Dungeon Hacks

In 1980, computers were instruments of science and mathematics, military secrets and academia. Stern administrators lorded over sterile university laboratories and stressed one point to the wide-eyed students privileged enough to set foot within them: Computers were not toys. Defying authority, hackers seized control of monolithic mainframes to create a new breed of computer game: the roguelike, cryptic and tough-as-nails adventures drawn from text-based symbols instead of state-of-the-art 3D graphics. Despite their visual simplicity, roguelike games captivate thousands of players around the world. From the author of the bestselling Stay Awhile and Listen series, Dungeon Hacks: How NetHack, Angband, and Other Roguelikes Changed the Course of Video Games introduces you to the visionaries behind some of the most popular roguelikes of all time and shows how their creations paved the way for the blockbuster videogames of today-and beyond.

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of over a dozen nonfiction books about videogame development and culture, including the bestselling Stay Awhile and Listen series, Arcade Perfect: How Pac-Man, Mortal Kombat, and Other Coin-Op Classics Invaded the Living Room, and fiction for young adults including The Dumpster Club and Heritage: Book One of the Gairden Chronicles. Find him online @davidlcraddock on Twitter.

About This Book. Introduction: Rodney and Friends. Acknowledgments. About the Author. 1 The BAM-Like: Exploring Beneath Apple Manor. 2 Procedural Dungeons of Doom: Building Rogue, Part 1. 3 Rodney and the Free Market: Building Rogue, Part 2. 4 There and Back Again: Retrieving the Sword of Fargoal. 5 When the Inmates Run the Asylum: Hack-ing at Lincoln-Sudbury High School. 6 It Takes a Village: Raising NetHack. 7 None Shall Pass: Braving the Mines of Moria. 8 Neapolitan Roguelike: The Many Flavors of Angband. 9 Wish You Were Here! Questing for Postcards in Ancient Domains of Mystery. 10 The Future of Play. Rogue's Gallery. Bonus Round: Reading, Writing, and Programming-An Interview with Brian Harvey. Bonus Round: Work and @Play-An Interview with John Harris. Index.