An avid NetHack fan, I was quite enthused to find that ZapM had miraculously rose from the dead...only to find that the new version was only avaliable for Mac and Linux! Is there any intention of releasing it for DOS or Windows?

I do plan on releasing a Windows build, but I don't have a PC right now. I'll try to figure something out in the coming weeks, though, so hang in there!

I'm glad to hear it! I can't wait to see all the changes...do you have a changelog?

Here's my list of finished todo items. No guarantees of accuracy or completeness! Some items have been censored to prevent spoilage.

Summary is there's a lot of bug fixes and UI improvements. The biggest gameplay changes are the new Janitor profession, and the new sewer dungeon branch.

* misc fixes to I->getStr
* floppy disk labeled AAIO
* selective fire for pulse rifle
* footballs
* lawyer monster (and powers)
* you can look at message log when you die
* ^C will no longer kill game in I->getstr
* reduced effects of radiation poisoning
* monsters shouldn't zap player with healing ray gun!
* fixed peril-sensitive sunglasses bug
* floppy disk of hypnosis should cause sleep not paralysis
* bug sensing only works on objects in Hero's square
* changed weapon descriptions
* Fight.cpp & MonsterAI.cpp seem to check for asleep but not paralyzed hero
* combat more likely to awaken hero
* can blindly attack '0'
* don't render special effects when blind
* when blind, use vague name when describing enemy weapon use
* ghost monster shows up as '0'blip but can't be attacked
* fixed grammar: "you spot a acid pit trap"
* monsters have gender
* cylon centurion (fixed spelling)
* show armor, implants, weapon commands '[' '+' ')'
* toggle autopickup command '@'
* set armor glyph to '[' instead of ']'
* fix memory leak in shMenu (thanks, Friedrich, for the bug report)
* sessile monsters won't start moving when stunned or confused
* sessile monsters can't escape traps
* god mode 'create feature' command
* bind uninstall command to 'R' instead of 'U'
* unbind 'K'
* capitalized VI keys for gliding
* better help for VI keys (mention options menu)
* grammar fix: "you find a acid pit trap"
* "the anal probe corrodes" message when monster falls into acid
* improved options menu
* increased restoration stat repair from 1d4 to 2d4
* UI should use all available rows for menus, not just the first 25
* improved menus with more nethack keybindings such as '@', '$', '?', etc. commands
* increased alien gestation time
* "quick pick" lists of letters are condensed
* "fadelog" option darkens old log lines instead of clearing them
* interesting special effects of cloud of viruses, traffic, etc
* robot town: hospital with docbot
* alien princess and chestburster monsters
* shopkeepers check the bill as well as your inventory when you leave the shop
* obj intrinsics divided into worn/wielded/active/carried
* adjust canister prices
* shopkeeper gets mad when you use a portable hole in its shop
* fixed various weirdness when leaving shops
* can't use lockpick/keycard to find secret doors
* made tribbles more likely to multiply
* energy cells are now their own object class with '*' glyph
* sewer code
* FOV corner peeking
* monsters that can hide under features and objects
* mimic monsters: T-1000
* ratbots
* beer removes fear, confusion provides fear immunity
* improve lighting/darkness code
* ctrl-N for name command
* sewage is terrain type, not feature
* further fixes to peril-sensing and spotting code
* beams affect objs on ground
* XXXXXXXXX blanks disks
* trash compactor
* drowning
* don't displace pets if you're trapped
* mainframe level
* fake XXXXXXXX
* repeat letters when picking up items from huge stacks on ground.
* the(), an(), etc. functions return a buffer now instead of caller having to
deal with that
* shoot locks off, repair broken locks
* can't kick adjacent things while you're in a pit
* brain cylinder
* reflection for real
* log XL in logfile, not just title
* mi-go
* Dalek 'D' shield
* b: barrel, smart bomb, smart missile
* ! brain in a jar: drink for XXXXXXXX
* sessile pets
* animations for blaster bolt
* refactor ranged weapons code
* "web" mutant power
* better stairs placement
* magnetically sealed doors
* fixed some compactor bugs
* BOFH
* retina scanner doors
* changed implant sites
* mi-go makes an incision before XXXXXXX
* night vision goggles
* stormtrooper helmet hurts aim
* radspider bite might confer web mutant power
* grammar: "Its floppy disk labeled AAIO melts! You hit the usenet troll!"
* reduce radspider, radscorpion poison damage
* lawyer summon witness spell
* traps in sewer levels
* sewer is smelly
* fixed vision after closing a door.
* unable to create window bug (too wide)
* more debug/diagnostic output
* shopkeepers only buy items for 1/10 value
* space marine gets +1 flak jacket instead of +1 pulse rifle
* monster AI improvements
* monsters have more HP
* fixed shield bug
* energy cells, some armor are lighter
* XXXXXX guaranteed in sewer plant
* XXXXXX are radioactive
* monsters less likely to hit each other with ranged weapons
* XXXXXX monsters attracted to transporting hero
* sewers populated with objects; likely to be dark
* cockroaches immune to drowning (mythbusters)
* monsters have more skills and HP
* droid caller device
* janitor
* alarmed doors
* fix optimized enhance implant message when already at +5
* tazer->cattle prod, new: chainsaw
* keycards automatically be prompted for when opening doors
* space marine armor
* skills advanced at will
* print nevermind message when dismissing menu
* adjust doors visibility in dark room
* space elves
* rail slug keeps moving
* shotgun does more damage at close range, more likely to hit at long range
* laser weapons work against locks
* fewer objs in dungeon, but more in closets (with alarms)
* janitor "disguise"

Oooh, so I can shot web? Stormtroopers aim like so? Mi-go surgeons? Chestbursters? Quaffable brain-in-a-jar? Lovely.

Now you've got me impatient! Hurry up the windows! :p

With a Daleks dose that mean that a Sonic Screwdriver will be a quest item?

I just downloaded the Linux version and tried it on my laptop. The janitor is cool, lots of nifty new ways to die, and the giant cockroaches hiding under things added quite a lot to the atmosphere. The thing I didn't like was that optic blast can't be used to clear a whole hall way of bugs any more. Once I got it up past five before it was fun to draw a bunch of bugs after me and then zap them all at once. Optic blast isn't nearly as powerful as it once was. On the other hand web thrower and a light saber can waste almost anything.

AM, thanks for the feedback. I had toned down the optic blast b/c I'd thought it was a little too powerful in the previous version. It still does a lot of damage at higher levels, but to only one monster at a time...

Please send me any more comments - reading player experiences is very helpful for thinking about game balance.

Thanks, I've been playing the new version and will keep post anything I think is good or bad. I just beat the new version for the first time (without cheating) and so far think it's great. You are right, optic blast was too powerful before. One thing that is odd is the space elfs. I thought a space elf was called a Vulcan, but perhaps that's just me.

cyrus,

Are there any intentions on getting the windows binary to work on 64 bit windows? I've played with zapm on linux, but I would LOVE to have it working on my windows box (64 bit win7) as well. I posted on the bugs forum a month or so back but haven't seen a reply to that yet so I figured I'd bring it up here as well.

by the way, time to use a different captcha on signup (or use a captcha on posts) since it seems your forums are getting overrun by spambots!