XNetHack: Difference between revisions

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xNetHack's source code [https://github.com/copperwater/xNetHack can be found here] on [[Github]] for those looking to compile. Only support for Linux exists currently, though at least one person has managed to build it on a Mac. The latest version (6.0) is available to play in-browser on the Hardfought public server ([https://www.hardfought.org/nethack/hterm-us/ US server], [https://www.hardfought.org/nethack/hterm-eu/ EU server] and [https://www.hardfought.org/nethack/hterm-eu/ AU server]), and you can also play via SSH to nethack@hardfought.org, nethack@eu.hardfought.org or nethack@au.hardfought.org. The Hardfought web terminal also supports the tiles version of xNetHack, and it is the recommended method if you want to play with tiles (select "xNetHack" tileset and "square" font). Full changelogs for each version can be found on the game's NetHack wiki article.

A list of [https://hardfought.org/etherpad/p/r.89e0b3d65b3aee3b918a1ae1fd6c1da2 the developer's future plans] can be viewed on Hardfought's local [[Etherpad]].

As a variant based off an in-development version of ''NetHack'' - whose trope page currently applies to the latest stable version, 3.6.6 - changes imported from that version will be noted as such here. In addition, a list of [https://hardfought.org/etherpad/p/r.89e0b3d65b3aee3b918a1ae1fd6c1da2 the developer's future plans] can be viewed on Hardfought's local [[Etherpad]].

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** The experience level threshold for the Quest is lowered from 14 to 10, making the quest easier to access without as much reliance on leveling.

* [[Anti-Frustration Features]]: One of the primary focuses of xNetHack is to introduce a lot of these - many, ''many'' improvements have been made from the vanilla game.

** Orcish Town is considered a [[Scrappy Level]] variant of Minetown in ~~the~~ vanilla ~~game~~ ~~- in~~ xNetHack, it's still mostly hostile and challenging, but Izchak is still alive and in his shop, ~~ensuring that candles are generated for later stages of the game.~~ ~~All~~ the armor, weapons, spellbooks, and other shop loot normally found in Frontier Town is lying around on the ground for free, making it more worthwhile - or at least less likely that a player who gets Orctown will [[Rage Quit]].

** Orcish Town is considered a [[Scrappy Level]] variant of Minetown in vanilla ''NetHack''. In xNetHack, it's still mostly hostile and challenging, but there are two major differences: Izchak is still alive and in his shop, and all the armor, weapons, spellbooks, and other shop loot normally found in Frontier Town is lying around on the ground for free, making it more worthwhile - or at least less likely that a player who gets Orctown will [[Rage Quit]].

** The artifact wishing formula is changed so that only the number of artifact wishes previously made affects your odds of receiving one from said wish. While this makes the odds harsher as only your first artifact wish is guaranteed, this also prevents artifacts generated by other means ([[Meta Multiplayer|bones]], [[Divine Assistance|sacrifice gifts]], #naming, and random generation) from fouling your chances.

** The experience level threshold for [[the Quest]] is lowered from 14 to 10, with players expected to be able to appraise their own readiness; this is done to reduce the need for wraith hunting or hunting down/alchemizing [[Rare Candy|potions of gain level]].

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* [[Baleful Polymorph]]:

** Subverted with shapeshifter corpses - pets will no longer automatically eat and polymorph them unless they're starving or other on the verge of untaming.

** [[Punny Name|Genetic engineers]] are monsters originally introduced in [[SLASH'EM]] that have a pair of attacks which may polymorph you if they hit - likely into something that can't wear most armor, unless you have magic resistance or polymorph control.

** [[Punny Name|Genetic engineers]] are monsters originally introduced in [[SLASH'EM]] that were added to 3.7 during development. They have a pair of attacks which may polymorph you if they hit - likely into something that can't wear most armor, unless you have magic resistance or polymorph control.

* [[Bribing Your Way to Victory]]: [[Demon Lords and Archdevils|Demon lords and princes]] now may demand upwards of 25k zorkmids regardless of what you're carrying, though you may be able to successfully shortchange them based on your Charisma.

* [[Damn You, Muscle Memory!]]: A ''lot'' of fundamental changes were made from the base game that's very likely to trip up players taking what was changed for granted.

** Several monster and monster class letters are changed up: in particular, mind flayers are <code>U</code> (aberrations), not <code>h</code> (humanoids), and [[Our Elves Are Better|elves]] now occupy the <code>Q</code> glpyh (which stands for [[The Lord of the Rings (Literature)|Quendi]]) instead of <code>@</code>, which is very important for those looking to read scrolls of genocide. Ghosts are also moved to the <code>W</code> glyph with wraiths.

** [[Unicorn]] horns no longer restore lost ability points, ~~which~~ doubles as a buff to the potion and spell of restore ability that were formerly made redundant.<ref>[[UnNetHack]] was the first to implement this balance change, but xNetHack is the first of the post-3.6 variants to follow suit.</ref>

** [[Unicorn]] horns no longer restore lost ability points, a change pulled from 3.7; this doubles as a buff to the potion and spell of restore ability that were formerly made redundant.<ref>[[UnNetHack]], a 3.4.3 variant, was the first to implement this balance change, but xNetHack is the first of the post-3.6 variants to follow suit.</ref>

** Changes to the upper tiers of armor have been made: elven and dwarvish mithril coats have been replaced with "racial" ring mails. {{spoiler|Dragon-scaled armor now replaces dragon scale mail, which among other things means that a wish for dragon scale mail will give a player the corresponding scales instead—the player much use the scroll of enchant armor to fuse them to their body armor. It also means that reading a scroll while only wearing those scales now [[Voluntary Shapeshifting|turns you into a dragon]].}}

** There is no spell of identify. The spell was considered a [[Game Breaker]] in vanilla NetHack, since a player could barricade themselves up with some food and slowly but surely identify every single item on hand with no need for scrolls - outside of [[Easy Amnesia|unfortunate bouts with amnesia]], which the spell was efficient at undoing the effects of anyway (unless it was itself forgotten). However, scrolls of identify are made much more reliable, with the number of identifications they give depends entirely on their beatitude.

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** Mindflayers, who are moved to the aberration class.

** More strongly apparent with quantum mechanics and genetic engineers. Both were already described as humanoid in their original code (vanilla ''NetHack'' and SLASH'EM respectively), but [[What Measure Is a Humanoid?|not counted as human for purposes of]] [[I'm a Humanitarian|cannibalism]] (though they ''are'' poisonous to eat).

* [[Misplaced Vegetation]]:

* [[Misplaced Vegetation]]: Trees now appear randomly in the dungeon.

* [[Palette Swap]]/[[Underground Monkey]]: [[Played With]] - while no changes are made to existing examples from vanilla, [[Anti-Frustration Features|glyphs are recolored so that no two monsters share the same default glyph]]. Players can also configure the color of whichever monster species they wish by editing the configuration file, or using the in-game options (which reverts back to configured settings after a save and restore).

* [[Pet Interface]]: