Mines of Moria is an addictive little game that is very simple (and I thought someone had already written something on it, but can't find it, so apologies - is it the same game as AngBand??).
No. It's a RogueLike; which is to say it's the same style as AngBand and NetHack, without being the same game. Never having played Moria, I'm not going to say anything else...
AngBand is a Moria variant. Neither inherit directly from NetHack, but all inherit style from Rogue. --Vitenka
You are a typical D&D style character, in a universe where your purpose in life is looting, pillaging, and causing much death to the dungeon demizens.
Monsters are identified by letters (c=centipede, C=gelatinous cube, ...), magic can be done if your character is capable, and it is controlled entirely by the keyboard.
You need money to buy new kit (although you will accrue items by delving into the depths), and you will be restricted by your strength, class of character.
My character is a swashbuckling half-troll so he can wear whatever he likes, has no social grace or intelligence, but packs a wallop :-).
It has no plot to speak of, and randomly generated levels, but still very playable for all that.
My copy was from the BURKS CD.
Freeware
The identifying features of Moria are:
Moria has a shop level at the top - which you travel to repeatedly. Shops are run through a menu, though haggling is implemented.
Moria has a much simpler 'enchant weapon' system than any of the others which implement one at all.
Every dungeon level is randomly generated when you visit it. Generated afresh every time you visit it. No state is stored about other levels (not even the town level)
Word of recall allows you to travel back to the town level, and then back to the lowest dungeon level you have visited. It takes a large number of turns to activate.
There are at least four ways to do this in Nethack. There are probably more.
Um - none even slightly as easy. One spell (or scroll) to go all the way up, another one to go back down. Being able to do this in NetHack would mostly void the plot. In Moria you are positively encouraged to go back, sell your loot, get more food, and go back down again to hunt anew. --Vitenka
Which is equally possible in Nethack, just that you need a ring as well as the two scrolls, or an artifact. --StuartFraser
Some monsters replicate. These can quickly fill a dungeon.
Nethack has a fair few of these, too (gremlins, most jellies, not to mention that there are several monsters which can be summoned by the summon nasties spell which can cast the summon nasties spell...)
While that is nasty and has killed me often enough - it is nothing to compare with the literal 'every square on the map is filled' that 'breeds explosively' can provide in moria. Every instance of that creature creates a new copy of itself every two turns. --Vitenka
Yes, Nethack has those (gremlins; you've never seen them at Medusa or Juiblex?), but arch-lich and Archon summoning storms are faster than a new copy every two turns. Lots faster. Fill the entire Plane of Fire in maybe ten turns.
I've made it down that low twice only. But also see the (just added) point about the size of moria maps. Rapid summoning storms, whilst truly unforgettably evil, tend to get stuck once every summoner is surrounded. --Vitenka
There is a 'monster memory' giving details of ever monster you have encountered, in each of your incarnations. It grows more detailed as you encounter more of them. It is a very neat feature.
Every level is generated with a single monster that has been generated as though (2 to 5) levels lower. Sometimes you don't notice, since there is a chance of getting an appropriate or even easy monster. Some times you really do notice. Single 'run away from this' monsters on the upper levels are fun.
This is not hard. Nethack has between 9 and 20 set piece levels, depending on definition
The objective of the game is to slay the Balrog (of course) The Balrog is one of only two 'singular' monster (ones you can never encounter multiple copies of) - it can teleport to other levels and will then return later. Evil Iggy is the other.
Moria maps are big - 15 screens to an edge big.
Garbled had a version which corrupted the magic books, and would not let you become a mage on any race at all.
You can also get permanently locked out of the shops for annoying (read haggling with) the shop keepers too much. This is probably the feature I detest the most.
Surely not permanently - just the X thousand turns it takes for the shop to change owners? - MoonShadow
Aye, it's not permanent, just for a very long time. May I suggest, if you have low charisma, simply haggling with the shopkeeps less? Their wares are not that expensive. But yes, it could do with giving you a bit more warning before it does that. --Vitenka (On the plus side, once you've haggled a sufficient number of times, the shops give in and give you the best price automatically)
On reflection, yes - this behaviour is immensly annoying. Comment out line 378 of store2.c to remove it. --Vitenka
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Moria