Nethack Confession - I can't play archaeologist

[MattyBoy]

In Nethack, I have been trying to succeed with an archaeologist dwarf. I guess I challenge anybody else to get further with this.

I must have started 100 times, played carefully and never survived to experience level 10. Typically I keep the experience level down and take many pets. If I don't reach the bottom of the mines, it is often due to lack of food. If I travel too far down into the main dungeons I get killed due to my inferior fighting ability.

[Tuberski]

I'll have to try that, archaelogists suck.

ACK!

[Nubclear]

Isn't Nethack some sort of game where your a hacker?!

[FrustratedPoet]

Own goal.

Anyway..

What is NetHack?
NetHack is a single player dungeon exploration game that runs on a wide variety of computer systems, with a variety of graphical and text interfaces all using the same game engine. Unlike many other Dungeons & Dragons-inspired games, the emphasis in NetHack is on discovering the detail of the dungeon and not simply killing everything in sight - in fact, killing everything in sight is a good way to die quickly. Each game presents a different landscape - the random number generator provides an essentially unlimited number of variations of the dungeon and its denizens to be discovered by the player in one of a number of characters: you can pick your race, your role, and your gender.

[MattyBoy]

Playing as a dwarf in the mines is frightening. All the gnomes, dwarves and hobbits leave you alone as a friend, while your pets grow into monsters by killing and eating each of the above in turn. The end result is that you get way into the depths of the dungeon with a very weak character and must rely on your pets at every turn. It makes for a very tense game. Add to that, your pets never let you get anything to eat so you finally have to pray your way out of your hunger or start killing unsuspecting miners. If you take the latter path, your god will hate you until you offer enough corpses to assuage him. Of course you have no spare corpses or you wouldn't be hungry.

Always, then end is the same

[General Ludd]

Cannibalistic archeologists? I have to try this game some time.

What version of it would you recomend?

[Urban Ranger]

Eat your pet first, then.

[Jamski]

That makes your god even angrier.

Matty, I thought you were a Nethack god yourself...

-Jam

[Skanky Burns]

Can't you try being an ultra-violent archaeologist?

[MattyBoy]

What version of it would you recomend?

Looks like the latest version is 3.4.1.
I'm still on 3.4.0

Go to this site if you want to know more.

http://www.nethack.org/

That makes your god even angrier.

Absolutely. I wouldn't dare.
And also, my pets are far too powerful for me to kill by the time they get big enough to provide much nutritional value.

Matty, I thought you were a Nethack god yourself...

I thought so once, too, but it is clear that I am a mere mortal.

Can't you try being an ultra-violent archaeologist?

Yes. Only dwarves need to be lawful. I guess I should stop trying dwarf and go in as human, then choose neutral. That will let me go for my life killing all of those dwarves and gnomes.

[Jamski]

You could buy some food -
In Minetown there's a deli
Every single game.

-Jam

[MattyBoy]

Agreed. I think it may be best to visit mine town, pick up as many good items as possible there and on the way (by letting pets kill inhabitants), but not waste any time and not go any deeper than the town (except maybe to take a quick peek at a well lit level or two).

Then, return to the other dungeons without threatening to die from lack of food (for once) and soldier on carefully. With luck I might find an altar in the early levels and pray my way to adequate fighting strength to survive for the next few levels.

The trouble with it all is that I have no good means of attack and defense relative to the level of my character, so I consistently run into tough monsters. Eventually my escape efforts come unstuck and I die.

Anyway, I've talked enough about me now, why don't you talk about me for a while

[MattyBoy]

Never one to miss an opportunity for self-aggrandisement, I have to mention that I just ascended an Archaeologist, albeit a human one. I feel that there is no way I could ever ascend a dwarf archaeologist.


No Points Name Hp [max]
1 6622092 Jack-Val-Hum-Fem-Neu ascended to demigoddess-hood. 529 [543]
2 5426395 Sly-Tou-Hum-Mal-Neu ascended to demigod-hood. 578 [583]
3 5408516 Jack-Ran-Hum-Mal-Neu ascended to demigod-hood. 392 [392]
* 4 5157272 Sly-Arc-Hum-Mal-Neu ascended to demigod-hood. 45 [371]
5 4813026 Sly-Wiz-Elf-Fem-Cha ascended to demigoddess-hood. 279 [404]

(life saved by amulets twice, killed Wiz 6 times, genocided 21 species, never felt as powerful as many other characters have)

[vovan]

Originally posted by Comrade Tassadar
Isn't Nethack some sort of game where your a hacker?!

That would be Uplink, also an pretty sweet game, btw.

[Skanky Burns]

Why is dwarf archaeologist harder than human?
I was playing a game before as a dwarven archaeologist.

EDIT: Ah, because dwarves must be lawful, and being neutral allows you to kill others. As you explained the last time I asked this question in this very thread.