Difference between revisions of "Tilesets"

Revision as of 10:15, 27 March 2023

!!UNKNOWN!! · xTATTEREDx · +FINE+ · *SUPERIOR* · ≡EXCEPTIONAL≡ · ☼MASTERWORK☼

v50.13 · v0.47.05

This article is about the current version of DF.
Note that some content may still need to be updated.

More Info · V

(For an overview of graphics in DF, see Graphics)

(For a chart with the default ASCII characters, see Character table.)

(For user-created creature tilesets, see Tileset repository.)

(For information about Graphic sets, see Graphic set)

(For information on how tilesets get colored, see Color)

Tilesets are images the game uses to display its graphics when "Use Classic ASCII Glyphs" is set to "Yes"; each tile is used to show text and represent things. Users create custom tilesets for a number of reasons, including increased visibility, aesthetics, or small size. Tilesets come in two flavors: "character sets" (or simply "tilesets") and "graphics sets". This article is only about tilesets.

Overview

A character set (or 'tileset') is an image in BMP or PNG format that contains the 256 different tiles (numbered 0-255), corresponding to the IBM Code Page 437 (sometimes called Extended ASCII), which are used to display all graphics. The tiles are always arranged in a 16x16 grid, but its dimensions can be varied. You can have both square and non-square tiles, with 16x16 pixels being the most common size. (If "Use Classic ASCII Glyphs" is set to "No", the tileset must be 128x192 pixels (tiles 8x12 pixels) in order to render the customs tiles properly. See Graphic set)

As the tileset is limited to only 256 tiles, some objects share the same tile. Below is a detailed list.

In previous versions of Dwarf Fortress (v0.47 and below), some of the tiles could be changed in the raws and init files, and creatures could have separate graphics (see DF2014:Graphic set, this functionality has been removed in v0.50 (and above) with separate graphics being controlled by mods with "Use Classic ASCII Glyphs" set to "No".

Installation and creation of custom tilesets

Installation

Tileset repository is a list of user-made standard tilesets, and provides installation instructions.

Creating a custom tileset

The gameplay viewport will scale up the tile size when there are more than 191 tiles wide and 71 tiles tall. At least 180 tiles are needed to display the full user interface width.

The desired grid, interface scaling and percentage settings do not apply to tilesets (that is to say when "Use Classic ASCII Glyphs" is set to "Yes"). These are only used for Graphics sets when "Use Classic ASCII Glyphs" is set to "No". (See Graphic set)

When creating a custom tileset, it's often easiest to start with an existing one, and edit it to your liking. Tilesets generally fall into two categories: rectangular tilesets and square tilesets. Rectangular tilesets have tiles that are taller than they are wide. The text in these tilesets is generally easier to read, but the map appears squished horizontally. Square tilesets usually provide more attractive graphics, but are slightly less readable.

The graphics in Dwarf Fortress can be enhanced by setting "Use Classic ASCII Glyphs" to "No" and installing a Graphics set mod. (A default is provided in the premium version, but has been removed in the classic "free" version.)

Mifki created a tool to make a tileset from any font, which can be used as starting point or as is.^[1]

Many tiles are used by the game in multiple ways, and this makes customizing the graphics difficult. The same icon is used for chairs and the north end of one-tile-wide vertical bridges. Ashes and broken arrows look the same, and many game entities (such as levers, floodgates, bags, and bins) share characters that are also used in Dwarven names or other bits of text in the interface.

Some of these issues could be fixed by the third-party Text Will Be Text (TWBT) plugin for the DF2014:DFHack modding API. This has not been updated for compatibility with v0.50.

Generating a custom tileset from a font in Linux

In Linux, it is possible to create tileset from a .ttf font programmatically in the terminal. The following command will open a terminal window with your desired font, rendered appropriately for Dwarf Fortress, and screenshots it. It requires xterm, the screenshot utility xwd, and a text file containing the code page 437 characters in the appropriate order.

xterm -fa "FONTFAMILY:pixelsize:SIZE:antialias=false" -bg magenta -geometry 16x16 -e "setterm -cursor off && printf '%s' \"\$(<PATH/TO/CODE437.txt)\" && sleep 0.1 && xwd -id \$WINDOWID | xwdtopnm | pnmtopng > \"FONTFAMILY-SIZE.png\""

This will generate an image in your current directory, so it might be a good idea to cd into your /data/art directory beforehand.

This works much better for bitmap fonts, in their native size. For a list of such fonts on your system and their sizes, you can run

fc-list :scalable=false:spacing=mono family pixelsize

What tiles are used for what

Items marked with * can have their tile changed in the raw data files.
Items marked with ^# can have their tile replaced by a graphic set image, in addition to having their tile changed in the raw data.
Items marked with ^$ can be changed in the d_init.txt file.
Items marked with ^¢ use dual colors.
Items marked with ^÷ use inverted tile

For a graphical table, go to the Character Table.

Row 01 (000-015)

000	Used for background tiles in the intro CMV and background tiles of interface screens
001 `☺`	Civilian dwarves^#, various status indicators
002 `☻`	Military dwarves^#
003 `♥`	Dimple cups*
004 `♦`	Cut gems, large gems
005 `♣`	Quarry bush leaves, blossoms, various forest trees*
006 `♠`	Broadleaf forest, various forest trees, various leaf items, Plump helmets*
007 `•`	Mined-out stone, solid workshop tile for several workshops like the magma smelter, filled nest box building, river sources on world map, caves on world map, lairs on world map, moon on travel map, flower buds
008 `◘`	Solid workshop tile for several other workshops like the magma forge, tanner's shop, catapult cup, nest box tool*, empty nest box building, codices, dice
009 `○`	Well, vermin colony, millstone, quern, vertical axle, fortress walls on travel map, sun behind clouds on travel map, castles on world map, monasteries on world map, creeping eye out of view (adventure mode), staring eyeball, bubble bulb*
010 `◙`	trunk interior^$, forts on world map
011 `♂`	Male sign, bags, various cephalopods^#
012 `♀`	Female sign, amulet
013 `♪`	Ladles*, dancers dancing
014 `♫`	Armor stands, playing instruments
015 `☼`	Masterpiece quality tags, unmined gem cluster, Rough gems and Raw glass, unmined bituminous coal, mined bituminous coal, currency symbol, spider webs, pond turtle, sun, gear assemblies, paralyzed indicator, fireballs, bandit camps on travel map, towns on world map, night creature senses, artifact gem doors^¢

Row 02 (016-031)

016 `►`	Head of Ballista arrow facing east, manta ray^#
017 `◄`	Head of Ballista arrow facing west
018 `↕`
019 `‼`	Cages^¢, on-fire tags, vertical bars
020 `¶`	Mugs, drinking in-progress, largest forest retreats, cumulonimbus clouds on travel map, Highwood forests*
021 `§`	Restraints, whip vine*
022 `▬`	Logs, hive tool*, hive building
023 `↨`	Cedar forest*
024 `↑`	Interface text (bridge direction), conifer forests, various forest trees*
025 `↓`	Interface text (bridge direction), Various status indicators
026 `→`	Interface text (bridge direction)
027 `←`	Interface text (bridge direction)
028 `∟`
029 `↔`
030 `▲`	Head of Ballista arrow facing north, ramp, track ramp up^$, mountain on world map
031 `▼`	Head of Ballista arrow facing south, ramp on level below, trackramp on level below^$

Row 03 (032-047)

032	Spaces in text messages, Unexplored underground, black background on the title screen and interface menu
033 `!`	Text, various status icons, sound indicator in sneaking mode, tracks (footprints) in sneaking mode
034 `"`	Text, shrub, various status icons, quotation marks, Carpenter's workshop tile, kobold out of view, goblin out of view, blizzard man out of view, tracks (bent vegetation) in sneaking mode, various stones*, savanna, swamp, shrubland, marsh
035 `#`	Text, floor grates, various stones*, smoothed branches in elven forest retreats, labyrinths on travel map, towns on world map
036 `$`	Coins
037 `%`	Prepared meal, unexplored underground, screw pump in action, footprints in sneaking mode, various fruits, various buds, various stones, Bismuthinite, Floating guts^#
038 `&`	Demons^#
039 `'`	Text, rough floors, unexplored underground, various stones, one eyed creatures with GLOWTILE " (kobold, goblins, and blizzard in vanilla), various grasses*
040 `(`	Text, foreign object opening tag, tile in bowyer's workshop, waning moon on travel map
041 `)`	Text, foreign object closing tag, waxing moon on travel map
042 `*`	Interface text, superior quality tags, Unmined ore, glowing pits, key reference, working gear assembly, gem floodgate, various stones, chestnut fruit, other fruits and flowers, moving armies on quick travel map, towns on world map
043 `+`	Text, finely-crafted quality tags, Smooth/constructed floors, block/bar bridge or road, Bauxite*, injury indicator, towns on world map, mining designation
044 `,`	Text, rough floors, Claystone, unexplored underground, various grasses
045 `-`	Text, well-crafted quality tags, Scepters, keyboard reference, various stones*, overlapping creatures animation
046 `.`	Text, rough floors, various stones, unexplored underground, various grasses
047 `/`	Text, weapons, bolts, Ballista tile, Pestle, overlapping creatures animation, stone axe^v0.43.01, active windmill blade

Row 04 (048-063)

048 `0`	Text, coffins, tombs on world map
049 `1`	Text, designation priorities, adventurer mode conversation targets, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
050 `2`	Text, designation priorities, adventurer mode conversation targets, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
051 `3`	Text, designation priorities, adventurer mode conversation targets, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
052 `4`	Text, designation priorities, adventurer mode conversation targets, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
053 `5`	Text, designation priorities, adventurer mode conversation targets, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
054 `6`	Text, designation priorities, adventurer mode conversation targets, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
055 `7`	Text, designation priorities, adventurer mode conversation targets, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
056 `8`	Text, Fortress gates on travel map
057 `9`	Text
058 `:`	Interface text, strawberry, prickle berry, fisher berry, sun berry, snowstorms, underground shrubs*
059 `;`	Interface text (command menu Movies key), Mason's workshop, Kitchen, Selenite*, twigs^$
060 `<`	Interface text (trading screen "Less than 1 unit weight"), brackets around squad names, Stairs up, west move indicator (adventure mode)
061 `=`	Empty Stockpiles, hamlets on world map, various stones*, middle-left tile of Furnaces, up-right tile of Carpenter's workshop
062 `>`	Brackets around squad names, Stairs down, east move indicator (adventure mode)
063 `?`	Text, various status icons

Row 05 (064-079)

064 `@`	berserk dwarf^#, adventurer^#, dwarven merchants^#, dwarven caravan guards^#, dwarven diplomat^#, adventurer's location on map
065 `A`	Text, various creatures^#, Tile in Farm Workshop
066 `B`	Text, various creatures^#
067 `C`	Text, various creatures^#, construction designations
068 `D`	Text, various creatures^#, Depot Access Display
069 `E`	Text, various creatures^#
070 `F`	Text, various creatures^#
071 `G`	Text, various creatures^#
072 `H`	Text, various creatures^#, high traffic designation
073 `I`	Text, various creatures^#, support, Necromancer's tower on world map
074 `J`	Text, various creatures^#
075 `K`	Text, various creatures^#
076 `L`	Text, various creatures^#, low traffic designation
077 `M`	Text, various creatures^#
078 `N`	Text, various creatures^#
079 `O`	Text, various creatures^#, trade depot post, glass portal, Tile in Farm Workshop, column^$, wall construction, full moon on travel map and dwarf mode, trunk^$, staring eyeball, bubble bulb, windmill hub

Row 06 (080-095)

080 `P`	Text, various creatures^#
081 `Q`	Text
082 `R`	Text, various creatures^#, restricted traffic designation
083 `S`	Text, various creatures^#
084 `T`	Text, various creatures^#
085 `U`	Text, various creatures^#
086 `V`	Text, Badlands on map
087 `W`	Text, various creatures^#, Depot Access Display
088 `X`	Text, wear tags, keyboard cursor, Bin^¢, floodgate^¢, shop post, building footprint, Depot Access Display, up/down stairs, Tile in Ashery, Archery target, various status indicators
089 `Y`	Text, Yak^#, Yeti^#
090 `Z`	Text, Sleep indicator
091 `[`	Text, Floor tile in workshops, Clothing, armor, item stack opening tag, moon on travel map, tracks (bootprints) in sneaking mode
092 `\`	Overlapping creatures animation, Ballista tile, helves*^v0.43.01, active windmill blade
093 `]`	Text, Floor tile in workshops and furnaces, item stack closing tag
094 `^`	Trap, Alabaster, Aluminum, Volcano on world map, north move indicator (adventure mode), Mechanic Workshop center-south tile (in light cyan)
095 `_`	Text, Channel designation

Row 07 (096-111)

096 `	Rough floors, unexplored underground, various stones, various grasses*
097 `a`	Text, various creatures^#
098 `b`	Text, various creatures^#
099 `c`	Text, various creatures^#
100 `d`	Text, various creatures^#
101 `e`	Text, various creatures^#
102 `f`	Text, various creatures^#
103 `g`	Text, various creatures^#
104 `h`	Text, various creatures^#
105 `i`	Text, various creatures^#
106 `j`	Text, various creatures^#
107 `k`	Text, various cr

@@ Line 1,140: / Line 1,140: @@
 ==== Additional Tiles Used by Creatures ====
-Some creature raw specify secondary tiles. They are listed here
+Some creature specify secondary tiles. They are listed here
 {| class="wikitable"
 |-
@@ Line 1,173: / Line 1,173: @@
 |can be removed, reassigned, or overridden by graphics
 |}
+<small> This table needs updating to v0.50 object file specifics </small>
 === Plants ===