Annotation of early-roguelike/xrogue/README.TXT, Revision 1.1
1.1 ! rubenllo 1: Welcome to XRogue
! 2: http://roguelike.sourceforge.net/xrogue
! 3:
! 4: XRogue: Expeditions into the Dungeons of Doom
! 5: Copyright (C) 1991 Robert Pietkivitch
! 6: All rights reserved.
! 7:
! 8: Based on "Advanced Rogue"
! 9: Copyright (C) 1984, 1985 Michael Morgan, Ken Dalka and AT&T
! 10: All rights reserved.
! 11:
! 12: Based on "Rogue: Exploring the Dungeons of Doom"
! 13: Copyright (C) 1980, 1981 Michael Toy, Ken Arnold and Glenn Wichman
! 14: All rights reserved.
! 15:
! 16: See the file LICENSE.TXT for full copyright and licensing information.
! 17:
! 18:
! 19: XRogue: Expeditions into the Dungeons of Doom
! 20: ---------------------------------------------
! 21:
! 22: Introduction:
! 23:
! 24: Rogue was introduced at the University of California at Berkeley as a
! 25: screen-oriented fantasy game. The game had 26 types of monsters that
! 26: the player could meet while exploring a Dungeon generated by the computer.
! 27: Scrolls, potions, rings, wands, staves, armor, and weapons helped the
! 28: player to battle these monsters and to gain gold, the basis for scoring.
! 29:
! 30: The version of rogue described in this guide has been expanded to include
! 31: over 200 monsters with many new capabilities and has been renamed xrogue.
! 32: Many of the monsters are intelligent and they, like the player, must avoid
! 33: traps and decide when it is better to fight or to run. There are also a
! 34: number of new commands in this version not found in previous versions.
! 35:
! 36: The game contains monsters, spells, weapons, armor, potions, and other
! 37: magical items that you will discover during your quest. The Dungeon's
! 38: geography changes with every game and although many magical items have
! 39: certain identifiable properties, such as turning the player invisible,
! 40: the physical manifestation of the magic changes each game. A red potion,
! 41: for example, will cause the same reaction throughout a given game but
! 42: it may be a completely different potion in a new game.
! 43:
! 44: Entering the Dungeon with only a little food, armor, and a weapon, the
! 45: player must develop a good strategy of when to fight, when to run, and
! 46: how to best use any magical item found in the Dungeon. To make things
! 47: interesting the player has a quest to return one of several unique and
! 48: magical artifacts which are rumored to lie deep within the Dungeon.
! 49: Returning with this artifact to the surface brings great honor.
! 50:
! 51: However, after finding the artifact, the player may wish to continue
! 52: his quest deeper into the Dungeon to match wits with an arch-devil, a
! 53: demon-prince, or perhaps Charon the Boatman. Defeating such a creature
! 54: will gain the player many experience points which is the basis for
! 55: scoring in xrogue. It is very difficult to return from the Dungeons
! 56: of Doom alive. Very few players have won this game.
! 57:
! 58: Character Classes:
! 59:
! 60: Before placing the player in the Dungeon, the game requests that you
! 61: select what type of character they would like to be: Fighter, Paladin,
! 62: Ranger, Magic-User, Cleric, Thief, Assassin, Druid, or Monk.
! 63:
! 64: The Fighter
! 65:
! 66: A Fighter has the best odds at winning battles with monsters. At high
! 67: experience levels, the Fighter is able to attack his opponent multiple
! 68: times in a single turn. Strength is the main attribute of the Fighter.
! 69:
! 70: The Magic-User
! 71:
! 72: A Magic-User is able to cast spells. Intelligence is the main attribute.
! 73: The number of spells a Magic-User can cast increases as he gains in
! 74: experience points and in intelligence. His spell casting ability allows
! 75: him to identify any item in the Dungeon. 16 spells.
! 76:
! 77: The Cleric
! 78:
! 79: A Cleric is able to pray for assistance in battle. Wisdom is the main
! 80: attribute. The number of prayers granted to the Cleric increases as he
! 81: gains in experience points and in wisdom. Clerics can affect (turn) the
! 82: undead monsters to avoid battle. Ie., zombies, ghouls, etc. If the
! 83: Cleric is very powerful relative to the undead monster, turning it will
! 84: utterly destroy it. 16 prayers.
! 85:
! 86: The Paladin
! 87:
! 88: A Paladin is a type of holy warrior, being a cross between a Cleric
! 89: and a Fighter. He is able to pray and affect the undead like the Cleric
! 90: and fight like the Fighter, but both to a lesser extent. He is on the
! 91: side of all that is righteous and good and would never attack a monster
! 92: that has not attacked him first. If he happens to kill such a monster,
! 93: inadvertantly or otherwise, he will begin to feel increasingly uneasy.
! 94: If he kills too many such monsters, he will face karmic retaliation and
! 95: be reduced to a mere Fighter, minus all of the Cleric's ability.
! 96: Charisma is the main attribute with Wisdom second.
! 97:
! 98: The Ranger
! 99:
! 100: A Ranger is a type of mystical warrior, being a cross between the
! 101: Magic-User and Fighter. Like the Paladin, he is on the side of all
! 102: that is righteous and good and would never attack a monster that
! 103: has not attacked him first. A Ranger is able to cast spells like the
! 104: Magic-User and fight like the Fighter, but both to a lesser extent.
! 105: Charisma is the main attribute with Intelligence second.
! 106:
! 107: The Thief
! 108:
! 109: A Thief is exceptionally dexterous and has great skill at being able
! 110: to set a traps for and/or rob (steal) items from monsters. Thieves have
! 111: the ability to detect all the gold and hidden traps on each level of
! 112: the Dungeon. Their dexterous nature gives Thieves the ability to move
! 113: very quietly, so they are not as likely as to wake up sleeping monsters
! 114: as are the other character types. If a Thief manages to sneak up on a
! 115: creature without waking it he may be able to backstab the monster. The
! 116: damage from a backstab is greatly increased based upon the experience
! 117: level. Dexterity is the main attribute.
! 118:
! 119: The Assassin
! 120:
! 121: An Assassin is a person trained in the art of killing monsters by
! 122: surprise. He has some of the abilities of the Thief, but he cannot
! 123: sense traps or backstab. Instead, the Assassin has the chance to kill
! 124: an opponent outright with one deadly blow. He can recognize and use
! 125: poison found in the Dungeon on his weapon, thereby, making his next
! 126: attack exceptionally lethal. Dexterity is the main attribute.
! 127:
! 128: The Druid
! 129:
! 130: A Druid is a type of magical warrior, being a cross between the Cleric
! 131: and the Magic-User. A Druid can chant both spells and prayers plus a
! 132: few of his own. The number of chants available to the Druid increases
! 133: as he gains in experience points and in Wisdom. Wisdom is the main
! 134: attribute. 16 chants.
! 135:
! 136: The Monk
! 137:
! 138: A Monk is trained in the martial arts. He wears no armor and does not
! 139: need a weapon (although using them is not forbidden). As the Monk gains
! 140: in experience points his natural defense or ability to dodge attackers
! 141: increases. The Mong is a cross between the Druid and Fighter, so he
! 142: can chant and also fight like the Fighter, but both to a lesser extent.
! 143: Constitution is the main attribute, with wisdom second.
! 144:
! 145: Attributes Of The Charaters:
! 146:
! 147: Strength - The primary attribute for encumberance.
! 148:
! 149: Intelligence - The primary attribute for casting spells.
! 150:
! 151: Wisdom - The primary attribute for prayers and chanting.
! 152:
! 153: Dexterity - The primary attribute for stealthiness.
! 154:
! 155: Charisma - The primary attribute for good will. High Charisma also
! 156: affects the cost of objects when making transactions.
! 157:
! 158: Constitution - The primary attribute for health. High Constitution
! 159: affects the amount of hit points you receive when
! 160: moving up in experience levels.
! 161:
! 162: Note: The Ranger, Paladin, and Monk do not receive their "special"
! 163: magical abilities until they have advanced a few experience levels.
! 164:
! 165: Experience Levels:
! 166:
! 167: Characters gain experience points mostly from killing monsters. Other
! 168: actions, such as stealing items from monsters, backstabbing, and turning
! 169: monsters, also add extra experience points. Each character type gains
! 170: experience points and moves up in experience levels at different rates.
! 171: Moving up in experience levels adds extra hit points to the character
! 172: which determines how many "hits" he can take before being killed.
! 173:
! 174: Allocating Attribute Points To The Characters:
! 175:
! 176: A player starts with 75 attribute points to distribute in to the character
! 177: he has chosen to play. When you are prompted to distribute the attribute
! 178: points, the screen displays the minimum and maximum allowable values for
! 179: that particular attribute. The player can type a backspace (Ctrl-H) to go
! 180: back and change a previous value and typing an escape (ESC) sets all the
! 181: remaining attributes to the maximum value possible, given the number of
! 182: remaining attribute points to be distributed.
! 183:
! 184: THE SCREEN
! 185:
! 186: During the normal course of play, the screen consists of three separate
! 187: sections: the top line, the bottom two lines, and the remaining screen
! 188: in the middle. The top line reports actions which occur during the game,
! 189: the middle section depicts the Dungeon, and the bottom two lines describe
! 190: the player's current condition.
! 191:
! 192: Whenever anything happens to the player, such as finding a scroll, hitting
! 193: a monster, or being hit by a monster, a short report appears on the top
! 194: line of the screen. When you see the word 'More' on the top line, that
! 195: means you must press the space key to continue.
! 196:
! 197: The following items may be found within the Dungeon. Some of them have
! 198: more than one interpretation, depending upon whether your character
! 199: recognizes them or not.
! 200:
! 201: | A wall of a room.
! 202: - A wall of a room.
! 203: * A pile of gold.
! 204: % A way to another level.
! 205: + A doorway.
! 206: . The floor in a room.
! 207: # The floor in a passageway.
! 208: Solid rock (denoted by a space).
! 209: ^ The entrance to a Trading Post
! 210: @ The player.
! 211: _ The player, when invisible.
! 212: : Some food.
! 213: ! A flask containing a potion.
! 214: ? A sealed scroll.
! 215: = A ring.
! 216: ) A weapon.
! 217: ] Some armor.
! 218: ; A miscellaneous magic item
! 219: , An artifact
! 220: / A wand or a staff.
! 221: > A trapdoor leading to the next level
! 222: { An arrow trap
! 223: $ A sleeping gas trap
! 224: } A beartrap
! 225: ~ A trap that teleports you somewhere else
! 226: ` A poison dart trap
! 227: " A shimmering magic pool
! 228: ' An entrance to a maze
! 229: $ Any magical item. (During magic detection)
! 230: > A blessed magical item. (During magic detection)
! 231: < A cursed magical item. (During magic detection)
! 232:
! 233: Monsters are depicted as letters of the alphabet. Note that all letters
! 234: denote multiple monsters, depending on which level of the Dungeon you are
! 235: on. The player may identify a current monster by using the identify
! 236: command ('/') or the clarify command ('=').
! 237:
! 238: The bottom two lines of the screen describe the player's current status.
! 239: The first line gives the player's characteristics:
! 240:
! 241: Intelligence, Strength, Wisdom, Dexterity, Charisma, and Constitution
! 242: all have a normal maximum value of 50 points, but they can go higher if
! 243: augmented by a ring. Encumberance is a measurement of how much the player
! 244: can carry versus how much he is currently carrying. The more you carry
! 245: relative to your maximum encumberance causes you to use more food. The
! 246: attribute of Strength fortifies one's encumberance.
! 247:
! 248: The player's current number of hit points are denoted as (Hp) and it is
! 249: followed in parentheses by the player's current maximum hit points. Hit
! 250: points express the player's survivability. As a player heals by resting,
! 251: using potions, or spells, the player's current hit points gradually increase
! 252: until they reach the current maximum. This maximum number will be increased
! 253: each time a player goes up an experience level. If the player's current hit
! 254: points reach 0, the player becomes "metabolically challenged".
! 255:
! 256: The player's armor class is denoted as (Ac). This number describes the
! 257: amount of protection provided by the armor, cloaks, and/or rings currently
! 258: worn by the player. It is also affected by high or low dexterity. Wearing
! 259: no armor is equivalent to an armor class of 10 (Monk excepted). The lower
! 260: the armor class number, the better.
! 261:
! 262: The player's current experience level is denoted as (Exp), followed by
! 263: the player's experience points. A new experience level brings extra hit
! 264: points and possibly added abilities, such as new spells for a Magic-user,
! 265: new prayers for a Cleric, and new chants for a Druid. There are a total
! 266: of 26 experience levels per character.
! 267:
! 268: Commands:
! 269:
! 270: A player can invoke most commands by typing in a single character.
! 271: Some commands, however, require a direction, in which case the player
! 272: types the command character followed by a directional letter. Many
! 273: commands can be prefaced by a number, indicating how many times the
! 274: command should be executed.
! 275:
! 276: When the player invokes a command referring to an item in the player's
! 277: pack (such as reading a scroll), the game prompts for the item. The
! 278: player can then type the letter associated with the item. Typing a '*'
! 279: will produce a list of eligible items.
! 280:
! 281: A list of basic games commands:
! 282:
! 283: ? Preceding a command by a '?' produces a brief explanation of the
! 284: command. The command '?*' gives an explanation of all the commands.
! 285: A '?@' gives information on things you encounter (rock, forest, etc).
! 286: / Preceding a symbol by a '/' identifies the symbol.
! 287: = Clarify. After typing an '=' sign, the player can use the movement
! 288: keys to position the cursor anywhere on the current level. As long
! 289: as the player can normally see the selected position, the game will
! 290: identify whatever is there.
! 291: h Move one position to the left.
! 292: j Move one position down.
! 293: k Move one position up.
! 294: l Move one position to the right.
! 295: y Move one position to the top left.
! 296: u Move one position to the top right.
! 297: b Move one position to the bottom left.
! 298: n Move one position to the bottom right.
! 299: H Run to the left until reaching something interesting.
! 300: J Run down until reaching something interesting.
! 301: K Run up until reaching something interesting.
! 302: L Run to the right until reaching something interesting.
! 303: Y Run to the top left until reaching something interesting.
! 304: U Run to the top right until reaching something interesting.
! 305: B Run to the bottom left until reaching something interesting.
! 306: N Run to the bottom right until reaching something interesting.
! 307:
! 308: > Go down the stairs to the next level or enter the outer region if you
! 309: are standing upon the wormhole trap (must be "flying" for this to work).
! 310: < Go up the stairs to the next level or enter the outer region if you are
! 311: standing upon the wormhole trap (must be "flying" for this to work).
! 312:
! 313: * Count the gold in the player's pack.
! 314: ! Escape to the shell level.
! 315: $ Price an item at the Trading Post.
! 316: # Buy an item at the Trading Post.
! 317: % Sell an item at the Trading Post.
! 318: . This command (a period) causes the player to rest one turn.
! 319: ^ This command sets traps and is limited to Thieves and Assassins. If the
! 320: command is successful the game will ask the player for the trap type and
! 321: sets it where the player is standing.
! 322: a Affect the undead. This command is restricted to Clerics and Paladins
! 323: and must be followed by a directional letter.
! 324: A Choose your quest item (at game startup only!).
! 325: c This command is restricted to Druids and Monks and it produces a list of
! 326: available chants. The player can select one of the displayed chants and
! 327: if the player's energy level is sufficiently high, "chant" it. The more
! 328: complicated the spell, the more energy it will take.
! 329: C This command is restricted to Magic-Users and Rangers and it produces a
! 330: list of available spells. The player can select one of the displayed
! 331: spells and if the player's energy level is sufficiently high, "cast" it.
! 332: The more complicated the spell, the more energy it will take.
! 333: d Drop an item from the player's pack.
! 334: D Dip something into a magic pool.
! 335: e Eat some food from the player's pack.
! 336: f When this command is preceded with a directional command, the player will
! 337: move in the specified direction until he crosses something interesting.
! 338: F Frighten a monster. Not available to all characters. This command
! 339: loses it's power at around level 10.
! 340: g Give away or trade a slime-mold for food with a monster.
! 341: G This command is restricted to Thieves and Assassins. It causes the game
! 342: to display all of the gold on the current level.
! 343: i Display an inventory of the player's pack.
! 344: I This command prompts for an item from the player's pack and displays
! 345: the inventory information for that item.
! 346: m When the player types this command, you are prompted to mark an item
! 347: with a one-line name.
! 348: o Typing this command causes the game to display all the settable options.
! 349: The player can then examine them or change (some of) them
! 350: O Display your current character type and quest item.
! 351: p This command is restricted to Clerics and Paladins and it produces a
! 352: list of available prayers. The player can then select one of the
! 353: displayed prayers and if the player's energy level is sufficiently high,
! 354: "pray" it. The more complicated the prayer, the more energy it will
! 355: take.
! 356: P Pick up the items currently under the player.
! 357: q Quaff a potion from the player's pack.
! 358: Q Quit without saving the game.
! 359: r Read a scroll from the player's pack.
! 360: s Search for a secret door or a trap in the circle surrounding the player.
! 361: S Save your game to play at a later time.
! 362: t This command prompts for an object from the players pack. The player
! 363: then can throw the object in the specified direction.
! 364: T Take off whatever the player is wearing.
! 365: v Print the current xrogue version number.
! 366: w Wield a weapon from the player's pack.
! 367: W Wear some armor, ring, or a miscellaneous magic item from the player's
! 368: pack. The player can wear a maximum of 8 rings.
! 369: X This command is restricted to Thieves only. It causes the game to
! 370: display
! 371: all of the hidden traps on the current level.
! 372: z This command prompts for a wand or staff from the player's pack and zaps
! 373: it in the specified direction.
! 374: + Fortune cookie! (Note: if you play xrogue over a modem, typing three
! 375: consecutive '+' will tell your modem to enter "command" mode. See your
! 376: modem manual on how to return from this mode).
! 377:
! 378: Escape Pressing the Escape key will cancel the current command.
! 379: Ctrl-B Check your current score. Scoring is based on experience points
! 380: and gold. However, gold is not that important and 10% is hacked
! 381: off if a player is killed.
! 382: Ctrl-E Check your current food level. This command is used when you want
! 383: to see just how much food you have remaining in your stomach. A
! 384: full stomach is measured to be about 2000(2100). As you play the
! 385: game, this level drops until you become hungry at about 200(2100).
! 386: A food level over 2000(2100) makes the character satiated, and a
! 387: level under 200(2100) makes the character hungry, then weak, and
! 388: finally fainting. A level of 2000(2100) is the most the character
! 389: can eat, a full, satisfied stomach!
! 390: Ctrl-L Redraw the screen.
! 391: Ctrl-N When the player types this command, the game prompts you to type a
! 392: one-line name for a monster or for an item in the player's pack
! 393: To name a monster, position the cursor over the desired monster and
! 394: rename it.
! 395: Ctrl-O Display the current "affects" on the player (such as slow, phased,
! 396: confused, extra sight, flying, dancing, etc.).
! 397: Ctrl-R Repeat last message displayed on the top line of the screen.
! 398: Ctrl-T This command is restricted to Thieves and Assassins. It must be
! 399: followed by a directional letter. If a monster is standing next to
! 400: the player in the specified direction, the effect is to steal an
! 401: item from the monster's pack. If successful, the monster does not
! 402: notice anything, but if the player is unsuccessful, there is a
! 403: chance
! 404: the monster will suddenly wake up and attack.
! 405: Ctrl-U Use a magic item in the player's pack.
! 406:
! 407: There is no explicit attack command. If a player wishes to do battle with a
! 408: monster, the player simply moves onto the spot where the monster is
! 409: standing.
! 410: Whatever the player is wielding will be used as the player's weapon.
! 411:
! 412: As the player moves across items, the game automatically picks them up and
! 413: places them into the player's pack. If there is no room left in the pack,
! 414: the item is left on the floor. Setting the "pickup" option to "NO" will
! 415: allow the player to pick up items at will using the 'P' command.
! 416:
! 417: All actions except for bookkeeping commands, such as taking an inventory,
! 418: take time. The amount of time varies with the command. Swinging a weapon,
! 419: for example, takes more time than simply moving; so a monster could move
! 420: several spaces in the time it takes the player to make one attack. The
! 421: time it takes to swing a weapon also varies based on the bulk of the weapon,
! 422: and the time it takes to simply move one space varies with the type of armor
! 423: worn and the player's level of encumberance. Movement is always faster when
! 424: the player is "flying".
! 425:
! 426: Actions also take time and some of them can be disrupted. If the player is
! 427: casting a spell for example, and gets hit before finishing it, the spell is
! 428: lost. Similarly, the player might choke if hit while trying to eat. These
! 429: same rules apply to monsters as well.
! 430:
! 431: Some of the rooms in the Dungeon possess a natural light source. In most
! 432: other rooms and in corridors, the player can see only those things within
! 433: a one-space radius around the player. Dark rooms can be lit with magical
! 434: light or by fire beetles and other monsters.
! 435:
! 436: The player can wield only one weapon at a time. When a player attacks
! 437: a monster, the amount of damage depends on the particular weapon he is
! 438: wielding. To fire a projectile weapon, such as a crossbow or a short bow,
! 439: the player should wield the bow and throw the bolt or arrow at the monster.
! 440:
! 441: A weapon may be cursed or blessed which will affect the likelihood of you
! 442: hitting a monster with it and the damage that it will inflict on the
! 443: monster.
! 444: If the player has identified the weapon he is using, the "to hit" and the
! 445: "to damage" bonuses appear (in that order) before the weapons name in the
! 446: inventory listing. A positive bonus indicates a blessed weapon, and a
! 447: negative bonus usually indicates a cursed or misguided weapon. A player
! 448: cannot release a cursed weapon until a remove curse scroll is read or cast
! 449: by magical means.
! 450:
! 451: After the player has identified a suit of armor, the protection bonus
! 452: appears
! 453: before the armors name in the inventory listing. If the bonus is positive
! 454: the armor is blessed but if it is negative, the armor is probably cursed.
! 455: The player cannot remove a cursed suit of armor until a remove curse scroll
! 456: is read or cast by magical means.
! 457:
! 458: Some monsters can corrode your armor! If such a monster hits a player
! 459: when the player is wearing metal armor, the armor will lose some of its
! 460: protective value. This same corrosive property also applies to weapons
! 461: when a player hits a monster with this ability. Search for a scroll of
! 462: "protection" to guard against corrosion of your armor and weapon.
! 463:
! 464: A player will find many potions and scrolls in the Dungeon. Reading a
! 465: scroll or quaffing a potion will usually cause some magical occurrence.
! 466: Potions and scrolls may be either cursed or blessed. In this version of
! 467: xrogue, Monster Confusion scrolls will turn your hands a variety of colors.
! 468: A blessed Magic Mapping scroll shows very detailed maps. A scroll of
! 469: Genocide works within the dungeon as well as in the outer region. A
! 470: scroll of blessed Teleportation will teleport you "upward" a few levels.
! 471: Blessed Remove Curse will cause certain monsters to panic if the scroll
! 472: is read near them. Charm Monster will let you charm several monsters.
! 473:
! 474: The player can wear a maximum of eight rings. Some of them have a magical
! 475: effect on the player as long as they are worn. Some rings also speed up
! 476: the player's metabolism, making the player require food more often. Rings
! 477: can be cursed or blessed and the player cannot remove a cursed ring until
! 478: a remove curse scroll is read or cast.
! 479:
! 480: Wands, rods, and staves help a player in battle and affect the Dungeon.
! 481: A player uses the "z" (zap) command to use a wand either to shoot at a
! 482: monster, teleport, or to light up a dark room. Wands can be cursed or
! 483: blessed.
! 484:
! 485: A player must be frugal with his food. Both moving and searching through
! 486: the Dungeon, and fighting monsters, consumes energy. Starving results in
! 487: the player's fainting for increasingly longer periods of time, during which
! 488: any nearby monster can attack the player at will. Food comes in the form
! 489: of standard rations and as a variety of berries. Some berries have side
! 490: effects in addition to satisfying one's hunger. Slime-Molds are monster
! 491: food and if you have one, you may be able to trade it for a regular food
! 492: ration, if the monster is of "friendly" persuasion.
! 493:
! 494: Gold has a couple of uses in the Dungeon. The first use of gold is to buy
! 495: things, either at a Trading Post or from a Quartermaster. The Trading Post
! 496: when found, is entered via the '>' command, like going down a stairway.
! 497: A Quartermaster ('q') is a Dungeon vendor who appears at certain times and
! 498: will try to sell the player some of his wares. The Quartermaster's wares
! 499: are never cursed but they can be blessed, though blessed goods do cost more
! 500: than normal goods. If the player chooses to buy something offered by a
! 501: Quartermaster, he will make the transaction for the specified amount of gold
! 502: and then disappear. Attacking a Quartermaster causes him to vanish in
! 503: haste! You can sometimes find gold at the bottom of "magic pools". Use
! 504: the ">" command to dive for the gold, but be careful you don't drown!
! 505:
! 506: When beginning a new game, a player is placed in the Trading Post with
! 507: an allotment of gold based upon the type of character chosen to play.
! 508: There are some restrictions on the use of certain items by character.
! 509: For example, only Fighters, Paladins, and Rangers can wield two-handed
! 510: swords while Thieves and Assassins can not wear certain types of armor.
! 511: However, the Trading Post (and Quartermaster) will happily sell a player
! 512: anything that he can afford, whether you need it or not.
! 513:
! 514: Miscellaneous magical items such as a Pair of Boots or a Book are numerous
! 515: within the Dungeon. These items are usually used to a player's advantage,
! 516: assuming they are not cursed. Some of these items can be worn, such as a
! 517: Cloak, while others are to be used, such as a Book, Beaker, or Ointment.
! 518: The Medicine Crystal will heal you, remove all curses, heal you, and may
! 519: cause panic in some monsters.
! 520:
! 521: There are a number of unique monsters deep within the depths of the Dungeon
! 522: that carry very special magical items or artifacts. When you begin the
! 523: game,
! 524: you are asked to choose a "quest item" to retrieve from the Dungeon. Most
! 525: of these items can be used to the player's advantage, even if they are not
! 526: one's own personal quest item during the game. However, care must be taken
! 527: when handling some of them for they have intelligence and some will reject
! 528: mishandling or abuse. These items consume your food (and your gold) so
! 529: carrying them around results in increased food use. Some of these items
! 530: will
! 531: kill you outright if you happen to pick them up while wielding another
! 532: artifact as your weapon. Don't be too greedy with the artifacts! Quest
! 533: items begin appearing in xrogue between levels 40-50. The less traumatic
! 534: quest items appear earlier while the more severe ones appear later. Once
! 535: a unique monster is killed, you will not encounter another one like it in
! 536: the Dungeon.
! 537:
! 538: A variety of traps exist within the Dungeon, including trap doors, bear
! 539: traps, and sleeping traps. Sometimes they are hidden from sight until
! 540: sprung by a monster or by the player. A sprung trap continues to function,
! 541: but since it is visible, an intelligent monster is not likely to tread on
! 542: it.
! 543: A trap called the Wormhole trap, will transport you to the "outer region"
! 544: of the dungeon. There you will fight strange dinosaurs until you can make
! 545: your way back to a starwell, and promptly return from whence you came.
! 546:
! 547: Each monster except for the Quartermaster appears in a limited range of
! 548: Dungeon levels. All monsters of the same type share the same abilities.
! 549: All giant rats, for example, can give the player a disease, and all
! 550: jackalweres can put the player to sleep. Monsters of the same type will
! 551: vary however, in strength and intelligence. For example, one kobold may
! 552: be much more difficult to kill off than another. In general, the more
! 553: difficult it is to kill a monster, the more experience points the monster
! 554: is worth.
! 555:
! 556: Most monsters attack by biting and clawing, but some monsters carry weapons
! 557: and can use their breath as a weapon. Some monsters can even use magical
! 558: items, such as wands and artifacts. Monsters with distance weapons or magic
! 559: can sometimes attack a player from across a room or from down a corridor.
! 560:
! 561: Some monsters are more intelligent than others, and the more intelligent
! 562: a monster is, the more likely it will run away if it is about to die.
! 563: A fleeing monster will not attack the player unless it is cornered.
! 564:
! 565: It is sometimes possible to enlist a monster's aid. Reading a charm monster
! 566: scroll, for example, or singing a charm monster chants can make a monster
! 567: believe that the player is its friend. A charmed monster will fight hostile
! 568: monsters for the player as long as they are not of its own race. Be sure
! 569: your charmed monsters are in the same room with you when you enter the next
! 570: level, or they will be lost.
! 571:
! 572: Options:
! 573:
! 574: The game has several options, some of which can only be set by the player
! 575: at the beginning of the game and others during the course of play.
! 576:
! 577: default - Play the character with "default" attribute settings.
! 578: terse - Shorten messages at top of screen.
! 579: jump - Speed up the display of the player's movement
! 580: step - Lists all inventories one line at a time.
! 581: overlay - Allows listings of inventories to overlay the currnt screen.
! 582: flush - Supposed to flush all typed-ahead characters.
! 583: askme - Prompt the player to name new types of scrolls, potions,
! 584: etc.
! 585: pickup - Pick up items automatically as you move across them
! 586: name - The player's name.
! 587: file - Saved game filename. Defaults to xrogue.sav.
! 588: score - Identifies the location of the game scorefile.
! 589: type - Specifies the character type (unchangable).
! 590: quested item - Set at start up (unchangeable).
! 591:
! 592: A player can set the game options at the beginning of a game via the
! 593: ROGUEOPTS environment variable.
! 594:
! 595: Some examples:
! 596:
! 597: ROGUEOPTS="default nopickup, nooverlay, name=Corwin, class=magician"
! 598: ROGUEOPTS="pickup, overlay, file=xrg.sav, score=/home/games/scorefile"
! 599:
! 600: The player may change an option at any time during the game via the 'o'
! 601: (option) command. On the options menu, typing a new value changes the
! 602: option and a RETURN moves to the next option in the list. Typing an '-'
! 603: moves you to the previous option and an ESCAPE returns you to the Dungeon.
! 604:
! 605: A new option called "default" was added in xrogue. When you put the word
! 606: "default" into your ROGUEOPTS environment variable your character will be
! 607: created with "default" attribute settings, armor, weapon, quest item, and
! 608: some food.
! 609:
! 610: Setting "default" will force the game to skip over the beginning screen
! 611: where you can choose/distribute your attribute points and it also skips
! 612: over the beginning "equippage screen" where you can choose your armor,
! 613: weapon, quest item, and etc.
! 614:
! 615: If you use the "class" option with "default" in ROGUEOPTS, you will
! 616: start the game immediately at level 1 with the default selections
! 617: for your character.
! 618:
! 619: Here is a list of the main and secondary attributes, special ability,
! 620: and quest item ("default" settings) for each character type:
! 621:
! 622: Character Main Attr. Secondary Specialties Def. Quest Item
! 623: -------------------------------------------------------------------------
! 624: Fighter strength constitution sense gold Axe of Aklad
! 625: Ranger charisma intelligence cast spells Mandolin of Brian
! 626: Paladin charisma wisdom affect undead Ankh of Heil
! 627: Cleric wisdom dexterity prayer spells Horn of Geryon
! 628: Magician intelligence dexterity cast spells Stonebones Amulet
! 629: Thief dexterity strength sense traps Musty Daggers
! 630: Assassin dexterity strength steal/use poison Eye of Vecna
! 631: Druid wisdom dexterity chant spells Quill of Nagrom
! 632: Monk constitution dexterity chant spells Emori Cloak
! 633:
! 634: A different quest item may be chosen ONLY while you are in the beginning
! 635: Trading Post (if you have NOT set the "default" option via ROGUEOPTS).
! 636:
! 637: When a player is killed, his score will be equal to the amount of his
! 638: experience points gained, plus his gold (minus 10%). A player that
! 639: quits the game will not lose 10% of his gold. If a player makes it back
! 640: up and out of the Dungeon alive, his score will be equal to the amount
! 641: of experience points, plus the gold, plus additional gold received from
! 642: selling all of the items in his pack.
! 643:
! 644: The game maintains a top-twenty player scorefile. As an installation
! 645: option, the game may be compiled so as to record only three entries per
! 646: character type and name.
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