xref: /openbsd-src/games/hack/help (revision 8613de63bb4e88355c0c8943370ba8842724fde0)

	Welcome to HACK!		   ( description of version 1.0.3 )

	Hack is a Dungeons and Dragons like game where you (the adventurer)
descend into the depths of the dungeon in search of the Amulet of Yendor
(reputed to be hidden on the twentieth level).  You are accompanied by a
little dog that can help you in many ways and can be trained to do all
sorts of things. On the way you will find useful (or useless) items, (quite
possibly with magic properties) and assorted monsters.  You attack a monster
by trying to move into the space a monster is in (but often it is much
wiser to leave it alone).

	Unlike most adventure games, which give you a verbal description of
your location, hack gives you a visual image of the dungeon level you are on.

	Hack uses the following symbols:
		A to Z and a to z:  monsters.  You can find out what a letter
represents by saying "/ (letter)", as in "/A", which will tell you that 'A'
is a giant ant.
		- and |  These form the walls of a room (or maze).
		.  this is the floor of a room.
		#  this is a corridor.
		>  this is the staircase to the next level.
		<  the staircase to the previous level.
		`  A large boulder.
		@  You (usually).
		^  A trap.
		)  A weapon of some sort.
		(  Some other useful object (key, rope, dynamite, camera, ...)
		[  A suit of armor.
		%  A piece of food (not necessarily healthy ...).
		/  A wand.
		=  A ring.
		?  A scroll.
		!  A magic potion.
		$  A pile or pot of gold.

Commands:
	Hack knows the following commands:
	?	help: print this list.
	Q	Quit the game.
	S	Save the game.
	!	Escape to a shell.
	^Z	Suspend the game.
	<	up: go up the staircase (if you are standing on it).
	>	down: go down (just like up).
	kjhlyubn - go one step in the direction indicated.
		k: north (i.e., to the top of the screen),
		j: south, h: west, l: east, y: nw, u: ne, b: sw, n: se.
	KJHLYUBN - Go in that direction until you hit a wall or run
		into something.
	m	(followed by one of kjhlyubn): move without picking up
		any objects.
	M	(followed by one of KJHLYUBN): Move far, no pickup.
	f	(followed by one of kjhlyubn): move until something
		interesting is found.
	F	(followed by one of KJHLYUBN): as previous, but forking
		of corridors is not considered interesting.
	i	print your inventory.
	I	print selected parts of your inventory, like in
		I* - print all gems in inventory;
		IU - print all unpaid items;
		IX - print all used up items that are on your shopping bill;
		I$ - count your money.
	s	search for secret doors and traps around you.
	^	ask for the type of a trap you found earlier.
	)	ask for current wielded weapon.
	[	ask for current armor.
	=	ask for current rings.
	$	count how many gold pieces you are carrying.
	.	rest, do nothing.
	,	pick up some things.
	:	look at what is here.
	^T	teleport.
	^R	redraw the screen.
	^P	repeat last message
		(subsequent ^P's repeat earlier messages).
	/	(followed by any symbol): tell what this symbol represents.
	\	tell what has been discovered.
	e	eat food.
	w	wield weapon. w- means: wield nothing, use bare hands.
	q	drink (quaff) a potion.
	r	read a scroll.
	T	Takeoff armor.
	R	Remove Ring.
	W	Wear armor.
	P	Put on a ring.
	z	zap a wand.
	t	throw an object or shoot an arrow.
	p	pay your shopping bill.
	d	drop something. d7a: drop seven items of object a.
	D	Drop several things.
		In answer to the question "What kinds of things do you
		want to drop? [!%= au]" you should give zero or more
		object symbols possibly followed by 'a' and/or 'u'.
		'a' means: drop all such objects, without asking for
			confirmation.
		'u' means: drop only unpaid objects (when in a shop).
	a	use, apply - Generic command for using a key to lock
		or unlock a door, using a camera, using a rope, etc.
	c	call: name a certain object or class of objects.
	C	Call: Name an individual monster.
	E	Engrave: Write a message in the dust on the floor.
		E- means: use fingers for writing.
	O	Set options. You will be asked to enter an option line.
		If this is empty, the current options are reported.
		Otherwise it should be a list of options separated by commas.
		Possible boolean options are: oneline, time, news, tombstone,
		rest_on_space, fixinvlet, beginner, male, female.
		They can be negated by prefixing them with '!' or "no".
		A string option is name; it supplies the answer to the question
		"Who are you?"; it may have a suffix.
		A compound option is endgame; it is followed by a description
		of what parts of the list of topscorers should be printed
		when the game is finished.
		Usually one will not want to use the 'O' command, but instead
		put a HACKOPTIONS="...." line in one's environment.
	v	print version number.

	You can put a number before a command to repeat it that many times,
	as in "20s" or "40.".

	At present, some information is displayed on the bottom line.
	(It is expected that this information will go away in future versions.)
	You see on what dungeon level you are, how many hit points you have
	now (and will have when fully recovered), what your armor class is
	(the lower the better), your strength, experience level and the
	state of your stomach.

	Have Fun, and Good Hacking!