SYNOPSIS

omega [save file]

DESCRIPTION

omega is a complex rogue-style game of dungeon exploration. Unlike other such games, there are a number of ways to "win", depending on various actions taken during play. The ways you can get your name on the hiscore board include becoming the highest ranked head of a guild, sect, college, etc., as well as gaining the most points figured from possessions and experience. The game (via the oracle) may impose some structure on your exploration, but you need not follow all of the oracle's advice. There *is* a "total winner" status, by the way.

If the save file is not specified, omega gives the player the choice of generating a random character, or playing themselves, doing a short quiz to determine an approximation of their abilities. If the save file is given, omega will restore that save file, and if successful, the save file is deleted. Note that some installations of omega compress the save file, using either compress(1) or gzip(1) - if this is the case, and you have a save file that is uncompressed (such files are generated by omega if it receives a signal during play, for example), you can compress it (with compress(1) or gzip(1)) and remove the .Z or .gz extension. Alternatively, you may simply run with the uncompressed save file - this will not affect the game in any way, but takes more disk space between games.

omega offers a richness of playing detail that goes beyond a simple game like rogue. However, the majority of gameplay is very similar to rogue, hack, ultrarogue, larn, and other such games. The player is represented by the highlighted "@" symbol, objects and terrain features are represented by non-alphabetic symbols, monsters are represented by the various upper and lower case letters, and other humans are represented by a non-highlighted "@".

omega currently consists of a countryside in which are sited a city, various villages, several dungeons, and some "special" sites, such as the temples of the various priesthoods. The game starts in the city of Rampart, where all the guilds have headquarters. As a dungeon is explored, all generated levels are saved in memory. However, only one dungeon is "remembered" at a time, so if you enter two dungeons, the first will be forgotten (it will be regenerated should you wish to enter it again). However, if a dungeon is "completed", this fact will be remembered, basically meaning that the unique monster at the bottom will not be regenerated if you've killed it already.

AUTHOR

Laurence Brothers