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[Doughnut189]

DF got its steam release with a whole new default graphics tileset and shortly afterwards had an ASCII 'classic' tileset addition implemented. I, personally prefer the ASCII for a variety of reasons, performance notwithstanding. This left me wondering, though...

What graphics do the current DF players prefer?
Do you prefer to use a tileset or ASCII graphics?

[King Zultan]

ASCII is the only way to play.

[Shonai_Dweller]

Used to play with Taffer 18x18 tileset and colours. No TWBT, just a pleasant to play with text-like tilesheet.

Will go back to using that once the non-graphical version has its various issues resolved (just because I play a game with lots of modded stuff that I can't be bothered making graphics for).

(Although I must say I am looking forward to trying Adventurer with the new graphics).

[Salmeuk]

new version's tileset is nice and all but has (ironic, I know) legibility issues. ASCII, at the very least, has well-defined character tiles, which remain discernible in the clutter of a deciduous forest. I'm worried some of the little issues present in the new version will remain in 'classic' mode, such as not being able to see carried items, and multiple creatures not flash-scrolling when present on the same tile. and hopefully the display issues are fixed so we can get back to drag-and-drop installation of tilesets.

ASCII is like reading a book, while tilesets are like watching a movie. one is pre-interpreted, one is (closer to) text and your imagination fills the gaps.

[Shonai_Dweller]

new version's tileset is nice and all but has (ironic, I know) legibility issues. ASCII, at the very least, has well-defined character tiles, which remain discernible in the clutter of a deciduous forest. I'm worried some of the little issues present in the new version will remain in 'classic' mode, such as not being able to see carried items, and multiple creatures not flash-scrolling when present on the same tile. and hopefully the display issues are fixed so we can get back to drag-and-drop installation of tilesets.

ASCII is like reading a book, while tilesets are like watching a movie. one is pre-interpreted, one is (closer to) text and your imagination fills the gaps.

You can see carried items when you use the ascii tileset right now. And both graphical and ascii version flash-scroll creatures.

[YashaAstora]

I think there's a completely justifiable beauty to ASCII and I absolutely despise the modern idea that it's outdated and not "true" graphics. The amount of people I saw going "Finally, DF has Graphics™ now" around the Steam release launching was seriously about to make me go Joker Mode, not gonna lie. It always had graphics people! Quite lovely and charming ones at that! I vastly prefer the clean vibrant rich colors of the ASCII DF tileset over the extremely busy and yet somehow horrifically drab and washed out official tileset. The only tilesets I'd probably ever use are the ones that are still based in ASCII.

[Thorfinn]

I have to switch back and forth.

ASCII for a while until I start thinking of it less as a game and more as a 3-dimensional array of linked lists, then to one of the graphics sets until it I'm seeing not values but dwarves, items, plants, etc., then when it starts looking too cartoony, switch back.

You know that scene in The Matrix where Cypher is talking to Neo about all those green characters on the screen and seeing blonde, brunette, redhead? I'm trying to ride that spot.

[Homo carbonis]

I use Taffer's 9x9 tileset or curses_square depending on how I am feeling. Taffer is pretty much perfect. You have to set the scale factor a bit smaller than is ideal if you don't want important text cut off in the current version, but it is quite acceptable.

Incidentally, why does everyone call the classic IBM character set 'ASCII'? When the ANSI were compiling ASCII, they forgot to include ☻ and ☺, the most important letters in the alphabet.

[Sorg]

Prior to steam release I exclusively used ASCII (standard curses_800x600). In steam version I use default graphics, because for some reason I couldn't get used to the new interface (map is ok) in ASCII.

[Thisfox]

Always preferred the ASCII stuff, because I can imagine the scene better with letters  than if I had to look at all the little pictures, which are just tiring to process compared to distinct characters on the screen.

[spikethehobbitmage]

Another one for ASCII. Text isn't pretty, but it is much easier to read so I can have more of the map visible. That said, it is a skill that takes significant time to learn, so I can understand why some players prefer graphics.

[YashaAstora]

I think a completely unappreciated bit about DF's ASCII tileset is the cute little ways Toady represents objects, like wheelbarrows being <Ö> (the handles are the umlaut!); ores being the british pound sign because they're generally worth a lot of money; up/down staircases being <X> because that looks like two staircase symbols of > and < put together; and of course, dwarves being perpetually smiling smileys. It's just so wonderfully charming in my eyes and I hate how people can't see that. The official tileset is so incredibly busy and the colors are miserably drab.

I am not even going to get into the fact that the ASCII is WHY the game has so much content in the first place. Even if Toady were a professional artist, pumping out sprites for the like 500 animals in the game would have absolutely infeasible. Steam players going "finally, DF has REAL graphics" drives me up the wall when they wouldn't even have the absurd amount of STUFF in the game they greedily enjoy if it hadn't been ASCII for nearly two damn decades.

[brewer bob]

I think a completely unappreciated bit about DF's ASCII tileset is the cute little ways Toady represents objects

Quite many of these are same or similar to those found in old/traditional rogue-likes, but regardless, there's lots of really good choices, I agree.

The farmer's workshop is one of my favorites:

Code: [Select]

O ╥ φ
That's a clever way to depict a spinning wheel!

[Lidku]

I've used ASCII since I first ever played Dwarf Fortress. I guess it's fair to say I've been acclimatized to prefer that way since waaaay back in Highschool, but I personally think the ASCII graphics look better than any tileset, handsdown. ASCII graphics just have a innate.. feeling to it that cannot be adequately explained.

Though I do support graphics, in the sense that it aids people who struggle conceptualizing the game through ASCII graphics.

[Sockmit2007]

I personally have trouble using ASCII for anything that isn't adventure mode, but that might just be because squares aren't squares in ASCII.