I love playing NetHack and its offshoot SlashEM. They are wonderful 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. So, if only for my own amusement and convenience, I created the

Geoduck WinHack Tile Set Version 3.0
and then the
Geoduck SlashEM Tile Set Version 1.0

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 as small a palette of colors as possible 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 options added to your 'defaults.nh' file, a game of WinHack 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

As for inanimate objects.. if at all possible, I've again worked the original ASCII shape into the new tile: Wands are a variety of different colors, but they are all still roughly '/' shaped. Spellbooks have a '+' on their cover instead of the 's' found in the default tiles. Scrolls are labeled with a '?'. Rings are big '=' signs. Amulets are " symbols. Armor is '[' shaped. Most of the traps in the game are marked with a red '^'. However, in many cases it just wasn't possible to use the ASCII as a base, and so the object simply looks like.. the object in question. Hopefully. This is particularly the case with food and hardware tiles.

For a screenshot of what a game level looks like while using this set, click here. This full-sized scene shows a novice heroine and her little dog facing a goblin on dungeon level number one.

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 version IS NOW 20x12 PIXELS, while the Slash'EM IS STILL 20x10.

"VANILLA" NETHACK

Save this .bmp file into the NetHack game directory on your computer. Cut n' paste the following line into your 'defaults.nh' file, which should be located in the NetHack directory on your computer and can be read and edited with your copy of Windows Notepad: OPTIONS=tile_file:geoduck20x12.bmp,tile_height:20,tile_width:12

BIGGER SIZES

Since there's 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: Cut and paste the appropriate choice from the following selections 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

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

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 both 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..

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

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.

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

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

(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.

A revamped version of Falcon's Eye is Vulture's Eye.

The NetHack Wiki has some tileset information here.

My ISP forced me to move to this current address, but an old zombie site still exists here, forever frozen.

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.