The Official rec.games.roguelike.adom FAQ Version 4.4 Last change: April 6th, 2008 This document answers some of the most frequently asked questions about the newsgroup rec.games.roguelike.adom, simply referred to as 'the newsgroup' throughout the rest of this document. If you feel that anything important is missing, spot errors, or experience problems downloading the latest FAQ version, please send an e-mail to Leon Planken (lplanken@hotmail.com), who is the official maintainer of the rec.games.roguelike.adom FAQ. This FAQ is available in HTML (http://www.adomgb.info/rgrafaq.html) and as a text file (http://www.adomgb.info/rgrafaq.txt). The HTML and text versions do not differ in content, but the HTML version has some nicer formatting. To reduce download time and for offline perusal, you can download zip archives of either FAQ version at http://www.adomgb.info/. This FAQ is for those seeking information about the newsgroup and the traditions and customs of its denizens. It tends to be a friendly group, but some of the newer residents expressed a desire for a guide to assist them through smoother enculturation. Here it is! It does not deal with questions about the game itself, as those are in the ADOM FAQ (http://www.adomgb.info/adomfaq.html). Many thanks to Richard Fowler, Karkadinn and Malte Helmert, rec.games.roguelike.adom FAQ maintainers, retired. Also thanks to Helmut Hohberger, Edd Parsons, Josh Singh, Ilija Shumov, Juha Suvanto, Rachel Walmsley, and Andy Williams for valuable input. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents Items that have changed since version 4.0 of this FAQ are marked with a [changed in 4.x] tag. Items that have been added since version 4.0 of this FAQ are marked with an [added in 4.x] tag. Section 1: The Basics 1.1: What *is* a newsgroup anyway? Is it like a web forum? [added in 4.1] 1.2: What is the newsgroup for? 1.3: Are there any topics I should avoid? [changed in 4.3] 1.4: How and when was the newsgroup born? 1.5: I love newsgroups, but I also love the world wide web! Have you got any links? Section 2: General Posting Advice & Guidelines 2.1: Is there anything I should know before posting in the newsgroup? [changed in 4.1] 2.2: I am new to the newsgroup, and everyone seems to hate me! What is wrong with those people? 2.3: I use Google Groups, and I can't figure out how to fix my replies. How can I add attributions and context? [added in 4.1] 2.4: I'm following Netiquette, but somebody still hates me! What should I do? 2.5: What's the deal with the so-called 'Improved Guidebook'? [added in 4.2] 2.6: Somebody who doesn't usually post on the newsgroup sent a long post telling me how to improve my sex life or earn lots of money. How should I respond? 2.7: Somebody posted something that hasn't got anything to do with ADOM. What should I do? Section 3: Spoilers & Spoiler Space 3.1: Why do people keep putting lots of space in the middle of their posts? 3.2: What is or isn't a spoiler? 3.3: How should I compose posts containing spoilers? [changed in 4.1] 3.4: Should I include spoiler space when replying to a spoily post? [changed in 4.1] 3.5: Why the space? Shouldn't the [Spoily] tag be enough? 3.6: Why not use ROT-13 instead? 3.7: What should I do if someone is posting spoilers with no space and no tags? Section 4: Deaths & Discoveries 4.1: What's the meaning of YASD, YAVP, YAGBU, YAFM, and RFE? [changed in 4.3] 4.2: Woohoo! I finally won! Now what? 4.3: What is save scumming? 4.4: My 50th level character drowned in Terinyo! Do you want to hear about it? 4.5: I discovered something new! What should I do? 4.6: I have this nifty idea for the next ADOM release. Should I e-mail Thomas about it? 4.7: Are there any specific features I shouldn't request? Section 5: Common Abbreviations 5.1: How do you expect me to read a post when half of it is in code? [changed in 4.3] 5.2: What the hell is a SoCR, and what is a good for? 5.3: How do I recognize a WMoPC? 5.4: Where can I find the ToEF? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The List Section 1: The Basics 1.1: What *is* a newsgroup anyway? Is it like a web forum? [added in 4.1] A newsgroup is a forum on Usenet, not on the World Wide Web. Newsgroups have been around a lot longer than web fora. Also, they aren't usually accessed using a web browser, but with a separate application called a 'newsreader'. A newsgroup differs from a web forum in several important respects: * Messages posted to a newsgroup aren't visible for everyone simultaneously. It takes a while for a message to be propagated to news servers around the globe. Thus it can also take a while before other people read, and respond to, your message. Be patient. * Context isn't necessarily preserved. In a web forum, each message usually belongs to a thread, and when a message is read, its context (i.e. the thread it was posted in) can be consulted just by scrolling back a bit. In a newsgroup, this is not always the case, both because of limitations in newsreaders (which may not support threading) and because a message you refer to may not (yet) be available to the reader of your message. Hence the need for quoting. * Only plain text is widely supported; HTML isn't. Because newsgroups have also been around a lot longer than HTML, most of the older newsreaders logically don't support it. If you post in HTML, many people will not see the rendered version, but the source. Needless to say, this doesn't make reading your post an enjoyable experience. * Adhering to netiquette is important. While adherence to netiquette may not be required in most web fora, it *is* in most newsgroups. See question '2.1: Is there anything I should know before posting in the newsgroup? [changed in 4.1]'. For more background information, you can take a look at the Wikipedia articles on Usenet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet) and Newsgroups (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsgroup). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.2: What is the newsgroup for? The newsgroup is for the discussion of the game ADOM, by Thomas Biskup (referred to as 'Thomas' in the following). ADOM is an ASCII character graphics adventure game in the style of Omega and Nethack. All things pertaining to ADOM are acceptable here, including requests for help locating and playing the game, announcements of new versions of the game, and so forth. Binary files should not be posted to this group. If you have a binary file which is related to ADOM, please place it on an ftp or web site and post a message to this group saying what the file is and how to get it. Commercial posts (advertisements, MAKE.MONEY.FAST, etc.) are not appropriate either. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.3: Are there any topics I should avoid? [changed in 4.3] Some topics have led to several ugly discussions and 'flame wars' in the past. If you don't want to come across as rude, you should avoid them. Be warned that some newsgroup denizens will react *very* angrily if you don't follow this advice. These 'taboo topics' include: * The release of the source code. Everything has been said on this topic already. Please respect Thomas' decision. * The functional status of the Save feature. It is designed as a 'save so you can continue your game later' feature, not as a 'save just in case something bad happens so I can avoid negative consequences' feature. See question '4.3: What is save scumming?' for more details. * The so-called 'Improved Guidebook'. Much heated debate has been going on about this recently, and you might do well to avoid it. See question '2.5: What's the deal with the so-called 'Improved Guidebook'? [added in 4.2]' for more information. Finally, see '4.7: Are there any specific features I shouldn't request?' for a selection of perceived bugs in or new features for ADOM you might do better to avoid. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.4: How and when was the newsgroup born? The newsgroup was created after its first proposal with a vote count of 232:21. Its announcement was made on February 22nd 1997 and propagation began soon after. Before this time, ADOM chat was conducted on rec.games.roguelike.misc. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.5: I love newsgroups, but I also love the world wide web! Have you got any links? Certainly. I guess you already know the official ADOM web site (http://www.adom.de/). Also do check the official ADOM FAQ (http://www.adomgb.info/adomfaq.html), which answers basic questions about playing the game and lists the most important ADOM-related Internet resources. If you are sick of trying to solve all the ADOM puzzles yourself and need some information on all the secrets of the game, check the ADOM Guidebook (http://www.adomgb.info/adomgb-toc.html), the definitive source of information about ADOM. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 2: General Posting Advice & Guidelines 2.1: Is there anything I should know before posting in the newsgroup? [changed in 4.1] Those who are familiar with web fora but not with Usenet should read '1.1: What *is* a newsgroup anyway? Is it like a web forum? [added in 4.1]' for the most important differences. If you are new to Usenet, you will need to get accustomed to the written and unwritten laws collectively known as 'Netiquette'. Like all public places, newsgroups have codes of conduct that you should obey, because otherwise you will come across as rude, annoying, and probably stupid. In newsgroups, 'what you write is what you are'! There are many Internet resources on Netiquette. One that I consider particularly helpful and well-written is Prof. Timo Salmi's Netiquette page (http://www.uwasa.fi/~ts/http/tsfaq.html). It contains more material than you will need to be aware of, but by all means read at least the first eight topics on the page before posting. You will spare yourself a lot of trouble. In addition to general Netiquette, each newsgroup has its own little set of rules which you need to be aware of. For this reason and others, it is considered good practice to first 'lurk', i.e. to only read but not write, for a few weeks before making a public appearance. In this group, the most important 'house rules' deal with the way 'spoilers' are to be presented. See '3.1: Why do people keep putting lots of space in the middle of their posts?' for more information. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.2: I am new to the newsgroup, and everyone seems to hate me! What is wrong with those people? Most probably nothing. Did you pay attention to the previous answer? You really should. Some people in the newsgroup can quickly get angry when other people post in a way that is generally considered impolite. If you happen to end up on the wrong side of such a Netiquette-related post, try not to argue. If you are polite in the future, people will start respecting you. As they say, it is not stupid to make a mistake, but it is stupid to make the same mistake twice. The 'most popular' breaches of Netiquette observed in the newsgroup are: * Not quoting what you are replying to: If you send a reply to another newspost, always provide the context necessary to understand it. * Quoting the whole post you are replying to: On the other hand, you should remove all the parts of a post that you *don't* reply to. This is called 'snipping'. As a comprise between maintaining context and removing unnecessary quoted material, it is sometimes a good idea to add a short note like '[discussion of orcs vs. trolls snipped]' when removing large amounts of quoted material. * Not attributing properly: Your reply should make it clear who said what by leaving in the lines at the top that say things like 'Thomas Biskup wrote:'. Of course, you can and should remove attributions to material that you snip. * Top-posting: Always put your reply to a post *below* the quoted context, not above it. Unfortunately, some popular software encourages the habit of top-posting. This doesn't mean that you should do it. * Not breaking lines properly: The lines of your post should normally not exceed a width of 72 characters. Character dumps are an exception to this; when replying to such posts, try to keep your software from messing up line breaks. * Overly long or improperly delimited signatures: Signatures, if you need them at all, should not exceed a length of four lines and always be delimited by '-- ', i.e. a line consisting of two dashes and a space. Additionally, you should not use all-caps or use chat-room slang, such as 'u' for you, because people will take you less seriously. For explanations of these rules and other useful information, visit the web page mentioned in the previous answer. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.3: I use Google Groups, and I can't figure out how to fix my replies. How can I add attributions and context? [added in 4.1] While non-Google posts are generally preferred (mostly due to Google Groups not respecting the 72-character line width mentioned above), people will be more affable toward your replies if they include attributions and context. Unfortunately, the ordinary reply mechanism of Google Groups does not include these. In order to reply correctly, use the 'Reply' function, which can be found by following the 'show options' link found at the top of every post, next to the date. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.4: I'm following Netiquette, but somebody still hates me! What should I do? For reasons that are hard to understand, some people enjoy being malicious and annoying. This is called *trolling*. If you are not the only one having trouble with a particular poster, he might be a troll. In this case, the best thing to do is to ignore them. Everything else is just adding fuel to the fire. Of course, not every unfriendly post is the result of trolling. Sometimes personalities collide, and people get angry. This can lead to lengthy threads that contain little content other than flames and defenses (whether by the original participants or others). If you feel insulted, responding by e-mail is often better than posting. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.5: What's the deal with the so-called 'Improved Guidebook'? [added in 4.2] This is a topic that has been the subject of much heated discussion lately. A *very* brief explanation for the controversy: the original Guidebook has been copied and changed without permission from its author. Among the additions are results found by disassembling the ADOM executable. Thomas has stated very clearly that he doesn't want ADOM to be disassembled for any purpose, which implies that facts found by this method are also out of bounds. Supporters and opponents of the 'Improved Guidebook' have clashed many times already, and pretty much everything there is to say has been said. Be advised to tread very carefully, if at all, regarding this topic. For historical information and lots of discussion on this subject, search the newsgroup archive, e.g. via Google Groups (http://groups.google.com/). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.6: Somebody who doesn't usually post on the newsgroup sent a long post telling me how to improve my sex life or earn lots of money. How should I respond? Not at all. These annoying mass-marketing posts are known as 'spam'. Unless you are very lucky, you will already have seen quite a lot of it in your e-mail box. The important bit here is that many news servers have spam filters, so that most readers of the group won't see the post at all -- unless you respond to it, that is. For this reason, many people get annoyed if you post a reply to spam. You can try answering by e-mail or informing the ISP of the offending party if you so desire, but most of the time this won't do any good because the headers that identify the originator of the post are faked. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.7: Somebody posted something that hasn't got anything to do with ADOM. What should I do? Again, you shouldn't do anything. It is not unusual for newsgroup discussions to drift to unrelated topics, and this is not a bad thing. However, as a courtesy to people who don't want to read such 'off-topic' posts, you should include the marker [OT] at the start of the subject to make them easy to recognize and ignore. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 3: Spoilers & Spoiler Space 3.1: Why do people keep putting lots of space in the middle of their posts? Welcome to the world of spoiler space! The idea of spoiler space is to prevent people from accidentally being exposed to game secrets that they would like to discover for themselves. Some people think that knowing these secrets ruins the game for them in very much the same way as being told the outcome of a detective story. This is why spoiler protection is strongly recommended -- so that those who wish to read spoilers can, and those who wish to avoid them can, too. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2: What is or isn't a spoiler? A spoiler is a piece of information that gives away a secret. It is something that isn't obvious and isn't in the manual, the knowledge of which bypasses the problem solving process in some way. It is hard to give a dictionary definition for this because the border between spoily and non-spoily information is somewhat fuzzy. Use some common sense here. For instance: It is not a spoiler to say that the sheriff in Terinyo assigns quests. However, it *is* a spoiler to explain the quests and the rewards for completing them. It is not a spoiler to say that an artifact named 'Kinslayer' exists, but it *is* a spoiler to list its powers and statistics (which can normally only be found via great identify) or to reveal the location or acquisition method of any artifacts (which can normally only be found via actually playing). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.3: How should I compose posts containing spoilers? [changed in 4.1] Make sure to include a spoiler warning within the text itself. Spoiler space is simply a break between the spoiler warning (or the top of the message) and the spoily content. Don't simply use empty lines, because some newsreaders (including Google Groups) automatically truncate these. Instead, use asterisks or similar every line, for about 20 lines (this can be an opportunity to be clever and expressive). You can really fill this space with anything you want, but it's preferred you don't insert 30k ASCII graphics. If only part of a post is a spoiler, put the spoiler space before the spoiler section (which should go at the end of the message). This allows you to give 'hints' which are not really spoilers followed by spoiler space before the *real* spoilers -- so that readers may pick either the hints or the heavy stuff. If you start a discussion on a spoily subject, you should consider adding a [Spoily] tag, or even something like [Major Spoilers] if you made a ground-breaking discovery. Where appropriate, you can use the [YAGBU] tag explained in question '4.5: I discovered something new! What should I do?' instead. It is understood that these posts always contain spoilers. Using these tags *doesn't* mean you don't need spoiler space, though. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.4: Should I include spoiler space when replying to a spoily post? [changed in 4.1] If your reply has a spoily subject matter, or quotes spoily information, spoiler space is still required. Either remove the quotation marks from the quoted spoiler space, or replace it with your own. This is because Google Groups hides quoted text by default, thus effectively rendering quoted spoiler space useless. On the other hand, if the reply doesn't contain any spoilers (and you don't quote any spoily bits), you should remove the spoiler space and [Spoily] tag. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.5: Why the space? Shouldn't the [Spoily] tag be enough? Many people use newsreaders that simply jump from post to post, without looking at the subjects of each post first. Therefore, they will always see the first 'screenful' of each post. Although it is arguable whether this is the best possible way of following the newsgroup, it is a reality, and the wishes of these newsgroup denizens should be respected. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.6: Why not use ROT-13 instead? Many people find ROT-13 and similar encryption schemes less convenient to use. There are reasons for and against, and they have been debated many times in the newsgroup. The result of these debates is that most people are in favor of spoiler space, with a few supporters of ROT-13. So using spoiler space is the result of that dictatorship of the majority known as 'democracy'. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.7: What should I do if someone is posting spoilers with no space and no tags? You can email them politely (we're a nice bunch, please, no flames!). It's likely they're a new user and not aware that we prefer spoiler posts to be marked. Inform them that some users may not like them posting that way, and refer them to this document. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 4: Deaths & Discoveries 4.1: What's the meaning of YASD, YAVP, YAGBU, YAFM, and RFE? [changed in 4.3] These are abbreviations that frequently occur in the subject line of posts. For acronyms in the message text, see '5.1: How do you expect me to read a post when half of it is in code? [changed in 4.3]'. * YAVP: Yet Another Victory Post -- somebody bragging about how their player character saved the world. A variation is YAFVP, when someone managed to do this for the first time. * YASD: Yet Another Stupid (or Sad) Death -- an account of the untimely demise of a poor player character. * YAGBU: Yet Another Guidebook Update -- a new discovery that should be included in the ADOM Guidebook (see '1.5: I love newsgroups, but I also love the world wide web! Have you got any links?'). * YAFM: Yet Another Funny Message -- Someone encountered a message (more often: a combination of messages) they perceived as particularly funny, and which they want to share for a smile. * RFE: Request For Enhancement -- a suggestion for a new feature of ADOM. You will also see posts labeled as Pre-RFE, which means that the author wants to discuss the suggested feature before it becomes a 'real' RFE. The rest of this section is dedicated to these kinds of posts. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.2: Woohoo! I finally won! Now what? No doubt you want to share your accomplishment with the whole ADOM community. The first and easiest instinct might be to just copy your character's .flg file into a message and post it. Unfortunately, that usually results in a long post, most of which nobody will ever read. At the very least, you'll want to edit out most of the inventory and monster kill list. To make your victory post truly enjoyable, add more stuff back in: tell us your character's story. Any unusual strategies used? Any tense times or close calls? Lucky moments? Epic battles in the wilderness? If the story stays in character, all the better ('Grok not want paper with marks, but keep finding them. They good for cleaning big sword. Later learned some reading and wondered what marks meant.'). Have fun with it and we probably will, too. If you resorted to cheating or save-scumming (see '4.3: What is save scumming?') in any way, please note this. Posts of characters that have been edited or save-scummed are not considered 'wins' but if you still have something interesting to tell, go ahead with your post. You probably shouldn't call it a victory post, though, to avoid less than friendly reactions from some of the more orthodox newsgroup denizens. By the way, most people don't snip the screenshot when posting a YAVP. Although it is hardly relevant, it makes for excellent spoiler space, and victory posts are almost always spoily -- see '3.1: Why do people keep putting lots of space in the middle of their posts?'. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.3: What is save scumming? Save scumming is the practice of backing up save files so that they can be restored in case something bad (such as character death) happens. According to the design of the game, this is cheating. Having said that, many, if not most, have done it at some time. If it makes the game more enjoyable for you, do it, but be aware that completing the game using this method is not considered a victory. More like a tour. Reformed savescummers report an improvement in game enjoyment after kicking the habit, so you might give it a try if you've got hooked on cheating while exploring the Chain. In summary, sinning in this way is usually accepted and forgiven, but advocating this sin might be met with less than friendly comments. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.4: My 50th level character drowned in Terinyo! Do you want to hear about it? My condolences. This sounds like an ideal candidate for a 'Yet Another Stupid Death' (YASD) post. Like for victory posts, most people who post YASDs use the character dump that ADOM offers to generate at the end of game and edit it, snipping irrelevant bits and adding some information on the story of the character. You can keep this short -- many of the more interesting and creative YASD posts don't include a character dump at all. Just browse the group for a few YASDs that sparked discussion and you'll easily get the hang of it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.5: I discovered something new! What should I do? ADOM is a complex game, and thus it can (and will) surprise even the veteran player. Every now and again the common newbie will discover something new, and wishes to share this info with the newsgroup. Most of the time, this information is already documented, so to reduce the workload on the people who collect this knowledge, please follow these guidelines: 1) Check the Guidebook, thoroughly. The Guidebook contains a huge amount of ADOM lore, so you should *always* check it, and check the latest version, before deciding to post your discoveries. The easiest way to do this is to download the text version, and search it (most text editors and browsers have this nifty feature called *Search*). If the Guidebook shows no reference whatsoever, you may have found something new. 2) Check the newsgroup. Even if the Guidebook turns out empty, it is still possible that you have only rediscovered. Checking the newsgroup archive, e.g. via Google Groups (http://groups.google.com/), is advisable. Go to http://groups.google.com/groups?group=rec.games.roguelike.adom to jump directly to the newsgroup and to http://groups.google.com/advanced_group_search?meta=group%3Drec.games.roguelike.adom to automatically get to its search page. Generally you don't have to check farther than when the version you're using was published. If you find that something is known to the newsgroup but not yet in the Guidebook, you might still want to write a post about it so that it can be added to the Guidebook. 3) Common mistakes. As an exception to the first two rules, any room message that starts with 'A mouth appears on the wall...' need not be reported, as the message only reproduces random fortune cookies. If your new discovery passes all these tests, go ahead and send a [YAGBU] post. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.6: I have this nifty idea for the next ADOM release. Should I e-mail Thomas about it? Don't send an e-mail, there is a better way. The official ADOM site (http://www.adom.de) contains a database filled with 'RFEs', requests for enhancements to the game. These are submitted by players, commented on by players, and eventually incorporated into the game or rejected by Thomas. Thomas has requested that people post their RFEs on the newsgroup before submission, in order to cut down on the huge amount of work this involves. There are several reasons for this: * Many people don't bother to search the database for similar RFEs before submitting. These duplicate RFEs cause a lot of work for Thomas. For more on this, check the answer to the next question. * Many features simply don't fit into the ADOM universe. We don't need light sabres. If a feature request doesn't receive positive feedback from the newsgroup, it is probably not worth implementing. * Sometimes features are requested that are already implemented. Some newsgroup veteran will usually know about this, and the RFE can be avoided. When considering an RFE, always ask yourself this one question: 'Would this make the game more fun?' And remember that every minute that Thomas spends on weeding out the RFE database could be more usefully applied to fixing bugs or implementing new features. To finally submit an RFE, point your browser to the bug report form (http://www.adom.de/adom/submit-report.php3) to report a 'bug' of the category 'RFE (request for enhancement)'. Do follow all instructions given on this page. Most importantly, only include one idea per RFE, or else Thomas will ignore it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.7: Are there any specific features I shouldn't request? Yes! Here is a list of popular suggestions that have been rejected. If you want to know the reasoning behind the rejection, feel free to use the search engine on the official ADOM website. Thomas almost always gives a good reason for not implementing something. Some of the most popular feature request are also discussed in the readme.1st file that is shipped with ADOM. * Shortening the seven-day delay to comments being put into the database. * A Notepad-like function. Being able to type a message of text and read it later, as an in-game note-taking device. * Toning down invisibility for creatures carrying a light source. * Multi-player support. * Choosing the alignment of your character at start. * Altar creation, via a spell, wishes, or whatever. * Home bases such as castles or houses that characters can set up. * Containers, such as boxes or chests. * Multi-classing. More generally, characters being able to acquire the special abilities of other classes. * Weapon skill cross-fertilization. Training in one weapon category lending marks in other categories as well. * Chaotic characters using unholy water for the effect that holy water usually gives. * Toning down minotaur mages and their attribute draining abilities. * Drinking or sleeping requirements for player characters. * Walking through walls as a player character ability. * Many more peaceful methods for gaining experience. * Race-dependent live sacrifices. For instance, dwarves getting more piety out of sacrificing orcs than other player races. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 5: Common Abbreviations 5.1: How do you expect me to read a post when half of it is in code? [changed in 4.3] For good or bad, acronyms and abbreviations are thriving all over the Internet, and this newsgroup is no exception. Many acronyms like HAND, LOL, or AFAIK are in common use outside this newsgroup; you can look these up using the Acronym Finder (http://www.acronymfinder.com/). Other abbreviations are specific to this newsgroup and are explained in this section. Lets start with some of the most commonly used ones: * PC: Player character. That is, your character. * RNG: Random Number Generator. * TB: Thomas Biskup, also referred to as Thomas or The Creator. * YAVP, YASD, YAGBU, YAFM, RFE: See '4.1: What's the meaning of YASD, YAVP, YAGBU, YAFM, and RFE? [changed in 4.3]'. Keep in mind that the more cryptic you are, the more likely you are to be misunderstood, so try to keep the abbreviations within the Drakalor Chain dialect and not just SiT (Speak in Tongues). If in doubt, type it out. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.2: What the hell is a SoCR, and what is a good for? Telling you what it is good for would be spoily, but I can tell you that it is an item also known as a 'scroll of chaos resistance.' Names of commonly referred to items are often abbreviated; the following list covers the most important ones. * AoLS: Amulet of life saving. * GoGS: Girdle of giant strength. * PoCC: Potion of cure corruption. * PoE: Potion of education (also PoEd) or potion of exchange (also PoEx). * RoDS: Ring of djinni summoning. * RoI: Ring of ice, ring of invisibility, or ring of immunity. * RotHK: Ring of the high kings. * RotMC: Ring of the master cat. * SoCR: Scroll of chaos resistance. * SoS: Sword of sharpness. * TotRR: Trident of the red rooster. * WotS: Whip of the snake. * WoW: Wand of wishing (also WoWi) or wand of wonder (also WoWo). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.3: How do I recognize a WMoPC? Check if its full description is *writhing mass of primal chaos*. If so, you have encountered the monster with one of the nicest abbreviations (but not one of the nicest monsters, mind you). This is a short list of creature abbreviations and nicknames: * ACW: Ancient chaos wyrm. * AKW: Ancient karmic wyrm. * WMoPC: Writhing mass of primal chaos. * Andy: A certain powerful being whose first name easily abbreviates to this. * Barney: A certain Ancient blue wyrm represented by a purple 'W'. * Fisty: Somebody called Fistanarius. You'll meet him soon enough. * Kenny: A certain cute puppy. Named after a cartoon character who dies in almost every episode. * Khelly: Khelavaster, the sage mentioned in the ADOM manual. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.4: Where can I find the ToEF? It's right on the wilderness map, depicted by a red 'o'. The names of the various game locations are frequently abbreviated, usually using the abbreviation shown on the play screen when on that level. The more common ones are listed here: * BUGWIL: Bug-filled wilderness. * CoC: Caverns of chaos. * DD: Druid Dungeon. * HMV: High Mountain Village. * ID: Infinite Dungeon. * MT: Mana temple. * PC: Puppy cave. * SMC: Small Cave. * ToEF: Tower of Eternal Flames. * UD: Unremarkable Dungeon. * VD: Village Dungeon. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- (c) Copyright by Richard Fowler, Matt Chatterley, Karkadinn, Olli Juhala, Malte Helmert and Leon Planken. This FAQ may be freely distributed as long as these two copyright messages are distributed with it. Karmic creatures are exempted from this restriction. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ADOM (c) Copyright 1994-2008 by Thomas Biskup. All rights reserved.