Which graphics mode do you use

[fearoffours]

I get graphical refresh problems when using ASCII mode (the @ will often duplicate iteself visually, and that irks me to no end).

Try toggling the 'bizarre display' option in the titlebar 'Display' menu if this happens.

[Malifrax]

What a simple fix, thanks. I guess that means no more playing in tile mode for me.

[Biff]

I use Adam Bolt tiles, but if I need to input a symbol (like for a genocide scroll), I'll switch over to the ASCII.
I need something to look at!

[Teber]

the ingame help files may be revealing. using the look command helps too.

[MageMuch]

It seems the problem many people have with graphics is that it's darn hard to tell what the monsters and items are.

Still, I like the look of the walls and doors, and especially the health, magic, and monster health bars. Perhaps a 'reduced' version, with graphical interface and terrain, but ascii items and monsters would be a good idea. Hmm...

I whole heartedly agree

[Ulf]

It seems the problem many people have with graphics is that it's darn hard to tell what the monsters and items are.

Hard to tell?

What about "^" for traps and "^" for impentrable walls and "^" for mountains..?

Or even "#" for walls and "#" for grassy fields..?

Those differences can be annoying for someone new to the game..

[Maylith]

I use the ASCII display, which I far prefer to the tiles, but I do have to say that one of my biggest pet peeves about ToME in terms of graphics is that you really can't see the mineral veins and be able to dig for treasure, as you could even back in Moria. That makes beginning characters totally dependent on making kills to get AU, rather than digging for at least part of their haul.

I can remember only one dungeon... was it Cirith Ungol?? I don't recall ... where you could see veins. That was a couple versions ago though.

[Atarlost]

There are veins in Angband. (not that that helps much)

[Nerdanel]

You can see veins in ASCII mode just fine, but veins do not happen everywhere.

[Egg]

It's hardly surprising people are warded away from the tile modes when upon selection of a graphical mode you're treated to warped, unfiltered version of low colour 16x16 sprites. To make sure I had them to scale I was forced to dip into Zangband's tile directory, open the master sheet of graphics, and visually compare a matching tile to make sure it was running at the intended 16x16 resolution. This is this: Very, very silly.

I realise that these terminal versions are based around font sizes, but at the very least there should be an option in the Windows variant to automatically snap to a 16x16 tile configuration and display the graphical version the way it was intended.

ASCII tiles are like smoking. Unpleasant when you start, and a complete bastard to leave behind. Even the most reasonable newcomer to the world of Rogue variants is not going to warm to memorising the cryptic runes of the ASCII version, and it's the new players that matter, not the forum dwellers who are already completely proficient in the original and for that reason naturally find the tiles less intuitive.

Crap (Default):



Less Crap:

[Neil]

Yes, using double-width tiles and the right font setting makes all the difference.

[Ludvig]

hmmm. There is something wrong with the latter of the two screens - you can actually see what's happening
I would consider titles if it looked like that, but title terrain and ascii monsters would be great

[rakanishu]

ASCII all the way. Ever since those good old nethack-days, when I fell from the chair seeing a big "D" for the first time.

[Maylith]

Even the most reasonable newcomer to the world of Rogue variants is not going to warm to memorising the cryptic runes of the ASCII version, and it's the new players that matter, not the forum dwellers who are already completely proficient in the original and for that reason naturally find the tiles less intuitive.

Respectfully, I disagree. It's no harder to figure out ASCII than it is to disinter the tiles. Even when you have the correct display settings, it's extremely difficult to SEE what those tiny tiles are! I'd rather see an 'M' and 'look' at it than try to sit there and count how many heads the hydra has, no matter how skilled the artist was.

I do, however, absolutely adore the "Tk" versions of the *bands.

I would consider titles if it looked like that, but title terrain and ascii monsters would be great

That's (roughly) what Tk is... plus some windows interface niceties.
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[Neil]

I would consider titles if it looked like that, but title terrain and ascii monsters would be great

They DO look like that. My copy of ToME has looked like that for some time.

It's no harder to figure out ASCII than it is to disinter the tiles. Even when you have the correct display settings, it's extremely difficult to SEE what those tiny tiles are!

Maylith: So, you can tell apart the nine riders, the two kobolds, the various humans, the different kinds of monster egos, water monsters, sword types, armor types, and more using text? If you can't, at a glance, then your precious text interface is flatly inferior. :-)

Oh wait, you ADMIT that your text interface makes such distinctions impossible! Then backpedal and make an excuse for it being better somehow.