User:Kernigh/nao/1

My experience with NetHack dates to 2004, when I set up a playground in FreeDOS (running in QEMU over Mac OS X) using a copy of NetHack 3.3.1 from an abandonware archive. I played several random characters, but they would die because I never used items in the dungeon, should they be cursed. In December of 2004, I built NetHack 3.4.3 on a Mac OS X machine. Other than for one explore mode game (in which I finally #quit from Sokoban after dieing repeatedly to soldier ants), then came a lull; I read Dudley's dungeon far more often than I played NetHack.

By 19 May 2005, I decided to play NetHack again. This time I moved to NAO. Now Dudley's dungeon had spoiled some things for me, and I had to consult other spoilers to understand the webcomic. To understand the webcomic, I needed to consult spoilers. Thus, by 19 May 2005 when I moved to NAO, I used spoilers - especially http://alt.org/nethack/links.php and http://www.steelypips.org/nethack/ - to play the game. During my first game at NAO, I knew that pets avoid cursed objects and that #pray asks my god for help.


 * NetHack 3.4.3
 * Kernigh the chaotic female elven Ranger
 * Score: 8187
 * This had been my highest-scoring game to date.

Gameplay
I started with the usual elven weapons, +2 elven cloak and Sirius. In the second room, I use Sirius to test an object for curses; it is not cursed, so I wear the +0 banded mail under my cloak. This drops my AC to 1 before my first fight. Still, in my first fight, I run from the monsters to let Sirius do most of the fighting.

Sirius did not step on the chain mail on Dlvl2, so I #name it cursed. I opted to enter the Gnomish Mines at Dlvl3 (Mines 1). Due to injuries in battle, I retreated to Dlvl2. Now I tried some unusual actions showing my inexperience at the time. I kicked a fountain and when that had no effect but to harm my leg, I kicked an up staircase. Later, I drank from the fountain, and pools of water formed! That scared me away. I drank from the other fountain to "refresh myself", then that fountain dried. I resume my exploration of the Mines.

In the darkness of Dlvl4 (Mines 2) I switched from my +1 elven dagger to a broad short sword, feeling that the latter would be a better weapon. I also started carrying and sometimes using a pick-axe. Meanwhile I collected arrows for my elven bow. I met indiegeek's ghost, so apparently this was a bones level. The bones pile was next to a blue jelly; I was smart enough to avoid attacking the jelly. In fact, I avoided the bones pile (even leaving the gold there!).

Dlvl5 (Mines 3) was Minetown; I did much fighting including shooting a wood nymph with arrows and #pray'ing during a fight with a gnome lord. I used the altar to find the BUC of my inventory.

I fled Dlvl6 (Mines 4) without Sirius to avoid a gray unicorn. My death came when some strong monsters, including several killer bees and a werewolf, surrounded me in a corridor on Dlvl5 (Mines 3). The werewolf knocked me out as I was praying.

Recordings

 * No dump
 * Recordings: 2005-05-19.21:58:19.ttyrec.bz2