Xref: utzoo rec.games.hack:9424 comp.windows.ms:4621 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!uflorida!mephisto!udel!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!henry!hairston From: hairston@henry.ece.cmu.edu (David Hairston) Newsgroups: rec.games.hack,comp.windows.ms Subject: Re: nethack and mswindows Message-ID: Date: 28 Aug 90 04:28:21 GMT Organization: Gaia II Lines: 33 [-dave-:] [] constructive criticism: [] why not use the ascii representations for the character/monsters? [] icons/glyphs/picture fonts don't really work (when you think about [] it soberly). you could (should?), create great architecture characters [] (i.e. walls, doors, pools, fountains etc.). in the same vein, it's [] hard to beat the ascii representations for objects (scrolls, potions...) [] since otherwise you'll have a "cute" weapon symbol that makes sense for [] a long sword and makes no sense for a boomerang (or 7 darts) and so on. [petkau@herald.UUCP (Jeff Petkau) writes:] [] Have you ever seen Larn or Moria or Hack 2.?? on the Amiga? They all use [] cute pictures instead of letters, and it improves the feel of the game [] wonderfully. No doubt whoever ported these versions never bothered to [] think about it soberly. (There is more involved than just changing the [] font, though, since you have to have an image of a long sword, and a [] boomerang, and a dart, and all sorts of other things, and the program has [] to print a different character for each. But this could easily be done [] with a slight extension of the current GRAPHICS= option). i guess this is subjective ... i find it disconcerting to have cave spiders graphically sized the same as dragons. the abstract ascii feels better to me. also, i'm not comfortable with the sideview representation of monsters in icons and the overall topview of the level map. the abstractions allow everyone to use their imagination. the graphics take that away, for me ... my constructive criticisms were _my_ thoughts. i'm glad you've added yours to the discussion. -dave- hairston@henry.ece.cmu.edu