Prior to 3.1.x the dat subdirectory didn't exist yet but data.base was present somewhere, possibly in the src subdirectory instead. I don't know whether it goes as far back as hack 1.x or even nethack 2.x. The source code for a bunch of old versions is present at https://nethackwiki.com/ but I'm not sure whether the data files are all there too. The source code for the most recent released version (3.6.7) is... Source: 12 months ago

I am not sure what extra benefits the Steam version has, but the game is available for free either as download on nethack.org, or to play online at something like alt.org/nethack or hardfought.org. Source: about 1 year ago

You don't even need two people to play D&D, Nethack is great! Source: about 1 year ago

I've always been fond of the last quote on nethack.org. Source: about 1 year ago

It was discussed here last fall, when the home page for nethack.org was updated to mention it. The blurb includes a few other tiny screen shots and says the exhibit is scheduled to be open until mid-July. Source: about 1 year ago

It's generally recommended to download DDLC from ddlc.moe , not Steam. Source: 7 months ago

(this game was downloaded from the website, and not Steam). Source: 7 months ago

So as a result, I'm playing mods. I don't really know some awesome mods I could play, but I'm trying out EMR. I'm trying to do exactly what the mod creator tells me. Download DDLC from ddlc.moe, download the file, and drag the files into the original DDLC file. I'm confused, because It literally denies me to drag and drop. It just won't let me. And before you ask, I have no experience with any type of computers... Source: 8 months ago

(Just skip this ahead since most will already have done this) Download the base game at http://ddlc.moe. Source: 9 months ago

Acquire a fresh copy of DDLC (preferably from https://ddlc.moe as steam likely won't work). Source: 9 months ago