Quick Brag and a Review

[marcmagus]

TLDR: Unknown challenge this year was really cool.

Below contains spoilers for someone who doesn't want to know what the challenge is until they come across it for themselves, but no spoilers for nethack in general or for participants in the challenge. I think it's potentially interesting for people not participating in the tournament.

The 2008 challenge once again involves journeying to another land to retrieve an artifact, although the explanation as to why you have to retrieve the Bizarro Orgasmatron from a derelict space hulk in order to wish is even thinner than that of why you had to defeat the alternate-universe Wizard of Yendor to restore the power of Elbereth's influence. This time you must play (and win) ZapM by Cyrus Dolph. Since it's a complete game in its own right, the challenge has its own scoreboard visible to participants...on which I don't plan to see my name.

ZapM is a clever sci-fi roguelike in which you battle your way past all sorts of science fictions references to finally obtain the aforementioned artifact. NetHack players will find a lot that feels familiar (including vi-keys, so I don't have to be annoyed with the game creator), though it's notably not just a skin retheming that game, though many skills transfer over. It's fun in its own right; although I'm not sure if I'll keep playing while devnull is going, I'd be happy to play it again some other time. It has the virtue that I can already play a complete (winning) game of it in, say, an afternoon.

You play one of a Space Marine (tough, good with weapons, start with decent equipment; recommended if you like not dying), Quarterback (tough, good at not dying), Software Engineer (good with computers, useful abilities, squishy), or Psion (start with two psionic abilities, can improve skills in any you have, very squishy). While some (Space Marine) are a lot easier than others (Psion), I feel like the roles are nicely differentiated, and while I ultimately won with a Space Marine, I learned a lot of what ultimately helped my win through the trail of dead Software Engineers which preceded him.

I particularly like the way the game uses color for atmosphere. The main dungeon is drawn with dark blue characters on black, with features in contrasting colors. This both helps give it a nice spacey theme, and makes your @ and the monsters stand out really well from the background.

While canisters may at first look a lot like potions, floppy disks like scrolls, bionic implants like rings, psionic powers like spells, rayguns like wands, and weapons and armor like, well, the obvious, there are enough changes there to feel different. Also, befitting its theme, this game emphasizes ranged combat and ammunition management, and that ammo gets heavy if you're wimpy.

The most obvious item change is that programs on floppy disks require a computer to use (a tool that you'll have to carry around; it weighs about half again as much as a handgun), and they don't always disappear right away when you use them (and can be made not to do so if you're a good hacker). This does mean that if you work at it you can get access to nice things like unlimited identifies, and probably even unlimited enhance weapon. However, until you find a computer (and only the Software Engineer starts with one), all those floppies you find lying around are completely useless.

Psionic powers come from mutations to your brain. They have a significant failure chance if you haven't practiced using them, and they temporarily drain your charisma. Yes, charisma matters in this game! Some of them are very nifty, and some can be "maintained" once turned on. Obtaining them is, appropriately, very random, however. Also, radiation sickness can kill. I didn't explore this system much, but it seems well-designed.

If you haven't guessed by now, this game features a skill system. Every level, you get 2 or 3 points to add to your skills. Your role and level also set a maximum for each skill, meaning both that you can't dump all your points into one super-specialized skill, and that Space Marines are better with heavy guns than Software Engineers, while Software Engineers are better at hacking. Some skills are much more highly specialized than others.

Normal rogue-like tactics definitely apply to this game. Watch out for "buggy" [cursed] equipment. Be careful when testing the contents of canisters; not all of them are safe (or intended) for drinking. Use your ranged weapons and terrain to your advantage; stormtroopers may not have great aim, but if six can shoot at you at once it may not matter much. Stuck having to run down a long corridor while being shot at to make a retreat is the same as not having a way to retreat.