Nethack: Ascension

One of the goals for the trip for me was to finish what I started almost 20 years ago - to win a game of Nethack. Probably the most complex computer game till date, Nethack is also considered by many as the hardest game ever made to complete. Before I've always been a very casual player, making no real progress, but this time I read all the spoilers, played really carefully and finally after 5 months of on and off playing, made it to the Astral Plane and sacrificed the Amulet, ascending to Demigodness and thus winning the game!

It took me about 3 months of sporadic playing the ascension character on buses, planes and hostel rooms mostly in the evenings. After having killed the Medusa and acquired the Shield of Reflection from Perseus, found a magic marker and made my first dragon scale armor, I knew I had a chance. And by the time I'd gathered 5 amulets of life saving, a wand of wishing, gotten a Frost Brand sword and enchanted every single piece of equipment to the max, I knew I was really close. And finally pushing through Astral Plane zapping my Wand of Death and wands of teleportation left and right to reach the proper altar was such an adrenaline rush.. The biggest (and a few times lethal) mistake I made was killing Rodney aka. the Wizard of Yendor on my way down, instead of clearing the way to the vibrating square first. I ended up killing the bastard 34 times, and he got me twice thanks to his Double Trouble antiques. Luckily I was carrying those amulets of life saving!

As a note to self, I completed Nethack in the morning of February 28th 2011, sitting at the poolside bar of Youth Shack Hostel in Darwin, Australia.

You offer the Amulet of Yendor to Crom...--More--
An invisible choir sings, and you are bathed in radiance...--More--
The voice of Crom thunders: "Congratulations, mortal!"--More--
"In return for thy service, I grant thee the gift of Immortality!"--More--
You ascend to the status of Demigod...--More--

Amulets
 h - an uncursed amulet of life saving
 G - a cursed amulet of life saving (being worn)
 Weapons
 a - the rustproof +7 Frost Brand (weapon in hand)
 Armor
 n - an uncursed fireproof +5 elven cloak (being worn)
 s - a cursed rustproof +5 dwarvish iron helm (being worn)
 F - an uncursed rustproof +5 pair of gauntlets of power (being worn)
 M - a cursed +5 shield of reflection (being worn)
 R - an uncursed +4 gray dragon scale mail (being worn)
 Z - an uncursed fireproof +4 pair of speed boots (being worn)
Comestibles
 A - 2 uncursed food rations
 N - an uncursed C-ration
 V - an uncursed lizard corpse
 X - an uncursed potato
 Scrolls
 K - an uncursed scroll of charging
 Spellbooks
 d - the cursed Book of the Dead
 Potions
 T - an uncursed potion of speed
 W - 2 blessed potions of full healing
 Y - 3 potions of holy water
 Rings
 e - a cursed ring of slow digestion (on right hand)
 f - an uncursed +1 ring of protection
 q - an uncursed +1 ring of protection
 r - an uncursed ring of levitation
 t - an uncursed ring of regeneration (on left hand)
 P - an uncursed ring of conflict
 Wands
 c - a wand of lightning named empty (0:0)
 p - a wand of death (1:2)
 z - a wand of teleportation named Empty (0:0)
 B - a wand of teleportation (0:7)
 C - a wand of lightning (0:5)
 D - a wand of teleportation (0:2)
 I - a cursed wand of magic missile (0:2)
 L - a cursed wand of teleportation (0:4)
 Tools
 b - a blessed greased bag of holding named -
 g - an uncursed sack named Emergency Holywater
 u - a +0 unicorn horn
 w - a rusty corroded +0 pick-axe (alternate weapon; not wielded)
 J - an uncursed towel
 O - the uncursed Candelabrum of Invocation (no candles attached)
 Q - the cursed Bell of Opening named Bell of Opening (0:0)
 Gems
 U - the blessed Heart of Ahriman

Contents of the bag of holding named -:

a blessed amulet of life saving
an uncursed lizard corpse
2 uncursed K-rations
2 uncursed lizard corpses
8 uncursed C-rations
2 uncursed food rations
an uncursed scroll of light
a cursed scroll of teleportation
2 uncursed scrolls of teleportation
a cursed scroll of create monster
an uncursed scroll of teleportation
a blessed scroll of identify
an uncursed potion of speed
an uncursed potion of full healing
an uncursed potion of water
2 uncursed potions of speed
2 potions of holy water
an uncursed ring of levitation
a wand of digging (0:1)
a wand of digging (0:3)
a wand of light (0:13)
a wand of create monster (0:13)
a wand of create monster (0:13)
a wand of cold (0:5)
a wand of lightning (0:0)
a wand of speed monster (0:6)
a wand of digging (0:7)
a wand of create monster (0:11)
a cursed wand of enlightenment (0:10)
a wand of teleportation (0:4)
a wand of digging (0:4)
a wand of magic missile (0:4)
a wand of magic missile (0:6)
a wand of wishing (1:0)
a wand of opening (0:7)
a wand of fire (0:4)
a cursed wand of teleportation (0:2)
a wand of digging (0:7)
a +0 unicorn horn
an uncursed thoroughly rusty skeleton key
a can of grease (0:4)
6 uncursed tallow candles

                                                                Final Attributes:
                                                               
                                                                You were the Envoy of Balance.
                                                                You were piously aligned.
                                                                You were fire resistant.
                                                                You were cold resistant.
                                                                You were sleep resistant.
                                                                You were disintegration-resistant.
     ┌───────┐       ┌─────                                     You were shock resistant.
     │·V·····│·  └┐ ┌┘                                          You were poison resistant.
     │··@·)··│····└┬┘    %                                      You were magic-protected.
     │···@··A&A·%$D[%                                           You saw invisible.
     │·······│····┌┴┐   $                                       You were telepathic.
     │·······│·  ┌┘ └┐   %   ┌                                  You were stealthy.
     └───────┘       └─┬─▒─┬─┘                                  You could teleport.
                       │   └─────┐           ┌─────┘            You had teleport control.
                       │         │           │                  You had slower digestion.
                       └─────┐   └┐         ┌┘   ┌              You regenerated.
                             │    └┐       ┌┘    │              You were protected.
                             └─┐   └───▒───┘   ┌─┘              You were very fast.
                               │               │                You had reflection.
                               └───────────────┘                Your life would have been saved.
Matti the Slayer           St:25 Dx:18 Co:18 In:9 Wi:18 Ch:14   You were extremely lucky.
Astral Plane $:0  HP:327(327) Pw:95(95) AC:-44 Exp:25 Satiated  You had extra luck.
                                                                Good luck did not time out for you.
                                                                You survived after being killed twice.
                                                                --More--


Vanquished creatures:

.. (snip) ..
The Wizard of Yendor (34 times)
.. (snip) ..

5602 creatures vanquished.

You genocided 14 types of monsters.
You used 5 wishes.

Goodbye matti the Demigod...

You went to your reward with 9217764 points,
Frost Brand (worth 3000 zorkmids and 7500 points)
The Book of the Dead (worth 10000 zorkmids and 25000 points)
The Candelabrum of Invocation (worth 5000 zorkmids and 12500 points)
The Bell of Opening (worth 5000 zorkmids and 12500 points)
The Heart of Ahriman (worth 2500 zorkmids and 6250 points)
       3 amulets of life saving (worth 450 zorkmids),
and 0 pieces of gold, after 140685 moves.
You were level 25 with a maximum of 327 hit points when you ascended.