--- name: "dgn_comp" section: "6" platform: "linux" package: "nethack-common" version: "3.6.7-1+b2" release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/dgn_comp" --- # dgn\_comp(6) NetHack dungeon compiler ## NAME dgn\_comp - NetHack dungeon compiler ## SYNOPSIS **dgn\_comp** \[ *file* \] If no arguments are given, it reads standard input. ## DESCRIPTION *Dgn\_comp* is a dungeon compiler for NetHack version 3.2 and higher. It takes a description file as an argument and produces a dungeon "script" that is to be loaded by NetHack at runtime. The purpose of this tool is to provide NetHack administrators and implementors with a convenient way to create a custom dungeon for the game, without having to recompile the entire world. ## GRAMMAR DUNGEON: **name** **bonesmarker** ( **base** , **rand** ) \[ **%age** \] where **name** is the dungeon name, **bonesmarker** is a letter for marking bones files, ( **base** , **rand** ) is the number of levels, and **%age** is its percentage chance of being generated (if absent, 100% chance). DESCRIPTION: **tag** where **tag** is currently one of **HELLISH**, **MAZELIKE**, or **ROGUELIKE**. ALIGNMENT \| LEVALIGN: \[ **lawful** \| **neutral** \| **chaotic** \| **unaligned** \] gives the alignment of the dungeon/level (default is unaligned). ENTRY: **level** the dungeon entry point. The dungeon connection attaches at this level of the given dungeon. If the value of **level** is negative, the entry level is calculated from the bottom of the dungeon, with -1 being the last level. If this line is not present in a dungeon description, the entry level defaults to 1. PROTOFILE: **name** the prototypical name for dungeon level files in this dungeon. For example, the PROTOFILE name for the dungeon *Vlad's Tower* is *tower*. LEVEL: **name** **bonesmarker** @ ( **base** , **rand** ) \[ **%age** \] where **name** is the level name, **bonesmarker** is a letter for marking bones files, ( **base** , **rand** ) is the location and **%age** is the generation percentage, as above. RNDLEVEL: **name** **bonesmarker** @ ( **base** , **rand** ) \[ **%age** \] **rndlevs** where **name** is the level name, **bonesmarker** is a letter for marking bones files, ( **base** , **rand** ) is the location, **%age** is the generation percentage, as above, and **rndlevs** is the number of similar levels available to choose from. CHAINLEVEL: **name** **bonesmarker** **prev\_name** + ( **base** , **rand** ) \[ **%age** \] where **name** is the level name, **bonesmarker** is a letter for marking bones files, **prev\_name** is the name of a level defined previously, ( **base** , **rand** ) is the *offset* from the level being chained from, and **%age** is the generation percentage. RNDCHAINLEVEL: **name** **bonesmarker** **prev\_name** + ( **base** , **rand** ) \[ **%age** \] **rndlevs** where **name** is the level name, **bonesmarker** is a letter for marking bones files, **prev\_name** is the name of a level defined previously, ( **base** , **rand** ) is the *offset* from the level being chained from, **%age** is the generation percentage, and **rndlevs** is the number of similar levels available to choose from. LEVELDESC: **type** where **type** is the level type, (see DESCRIPTION, above). The **type** is used to override any pre-set value used to describe the entire dungeon, for this level only. BRANCH: **name** @ ( **base** , **rand** ) \[ **stair** \| **no\_up** \| **no\_down** \| **portal** \] \[ **up** \| **down** \] where **name** is the name of the dungeon to branch to, and ( **base** , **rand** ) is the location of the branch. The last two optional arguments are the branch type and branch direction. The type of a branch can be a two-way stair connection, a one-way stair connection, or a magic portal. A one-way stair is described by the types **no\_up** and **no\_down** which specify which stair direction is missing. The default branch type is **stair**. The direction for a stair can be either up or down; direction is not applicable to portals. The default direction is **down**. CHAINBRANCH: **name** **prev\_name** + ( **base** , **rand** ) \[ **stair** \| **no\_up** \| **no\_down** \| **portal** \] \[ **up** \| **down** \] where **name** is the name of the dungeon to branch to, **prev\_name** is the name of a previously defined **level** and ( **base** , **rand** ) is the *offset* from the level being chained from. The optional branch type and direction are the same as described above. ## GENERIC RULES Each dungeon must have a unique **bonesmarker ,** and each special level must have a **bonesmarker** unique within its dungeon (letters may be reused in different dungeons). If the **bonesmarker** has the special value "none", no bones files will be created for that level or dungeon. The value **base** may be in the range of 1 to **MAXLEVEL** (as defined in *global.h* ). The value **rand** may be in the range of -1 to **MAXLEVEL**. If **rand** is -1 it will be replaced with the value (num\_dunlevs(dungeon) - base) during the load process (ie. from here to the end of the dungeon). If **rand** is 0 the level is located absolutely at **base**. Branches don't have a probability. Dungeons do. If a dungeon fails to be generated during load, all its levels and branches are skipped. No level or branch may be chained from a level with a percentage generation probability. This is to prevent non-resolution during the load. In addition, no branch may be made from a dungeon with a percentage generation probability for the same reason. As a general rule using the dungeon compiler: If a dungeon has a **protofile** name associated with it (*eg.* **tower**) that file will be used. If a special level is present, it will override the above rule and the appropriate file will be loaded. If neither of the above are present, the standard generator will take over and make a "normal" level. A level alignment, if present, will override the alignment of the dungeon that it exists within. ## EXAMPLE Here is the current syntax of the dungeon compiler's "language": ``` # # The dungeon description file for the "standard" original # 3.0 NetHack. # DUNGEON: "The Dungeons of Doom" "D" (25, 5) LEVEL: "rogue" "none" @ (15, 4) LEVEL: "oracle" "none" @ (5, 7) LEVEL: "bigroom" "B" @ (12, 3) 15 LEVEL: "medusa" "none" @ (20, 5) CHAINLEVEL: "castle" "medusa" + (1, 4) CHAINBRANCH: "Hell" "castle" + (0, 0) no_down BRANCH: "The Astral Plane" @ (1, 0) no_down up DUNGEON: "Hell" "H" (25, 5) DESCRIPTION: mazelike DESCRIPTION: hellish BRANCH: "Vlad's Tower" @ (13, 5) up LEVEL: "wizard" "none" @ (15, 10) LEVEL: "fakewiz" "A" @ (5, 5) LEVEL: "fakewiz" "B" @ (10, 5) LEVEL: "fakewiz" "C" @ (15, 5) LEVEL: "fakewiz" "D" @ (20, 5) LEVEL: "fakewiz" "E" @ (25, 5) DUNGEON: "Vlad's Tower" "T" (3, 0) PROTOFILE: "tower" DESCRIPTION: mazelike ENTRY: -1 DUNGEON: "The Astral Plane" "A" (1, 0) DESCRIPTION: mazelike PROTOFILE: "endgame" ``` *NOTES:*\ Lines beginning with '#' are considered comments.\ A special level must be explicitly aligned. The alignment of the dungeon it is in only applies to non-special levels within that dungeon. ## AUTHOR M. Stephenson (from the level compiler by Jean-Christophe Collet). ## SEE ALSO [lev\_comp(6)](/lev_comp/6.md), [nethack(6)](/nethack/6.md) ## BUGS Probably infinite. ## COPYRIGHT This file is Copyright (C) Kenneth Lorber and was last modified (version :). NetHack may be freely redistributed. See license for details.