Editing NetHack (section)

{{short description|1987 text-based roguelike video game}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox software
| title = ''NetHack''
| name = 
| screenshot = Nethack releasing a djinni.png
| caption = A released [[genie|djinni]] grants the player a wish.
| developer = [https://www.nethack.org/v360/Guidebook.html#_TOCentry_60 The NetHack DevTeam]
| license = NetHack General Public License (derivative of BISON general public license, a precursor to the [[GNU General Public Licence|GPL]])
| released = 1.3d / {{Start date and age|df=yes|1987|7|28}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ftp.acc.umu.se/mirror/archive/ftp.sunet.se/pub/usenet/ftp.uu.net/comp.sources.games/volume2/nethack/part01.gz |access-date=2016-04-23|title=part01.gz}}</ref>
| latest release version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|P348|P548=Q2804309}}                                             | latest release date    = {{Start date and age|{{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|P348|P548=Q2804309|P577}}|df=yes}}
| operating system = [[Windows]], [[Linux]], [[Mac OS X]], [[Windows CE]], [[OS/2]], [[BSD|*BSD]], [[System V]], [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]], [[HP-UX]], [[BeOS]], [[OpenVMS|VMS]], [[Haiku (operating system)|Haiku]]<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.nethack.org/v367/downloads.html | title = Nethack 3.6.7 Downloads}}</ref><ref>[https://depot.haiku-os.org/#!/pkg/nethack/haikuports/3/6/2/-/1/x86_64?bcguid=bc199-JRVA NetHack] – HaikuDepot</ref>
| genre = [[Roguelike]]
}}

'''''NetHack''''' is an [[open source]] single-player [[roguelike]] [[video game]], first released in 1987 and maintained by the NetHack DevTeam. The game is a [[Fork (software development)|fork]] of the 1984 game ''[[Hack (video game)|Hack]]'', itself inspired by the 1980 game ''[[Rogue (video game)|Rogue]]''. The player takes the role of one of several pre-defined [[character class]]es to descend through multiple dungeon floors, fighting monsters and collecting treasure, to recover the "Amulet of Yendor" at the lowest floor and then escape.<ref>{{Cite web|title = The Best Games You've Never Played|url = http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/pc/2007/12/28/the_best_games_you_ve_never_played/1|website = bit-tech|access-date = 2015-11-08}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Au |first=Wagner James|title=Back to the Dungeon |newspaper=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |date=August 1997|url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/5.08/streetcred.html?pg=3}}</ref>

As an exemplar of the traditional "roguelike" game, ''NetHack'' features [[Turns, rounds and time-keeping systems in games|turn-based]], grid-based [[hack and slash]] and [[dungeon crawl]]ing gameplay, [[Procedural generation|procedurally generated]] dungeons and treasure, and [[permadeath]], requiring the player to restart the game anew should the [[player character]] die. The game uses simple [[ASCII]] graphics by default so as to display readily on a wide variety of [[Computer terminal|computer displays]], but can use [[Curses (programming library)|curses]] with [[box-drawing character]]s, as well as substitute graphical tilesets on machines with graphics. While ''Rogue'', ''Hack'' and other earlier roguelikes stayed true to a [[high fantasy]] setting, ''NetHack'' introduced humorous and [[Anachronism|anachronistic]] elements over time, including [[Popular culture|popular cultural]] reference to works such as ''[[Discworld]]'' and ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]''.

It is identified as one of the "major roguelikes" by John Harris.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=John |title=Analysis: The Eight Rules Of Roguelike Design |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/pc/analysis-the-eight-rules-of-roguelike-design |access-date=2020-09-27 |website=[[Game Developer (website)|Game Developer]] |date=2 February 2011 |language=en}}</ref> Comparing it with ''Rogue'', ''[[Engadget]]''{{'}}s Justin Olivetti wrote that it took its exploration aspect and "made it far richer with an encyclopedia of objects, a larger vocabulary, a wealth of pop culture mentions, and a puzzler's attitude."<ref>{{Cite web|title = The Game Archaeologist: A brief history of roguelikes|url = https://www.engadget.com/2014/01/18/the-game-archaeologist-a-brief-history-of-roguelikes/ |website = [[Engadget]] |access-date = 2015-11-09 |first = Justin |date=2014-01-18 |last = Olivetti}}</ref> In 2000, ''[[Salon (website)|Salon]]'' described it as "one of the finest gaming experiences the computing world has to offer".<ref name='Salon 2000-01-26'>{{Cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/2000/01/27/nethack/ |title=The best game ever |access-date=2015-04-03 |last=Au |first=Wagner James |date=2000-01-26 |work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113042211/http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/01/27/nethack/ |archive-date=2008-01-13}}</ref>