This document is a brief description of the ALCHEMY hack.

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        Introduction -
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        As always, the general intention is to enhance the enjoyability and
        playability of CF. In this code, I have created a system whereby
	players may assemble various ingredients to make artifacts. 

	The amount of work I put into this was substantial; other than
	new code -- I created new archetypes, revised archetypes, altered the 
	treasures file and created 2 new object types and a flag. 

	It therefore may be enjoyable to install this patch (incl code)
	and *not* define ALCHEMY in define.h. In particular, this patch
	does the following things:

	 1) more varieties of potions are available in shops.

	 2) new gems and types of food.

 	 3) monsters will now leave behind body parts when you kill them.

   	 4) if ALCHEMY is defined players may make potions/artifacts.

	I have included instructions for installation, an install script 
	and a brief document for using the code (pretty simple).

    	Finally, as always, feedback is appreciated.

                                                b.t.
                                                thomas@astro.psu.edu

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        Instructions to Players - how to use this code.
	------------------------

	Using the alchemy code (to make artifacts) is easy. You need
	the following things: 1) be able to cast alchemy spell, 2)
	have access to a cauldron and 3) have the right ingredients.

	To create an artifact, put ingredients in the cauldron, then
	cast 'alchemy' spell. You might make something :) Backfire
	effects are possible. In order to get better at making stuff,
	you will need to learn the alchemy skill. Books found in shops
	(and elsewhere) will give you formulae for making stuff. 
	Of course , you can always 'experiment' on your own, but this
	may be dangerous.


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        Description of code -
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	The bulk fo the alchemy code resides in 2 files - recipe.c
	and alchemy.c. The basic features of the code are:

	1- allow players to make artifacts from formulae. As players
	   gain xp and levels, their ability to create stuff improves

	2- fast lookup of formulae. Lookup is randomized so that the
	   list is attempted for a match based on # levels the player
	   has. Obviously, higher level players get more attempts 
	   to match the list--and thereby have a grater chance of 
	   successfully completing a formula. 

	3- There are ~80 formulae in this version. You can dump
	   the formulalists using the crossfire -m7 option. 

	  Basically, a simple linked list, ordered by the 
	number of different archs in a formulae, is used to 
	lookup 'recipe' matches. An indexed value for each formulae
	allows a quick comparison for a match with the cauldron
	contents. When a player casts alchemy on a cauldron, we
	first determine # archs inside the cauldron, pick the 
	correct formulalist, randomly match against that list to 
	see if we got a match. If matched, we remove the ingredients,
	and insert the artifact into the cauldron. Exp is awarded
	to the players alchemy skill (if they have it).