Tilesets

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

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

(For user-created creature graphics sets, see Graphics set repository.)

---

Tilesets are images the game uses to display its graphics; 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".

Overview and installation

Character sets

A character set is an image in BMP or PNG format that contains the 256 different tiles, corresponding to the IBM Code Page 437 (sometimes called Extended ASCII), which are used to display the main graphics. Here is the list of user-made standard tilesets. To install any of these tilesets, follow these steps:

1. Download the tileset via right-click-save-as on the tileset. The tileset is just an image, so there's no separate download link. (The list is here)
2. Convert it into a 24-bit BMP file^{V0.28.181.40d} file or PNG file^v0.31.06. Do NOT just change the extension to .bmp; you must use a program like MS paint to save it as a .bmp.
3. Put it in the data/art directory of your Dwarf Fortress installation.
4. Open data/init/init.txt
5. If you want to use the tileset in fullscreen mode, locate and modify the [FULLSCREENX:800], [FULLSCREENY:600], and [FULLFONT:curses_800x600.bmp] configuration lines to match the specifications from the tileset list. The FULLFONT directive should match the filename of the tileset you downloaded. If you want to use the tileset in windowed mode, search for the [WINDOWEDX:640], [WINDOWEDY:300], and [FONT:curses_640x300.bmp] lines instead, and change them to the correct values.
6. It is also recommended you keep [BLACK_SPACE:YES] to prevent stretching of the graphics.
7. Save the .txt file, then you're ready to play!

Graphics sets

Character sets only change certain graphics, while others are left out. The confusingly-named graphics sets are used to change the appearance of creatures in the game, such as dwarves and unicorns. They usually come with and are designed to work together with certain tilesets. They can significantly change the appearance of the game and make it easier for players to tell what is happening onscreen. While Tilesets work the same as previous versions, Graphics Sets will have to be redone as the raws have changed.

Custom tileset design

The default (and minimum) gameplay viewport is 80 characters wide, and 25 characters tall. Therefore, a tileset's target resolution will be TILE_X_LENGTH * 80 by TILE_Y_LENGTH * 25. Since the tileset is arranged into a 16x16 grid of tiles (256 tiles total), the tileset image size will be TILE_X_LENGTH * 16 by TILE_Y_LENGTH * 16. Here are some common tile sizes:

• A tileset with 10x12 tiles will be 160x192 pixels large, and the target resolution will be 800x300.
• A tileset with 16x16 tiles will be 256x256 pixels large, and the target resolution will be 1280x400.

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 three categories: rectangular tilesets, square tilesets, and 16x16 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 16x16 square tilesets are just a sub-set, which are grouped together because most object tilesets use 16x16 tiles. The graphics in Dwarf Fortress can be somewhat diversified and enhanced through the use of graphics sets.

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.

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 graphics 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.

For a graphical table, go to the Character Table.

Row 01 (000-015)

00   Used for background tiles in the intro CMV and background tiles of interface screens

01 ☺# Civilian dwarves

02 ☻# Military dwarves

03 ♥ Dimple cups*

04 ♦ Cut gems, large gems

05 ♣ Quarry bushes*^[Verify], blossoms, deciduous forests on world and quick travel map

06 ♠ Plump helmets*, quarry bush leaves*^[Verify], deciduous forests on world and quick travel map

07 • Stone*, solid workshop tile for several workshops like the magma smelter, river sources in main map, caves in main map, moon on travel map

08 ◘ Solid workshop tile for several other workshops like the magma forge, tanner's shop, catapult cup, fortress keeps on travel map, nest box tool*, nest box building, book

09 ○ Well, vermin colony, millstone, quern, vertical axle, fortress walls on travel map, sun behind clouds on travel map, fortresses on world map

10 ◙ trunk$

11 ♂ Male sign, bags, Cuttlefish#, Nautilus#, Squid#

12 ♀ Female sign, amulet

13 ♪ Ladles*

14 ♫ Armor stands

15 ☼ Unmined Gem Cluster*, Rough Gems and Raw Glass, unmined bituminous coal*, mined bituminous coal*, currency symbol, masterpiece quality symbol, spider webs, pond turtle*, sun, gear assemblies, fireballs, bandit camps on travel map

Row 02 (016-031)

16 ►	Head of Ballista arrow facing east, manta ray*
17 ◄	Head of Ballista arrow facing west
18 ↕
19 ‼	Cages, on-fire symbol, vertical bars
20 ¶	Mugs, largest forest retreats, cumulonimbus clouds on travel map,
21 §	Restraints, whip vine*
22 ▬	Logs, hive tool*, hive building
23 ↨	conifer forests on world map[Verify]
24 ↑	Interface text (bridge direction), conifer forests on world map
25 ↓	Hungry/thirsty/drowsy/unhappy indicator, bridge placement raising direction indicator
26 →	Interface text (bridge direction)
27 ←	Interface text (bridge direction)
28 ∟
29 ↔
30 ▲	Head of Ballista arrow facing north, ramp up, track ramp up$, mountain on world map
31 ▼	Head of Ballista arrow facing south, ramp down, track ramp down$

Row 03 (032-047)

32	Unexplored underground, spaces in text messages, black background on the title screen and interface menu
33 !	Various status icons, text, sound indicator in sneaking mode, tracks (footprints) in sneaking mode
34 "	Shrub*, quotation marks, Carpenter's workshop tile, kobold's glowing eyes*, fallen leaves[Verify], tracks (bent vegetation) in sneaking mode
35 #	floor grates, labyrinths on travel map, text Sandstone*, Rock salt*, Basalt*, Gypsum*
36 $	Coins
37 %	Prepared meal, unexplored underground, screw pump in action, footprints in sneaking mode, various fruits Siltstone*, Slate*, Brimstone*, Kimberlite*, Bismuthinite*, Realgar*, Stibnite*, Marcasite*, Olivine*, Orthoclase*, Microcline*, Petrified wood*, Brimstone*, Pyrolusite*
38 &	Demons#
39 '	Rough floors, unexplored underground, Claystone*, Rhyolite*, Periclase*
40 (	Foreign object opening tag, tile in bowyer's workshop, waxing moon on travel map, text
41 )	Foreign object closing tag, waning moon on travel map, text
42 *	Ore*, glowing pits, superior quality tags, key reference, working gear assembly, gem floodgate, Lignite*, chestnut fruit, other fruits and flowers, moving armies on quick travel map
43 +	Smooth/constructed floors, injured status, finely-crafted quality tags, text, block/bar bridge or road, towns on world map
44 ,	Rough floors, Claystone*, unexplored underground, text
45 -	Scepters, arrows in flight, well-crafted quality tags, keyboard reference, Part of animation when two creatures or dwarves are on the same spot
46 .	Rough floors, Dacite*, text, unexplored underground
47 /	Weapons, bolts, Ballista tile, text

Row 04 (048-063)

48 0	Coffins, text
49 1	Text, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
50 2	Text, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
51 3	Text, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
52 4	Text, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
53 5	Text, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
54 6	Text, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
55 7	Text, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
56 8	Fortress gates on travel map, text
57 9	Text
58 :	Wild strawberry*, prickle berry*, fisher berry*, sun berry*, snowstorms, underground shrubs*, command menu text
59 ;	Mason's workshop, Kitchen, command menu text (Movies key), twigs$
60 <	Stairs up, brackets around squad names, "Less than 1 unit weight" on Trading screen.
61 =	Empty Stockpiles, hamlets on world map, *Chert*, Gneiss*, Sylvite*, Chromite*, Kaolinite*
62 >	Stairs down, brackets around squad names.
63 ?	"Task assigned" indicator, looking for path

Row 05 (064-079)

64 @	berserk dwarf#, adventurer#, dwarven merchants#, dwarven caravan guards#, dwarven diplomat#, adventurer's location on map
65 A	Alligator#, Tile in Farm Workshop, text
66 B	Bears#, text
67 C	Cow#, camels#, bronze colossus#, text
68 D	Dragon#, Draltha#, Depot Access Display, text
69 E	Elephant#, elk bird#, text
70 F	Text
71 G	Text
72 H	Horse#, text
73 I	Support, Necromancer's tower on world map, text
74 J	Text
75 K	Text
76 L	Leopard#, text
77 M	Magma man#, mule#, muskox#, text
78 N	Text
79 O	Trade depot post, glass portal, Tile in Farm Workshop, column$, wall construction, Giant Olm, full moon on travel map and dwarf mode, text, trunk$

Row 06 (080-095)

80 P	Text
81 Q	Text
82 R	Giant Rat#, Text
83 S	Sasquatch#, giant desert scorpion#, Giant cave spider#, text
84 T	Text
85 U	Human#, Unicorn#, text
86 V	Badlands on map, Text
87 W	Depot Access Display, Text
88 X	Bin, floodgate, shop post, building footprint, Depot Access Display, text, up/down stairs, Tile in Ashery, keyboard cursor, Archery target, Nausea / Winded / Stunned / Unconscious / Migrant indicator
89 Y	Text
90 Z	Sleep indicator, text
91 [	Clothing, armor, item stack opening tag, moon on travel map, text, tracks (bootprints) in sneaking mode
92 \	Part of animation when two creatures or dwarves are on the same spot, Ballista tile
93 ]	Floor tile in workshops and furnaces, item stack closing tag, text
94 ^	Trap, Alabaster*, Volcano on world map
95 _	Channel designation, text

Row 07 (096-111)

96 `	Rough floors, unexplored underground*, Dolomite*, Schist*, Alunite*, Rutile*
97 a	Antman#, text
98 b	Batman#, text
99 c	Cat#, Crundle#, text
100 d	Dog#, text
101 e	Elf#, Creeping eye#, Text
102 f	Frogman#, text
103 g	Goblin#, Mountain goat#, Gremlin#, Groundhog#, text
104 h	Harpy#, text
105 i	Fire imp#, Ibex#, Impala#, text
106 j	Text
107 k	Kobold#, text
108 l	Text
109 m	Mandrill#, mussel, text
110 n	Hilly Grassland(?) on Map, Text
111 o	Well construction, bridge construction, text, millstone in action, vertical axle in action, floor tile in magma furnaces

Row 08 (112-127)

112 p	Text
113 q	Text
114 r	Ratman#, text
115 s	Snakeman#, Slugman#, Snailman#, text
116 t	Troglodyte#, text
117 u	Text
118 v	Text, Anhydrite*, Mica*
119 w	Wolf#, text
120 x	Saltpeter*, text
121 y	Text
122 z	Text
123 {	Forbidden opening tag, tile in Jeweler's workshop, vermin
124 |	Talc*, pipe sections, Part of animation when two creatures or dwarves are on the same spot
125 }	Forbidden closing tag, vermin
126 ~	Unfinished rough stone road, flowing water, dirt road, farm plot under construction, sand, furrowed soil, blood smear, guts
127 ⌂	Animal trap, low mountains on world map, part of mechanic's workshop, trunk$

Row 09 (128-143)

128 Ç	Mechanisms, text
129 ü	Text
130 é	Text
131 â	Text
132 ä	Text
133 à	Text
134 å	Text
135 ç	Totems
136 ê	Text
137 ë	Text, military elves
138 è	Text
139 ï	Text
140 î	Elven forest retreat
141 ì	Text
142 Ä	Deities, Angels
143 Å	Figurines, shrines on travel map, text

Row 10 (144-159)

144 É	Text
145 æ	Toys, hamlets on world map
146 Æ	Coffers, quivers, backpacks, hamlets on world map
147 ô	Cauldrons*
148 ö	Rings
149 ò	Unactivated levers, Stingrays#, text
150 û	Bucket, text
151 ù	Text
152 ÿ	Valley herb*, text
153 Ö	Bracelets, wheelbarrows*
154 Ü	Military Humans
155 ¢	hatch covers
156 £	Many valuable metals* in veins
157 ¥	Cave lobster<