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diff --git a/crawl-ref/README.txt b/crawl-ref/README.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..b03b1a098c --- /dev/null +++ b/crawl-ref/README.txt @@ -0,0 +1,162 @@ +Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup +======================== + +Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup is a game of dungeon exploration, combat and magic, +involving characters of diverse skills, worshipping deities of great power and +caprice. To win, you'll need to be a master of tactics and strategy, and +prevail against overwhelming odds. + +Players of versions 0.3.4 and older beware: please read the file + 034_changes.txt +in the /docs directory for a list of the interface changes, and how +you could possibly retrieve the 0.3.4 standards. + +Contents: +1. How to get started? (Information for new players) +2. The file system of this version. +3. Contact and reporting bugs. +4. License and history information. +5. How you can help! + +1. Getting started +------------------ +If you'd like to dive in immediately, your best bets are to +* start up a game and choose a tutorial (press 'T' when asked for race), or +* read quickstart.txt (in the /docs directory), or +* for studious readers, browse the manual (see below for all doc files). + +Additionally, you may want to print out the file keys.pdf from the /docs +folder. Besides a full list of command keys (don't bother with it), it contains +two pages of help for new players. +Note that you can read quickstart.txt and the manual when playing; pressing '?' +brings up a menu for that. + + +2. File system +-------------- +The following files in the Crawl's main folder are essential: + +* crawl These start the game. (The actual name depends on your +* crawl.exe operating system.) + +* macro.txt Playing Crawl can be made even more convenient by + redefining keys and assigning macros. Ignore early on. + +The docs/ folder contains the following helpful texts (all of which can be +read in-game by bringing up the help menu with '?'): + +* crawl_manual.txt The complete manual; describing all aspects in detail. + Contains appendices on species, classes, etc. +* options_guide.txt Describes all options in detail. The structure of + init.txt follows this text. +* macros_guide.txt A how-to on using macros and keymappings, with examples. +* aptitudes.txt Some numbers defining certain aspects of the races. + Helpful, but not needed for winning. +* quickstart.txt A short introduction for new players. +* ssh_guide.txt An elaborate introduction on how to get internet play + to work. For Windows only. +* keys.pdf A printable document, listing all commands and it also + contains a very short guide for new players. + +The settings/ folder contains, among others, the following files: + +* init.txt These contain the options for the game. The defaults +* .crawlrc play well, so don't bother with this in the beginning. + Permanent death is not an option, but a feature! + + +3. Contact and reporting bugs +----------------------------- +The official webpage is + http://crawl-ref.sourceforge.net/ +and there you can find both trackers to add bug reports, feature requests, or +upload patches, as well as sources and binaries. This is the best way to report +bugs or mention new ideas. + +There is a Usenet newsgroup dealing with roguelikes, including Crawl: + rec.games.roguelike.misc +It is polite to flag your post with -crawl- as other games are discussed over +there as well. This is a good place to ask general questions, both from new +players as well as for spoilers, or to announce spectacular wins. + +You can play Crawl online, together with many others. The main server has its +homepage at + http://crawl.akrasiac.org/ +where you can also read how to connect. That page also has links to spoiler +sites etc. + +If you want to chime in with development, you can read the mailing list + crawl-ref-discuss@lists.sourceforge.net +which can get pretty busy on the occasion. + + +4. License and history information +---------------------------------- +What you have downloaded is a descendant of Linley's Dungeon Crawl. Development +of the main branch stalled at version 4.0.0b26, with a final alpha of 4.1 being +released by Brent Ross in 2005. Since 2006, the Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup team +has been continuing the development. See the CREDITS in the mail folder for a +myriad of contributors, past and present; license.txt contains the legal blurb. + +Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup is an open source, freeware roguelike. It is supported +on Linux, Windows, OS/X and, to a lesser extent, on DOS. The source should +compile and run on any reasonably modern Unix. +Stone Soup features both ASCII and graphical (Tiles) display. + +Crawl gladly and gratiously uses the following open-source packages: +* The Lua script language, see docs/lualicense.txt. +* The PCRE library for regular expressions, see docs/pcre_license.txt. +* The Mersenne Twister for random number generation, docs/mt19937.txt. +* The SQLite library as database engine; it is properly public domain. +* The ReST light markup language for the documentation. + + +5. How you can help +------------------- +If you like the game and you want to help making it better, there are a number +of ways to do so: + +* Playtesting. +At any time, there will be bugs -- playing and reporting these is a great help. +There is a beta server around hosting the most recent version of the current +code; the akrasiac page links to it. Besides finding bugs, ideas on how to +improve interface or gameplay are welcome as well. + +* Vault making. +Crawl uses many hand-drawn (but often randomised) maps. Making them is fun and +easy. It's best to start with simple entry vaults (glance through +dat/entry.des for a first impression). Later, you may want to read +docs/level_design.txt for the full power. If you're ambitious, new maps for +branch ends are possible, as well. +If you've made some maps, you can test them on your system (no compiling +needed) and then just mail them to the mailing list. + +* Speech. +Monster talking provides a lot of flavour. Just like vaults, speech depends +upon a large set of entries. Since most of the speech has been outsourced, you +can add new prose. The syntax is effective, but slightly strange, so you may +want to read docs/monster_speech.txt. +Again, changing or adding speech is possible on your local game. If you +have added something, send the files to the list. + +* Monster descriptions. +You can look up the current monster descriptions in-game with '?/' or just read +them in dat/descript/monsters.txt. The following conventions should be more or +less obeyed: descriptions ought to contain flavour text, ideally pointing out +major weaknesses/strenghts. No numbers, please. Citations are okay, but try to +stay away from the most generic ones. +If you like, you can similarly modify the descriptions for features, items or +branches. + +* Tiles. +Since version 0.4, tiles are integrated within Crawl. Having variants of +often-used glyphs is always good. If you want to give this a shot, please +contact us via the mailing list. + +* Patches. +If you like to, you can download the source code and apply patches. Both +patches for bug fixes as well as implementation of new features are very much +welcome. +Please be sure to read docs/coding_conventions.txt first. + +Thank you, and have fun crawling! |