You know about NetHack and its offshoots UnNetHack and SlashEM?
No? Follow those links there and learn more.
Yes? Then you'll agree they are wonderfully complex games with
vast replay value, and the price can't be beat.

Nevertheless, right from the start I had a major problem with them: the default "all-ASCII" graphic-display option just doesn't offer enough information, while the various existing tile options were either ugly or too big to fit nicely on the screen. (Pause to allow the hard-core pro-ASCII crowd to stampede for the exits..) So, if only for my own amusement and convenience, I created the

Geoduck WinHack Tile Set Version 4.2
(Last Updated September 19, 2012)
and then the
Geoduck SlashEM Tile Set Version 1.0
(Probably won't be updated)
and then the
Geoduck UnNetHack Tile Set Version 1.1
(Last Updated September 19, 2012)

These are not more elaborate and detailed tile sets, ala AllegroHack or Falcon's Eye. Just the opposite; I have pared everything down even more to a tile size of 20 pixels high by 12 pixels wide (20x10 in the Slash'EM set), while using a restricted palette of colors and, whenever possible, incorporating a version of the original ASCII character into each tile. Many NetHackers have reported the results to be a useful cross between the default WinHack tiles and the original ASCII version.

With the GTS copied into place, and the proper line of code added to your 'defaults.nh' file, a game of (Un)NetHack or Slash'EM should display an entire level of the dungeon on your screen without any (serious) eyestrain or warping of the tiles, while still offering more information than ASCII about everything that you are stealing, slaughtering and/or running away from.

While the color of the dungeon's living (or at least animate) inhabitants have been changed from the original ASCII, and in most cases extra distinguishing features have been added, roughly 95% of the critters are still depicted by the same basic letter or symbol as they are in ASCII. (The other 5%, I couldn't resist a little artistic license...) I've tried to be as consistent as I can with regards to the size and color changes; whenever possible a monster's new hue(s) is somehow appropriate to its character or appearance, while the bigger a critter is 'in-game', usually the bigger is the letter depicting it. For example, a Mumak is still a 'q' in GTS, but it is now a big gray lower-case

If you wish to try the GTS tileset, chose your variation and follow the instructions.
Be sure and get the file from the section for the variation you are currently playing, or IT WILL NOT WORK! Also note that the vanilla and UnNetHack versions ARE 20x12 PIXELS, while the Slash'EM IS 20x10 PIXELS.

"VANILLA" NETHACK

Save this .bmp file into the NetHack game directory on your computer. Locate your game's 'defaults.nh' file, which should also be in the NetHack directory on your computer. It can be accessed with your copy of Windows Notepad, or any other text-editor. I personally recommend Crimson Editor, which comes with nifty extra bells and whistle. Once you have the defaults file open, Cut n' paste in the following line: OPTIONS=tile_file:geoduck20x12.bmp,tile_height:20,tile_width:12

BIGGER SIZES

Since there's been a demand for them, here are two larger sizes of the Vanilla set: 30x18 pixels (Note: This set has merely been "enlarged" 150% with no fine-tuning and thus, while quite usable, is a little jagged.) 40x24 pixels VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: I have had problems with storage-space limits, so these two files are offered as .png files. YOU WILL NEED TO RE-SAVE THEM AS .BMP FILES IN ORDER TO USE THEM. Just changing the file name to end in ".bmp" WILL NOT WORK. This re-saving can be done with any drawing program, including MS Paint, which can normally be found under "Accessories" on your Windows Start menu: 1: Save a copy of the .png file to your home computer 2: Open said file using your drawing program (Most likely with "Open" under "File") 3: Look again under "File" for "Save As", and pick ".BMP" or "Bitmap" from the resulting list of file types. (If you're using Paint, you'll want to select "24 bit Bitmap") 4: Save the resulting file into your NetHack directory. 5: Copy the appropriate choice from the following selections, and paste that line into your 'defaults.nh' file: OPTIONS=tile_file:geoduck30x18.bmp,tile_height:30,tile_width:18 OR OPTIONS=tile_file:geoduck40x24.bmp,tile_height:40,tile_width:24 (Or, if you ask really nicely, I'd probably be willing to e-mail you the original .BMPs.)

SLASH'EM

Save this .bmp file into the Slash'EM game directory on your computer. Cut n' paste the following lines into your 'defaults.nh' file, which should be located in the Slash'EM directory on your computer and can be read with your copy of Windows Notepad: OPTIONS=tile_file:geoslashem20x10.bmp,tile_height:20,tile_width:10

UNNETHACK

Follow the directions for the vanilla version, but save this .bmp file onto your computer's hard drive under the UnNetHack directory, and add the following line to defaults.nh: OPTIONS=tile_file:geoduckunnethack20x12.bmp,tile_width:12,tile_height:20 A 40x24 version is available, with the same caveat as listed above; it is a .png file and will need to be converted. Also be aware that UnNetHack is still under active development (yay!), and this tile set may become obsolete at any time. It is designed to work with the 4.0.0 version of UNH.

Whichever of these files you use, be sure there is only one line in 'defaults.nh' which lists the described parameters; otherwise you will get an error message when the game starts. If you change the name of the set file when you save it to your system, you'll need to use the new name in the 'defaults.nh' line.

Start up the game with the GTS in place. If you see a jumbled mess, you downloaded the set for the wrong game or set the height and width wrong. If it works, you will want to try the "Fit To Sceen" option under "Map", and see if everything looks better with that option on or off.

Go get that Amulet!

While all versions of the GTS were created for Windows computers, I have been informed that you can use at least the "vanilla" tile set with a Linux set-up. I have no first-hand proof of this, and know next to nothing about Linux. To quote correspondents:

And for those playing the Linux version using the X11 port..

I created an .xpm version of the vanilla 20x12 set using my own drawing program; if you want to save it off and try it, here it is. An X11 user tells me it does work, but.. no guarantees.

Thanks again to my various correspondents for the info; if anyone else tries it, let me know how well it works!

I officially give my permission to post the relevant .bmps elsewhere, as long as I get all the credit, fame and glory. (Muhahaha!) At the moment, this page is the only one offering 'official' updates to the set.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions,
please drop me a line at

or post your comments at the NetHack Usenet group,
which is still chugging along after all these years

or go check out the highly informative

Added some trim to Sokoban wall-tiles.

Added webs/legs to spiders.

Redid the look of some Quest leaders/assistants/nemesises.

Changed the color of Guards to blue.

Made the color schemes of Lynx and Jackels more true to life.

"Fattened" the look of Vortexs.

Tweaked the look of the various boots and shields.

Gave Medusa a green tinge.

Changed clouds/mist to fill more of the tile.

Narrowed the look of lowered drawbridges.

Differeniated between open vertical and hortizonal doors.

Changed the caps of some potions to reflect their contents: icy, steamy, gooey...

Made doors/magic portals/trees/iron bars/clouds look more like original ASCII.

Made Goblins and Hobgoblins more O-shaped.

Added serifs to some upper-case critter-letters: Giants, Liches, Nagas, Trolls, Umber Hulks.

Gave cold-themed creatures a snowy trim.

Added outlines to Elementals.

Lightened up the purple trim on various critters.

Made Vlad the Impaler black with purple trim, even tho he doesn't deserve the honor.

Redid the color scheme on flesh golems.

Changed wire rings and shiny rings.

Changed the look of most silver items to make them look more metal and less "cold".

Made water and lava tiles more bubbly.

Re-colored bubbly potions.

Redid towels. Do you know where yours is?

Made boomerangs look less like staircases.

Added "leaves" to wooden wands.

Minor tweaks to septums, forked wands.

Slightly enlarged the player's "@" symbol.

Added [ symbol to gloves and cloaks.

Re-did gravestones to be larger and read RIP.

Fountain water made more visible, water creatures (troll, demon, elemental) given "aura" for same reason.

Lightened the interior blue of electrical critters.

Gave adult dragons horns, rounded off the curve of their "D" more.

Made the "towers" marking the Fort Ludios cornertiles bigger.

Changed Incubi to blue from purple.

Ogres now display clubs along with their "O".

Orc Shaman crosses are brown instead of blue.

Ettins have more visible eyes/faces.

Altered the color scheme for Trappers and Lurkers Above.

Minor tweaks for greater visibility: Orange spellbooks and shopkeepers.

The most obvious change with 3.0 is my adding two "empty" pixels to the side of each tile; computer monitors are bigger these days, and it's amazing how much less cluttered that extra space makes things look. (I may eventually do this with the SlashEM set as well, but honestly, I don't play it as much..)

Reworked some (but not all) of the food tiles to include the "%" symbol.

Slightly reworked the key and lockpick tiles.

Made spellbooks "taller"

Made most of the helmets bigger. Ditto the "G" on the can of grease.

Changed untrapped landmines to include a sort of "deactivated trap" symbol.

Changed Ogres to gray, and Titanosaurs to orange/tan.

Moved the cross carried by Kobald Shamans to a new position.

If you want to see an archived pre-3.0 version of this page, click here. No promises any of the links still work.

(Note that these links all work, but most of this stuff hasn't been updated recently. Drop me a line if you've got an appropriate link.)

Another Hacker made an alternate small-tile set that used, with permission, some of my ideas. You can check it out here. I stole back a couple of ideas for some of my own updates.

Here's a smaller tile set for Linux users:
http://dt.prohosting.com/hacks/nethack.html

And a couple of 'nethack fonts', for X11 and xterm users.

Vulture is a 3D isometric tileset.

The NetHack Wiki has some tileset information here.

EbonHack is, if I understand it correctly, a program which lets you use tilesets (including mine, if all goes as planned) while playing vanilla NetHack online.

COLORS

(Exceptions are made when a creature is specifically described as being a certain color, i.e. white unicorns and yellow lights.)

SHAPES

Shriekers look like a mushroom, instead of being a capital F like all the other fungi.

Except for skeletons and ghouls, which are still Z-shaped, the classes of mummies and zombies use the letter and size of the reanimated creature in question, only changed to a 'bandaged' or 'decayed' color scheme.

Incubi and succubi are depicted by the appropriate 'male' or 'female' symbol. All other demons use the '&' symbol, however distorted and disguised it may be in some cases.