Craddock - Dungeon hacks: how NetHack, Angband, and other roguelikes changed the course of video games

DAVID L. CRADDOCK

Dungeon Hacks:

How NetHack, Angband, andOther Roguelikes Changed the Course of Video Games

By David L. Craddock

Copyright

Dungeon Hacks: How NetHack, Angband, andOther Roguelikes Changed the Course of Video Games

Text copyright 2015 David L. Craddock

Editing services provided by Andrew Magrath,independent consultant

Cover copyright Milan Jaram

Title-card artwork copyright GlennWichman

All images copyright their respectiveowners

All rights reserved. No part of this bookmay be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical, including, but not limited to,photocopying, recording, or by any information storage andretrieval system without the express written permission of thepublisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a bookreview.

Published in the United States ofAmerica.

Press Start Press

Canton, OH 44708

www.press-start-press.com

Praise for Books by DavidL. Craddock

Stay Awhile andListen shows that there was a potentmixture of talent, opportunity, and personality that drove themeteoric rise of Blizzard Entertainment from its earliest days. Ican't wait for the next installment. Julian Gollop, creator of X-COM: UFO Defense

Classic roguelike gamesmay seem like yesterday's news, but they inspire game designers theworld over to this day. DungeonHacks tells their story in compellingfashion and explains what they still have to teach us. Finish thisbook and be prepared to go find a roguelike to play. You're goingto want to. Warren Spector, director ofDeus Ex and Disney's Epic Mickey

A fascinatingbehind-the-scenes look at the storied history and development ofDiablo and the early days of Blizzard Entertainment. Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder of BioWare, on Stay Awhile and Listen: Book I

It's important to havesomeone like David trying to capture the history of our industrywhile it is happening. There are fascinating and important storiesbehind most every company and game that shed light on the dramathat accompanies development. BrianFargo, founder of Interplay Entertainment and inXileEntertainment

I love David's engagingand insightful writing on the making of games. He has a deepknowledge of the gaming industry, and a riveting style that putsyou right in the middle of the story, like you were a fly on thewall during development. Scott Miller,founder of Apogee/3D Realms

Not only is David tellinginteresting stories, and illuminating the history of an enduringgenre of games, but he's performing an invaluable service incapturing the human element behind the gamesthe particulars of thepeople, the context, and the time period. Dungeon Hacks is great stuff, andwe're lucky to have someone with such an eye for detail and thenuts and bolts of development to put it down on paper for us whilethere's still time. Travis Baldree,co-designer of Torchlight 1-2, lead designer of Fate

David Craddock's work tocapture the trials and successes of the digital entertainmentindustry and the people who drive it is both inspiring andimportant. Capturing these stories, these struggles, allows us toreflect on where we have been and help shape the journey we willshare into the future. Richard "LordBritish" Garriott, creator of the Ultima series

Stay Awhile andListen weaves the words of all thecreators of Diablo into a compelling narrative and opens a windowinto the strange and wild world of the games biz. Reading this talereminded me of why I decided to leave the games business, and why Ihad to get back in. Glenn Wichman,co-creator of Rogue

"Cool Beans." Teddy Lee, designer of Rogue Legacy

Stay Awhile andListen is a rare and intriguing look intothe people and experiences behind some of my favorite video gamesof all time. Randy Pitchford, co-founderof Gearbox Software

David has a great way oftelling the story behind games. Anyone who loves games will digthese true tales of how games get made and the thoughts andtravails of the people behind them. TomHall, co-founder of id Software and designer of Commander Keen,Rise of the Triad: The Dark War, and Anachronox

Stay Awhile andListen flows almost like a documentaryfilm. During the narrative parts, it's easy to imagine a group ofyoung developers hunched in front of faintly glowing screens.During the quotations, you can picture the older and wiser industryveterans sitting in front of a camera and explaining those earlydays with smiles on their faces. Slashdot.org (9 out of 10score)

Stay Awhile andListen tells how passion, maxed-out creditcards, and sleepless nights spawned a gaming phenomenon andunearths the game design secrets that made Diablo an enduringclassic. Tristan Donovan, authorof Replay: The History of VideoGames

I'm familiar with DavidCraddock's writing by virtue of his article for RETRO VideogameMagazine on the making of Donkey Kong Country. From the exactingquestions he posed to me, I could tell that this was someone who'dextensively researched not just that topic, but game development ingeneral. Chris Sutherland, leadprogrammer on Donkey Kong Country 1-2, Banjo-Kazooie

Craddock takes his timeintroducing each person, and by the time he explains theircontribution, I felt like I knew them as human beings, not asdeveloperswhat they were like as kids, where they came from, andwhat their aspirations were. VentureBeat, review of Stay Awhile and Listen:Book I

I highly recommend David'sawesome books. David not only meticulously researches them, butspins all this history into fascinating and exciting yarns that'dbe interesting even to non-gamers. MattBarton, creator of Matt Chat, author, video-gamehistorian

Framing a fast-pacednarrative around personal anecdotes shared by the developersresponsible for shaping the foundation of the WarCraft and Diablofranchises, David L. Craddock establishes a fireside chat-typeatmosphere to tell a tale as engaging as it is informative. Lorne Lanning, co-creator of the Oddworldseries, on Stay Awhile and Listen: BookI

David Craddock has a knackfor immersing his readers into the game worlds he explores. If youhaven't read his work yet, you absolutely should. David is quicklybecoming a trusted voice and valuable resource within the world ofinteractive entertainment. Daniel Kayser,editor-in-chief, RETRO Videogame Magazine

David Craddock's Stay Awhile and Listen is able to enchant any reader with its short and clearlywritten passages, genuine and involving storytelling, and anabundance of facts and information straight from the source. DiabloFans.com

Books by David L.Craddock

Videogame Design and Culture

Stay Awhile and Listen: Book I - How TwoBlizzards Unleashed Diablo and Forged a Video-Game Empire

Dungeon Hacks: How NetHack, Angband, andOther Roguelikes Changed the Course of Video Games

Angels, Devils, and Boomsticks: The Makingof Demons with Shotguns

One-Week Dungeons: Diaries of a Seven-DayRoguelike Challenge

Novels

Heritage: Book One of the GairdenChronicles

Short Stories

The Aggrieved (collected in "Tales of theBlack Arts" anthology)

Kylie's Angel (collected in "UnfinishedBusiness" anthology)

Shara's Path (collected in "Ride the Moon"anthology)

The Righteous (collected in "Serve inHeaven, Reign in Hell" anthology)

I Lived (collected in "Inhuman"anthology)

The Master's Lesson (collected in "Thieves& Scoundrels" anthology)

Acknowledgements

To the forebears of the roguelike genre.Thank you for letting me pick your brains.

To Andrew. Thank you for your friendship andkeen eye.

To Mom and Amie. Thank you for your love andsupport.