pos.pick.once key (default `,') or the getpos.pick key (default `.') - to finish as if performing a left or right click. Only useful when + to finish as if performing a left or right click. Only useful when using the #therecmdmenu command. Default is `_'. getdir.self - When asked for a direction, the key to target yourself. Default is - `.'. - - getdir.self2 - When asked for a direction, an alternate key to target yourself. - Default is `s'. - - getpos.autodescribe - When asked for a location, the key to toggle autodescribe. Default - is `#'. - - getpos.all.next - When asked for a location, the key to go to next closest interesting - thing. Default is `a'. - - getpos.all.prev - When asked for a location, the key to go to previous closest inter- - esting thing. Default is `A'. - - getpos.door.next - When asked for a location, the key to go to next closest door or - doorway. Default is `d'. - + When asked for a direction, the key to target yourself. Default is NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -6010,6 +6010,28 @@ + `.'. + + getdir.self2 + When asked for a direction, an alternate key to target yourself. + Default is `s'. + + getpos.autodescribe + When asked for a location, the key to toggle autodescribe. Default + is `#'. + + getpos.all.next + When asked for a location, the key to go to next closest interesting + thing. Default is `a'. + + getpos.all.prev + When asked for a location, the key to go to previous closest inter- + esting thing. Default is `A'. + + getpos.door.next + When asked for a location, the key to go to next closest door or + doorway. Default is `d'. + getpos.door.prev When asked for a location, the key to go to previous closest door or doorway. Default is `D'. @@ -6018,15 +6040,15 @@ When asked for a location, the key to show help. Default is `?'. getpos.mon.next - When asked for a location, the key to go to next closest monster. + When asked for a location, the key to go to next closest monster. Default is `m'. getpos.mon.prev - When asked for a location, the key to go to previous closest mon- + When asked for a location, the key to go to previous closest mon- ster. Default is `M'. getpos.obj.next - When asked for a location, the key to go to next closest object. + When asked for a location, the key to go to next closest object. Default is `o'. getpos.obj.prev @@ -6034,37 +6056,15 @@ Default is `O'. getpos.menu - When asked for a location, and using one of the next or previous - keys to cycle through targets, toggle showing a menu instead. + When asked for a location, and using one of the next or previous + keys to cycle through targets, toggle showing a menu instead. Default is `!'. getpos.moveskip - When asked for a location, and using the shifted movement keys or - meta-digit keys to fast-move around, move by skipping the same + When asked for a location, and using the shifted movement keys or + meta-digit keys to fast-move around, move by skipping the same glyphs instead of by 8 units. Default is `*'. - getpos.filter - When asked for a location, change the filtering mode when using one - of the next or previous keys to cycle through targets. Toggles - between no filtering, in view only, and in the same area only. - Default is `"'. - - getpos.pick - When asked for a location, the key to choose the location, and pos- - sibly ask for more info. When simulating a mouse click after being - asked for a direction (see getdir.mouse above), the key to use to - respond as right click. Default is `.'. - - getpos.pick.once - When asked for a location, the key to choose the location, and skip - asking for more info. When simulating a mouse click after being - asked for a direction, the key to respond as left click. Default is - `,'. - - getpos.pick.quick - When asked for a location, the key to choose the location, skip ask- - ing for more info, and exit the location asking loop. Default is - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -6076,26 +6076,47 @@ + getpos.filter + When asked for a location, change the filtering mode when using one + of the next or previous keys to cycle through targets. Toggles + between no filtering, in view only, and in the same area only. + Default is `"'. + + getpos.pick + When asked for a location, the key to choose the location, and pos- + sibly ask for more info. When simulating a mouse click after being + asked for a direction (see getdir.mouse above), the key to use to + respond as right click. Default is `.'. + + getpos.pick.once + When asked for a location, the key to choose the location, and skip + asking for more info. When simulating a mouse click after being + asked for a direction, the key to respond as left click. Default is + `,'. + + getpos.pick.quick + When asked for a location, the key to choose the location, skip ask- + ing for more info, and exit the location asking loop. Default is `;'. getpos.pick.verbose - When asked for a location, the key to choose the location, and show + When asked for a location, the key to choose the location, and show more info without asking. Default is `:'. getpos.self - When asked for a location, the key to go to your location. Default + When asked for a location, the key to go to your location. Default is `@'. getpos.unexplored.next - When asked for a location, the key to go to next closest unexplored + When asked for a location, the key to go to next closest unexplored location. Default is `x'. getpos.unexplored.prev - When asked for a location, the key to go to previous closest unex- + When asked for a location, the key to go to previous closest unex- plored location. Default is `X'. getpos.valid - When asked for a location, the key to go to show valid target loca- + When asked for a location, the key to go to show valid target loca- tions. Default is `$'. getpos.valid.next @@ -6103,32 +6124,11 @@ tion. Default is `z'. getpos.valid.prev - When asked for a location, the key to go to previous closest valid + When asked for a location, the key to go to previous closest valid location. Default is `Z'. - 9.11. Configuring Message Types - You can change the way the messages are shown in the message - area, when the message matches a user-defined pattern. - In general, the configuration file entries to describe the mes- - sage types look like this: MSGTYPE=type "pattern" - - type - how the message should be shown; - pattern - the pattern to match. - - The pattern should be a regular expression. - - Allowed types are: - - show - show message normally; - hide - never show the message; - stop - wait for user with more-prompt; - norep - show the message once, but not again if no other message is - shown in between. - - Here's an example of message types using NetHack's internal pattern - matching facility: @@ -6142,11 +6142,35 @@ + 9.11. Configuring Message Types + + You can change the way the messages are shown in the message + area, when the message matches a user-defined pattern. + + In general, the configuration file entries to describe the mes- + sage types look like this: MSGTYPE=type "pattern" + + type - how the message should be shown; + pattern - the pattern to match. + + The pattern should be a regular expression. + + Allowed types are: + + show - show message normally; + hide - never show the message; + stop - wait for user with more-prompt; + norep - show the message once, but not again if no other message is + shown in between. + + Here's an example of message types using NetHack's internal pattern + matching facility: + MSGTYPE=stop "You feel hungry." MSGTYPE=hide "You displaced *." - specifies that whenever a message "You feel hungry" is shown, the - user is prompted with more-prompt, and a message matching "You dis- + specifies that whenever a message "You feel hungry" is shown, the + user is prompted with more-prompt, and a message matching "You dis- placed ." is not shown at all. The order of the defined MSGTYPE lines is important; the last match- @@ -6155,47 +6179,23 @@ 9.12. Configuring Menu Colors Some platforms allow you to define colors used in menu lines when - the line matches a user-defined pattern. At this time the tty, + the line matches a user-defined pattern. At this time the tty, curses, win32tty and win32gui interfaces support this. - In general, the configuration file entries to describe the menu + In general, the configuration file entries to describe the menu color mappings look like this: MENUCOLOR="pattern"=color&attribute pattern - the pattern to match; color - the color to use for lines matching the pattern; - attribute - the attribute to use for lines matching the pat- - tern. The attribute is optional, and if left out, - you must also leave out the preceding ampersand. + attribute - the attribute to use for lines matching the pat- + tern. The attribute is optional, and if left out, + you must also leave out the preceding ampersand. If no attribute is defined, no attribute is used. The pattern should be a regular expression. - Allowed colors are black, red, green, brown, blue, magenta, cyan, - gray, orange, light-green, yellow, light-blue, light-magenta, light- - cyan, and white. And no-color, the default foreground color, which - isn't necessarily the same as any of the other colors. - - Allowed attributes are none, bold, dim, italic, underline, blink, - and inverse. "Normal" is a synonym for "none". Note that the plat- - form used may interpret the attributes any way it wants. - - Here's an example of menu colors using NetHack's internal pattern - matching facility: - - MENUCOLOR="* blessed *"=green - MENUCOLOR="* cursed *"=red - MENUCOLOR="* cursed *(being worn)"=red&underline - - specifies that any menu line with " blessed " contained in it will - be shown in green color, lines with " cursed " will be shown in red, - and lines with " cursed " followed by "(being worn)" on the same - line will be shown in red color and underlined. You can have multi- - ple MENUCOLOR entries in your configuration file, and the last MENU- - COLOR line that matches a menu line will be used for the line. - - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -6208,19 +6208,42 @@ - Note that if you intend to have one or more color specifications + Allowed colors are black, red, green, brown, blue, magenta, cyan, + gray, orange, light-green, yellow, light-blue, light-magenta, light- + cyan, and white. And no-color, the default foreground color, which + isn't necessarily the same as any of the other colors. + + Allowed attributes are none, bold, dim, italic, underline, blink, + and inverse. "Normal" is a synonym for "none". Note that the plat- + form used may interpret the attributes any way it wants. + + Here's an example of menu colors using NetHack's internal pattern + matching facility: + + MENUCOLOR="* blessed *"=green + MENUCOLOR="* cursed *"=red + MENUCOLOR="* cursed *(being worn)"=red&underline + + specifies that any menu line with " blessed " contained in it will + be shown in green color, lines with " cursed " will be shown in red, + and lines with " cursed " followed by "(being worn)" on the same + line will be shown in red color and underlined. You can have multi- + ple MENUCOLOR entries in your configuration file, and the last MENU- + COLOR line that matches a menu line will be used for the line. + + Note that if you intend to have one or more color specifications match " uncursed ", you will probably want to turn the - implicit_uncursed option off so that all items known to be uncursed + implicit_uncursed option off so that all items known to be uncursed are actually displayed with the "uncursed" description. 9.13. Configuring User Sounds - Some platforms allow you to define sound files to be played when + Some platforms allow you to define sound files to be played when a message that matches a user-defined pattern is delivered to the mes- - sage window. At this time the Qt port and the win32tty and win32gui + sage window. At this time the Qt port and the win32tty and win32gui ports support the use of user sounds. - The following configuration file entries are relevant to mapping + The following configuration file entries are relevant to mapping user sounds to messages: SOUNDDIR @@ -6230,15 +6253,27 @@ An entry that maps a sound file to a user-specified message pattern. Each SOUND entry is broken down into the following parts: - MESG - message window mapping (the only one supported in + MESG - message window mapping (the only one supported in 3.7.0); - msgtype - optional; message type to use, see "Configuring Mes- + msgtype - optional; message type to use, see "Configuring Mes- sage Types" pattern - the pattern to match; sound file - the sound file to play; volume - the volume to be set while playing the sound file; sound index - optional; the index corresponding to a sound file. + + + NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 + + + + + + NetHack Guidebook 96 + + + The pattern should be a regular expression. For example: @@ -6251,17 +6286,48 @@ 9.14. Configuring Status Hilites - Your copy of NetHack may have been compiled with support for - "Status Hilites". If so, you can customize your game display by set- - ting thresholds to change the color or appearance of fields in the + Your copy of NetHack may have been compiled with support for + "Status Hilites". If so, you can customize your game display by set- + ting thresholds to change the color or appearance of fields in the status display. The format for defining status colors is: OPTION=hilite_status:field-name/behavior/color&attributes - For example, the following line in your configuration file will - cause the hitpoints field to display in the color red if your hit- + For example, the following line in your configuration file will + cause the hitpoints field to display in the color red if your hit- + points drop to or below a threshold of 30%: + + OPTION=hilite_status:hitpoints/<=30%/red/normal + + (That example is actually specifying red&normal for <=30% and no- + color&normal for >30%.) + + For another example, the following line in your configuration + file will cause wisdom to be displayed red if it drops and green if it + rises: + + OPTION=hilite_status:wisdom/down/red/up/green + + Allowed colors are black, red, green, brown, blue, magenta, cyan, + gray, orange, light-green, yellow, light-blue, light-magenta, light- + cyan, and white. And "no-color", the default foreground color on the + display, which is not necessarily the same as black or white or any of + the other colors. + + Allowed attributes are none, bold, dim, underline, italic, blink, + and inverse. "Normal" is a synonym for "none"; they should not be + used in combination with any of the other attributes. + + To specify both a color and an attribute, use `&' to combine + them. To specify multiple attributes, use `+' to combine those. For + example: "magenta&inverse+dim". + + Note that the display may substitute or ignore particular + attributes depending upon its capabilities, and in general may inter- + pret the attributes any way it wants. For example, on some display + systems a request for bold might yield blink or vice versa. On oth- NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -6270,44 +6336,13 @@ - NetHack Guidebook 96 + NetHack Guidebook 97 - points drop to or below a threshold of 30%: - - OPTION=hilite_status:hitpoints/<=30%/red/normal - - (That example is actually specifying red&normal for <=30% and no- - color&normal for >30%.) - - For another example, the following line in your configuration - file will cause wisdom to be displayed red if it drops and green if it - rises: - - OPTION=hilite_status:wisdom/down/red/up/green - - Allowed colors are black, red, green, brown, blue, magenta, cyan, - gray, orange, light-green, yellow, light-blue, light-magenta, light- - cyan, and white. And "no-color", the default foreground color on the - display, which is not necessarily the same as black or white or any of - the other colors. - - Allowed attributes are none, bold, dim, underline, italic, blink, - and inverse. "Normal" is a synonym for "none"; they should not be - used in combination with any of the other attributes. - - To specify both a color and an attribute, use `&' to combine - them. To specify multiple attributes, use `+' to combine those. For - example: "magenta&inverse+dim". - - Note that the display may substitute or ignore particular - attributes depending upon its capabilities, and in general may inter- - pret the attributes any way it wants. For example, on some display - systems a request for bold might yield blink or vice versa. On oth- ers, issuing an attribute request while another is already set up will - replace the earlier attribute rather than combine with it. Since - NetHack issues attribute requests sequentially (at least with the tty + replace the earlier attribute rather than combine with it. Since + NetHack issues attribute requests sequentially (at least with the tty interface) rather than all at once, the only way a situation like that can be controlled is to specify just one attribute. @@ -6321,79 +6356,44 @@ charisma armor-class condition alignment score - The pseudo-field "characteristics" can be used to set all six of - Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, and Cha at once. "HD" is "hit dice", an - approximation of experience level displayed when polymorphed. - "experience", "time", and "score" are conditionally displayed + The pseudo-field "characteristics" can be used to set all six of + Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, and Cha at once. "HD" is "hit dice", an + approximation of experience level displayed when polymorphed. + "experience", "time", and "score" are conditionally displayed depending upon your other option settings. - - - - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 - - - - - - NetHack Guidebook 97 - - - - Instead of a behavior, "condition" takes the following condition - flags: stone, slime, strngl, foodpois, termill, blind, deaf, stun, + Instead of a behavior, "condition" takes the following condition + flags: stone, slime, strngl, foodpois, termill, blind, deaf, stun, conf, hallu, lev, fly, and ride. You can use "major_troubles" as an - alias for stone through termill, "minor_troubles" for blind through + alias for stone through termill, "minor_troubles" for blind through hallu, "movement" for lev, fly, and ride, and "all" for every condi- tion. - Allowed behaviors are "always", "up", "down", "changed", a percent- + Allowed behaviors are "always", "up", "down", "changed", a percent- age or absolute number threshold, or text to match against. For the - hitpoints field, the additional behavior "criticalhp" is available. - It overrides other behavior rules if hit points are at or below the - major problem threshold (which varies depending upon maximum hit + hitpoints field, the additional behavior "criticalhp" is available. + It overrides other behavior rules if hit points are at or below the + major problem threshold (which varies depending upon maximum hit points and experience level). * "always" will set the default attributes for that field. - * "up", "down" set the field attributes for when the field value - changes upwards or downwards. This attribute times out after + * "up", "down" set the field attributes for when the field value + changes upwards or downwards. This attribute times out after statushilites turns. - * "changed" sets the field attribute for when the field value - changes. This attribute times out after statushilites turns. - (If a field has both a "changed" rule and an "up" or "down" - rule which matches a change in the field's value, the "up" or + * "changed" sets the field attribute for when the field value + changes. This attribute times out after statushilites turns. + (If a field has both a "changed" rule and an "up" or "down" + rule which matches a change in the field's value, the "up" or "down" one takes precedence.) - * percentage sets the field attribute when the field value - matches the percentage. It is specified as a number between 0 - and 100, followed by `%' (percent sign). If the percentage is + * percentage sets the field attribute when the field value + matches the percentage. It is specified as a number between 0 + and 100, followed by `%' (percent sign). If the percentage is prefixed with `<=' or `>=', it also matches when value is below - or above the percentage. Use prefix `<' or `>' to match when + or above the percentage. Use prefix `<' or `>' to match when strictly below or above. (The numeric limit is relaxed - slightly for those: >-1% and <101% are allowed.) Only four - fields support percentage rules. Percentages for "hitpoints" - and "power" are straightforward; they're based on the corre- - sponding maximum field. Percentage highlight rules are also - allowed for "experience level" and "experience points" (valid - when the showexp option is enabled). For those, the percentage - is based on the progress from the start of the current experi- - ence level to the start of the next level. So if level 2 - starts at 20 points and level 3 starts at 40 points, having 30 - points is 50% and 35 points is 75%. 100% is unattainable for - experience because you'll gain a level and the calculations - will be reset for that new level, but a rule for =100% is - allowed and matches the special case of being exactly 1 experi- - ence point short of the next level. - - * absolute value sets the attribute when the field value matches - that number. The number must be 0 or higher, except for - "armor-class' which allows negative values, and may optionally - be preceded by `='. If the number is preceded by `<=' or `>=' - instead, it also matches when value is below or above. If the - prefix is `<' or `>', only match when strictly above or below. - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -6406,19 +6406,41 @@ - * criticalhp only applies to the hitpoints field and only when + slightly for those: >-1% and <101% are allowed.) Only four + fields support percentage rules. Percentages for "hitpoints" + and "power" are straightforward; they're based on the corre- + sponding maximum field. Percentage highlight rules are also + allowed for "experience level" and "experience points" (valid + when the showexp option is enabled). For those, the percentage + is based on the progress from the start of the current experi- + ence level to the start of the next level. So if level 2 + starts at 20 points and level 3 starts at 40 points, having 30 + points is 50% and 35 points is 75%. 100% is unattainable for + experience because you'll gain a level and the calculations + will be reset for that new level, but a rule for =100% is + allowed and matches the special case of being exactly 1 experi- + ence point short of the next level. + + * absolute value sets the attribute when the field value matches + that number. The number must be 0 or higher, except for + "armor-class' which allows negative values, and may optionally + be preceded by `='. If the number is preceded by `<=' or `>=' + instead, it also matches when value is below or above. If the + prefix is `<' or `>', only match when strictly above or below. + + * criticalhp only applies to the hitpoints field and only when current hit points are below a threshold (which varies by maxi- - mum hit points and experience level). When the threshold is - met, a criticalhp rule takes precedence over all other hit- + mum hit points and experience level). When the threshold is + met, a criticalhp rule takes precedence over all other hit- points rules. - * text match sets the attribute when the field value matches the - text. Text matches can only be used for "alignment", "carry- - ing-capacity", "hunger", "dungeon-level", and "title". For - title, only the role's rank title is tested; the character's + * text match sets the attribute when the field value matches the + text. Text matches can only be used for "alignment", "carry- + ing-capacity", "hunger", "dungeon-level", and "title". For + title, only the role's rank title is tested; the character's name is ignored. - The in-game options menu can help you determine the correct syn- + The in-game options menu can help you determine the correct syn- tax for a configuration file. The whole feature can be disabled by setting option statushilites @@ -6439,28 +6461,6 @@ - 9.15. Modifying NetHack Symbols - - NetHack can load entire symbol sets from the symbol file. - - The options that are used to select a particular symbol set from - the symbol file are: - - symset - Set the name of the symbol set that you want to load. - - roguesymset - Set the name of the symbol set that you want to load for display on - the rogue level. - - You can also override one or more symbols using the SYMBOLS and - ROGUESYMBOLS configuration file options. Symbols are specified as - name:value pairs. Note that NetHack escape-processes the value string - in conventional C fashion. This means that \ is a prefix to take the - following character literally. Thus \ needs to be represented as \\. - The special prefix form \m switches on the meta bit in the symbol - value, and the ^ prefix causes the following character to be treated - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -6472,6 +6472,27 @@ + 9.15. Modifying NetHack Symbols + + NetHack can load entire symbol sets from the symbol file. + + The options that are used to select a particular symbol set from + the symbol file are: + + symset + Set the name of the symbol set that you want to load. + + roguesymset + Set the name of the symbol set that you want to load for display on + the rogue level. + + You can also override one or more symbols using the SYMBOLS and + ROGUESYMBOLS configuration file options. Symbols are specified as + name:value pairs. Note that NetHack escape-processes the value string + in conventional C fashion. This means that \ is a prefix to take the + following character literally. Thus \ needs to be represented as \\. + The special prefix form \m switches on the meta bit in the symbol + value, and the ^ prefix causes the following character to be treated as a control character. NetHack Symbols @@ -6504,6 +6525,19 @@ C S_centaur (centaur) _ S_chain (iron chain) # S_cloud (cloud) + + + + NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 + + + + + + NetHack Guidebook 100 + + + c S_cockatrice (cockatrice) $ S_coin (pile of coins) # S_corr (corridor) @@ -6525,19 +6559,6 @@ \ S_expl_tr (explosion top right) | S_expl_ml (explosion middle left) S_expl_mc (explosion middle center) - - - - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 - - - - - - NetHack Guidebook 100 - - - | S_expl_mr (explosion middle right) \ S_expl_bl (explosion bottom left) - S_expl_bc (explosion bottom center) @@ -6570,6 +6591,19 @@ i S_imp (imp or minor demon) I S_invisible (invisible monster) J S_jabberwock (jabberwock) + + + + NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 + + + + + + NetHack Guidebook 101 + + + j S_jelly (jelly) k S_kobold (kobold) K S_kop (Keystone Kop) @@ -6591,19 +6625,6 @@ N S_naga (naga) . S_ndoor (doorway without door) n S_nymph (nymph) - - - - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 - - - - - - NetHack Guidebook 101 - - - O S_ogre (ogre) o S_orc (orc) p S_piercer (piercer) @@ -6636,6 +6657,19 @@ * S_ss4 (magic shield 4 of 4) ^ S_statue_trap (statue trap) S_stone (solid rock) + + + + NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 + + + + + + NetHack Guidebook 102 + + + ] S_strange_obj (strange object) - S_sw_bc (swallow bottom center) \ S_sw_bl (swallow bottom left) @@ -6657,19 +6691,6 @@ # S_tree (tree) T S_troll (troll) | S_trwall (wall) - - - - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 - - - - - - NetHack Guidebook 102 - - - - S_tuwall (wall) U S_umber (umber hulk) S_unexplored (unexplored terrain) @@ -6703,27 +6724,6 @@ Notes: - * Several symbols in this table appear to be blank. They are the - space character, except for S_pet_override and S_hero_override which - don't have any default value and can only be used if enabled in the - "sysconf" file. - - * S_rock is misleadingly named; rocks and stones use S_gem. Statues - and boulders are the rock being referred to, but since version - 3.6.0, statues are displayed as the monster they depict. So S_rock - is only used for boulders and not used at all if overridden by the - more specific S_boulder. - - 9.16. Customizing Map Glyph Representations Using Unicode - - If your platform or terminal supports the display of UTF-8 char- - acter sequences, you can customize your game display by assigning Uni- - code codepoint values and red-green-blue colors to glyph representa- - tions. The customizations can be specified for use with a symset that - has a UTF8 handler within the symbols file such as the enhanced1 set, - or individually within your nethack.rc file. - - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -6736,60 +6736,60 @@ + * Several symbols in this table appear to be blank. They are the + space character, except for S_pet_override and S_hero_override which + don't have any default value and can only be used if enabled in the + "sysconf" file. + + * S_rock is misleadingly named; rocks and stones use S_gem. Statues + and boulders are the rock being referred to, but since version + 3.6.0, statues are displayed as the monster they depict. So S_rock + is only used for boulders and not used at all if overridden by the + more specific S_boulder. + + 9.16. Customizing Map Glyph Representations Using Unicode + + If your platform or terminal supports the display of UTF-8 char- + acter sequences, you can customize your game display by assigning Uni- + code codepoint values and red-green-blue colors to glyph representa- + tions. The customizations can be specified for use with a symset that + has a UTF8 handler within the symbols file such as the enhanced1 set, + or individually within your nethack.rc file. + The format for defining a glyph representation is: OPTIONS=glyph:glyphid/U+nnnn/R-G-B - The window port that is active needs to provide support for dis- - playing UTF-8 character sequences and explicit red-green-blue colors + The window port that is active needs to provide support for dis- + playing UTF-8 character sequences and explicit red-green-blue colors in order for the glyph representation to be visible. For example, the - following line in your configuration file will cause the glyph repre- - sentation for glyphid G_pool to use Unicode codepoint U+224B and the + following line in your configuration file will cause the glyph repre- + sentation for glyphid G_pool to use Unicode codepoint U+224B and the color represented by R-G-B value 0-0-160: OPTIONS=glyph:G_pool/U+224B/0-0-160 - The list of acceptable glyphid's can be produced by nethack --dumpg- + The list of acceptable glyphid's can be produced by nethack --dumpg- lyphids. Individual NetHack glyphs can be specified using the G_ pre- - fix, or you can use an S_ symbol for a glyphid and store the custom - representation for all NetHack glyphs that would map to that particu- + fix, or you can use an S_ symbol for a glyphid and store the custom + representation for all NetHack glyphs that would map to that particu- lar symbol. - You will need to select a symset with a UTF8 handler to enable + You will need to select a symset with a UTF8 handler to enable the display of the customizations, such as the Enhanced symset. 9.17. Configuring NetHack for Play by the Blind - NetHack can be set up to use only standard ASCII characters for - making maps of the dungeons. This makes even the MS-DOS versions of - NetHack (which use special line-drawing characters by default) com- - pletely accessible to the blind who use speech and/or Braille access - technologies. Players will require a good working knowledge of their + NetHack can be set up to use only standard ASCII characters for + making maps of the dungeons. This makes even the MS-DOS versions of + NetHack (which use special line-drawing characters by default) com- + pletely accessible to the blind who use speech and/or Braille access + technologies. Players will require a good working knowledge of their screen-reader's review features, and will have to know how to navigate - horizontally and vertically character by character. They will also + horizontally and vertically character by character. They will also find the search capabilities of their screen-readers to be quite valu- - able. Be certain to examine this Guidebook before playing so you have + able. Be certain to examine this Guidebook before playing so you have an idea what the screen layout is like. You'll also need to be able to - locate the PC cursor. It is always where your character is located. - Merely searching for an @-sign will not always find your character - since there are other humanoids represented by the same sign. Your - screen-reader should also have a function which gives you the row and - column of your review cursor and the PC cursor. These co-ordinates - are often useful in giving players a better sense of the overall loca- - tion of items on the screen. - - NetHack can also be compiled with support for sending the game - messages to an external program, such as a text-to-speech synthesizer. - If the "#version" extended command shows "external program as a mes- - sage handler", your NetHack has been compiled with the capability. - When compiling NetHack from source on Linux and other POSIX systems, - define MSGHANDLER to enable it. To use the capability, set the envi- - ronment variable NETHACK_MSGHANDLER to an executable, which will be - executed with the game message as the program's only parameter. - - The most crucial settings to make the game more accessible are: - - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -6802,6 +6802,25 @@ + locate the PC cursor. It is always where your character is located. + Merely searching for an @-sign will not always find your character + since there are other humanoids represented by the same sign. Your + screen-reader should also have a function which gives you the row and + column of your review cursor and the PC cursor. These co-ordinates + are often useful in giving players a better sense of the overall loca- + tion of items on the screen. + + NetHack can also be compiled with support for sending the game + messages to an external program, such as a text-to-speech synthesizer. + If the "#version" extended command shows "external program as a mes- + sage handler", your NetHack has been compiled with the capability. + When compiling NetHack from source on Linux and other POSIX systems, + define MSGHANDLER to enable it. To use the capability, set the envi- + ronment variable NETHACK_MSGHANDLER to an executable, which will be + executed with the game message as the program's only parameter. + + The most crucial settings to make the game more accessible are: + symset:plain Load a symbol set appropriate for use by blind players. @@ -6812,8 +6831,8 @@ Show menus on a cleared screen and aligned to the left edge. number_pad - A lot of speech access programs use the number-pad to review the - screen. If this is the case, disable the number_pad option and use + A lot of speech access programs use the number-pad to review the + screen. If this is the case, disable the number_pad option and use the traditional Rogue-like commands. paranoid_confirmation:swim @@ -6823,11 +6842,11 @@ Adds direction or location information to messages. spot_monsters - Shows a message when hero notices a monster; combine with accessi- + Shows a message when hero notices a monster; combine with accessi- blemsg. mon_movement - Shows a message when hero notices a monster movement; combine with + Shows a message when hero notices a monster movement; combine with spot_monsters and accessiblemsg. autodescribe @@ -6836,26 +6855,7 @@ mention_map Give feedback messages when interesting map locations change. - mention_walls - Give feedback messages when walking towards a wall or when travel - command was interrupted. - whatis_coord:compass - When targeting with cursor, describe the cursor position with coor- - dinates relative to your character. - - whatis_filter:area - When targeting with cursor, filter possible locations so only those - in the same area (eg. same room, or same corridor) are considered. - - whatis_moveskip - When targeting with cursor and using fast-move, skip the same glyphs - instead of moving 8 units at a time. - - nostatus_updates - Prevent updates to the status lines at the bottom of the screen, if - your screen-reader reads those lines. The same information can be - seen via the "#attributes" command. NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -6868,61 +6868,61 @@ + mention_walls + Give feedback messages when walking towards a wall or when travel + command was interrupted. + + whatis_coord:compass + When targeting with cursor, describe the cursor position with coor- + dinates relative to your character. + + whatis_filter:area + When targeting with cursor, filter possible locations so only those + in the same area (eg. same room, or same corridor) are considered. + + whatis_moveskip + When targeting with cursor and using fast-move, skip the same glyphs + instead of moving 8 units at a time. + + nostatus_updates + Prevent updates to the status lines at the bottom of the screen, if + your screen-reader reads those lines. The same information can be + seen via the "#attributes" command. + showdamage Give a message of damage taken and how many hit points are left. 9.18. Global Configuration for System Administrators - If NetHack is compiled with the SYSCF option, a system adminis- - trator should set up a global configuration; this is a file in the - same format as the traditional per-user configuration file (see - above). This file should be named sysconf and placed in the same - directory as the other NetHack support files. The options recognized - in this file are listed below. Any option not set uses a compiled-in + If NetHack is compiled with the SYSCF option, a system adminis- + trator should set up a global configuration; this is a file in the + same format as the traditional per-user configuration file (see + above). This file should be named sysconf and placed in the same + directory as the other NetHack support files. The options recognized + in this file are listed below. Any option not set uses a compiled-in default (which may not be appropriate for your system). - WIZARDS = A space-separated list of user names who are allowed to - play in debug mode (commonly referred to as wizard mode). A value - of a single asterisk (*) allows anyone to start a game in debug + WIZARDS = A space-separated list of user names who are allowed to + play in debug mode (commonly referred to as wizard mode). A value + of a single asterisk (*) allows anyone to start a game in debug mode. - SHELLERS = A list of users who are allowed to use the shell escape + SHELLERS = A list of users who are allowed to use the shell escape command (!). The syntax is the same as WIZARDS. EXPLORERS = A list of users who are allowed to use the explore mode. The syntax is the same as WIZARDS. MSGHANDLER = A path and filename of executable. Whenever a message- - window message is shown, NetHack runs this program. The program + window message is shown, NetHack runs this program. The program will get the message as the only parameter. - MAXPLAYERS = Limit the maximum number of games that can be running + MAXPLAYERS = Limit the maximum number of games that can be running at the same time. - SUPPORT = A string explaining how to get local support (no default + SUPPORT = A string explaining how to get local support (no default value). - RECOVER = A string explaining how to recover a game on this system - (no default value). - - SEDUCE = 0 or 1 to disable or enable, respectively, the SEDUCE - option. When disabled, incubi and succubi behave like nymphs. - - CHECK_PLNAME = Setting this to 1 will make the EXPLORERS, WIZARDS, - and SHELLERS check for the player name instead of the user's login - name. - - CHECK_SAVE_UID = 0 or 1 to disable or enable, respectively, the UID - (used identification number) checking for save files (to verify that - the user who is restoring is the same one who saved). - - The following four options affect the score file: - - PERSMAX = Maximum number of entries for one person. - - ENTRYMAX = Maximum number of entries in the score file. - - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -6934,28 +6934,48 @@ - POINTSMIN = Minimum number of points to get an entry in the score + RECOVER = A string explaining how to recover a game on this system + (no default value). + + SEDUCE = 0 or 1 to disable or enable, respectively, the SEDUCE + option. When disabled, incubi and succubi behave like nymphs. + + CHECK_PLNAME = Setting this to 1 will make the EXPLORERS, WIZARDS, + and SHELLERS check for the player name instead of the user's login + name. + + CHECK_SAVE_UID = 0 or 1 to disable or enable, respectively, the UID + (used identification number) checking for save files (to verify that + the user who is restoring is the same one who saved). + + The following four options affect the score file: + + PERSMAX = Maximum number of entries for one person. + + ENTRYMAX = Maximum number of entries in the score file. + + POINTSMIN = Minimum number of points to get an entry in the score file. - PERS_IS_UID = 0 or 1 to use user names or numeric userids, respec- + PERS_IS_UID = 0 or 1 to use user names or numeric userids, respec- tively, to identify unique people for the score file. - HIDEUSAGE = 0 or 1 to control whether the help menu entry for com- + HIDEUSAGE = 0 or 1 to control whether the help menu entry for com- mand line usage is shown or suppressed. - MAX_STATUENAME_RANK = Maximum number of score file entries to use + MAX_STATUENAME_RANK = Maximum number of score file entries to use for random statue names (default is 10). ACCESSIBILITY = 0 or 1 to disable or enable, respectively, the abil- ity for players to set S_pet_override and S_hero_override symbols in their configuration file. - PORTABLE_DEVICE_PATHS = 0 or 1 Windows OS only, the game will look - for all of its external files, and write to all of its output files + PORTABLE_DEVICE_PATHS = 0 or 1 Windows OS only, the game will look + for all of its external files, and write to all of its output files in one place rather than at the standard locations. - DUMPLOGFILE = A filename where the end-of-game dumplog is saved. - Not defining this will prevent dumplog from being created. Only + DUMPLOGFILE = A filename where the end-of-game dumplog is saved. + Not defining this will prevent dumplog from being created. Only available if your game is compiled with DUMPLOG. Allows the follow- ing placeholders: @@ -6969,26 +6989,6 @@ %n - player name %N - first character of player name - LIVELOG = A bit-mask of types of events that should be written to - the livelog file if one is present. The sample sysconf file accom- - panying the program contains a comment which lists the meaning of - the various bits used. Intended for server systems supporting - simultaneous play by multiple players (to be clear, each one running - a separate single player game), for displaying their game progress - to observers. Only relevant if the program was built with LIVELOG - enabled. When available, it should be left commented out on single - player installations because over time the file could grow to be - extremely large unless it is actively maintained. - - CRASHREPORTURL = If set to - https://www.nethack.org/links/cr-37BETA.html and support is compiled - in, brings up a browser window pre-populated with the information - needed to report a problem if the game panics or ends up in an - internally inconsistent state, or if the #bugreport command is - invoked. - - - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -7000,60 +7000,60 @@ + LIVELOG = A bit-mask of types of events that should be written to + the livelog file if one is present. The sample sysconf file accom- + panying the program contains a comment which lists the meaning of + the various bits used. Intended for server systems supporting + simultaneous play by multiple players (to be clear, each one running + a separate single player game), for displaying their game progress + to observers. Only relevant if the program was built with LIVELOG + enabled. When available, it should be left commented out on single + player installations because over time the file could grow to be + extremely large unless it is actively maintained. + + CRASHREPORTURL = If set to + https://www.nethack.org/links/cr-37BETA.html and support is compiled + in, brings up a browser window pre-populated with the information + needed to report a problem if the game panics or ends up in an + internally inconsistent state, or if the #bugreport command is + invoked. + 10. Scoring - NetHack maintains a list of the top scores or scorers on your - machine, depending on how it is set up. In the latter case, each - account on the machine can post only one non-winning score on this - list. If you score higher than someone else on this list, or better - your previous score, you will be inserted in the proper place under - your current name. How many scores are kept can also be set up when + NetHack maintains a list of the top scores or scorers on your + machine, depending on how it is set up. In the latter case, each + account on the machine can post only one non-winning score on this + list. If you score higher than someone else on this list, or better + your previous score, you will be inserted in the proper place under + your current name. How many scores are kept can also be set up when NetHack is compiled. - Your score is chiefly based upon how much experience you gained, + Your score is chiefly based upon how much experience you gained, how much loot you accumulated, how deep you explored, and how the game ended. If you quit the game, you escape with all of your gold intact. - If, however, you get killed in the Mazes of Menace, the guild will - only hear about 90% of your gold when your corpse is discovered - (adventurers have been known to collect finder's fees). So, consider - whether you want to take one last hit at that monster and possibly - live, or quit and stop with whatever you have. If you quit, you keep + If, however, you get killed in the Mazes of Menace, the guild will + only hear about 90% of your gold when your corpse is discovered + (adventurers have been known to collect finder's fees). So, consider + whether you want to take one last hit at that monster and possibly + live, or quit and stop with whatever you have. If you quit, you keep all your gold, but if you swing and live, you might find more. - If you just want to see what the current top players/games list + If you just want to see what the current top players/games list is, you can type nethack -s all on most versions. 11. Explore mode NetHack is an intricate and difficult game. Novices might falter in fear, aware of their ignorance of the means to survive. Well, fear - not. Your dungeon comes equipped with an "explore" or "discovery" - mode that enables you to keep old save files and cheat death, at the + not. Your dungeon comes equipped with an "explore" or "discovery" + mode that enables you to keep old save files and cheat death, at the paltry cost of not getting on the high score list. There are two ways of enabling explore mode. One is to start the - game with the -X command-line switch or with the playmode:explore - option. The other is to issue the "#exploremode" extended command - while already playing the game. Starting a new game in explore mode - provides your character with a wand of wishing in initial inventory; - switching during play does not. The other benefits of explore mode - are left for the trepid reader to discover. - - 11.1. Debug mode - - Debug mode, also known as wizard mode, is undocumented aside from - this brief description and the various "debug mode only" commands - listed among the command descriptions. It is intended for tracking - down problems within the program rather than to provide god-like pow- - ers to your character, and players who attempt debugging are expected - to figure out how to use it themselves. It is initiated by starting - the game with the -D command-line switch or with the playmode:debug - option. - - For some systems, the player must be logged in under a particular - user name to be allowed to use debug mode; for others, the hero must - be given a particular character name (but may be any role; there's no - connection between "wizard mode" and the Wizard role). Attempting to + game with the -X command-line switch or with the playmode:explore + option. The other is to issue the "#exploremode" extended command + while already playing the game. Starting a new game in explore mode + provides your character with a wand of wishing in initial inventory; NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -7066,60 +7066,60 @@ - start a game in debug mode when not allowed or not available will + switching during play does not. The other benefits of explore mode + are left for the trepid reader to discover. + + 11.1. Debug mode + + Debug mode, also known as wizard mode, is undocumented aside from + this brief description and the various "debug mode only" commands + listed among the command descriptions. It is intended for tracking + down problems within the program rather than to provide god-like pow- + ers to your character, and players who attempt debugging are expected + to figure out how to use it themselves. It is initiated by starting + the game with the -D command-line switch or with the playmode:debug + option. + + For some systems, the player must be logged in under a particular + user name to be allowed to use debug mode; for others, the hero must + be given a particular character name (but may be any role; there's no + connection between "wizard mode" and the Wizard role). Attempting to + start a game in debug mode when not allowed or not available will result in falling back to explore mode instead. 12. Credits - The original hack game was modeled on the Berkeley UNIX rogue + The original hack game was modeled on the Berkeley UNIX rogue game. Large portions of this document were shamelessly cribbed from A - Guide to the Dungeons of Doom, by Michael C. Toy and Kenneth C. R. C. - Arnold. Small portions were adapted from Further Exploration of the + Guide to the Dungeons of Doom, by Michael C. Toy and Kenneth C. R. C. + Arnold. Small portions were adapted from Further Exploration of the Dungeons of Doom, by Ken Arromdee. - NetHack is the product of literally scores of people's work. + NetHack is the product of literally scores of people's work. Main events in the course of the game development are described below: - Jay Fenlason wrote the original Hack, with help from Kenny Wood- + Jay Fenlason wrote the original Hack, with help from Kenny Wood- land, Mike Thome, and Jon Payne. - Andries Brouwer did a major re-write while at Stichting Mathema- - tisch Centrum (now Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica), transforming Hack + Andries Brouwer did a major re-write while at Stichting Mathema- + tisch Centrum (now Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica), transforming Hack into a very different game. He published the Hack source code for use on UNIX systems by posting that to Usenet newsgroup net.sources (later - renamed comp.sources) releasing version 1.0 in December of 1984, then - versions 1.0.1, 1.0.2, and finally 1.0.3 in July of 1985. Usenet - newsgroup net.games.hack (later renamed rec.games.hack, eventually - replaced by rec.games.roguelike.nethack) was created for discussing + renamed comp.sources) releasing version 1.0 in December of 1984, then + versions 1.0.1, 1.0.2, and finally 1.0.3 in July of 1985. Usenet + newsgroup net.games.hack (later renamed rec.games.hack, eventually + replaced by rec.games.roguelike.nethack) was created for discussing it. - Don G. Kneller ported Hack 1.0.3 to Microsoft C and MS-DOS, pro- - ducing PC HACK 1.01e, added support for DEC Rainbow graphics in ver- - sion 1.03g, and went on to produce at least four more versions (3.0, - 3.2, 3.51, and 3.6; note that these are old Hack version numbers, not + Don G. Kneller ported Hack 1.0.3 to Microsoft C and MS-DOS, pro- + ducing PC HACK 1.01e, added support for DEC Rainbow graphics in ver- + sion 1.03g, and went on to produce at least four more versions (3.0, + 3.2, 3.51, and 3.6; note that these are old Hack version numbers, not contemporary NetHack ones). - R. Black ported PC HACK 3.51 to Lattice C and the Atari + R. Black ported PC HACK 3.51 to Lattice C and the Atari 520/1040ST, producing ST Hack 1.03. - Mike Stephenson merged these various versions back together, - incorporating many of the added features, and produced NetHack version - 1.4 in 1987. He then coordinated a cast of thousands in enhancing and - debugging NetHack 1.4 and released NetHack versions 2.2 and 2.3. Like - Hack, they were released by posting their source code to Usenet where - they remained available in various archives accessible via ftp and - uucp after expiring from the newsgroup. - - Later, Mike coordinated a major re-write of the game, heading a - team which included Ken Arromdee, Jean-Christophe Collet, Steve Creps, - Eric Hendrickson, Izchak Miller, Eric S. Raymond, John Rupley, Mike - Threepoint, and Janet Walz, to produce NetHack 3.0c. - - NetHack 3.0 was ported to the Atari by Eric R. Smith, to OS/2 by - Timo Hakulinen, and to VMS by David Gentzel. The three of them and - Kevin Darcy later joined the main NetHack Development Team to produce - subsequent revisions of 3.0. - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -7132,61 +7132,61 @@ - Olaf Seibert ported NetHack 2.3 and 3.0 to the Amiga. Norm - Meluch, Stephen Spackman and Pierre Martineau designed overlay code - for PC NetHack 3.0. Johnny Lee ported NetHack 3.0 to the Macintosh. - Along with various other Dungeoneers, they continued to enhance the + Mike Stephenson merged these various versions back together, + incorporating many of the added features, and produced NetHack version + 1.4 in 1987. He then coordinated a cast of thousands in enhancing and + debugging NetHack 1.4 and released NetHack versions 2.2 and 2.3. Like + Hack, they were released by posting their source code to Usenet where + they remained available in various archives accessible via ftp and + uucp after expiring from the newsgroup. + + Later, Mike coordinated a major re-write of the game, heading a + team which included Ken Arromdee, Jean-Christophe Collet, Steve Creps, + Eric Hendrickson, Izchak Miller, Eric S. Raymond, John Rupley, Mike + Threepoint, and Janet Walz, to produce NetHack 3.0c. + + NetHack 3.0 was ported to the Atari by Eric R. Smith, to OS/2 by + Timo Hakulinen, and to VMS by David Gentzel. The three of them and + Kevin Darcy later joined the main NetHack Development Team to produce + subsequent revisions of 3.0. + + Olaf Seibert ported NetHack 2.3 and 3.0 to the Amiga. Norm + Meluch, Stephen Spackman and Pierre Martineau designed overlay code + for PC NetHack 3.0. Johnny Lee ported NetHack 3.0 to the Macintosh. + Along with various other Dungeoneers, they continued to enhance the PC, Macintosh, and Amiga ports through the later revisions of 3.0. - Version 3.0 went through ten relatively rapidly released "patch- + Version 3.0 went through ten relatively rapidly released "patch- level" revisions. Versions at the time were known as 3.0 for the base - release and variously as "3.0a" through "3.0j", "3.0 patchlevel 1" + release and variously as "3.0a" through "3.0j", "3.0 patchlevel 1" through "3.0 patchlevel 10", or "3.0pl1" through "3.0pl10" rather than - 3.0.0 and 3.0.1 through 3.0.10; the three component numbering scheme + 3.0.0 and 3.0.1 through 3.0.10; the three component numbering scheme began to be used with 3.1.0. - Headed by Mike Stephenson and coordinated by Izchak Miller and - Janet Walz, the NetHack Development Team which now included Ken - Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jean-Christophe Collet, Kevin Darcy, Matt Day, - Timo Hakulinen, Steve Linhart, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Eric Raymond, - and Eric Smith undertook a radical revision of 3.0. They re-struc- - tured the game's design, and re-wrote major parts of the code. They - added multiple dungeons, a new display, special individual character - quests, a new endgame and many other new features, and produced + Headed by Mike Stephenson and coordinated by Izchak Miller and + Janet Walz, the NetHack Development Team which now included Ken + Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jean-Christophe Collet, Kevin Darcy, Matt Day, + Timo Hakulinen, Steve Linhart, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Eric Raymond, + and Eric Smith undertook a radical revision of 3.0. They re-struc- + tured the game's design, and re-wrote major parts of the code. They + added multiple dungeons, a new display, special individual character + quests, a new endgame and many other new features, and produced NetHack 3.1. Version 3.1.0 was released in January of 1993. Ken Lorber, Gregg Wonderly and Greg Olson, with help from Richard - Addison, Mike Passaretti, and Olaf Seibert, developed NetHack 3.1 for + Addison, Mike Passaretti, and Olaf Seibert, developed NetHack 3.1 for the Amiga. - Norm Meluch and Kevin Smolkowski, with help from Carl Schelin, - Stephen Spackman, Steve VanDevender, and Paul Winner, ported NetHack + Norm Meluch and Kevin Smolkowski, with help from Carl Schelin, + Stephen Spackman, Steve VanDevender, and Paul Winner, ported NetHack 3.1 to the PC. Jon W{tte and Hao-yang Wang, with help from Ross Brown, Mike Eng- - ber, David Hairston, Michael Hamel, Jonathan Handler, Johnny Lee, Tim - Lennan, Rob Menke, and Andy Swanson, developed NetHack 3.1 for the - Macintosh, porting it for MPW. Building on their development, Bart + ber, David Hairston, Michael Hamel, Jonathan Handler, Johnny Lee, Tim + Lennan, Rob Menke, and Andy Swanson, developed NetHack 3.1 for the + Macintosh, porting it for MPW. Building on their development, Bart House added a Think C port. - Timo Hakulinen ported NetHack 3.1 to OS/2. Eric Smith ported - NetHack 3.1 to the Atari. Pat Rankin, with help from Joshua - Delahunty, was responsible for the VMS version of NetHack 3.1. - Michael Allison ported NetHack 3.1 to Windows NT. - - Dean Luick, with help from David Cohrs, developed NetHack 3.1 for - X11. It drew the map as text rather than graphically but included - nh10.bdf, an optionally used custom X11 font which has tiny images in - place of letters and punctuation, a precursor of tiles. Those images - don't extend to individual monster and object types, just replacements - for monster and object classes (so one custom image for all "a" - insects and another for all "[" armor and so forth, not separate - images for beetles and ants or for cloaks and boots). - - Warwick Allison wrote a graphically displayed version of NetHack - for the Atari where the tiny pictures were described as "icons" and - were distinct for specific types of monsters and objects rather than - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -7198,60 +7198,60 @@ - just their classes. He contributed them to the NetHack Development - Team which rechristened them "tiles", original usage which has subse- - quently been picked up by various other games. NetHack's tiles sup- - port was then implemented on other platforms (initially MS-DOS but + Timo Hakulinen ported NetHack 3.1 to OS/2. Eric Smith ported + NetHack 3.1 to the Atari. Pat Rankin, with help from Joshua + Delahunty, was responsible for the VMS version of NetHack 3.1. + Michael Allison ported NetHack 3.1 to Windows NT. + + Dean Luick, with help from David Cohrs, developed NetHack 3.1 for + X11. It drew the map as text rather than graphically but included + nh10.bdf, an optionally used custom X11 font which has tiny images in + place of letters and punctuation, a precursor of tiles. Those images + don't extend to individual monster and object types, just replacements + for monster and object classes (so one custom image for all "a" + insects and another for all "[" armor and so forth, not separate + images for beetles and ants or for cloaks and boots). + + Warwick Allison wrote a graphically displayed version of NetHack + for the Atari where the tiny pictures were described as "icons" and + were distinct for specific types of monsters and objects rather than + just their classes. He contributed them to the NetHack Development + Team which rechristened them "tiles", original usage which has subse- + quently been picked up by various other games. NetHack's tiles sup- + port was then implemented on other platforms (initially MS-DOS but eventually Windows, Qt, and X11 too). - The 3.2 NetHack Development Team, comprised of Michael Allison, - Ken Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie Collet, Steve Creps, Kevin Darcy, - Timo Hakulinen, Steve Linhart, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Eric Smith, - Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and Paul Winner, released version 3.2.0 + The 3.2 NetHack Development Team, comprised of Michael Allison, + Ken Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie Collet, Steve Creps, Kevin Darcy, + Timo Hakulinen, Steve Linhart, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Eric Smith, + Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and Paul Winner, released version 3.2.0 in April of 1996. - Version 3.2 marked the tenth anniversary of the formation of the + Version 3.2 marked the tenth anniversary of the formation of the development team. In a testament to their dedication to the game, all - thirteen members of the original NetHack Development Team remained on - the team at the start of work on that release. During the interval + thirteen members of the original NetHack Development Team remained on + the team at the start of work on that release. During the interval between the release of 3.1.3 and 3.2.0, one of the founding members of - the NetHack Development Team, Dr. Izchak Miller, was diagnosed with + the NetHack Development Team, Dr. Izchak Miller, was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. That release of the game was dedicated to him by the development and porting teams. - Version 3.2 proved to be more stable than previous versions. - Many bugs were fixed, abuses eliminated, and game features tuned for + Version 3.2 proved to be more stable than previous versions. + Many bugs were fixed, abuses eliminated, and game features tuned for better game play. - During the lifespan of NetHack 3.1 and 3.2, several enthusiasts - of the game added their own modifications to the game and made these + During the lifespan of NetHack 3.1 and 3.2, several enthusiasts + of the game added their own modifications to the game and made these "variants" publicly available: Tom Proudfoot and Yuval Oren created NetHack++, which was quickly - renamed NetHack-- when some people incorrectly assumed that it was a - conversion of the C source code to C++. Working independently, - Stephen White wrote NetHack Plus. Tom Proudfoot later merged NetHack - Plus and his own NetHack-- to produce SLASH. Larry Stewart-Zerba and - Warwick Allison improved the spell casting system with the Wizard + renamed NetHack-- when some people incorrectly assumed that it was a + conversion of the C source code to C++. Working independently, + Stephen White wrote NetHack Plus. Tom Proudfoot later merged NetHack + Plus and his own NetHack-- to produce SLASH. Larry Stewart-Zerba and + Warwick Allison improved the spell casting system with the Wizard Patch. Warwick Allison also ported NetHack to use the Qt interface. - Warren Cheung combined SLASH with the Wizard Patch to produce - Slash'EM, and with the help of Kevin Hugo, added more features. Kevin - later joined the NetHack Development Team and incorporated the best of - these ideas into NetHack 3.3. - - The final update to 3.2 was the bug fix release 3.2.3, which was - released simultaneously with 3.3.0 in December 1999 just in time for - the Year 2000. Because of the newer version, 3.2.3 was released as a - source code patch only, without any ready-to-play distribution for - systems that usually had such. - - (To anyone considering resurrecting an old version: all versions - before 3.2.3 had a Y2K bug. The high scores file and the log file - contained dates which were formatted using a two-digit year, and - 1999's year 99 was followed by 2000's year 100. That got written out - successfully but it unintentionally introduced an extra column in the - file layout which prevented score entries from being read back in cor- NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -7264,60 +7264,60 @@ - rectly, interfering with insertion of new high scores and with - retrieval of old character names to use for random ghost and statue + Warren Cheung combined SLASH with the Wizard Patch to produce + Slash'EM, and with the help of Kevin Hugo, added more features. Kevin + later joined the NetHack Development Team and incorporated the best of + these ideas into NetHack 3.3. + + The final update to 3.2 was the bug fix release 3.2.3, which was + released simultaneously with 3.3.0 in December 1999 just in time for + the Year 2000. Because of the newer version, 3.2.3 was released as a + source code patch only, without any ready-to-play distribution for + systems that usually had such. + + (To anyone considering resurrecting an old version: all versions + before 3.2.3 had a Y2K bug. The high scores file and the log file + contained dates which were formatted using a two-digit year, and + 1999's year 99 was followed by 2000's year 100. That got written out + successfully but it unintentionally introduced an extra column in the + file layout which prevented score entries from being read back in cor- + rectly, interfering with insertion of new high scores and with + retrieval of old character names to use for random ghost and statue names in the current game.) - The 3.3 NetHack Development Team, consisting of Michael Allison, - Ken Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie Collet, Steve Creps, Kevin Darcy, + The 3.3 NetHack Development Team, consisting of Michael Allison, + Ken Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie Collet, Steve Creps, Kevin Darcy, Timo Hakulinen, Kevin Hugo, Steve Linhart, Ken Lorber, Dean Luick, Pat - Rankin, Eric Smith, Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and Paul Winner, + Rankin, Eric Smith, Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and Paul Winner, released 3.3.0 in December 1999 and 3.3.1 in August of 2000. Version 3.3 offered many firsts. It was the first version to sep- - arate race and profession. The Elf class was removed in preference to - an elf race, and the races of dwarves, gnomes, and orcs made their - first appearance in the game alongside the familiar human race. Monk - and Ranger roles joined Archeologists, Barbarians, Cavemen, Healers, - Knights, Priests, Rogues, Samurai, Tourists, Valkyries and of course, - Wizards. It was also the first version to allow you to ride a steed, - and was the first version to have a publicly available web-site list- - ing all the bugs that had been discovered. Despite that constantly - growing bug list, 3.3 proved stable enough to last for more than a + arate race and profession. The Elf class was removed in preference to + an elf race, and the races of dwarves, gnomes, and orcs made their + first appearance in the game alongside the familiar human race. Monk + and Ranger roles joined Archeologists, Barbarians, Cavemen, Healers, + Knights, Priests, Rogues, Samurai, Tourists, Valkyries and of course, + Wizards. It was also the first version to allow you to ride a steed, + and was the first version to have a publicly available web-site list- + ing all the bugs that had been discovered. Despite that constantly + growing bug list, 3.3 proved stable enough to last for more than a year and a half. - The 3.4 NetHack Development Team initially consisted of Michael - Allison, Ken Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie Collet, Kevin Hugo, Ken - Lorber, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and Paul - Winner, with Warwick Allison joining just before the release of + The 3.4 NetHack Development Team initially consisted of Michael + Allison, Ken Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie Collet, Kevin Hugo, Ken + Lorber, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and Paul + Winner, with Warwick Allison joining just before the release of NetHack 3.4.0 in March 2002. - As with version 3.3, various people contributed to the game as a - whole as well as supporting ports on the different platforms that + As with version 3.3, various people contributed to the game as a + whole as well as supporting ports on the different platforms that NetHack runs on: Pat Rankin maintained 3.4 for VMS. - Michael Allison maintained NetHack 3.4 for the MS-DOS platform. + Michael Allison maintained NetHack 3.4 for the MS-DOS platform. Paul Winner and Yitzhak Sapir provided encouragement. - Dean Luick, Mark Modrall, and Kevin Hugo maintained and enhanced - the Macintosh port of 3.4. - - Michael Allison, David Cohrs, Alex Kompel, Dion Nicolaas, and - Yitzhak Sapir maintained and enhanced 3.4 for the Microsoft Windows - platform. Alex Kompel contributed a new graphical interface for the - Windows port. Alex Kompel also contributed a Windows CE port for - 3.4.1. - - Ron Van Iwaarden was the sole maintainer of NetHack for OS/2 the - past several releases. Unfortunately Ron's last OS/2 machine stopped - working in early 2006. A great many thanks to Ron for keeping NetHack - alive on OS/2 all these years. - - Janne Salmijarvi and Teemu Suikki maintained and enhanced the - Amiga port of 3.4 after Janne Salmijarvi resurrected it for 3.3.1. - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -7330,60 +7330,60 @@ + Dean Luick, Mark Modrall, and Kevin Hugo maintained and enhanced + the Macintosh port of 3.4. + + Michael Allison, David Cohrs, Alex Kompel, Dion Nicolaas, and + Yitzhak Sapir maintained and enhanced 3.4 for the Microsoft Windows + platform. Alex Kompel contributed a new graphical interface for the + Windows port. Alex Kompel also contributed a Windows CE port for + 3.4.1. + + Ron Van Iwaarden was the sole maintainer of NetHack for OS/2 the + past several releases. Unfortunately Ron's last OS/2 machine stopped + working in early 2006. A great many thanks to Ron for keeping NetHack + alive on OS/2 all these years. + + Janne Salmijarvi and Teemu Suikki maintained and enhanced the + Amiga port of 3.4 after Janne Salmijarvi resurrected it for 3.3.1. + Christian "Marvin" Bressler maintained 3.4 for the Atari after he resurrected it for 3.3.1. - The release of NetHack 3.4.3 in December 2003 marked the begin- - ning of a long release hiatus. 3.4.3 proved to be a remarkably stable - version that provided continued enjoyment by the community for more + The release of NetHack 3.4.3 in December 2003 marked the begin- + ning of a long release hiatus. 3.4.3 proved to be a remarkably stable + version that provided continued enjoyment by the community for more than a decade. The NetHack Development Team slowly and quietly contin- - ued to work on the game behind the scenes during the tenure of 3.4.3. - It was during that same period that several new variants emerged - within the NetHack community. Notably sporkhack by Derek S. Ray, - unnethack by Patric Mueller, nitrohack and its successors originally - by Daniel Thaler and then by Alex Smith, and Dynahack by Tung Nguyen. - Some of those variants continue to be developed, maintained, and + ued to work on the game behind the scenes during the tenure of 3.4.3. + It was during that same period that several new variants emerged + within the NetHack community. Notably sporkhack by Derek S. Ray, + unnethack by Patric Mueller, nitrohack and its successors originally + by Daniel Thaler and then by Alex Smith, and Dynahack by Tung Nguyen. + Some of those variants continue to be developed, maintained, and enjoyed by the community to this day. In September 2014, an interim snapshot of the code under develop- - ment was released publicly by other parties. Since that code was a - work-in-progress and had not gone through the process of debugging it + ment was released publicly by other parties. Since that code was a + work-in-progress and had not gone through the process of debugging it as a suitable release, it was decided that the version numbers present - on that code snapshot would be retired and never used in an official - NetHack release. An announcement was posted on the NetHack Develop- - ment Team's official nethack.org website to that effect, stating that + on that code snapshot would be retired and never used in an official + NetHack release. An announcement was posted on the NetHack Develop- + ment Team's official nethack.org website to that effect, stating that there would never be a 3.4.4, 3.5, or 3.5.0 official release version. - In January 2015, preparation began for the release of NetHack + In January 2015, preparation began for the release of NetHack 3.6. - At the beginning of development for what would eventually get - released as 3.6.0, the NetHack Development Team consisted of Warwick - Allison, Michael Allison, Ken Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie Collet, - Ken Lorber, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and - Paul Winner. In early 2015, ahead of the release of 3.6.0, new mem- - bers Sean Hunt, Pasi Kallinen, and Derek S. Ray joined the NetHack + At the beginning of development for what would eventually get + released as 3.6.0, the NetHack Development Team consisted of Warwick + Allison, Michael Allison, Ken Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie Collet, + Ken Lorber, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and + Paul Winner. In early 2015, ahead of the release of 3.6.0, new mem- + bers Sean Hunt, Pasi Kallinen, and Derek S. Ray joined the NetHack Development Team. - Near the end of the development of 3.6.0, one of the significant - inspirations for many of the humorous and fun features found in the - game, author Terry Pratchett, passed away. NetHack 3.6.0 introduced a - tribute to him. - - 3.6.0 was released in December 2015, and merged work done by the - development team since the release of 3.4.3 with some of the beloved - community patches. Many bugs were fixed and some code was restruc- - tured. - - The NetHack Development Team, as well as Steve VanDevender and - Kevin Smolkowski, ensured that NetHack 3.6 continued to operate on - various UNIX flavors and maintained the X11 interface. - - Ken Lorber, Haoyang Wang, Pat Rankin, and Dean Luick maintained - the port of NetHack 3.6 for MacOS. - - Michael Allison, David Cohrs, Bart House, Pasi Kallinen, Alex - Kompel, Dion Nicolaas, Derek S. Ray and Yitzhak Sapir maintained the + Near the end of the development of 3.6.0, one of the significant + inspirations for many of the humorous and fun features found in the NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 @@ -7396,47 +7396,76 @@ + game, author Terry Pratchett, passed away. NetHack 3.6.0 introduced a + tribute to him. + + 3.6.0 was released in December 2015, and merged work done by the + development team since the release of 3.4.3 with some of the beloved + community patches. Many bugs were fixed and some code was restruc- + tured. + + The NetHack Development Team, as well as Steve VanDevender and + Kevin Smolkowski, ensured that NetHack 3.6 continued to operate on + various UNIX flavors and maintained the X11 interface. + + Ken Lorber, Haoyang Wang, Pat Rankin, and Dean Luick maintained + the port of NetHack 3.6 for MacOS. + + Michael Allison, David Cohrs, Bart House, Pasi Kallinen, Alex + Kompel, Dion Nicolaas, Derek S. Ray and Yitzhak Sapir maintained the port of NetHack 3.6 for Microsoft Windows. - Pat Rankin attempted to keep the VMS port running for NetHack - 3.6, hindered by limited access. Kevin Smolkowski has updated and - tested it for the most recent version of OpenVMS (V8.4 as of this + Pat Rankin attempted to keep the VMS port running for NetHack + 3.6, hindered by limited access. Kevin Smolkowski has updated and + tested it for the most recent version of OpenVMS (V8.4 as of this writing) on Alpha and Integrity (aka Itanium aka IA64) but not VAX. - Ray Chason resurrected the MS-DOS port for 3.6 and contributed + Ray Chason resurrected the MS-DOS port for 3.6 and contributed the necessary updates to the community at large. - In late April 2018, several hundred bug fixes for 3.6.0 and some - new features were assembled and released as NetHack 3.6.1. The - NetHack Development Team at the time of release of 3.6.1 consisted of - Warwick Allison, Michael Allison, Ken Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie - Collet, Pasi Kallinen, Ken Lorber, Dean Luick, Patric Mueller, Pat - Rankin, Derek S. Ray, Alex Smith, Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and + In late April 2018, several hundred bug fixes for 3.6.0 and some + new features were assembled and released as NetHack 3.6.1. The + NetHack Development Team at the time of release of 3.6.1 consisted of + Warwick Allison, Michael Allison, Ken Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie + Collet, Pasi Kallinen, Ken Lorber, Dean Luick, Patric Mueller, Pat + Rankin, Derek S. Ray, Alex Smith, Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and Paul Winner. In early May 2019, another 320 bug fixes along with some enhance- ments and the adopted curses window port, were released as 3.6.2. - Bart House, who had contributed to the game as a porting team - participant for decades, joined the NetHack Development Team in late + Bart House, who had contributed to the game as a porting team + participant for decades, joined the NetHack Development Team in late May 2019. - NetHack 3.6.3 was released on December 5, 2019 containing over + NetHack 3.6.3 was released on December 5, 2019 containing over 190 bug fixes to NetHack 3.6.2. - NetHack 3.6.4 was released on December 18, 2019 containing a + NetHack 3.6.4 was released on December 18, 2019 containing a security fix and a few bug fixes. - NetHack 3.6.5 was released on January 27, 2020 containing some + NetHack 3.6.5 was released on January 27, 2020 containing some security fixes and a small number of bug fixes. NetHack 3.6.6 was released on March 8, 2020 containing a security fix and some bug fixes. - NetHack 3.6.7 was released on February 16, 2023 containing a + + + NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 + + + + + + NetHack Guidebook 114 + + + + NetHack 3.6.7 was released on February 16, 2023 containing a security fix and some bug fixes. - The official NetHack web site is maintained by Ken Lorber at + The official NetHack web site is maintained by Ken Lorber at https://www.nethack.org/. @@ -7452,24 +7481,53 @@ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 12.1. Special Thanks + + On behalf of the NetHack community, thank you very much once + again to M. Drew Streib and Pasi Kallinen for providing a public + NetHack server at nethack.alt.org. Thanks to Keith Simpson and Andy + Thomson for hardfought.org. Thanks to all those unnamed dungeoneers + who invest their time and effort into annual NetHack tournaments such + as Junethack, The November NetHack Tournament, and in days past, + + NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 - NetHack Guidebook 114 + NetHack Guidebook 115 - 12.1. Special Thanks - - On behalf of the NetHack community, thank you very much once - again to M. Drew Streib and Pasi Kallinen for providing a public - NetHack server at nethack.alt.org. Thanks to Keith Simpson and Andy - Thomson for hardfought.org. Thanks to all those unnamed dungeoneers - who invest their time and effort into annual NetHack tournaments such - as Junethack, The November NetHack Tournament, and in days past, devnull.net (gone for now, but not forgotten). @@ -7514,21 +7572,9 @@ 12.2. Dungeoneers - From time to time, some depraved individual out there in netland - sends a particularly intriguing modification to help out with the - - - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 - - - - - - NetHack Guidebook 115 - - - - game. The NetHack Development Team sometimes makes note of the names + From time to time, some depraved individual out there in netland + sends a particularly intriguing modification to help out with the + game. The NetHack Development Team sometimes makes note of the names of the worst of these miscreants in this, the list of Dungeoneers: @@ -7538,35 +7584,13 @@ + NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + NetHack Guidebook 116 @@ -7581,19 +7605,6 @@ Bart House John S. Bien Pierre Martineau Benson I. Margulies Johnny Lee Ralf Brown Bill Dyer Jon W{tte Ray Chason - - - - NetHack 3.7.0 March 25, 2026 - - - - - - NetHack Guidebook 116 - - - Boudewijn Waijers Jonathan Handler Richard Addison Bruce Cox Joshua Delahunty Richard Beigel Bruce Holloway Karl Garrison Richard P. Hughey @@ -7634,17 +7645,6 @@ - - - - - - - - - - - @@ -7660,7 +7660,7 @@ - Brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks + Brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.