=== Option Descriptions === Most of the "options" are accessible through the '=' command, which provides an interface to the various "sets" of options available to the player. In the decriptions below, each option is listed as the textual summary which is shown on the "options" screen, plus the internal name of the option in brackets, followed by a textual description of the option. Note that the internal name of the option can be used in user pref files to force the option to a given setting, see "command.txt" for more info. Various concepts are mentioned in the descriptions below, including "disturb", (cancel any running, resting, or repeated commands, which are in progress), "flush" (forget any keypresses waiting in the keypress queue, including any macros in progress), "fresh" (dump any pending output to the screen), and "sub-windows" (see below). === Option Set 1 -- User Interface === These options determine the way the user interface works. ***** Rogue-like commands [rogue_like_commands] Selects the "roguelike" command set (see "command.txt" for info). ***** Allow unified use command [use_command] Unifies the item commands like "zap a rod", "use a staff", "eat food", "aim a wand", ... into a general "use object" command. The command in the original keymap is "u", and "Z" in the roguelike mode. The standard commands for eat, quaff, read, zap, aim, ... are still available, to be used for macros. ***** Activate quick messages [quick_messages] Allows the use of any keypress as a response to the "-more-" prompt (useful for monster farming). Allows most keys to mean "no" to any "[y/n]" prompt. ***** Prompt for floor item selection [other_query_flag] Allows the user to select objects from the center of stacks. Without this option, the uppermost appropriate object will always be selected. ***** Prompt before picking things up [carry_query_flag] Forces the game to ask your permission before allowing you to pick up any object. ***** Verify before picking up heavy objects [carry_heavy_query] Asks you permission when picking up any object heavy enough to slow you down. ***** Use old target by default [use_old_target] Forces all commands which normally ask for a "direction" to use the current "target" if there is one. Use of this option can be dangerous if you target locations on the ground, unless you clear them when done. ***** Pick things up by default [always_pickup] Tells the game that walking onto an item should attempt to pick it up. Picking up objects in the manner takes no additional energy. Note the "g" and "-" commands, which can be used to "reverse" this option for a single turn. ***** Repeat obvious commands [always_repeat] Tells the game that when you attempt to "open" a door or chest, "bash" a door, "tunnel" through walls, "disarm" traps or chests, or "alter" any grid, that you wish to automatically "repeat" the command 99 times (see "command.txt"), unless an explicit repeat count was given. ***** Verify destruction of objects [verify_destroy] Prompt for verification of the "destroy" command. ***** Verify destruction of objects [verify_destroy_junk] If destroy verification is on, prompt for verification when destroying worthless objects. If this is off, then only "good" objects will require verification. ***** Open/Disarm/Close without direction [easy_direction] If there is only one closed door next to the character, the game will not bother asking for a direction when the player asks to "o"pen something. The same applies for "c"losing doors and "D"isarming traps. ***** Open/Disarm doors/traps on movement. [easy_alter] Moving into a closed door will attempt once to open it, and moving into a trap will attempt once to disarm it. If the player ever wishes to leave a known teleport trap as a guaranteed escape route, this option must therefore be off. ***** Display floor stacks in a list [easy_floor] When moving into a stack, if this option is *off*, the character will attempt to pick up items from the stack, from top to bottom, until the stack is gone or the inventory is full. This option allows the player to interact with other items than the one at the top of the stack. ***** Verify before descending from quest level [verify_leave_quest] Asks for confirmation when you try to leave a quest level using down stairs (thereby risking quest failure). === Option Set 2 -- Display === These options effect display only, and have no real infulence on gameplay. ***** Show dungeon level in feet [depth_in_feet] Display dungeon depths in "feet" instead of "levels". ***** Show labels in equipment listings [show_labels] Display "labels" (what an object is being used for) for objects in all "equipment" listings. ***** Show weights in all object listings [show_weights] Display "weights" (in pounds) of objects in all "inventory", "equipment", "store items", and "home items" listings. ***** Show choices in inven/equip listings [show_choices] Display "choices" (legal responses) in any sub-windows which are being used to display your inventory or equipment. Also, if one sub-window is being used to display your inventory or equipment, then this option will cause it to be (temporarily) toggled as needed to always show the "appropriate" set of objects (inventory or equipment). ***** Show flavors in object descriptions [show_flavors] Display "flavors" (color or variety) in object descriptions, even for objects whose type is known. This does not affect objects in stores. ***** Show stacks using special attr/char [show_piles] Stacks of items on the floor are shown using the "&" symbol. ***** Hilite the player with the cursor [hilite_player] Place the visible cursor on the player. This looks fine on some Unix machines, but horrible on most graphics machines. Note that only some machines are able to *not* show the cursor, but on those machines, hiding the cursor often speeds up the game and looks better. ***** Use special colors for torch-lit grids [view_yellow_lite] This option causes special colors to be used for "torch-lit" grids in certain situations (see "view_granite_lite" and "view_special_lite"). Turning this option off will slightly improve game speed. ***** Use special colors for 'viewable' grids [view_bright_lite] This option causes special colors to be used for non "viewable" grids in certain situations (see "view_granite_lite" and "view_special_lite"). When this option is set, floor grids which are normally drawn in "white" but which are not currently "viewable" by the player are instead drawn in "dark gray". This makes the "viewable" grids to appear "brighter" than the others, allowing the player to easily determine which floor grids are in "line of sight". Turning this option off will probably increase the speed of the game. ***** Use special colors for wall grids (slow) [view_granite_lite] This option activates a special color scheme for all "wall" grids which are normally drawn in "white" (as walls and rubble normally are). When the player is blind, we use "dark gray", else if the grid is torch-lit, we use "yellow" (or "white") depending on the "view_yellow_lite" option, else if the "view_bright_lite" option is set, and the grid is not in line of sight, or the grid is dark, or the grid is only "partially" lit, then we use "gray", otherwise we use the normal "white". Turning this option off will probably increase the speed of the game. This option may not work well if the attr/char codes for walls/veins have been changed, or if "graphics" are being used. ***** Use special colors for floor grids (slow) [view_special_lite] This option activates a special color scheme for all "floor" grids which are normally drawn in "white" (as they normally are). When the player is blind, we use "dark gray", else if the grid is torch-lit, we use "yellow" (or "white") depending on the "view_yellow_lite" option, else if the grid is "dark", we use "dark gray", else if the "view_bright_lite" option is set, and the grid is not in line of sight, we use "gray", otherwise we use the normal "white". Turning this option off will probably increase the speed of the game. This option may not work well if the attr/char codes for walls/veins have been changed, or if "graphics" are being used. ***** Allow monsters to have light radius [view_monster_lite] This option allows certain monsters to produce their own light radius, which potentially can slow down the game on slower machines. If this option is off, the relevant monsters will be visible even in darkness but will not light up the squares around them. === Option Set 3 -- Distrubance options === These options affect what conditions will be handled automatically by the game and which will cause it to stop for your intervention. ***** Run past stairs [run_ignore_stairs] Ignore stairs when running. ***** Run through open doors [run_ignore_doors] Ignore open doors when running. ***** Run past known corners [run_cut_corners] Cut sharply around "known" corners when running. This will result in "faster" running, but may cause you to run into a "lurking" monster. ***** Disturb whenever any monster moves [disturb_move] Disturb the player when any monster moves, appears, or disappears. This includes monsters which are only visible due to telepathy, so you should probably turn this option off if you want to "rest" near such monsters. ***** Disturb whenever viewable monster moves [disturb_near] Disturb the player when any viewable monster moves, whenever any monster becomes viewable for the first time, and also whenever any viewable monster becomes no longer viewable. This option ignores the existance of "telepathy" for the purpose of determining whether a monster is "viewable". See also the "view_reduce_view" option. ***** Disturb whenever map panel changes [disturb_panel] This option causes you to be disturbed by the screen "scrolling", as it does when you get close to the "edge" of the screen. ***** Disturb whenever player state changes [disturb_state] This option causes you to be disturbed whenever the player state changes, including changes in hunger, resistance, confusion, etc. ***** Disturb whenever boring things happen [disturb_minor] This option causes you to be disturbed by various bring things, including monsters bashing down doors, inventory feelings, and beginning to run out of fuel. ***** Alert user to various failures [alert_failure] Produce a "bell" noise, and flush all pending input, when various "failures" occur, as described above. ***** Automatically clear -more- prompts [auto_more] The game does not wait for a keypress when it comes to a -more- prompt, but carries on going. ***** Audible bell (on errors, etc) [ring_bell] Attempt to make a "bell" noise when various "errors" occur. === Option Set 4 -- Game-play === These options affect the way the game is played. ***** Expand the power of the look command [expand_look] Expand the "look" command to allow the user to "look" at grids which are not actually in view of the player, allowing the examination of objects/monsters which have only been detected by spells, or sensed via telepathy. ***** Expand the power of the list commands [expand_list] Expand the "listing" commands so that they "wrap" at the "edges" of the appropriate list. This allows the "look" and "target" commands to "cycle" through all appropriate grids forever, and the "identify symbol" to browse through all of the monsters of a given type. ***** Center map continuously (very slow) [center_player] The map always centres on the player with this option on. With it off, it is divided into 25 sections, with coordinates (0,0) to (4,4), and will show one section at a time. ***** Map remembers all perma-lit grids [view_perma_grids] Memorize all perma-lit floor grids which are seen by the player. This option allows you to keep track of which explored floor grids were perma-lit, but does not distinguish between dark floor grids, unexplored floor grids, and unknown grids. Turning off this option allows the player to always know which lit floor grids are in line of sight, but this is better accomplished by the "view_bright_lite" option. Note that any non-floor grids which is seen by the player are always memorized, and "object" which is seen by the player is memorized independantly from the memorization of the grid itself. ***** Map remembers all torch-lit grids [view_torch_grids] Memorize all (torch-lit) floor grids which are seen by the player. This option not only allows you to keep track of which floor grids have been explored, but also which ones are "dark", because the use of this option activates a special "color scheme" for the display of floor grids, in which "dark" grids are drawn in "dark gray", "lit" grids are drawn in "white", and (if the "view_bright_lite" option is set) "lit" grids which are also in line of sight are drawn in "orange". Note that grids which are currently "torch-lit" are considered to be "lit", and are thus drawn in "white", unless the "view_yellow_lite" option is set, in which case they are drawn in "yellow". ***** Generate dungeons with aligned rooms [dungeon_align] Force all rooms to be "aligned" with the "panel" divisions. This results in a much "prettier" dungeon, but may result in fewer greater vaults. ***** Merge inscriptions when stacking [stack_force_notes] Force otherwise identical objects to merge, even if one has an empty inscription and the other does not. The resulting stack keeps the non-empty inscription. ***** Merge discounts when stacking [stack_force_costs] Force otherwise identical objects to merge, even if they have different discounts. The resulting stack keeps the largest discount. This option may cause you to lose "value", but will give you optimal pack usage. === Option Set 5 -- Efficiency === These options may be used to optimize the game on slower machines. ***** Reduce lite-radius when running [view_reduce_lite] Reduce the "radius" of the player's "lite" to that of a "torch" when the player is "running", which makes running more "efficient", but is extremely annoying. ***** Hide player symbol when running [hidden_player] Hide the player symbol when the player is "running", which makes the game somewhat faster. ***** Avoid checking for user abort [avoid_abort] Avoid checking to see if the user has pressed a key during resting or running or repeated commands. This not only makes the game much more efficient (on many systems), but also allows the use of certain obscure macro sequences, such as turning this option on, resting until done, turning this option off, and casting a spell. Note that the use of this option may be dangerous on certain "graphic" machines. Resting for long periods of time with this option set is dangerous since the resting may not stop until the user takes damage from starvation. ***** Avoid processing special colors [avoid_other] Avoid processing the "multi-hued" or "clear" attributes of monsters. This will cause all "multi-hued" monsters to appear "violet" and all "clear" monsters to appear "white", and will cause "trappers" and "lurkers" to be visible on some machines, but it may greatly increase efficiency especially when telepathy is active. Certain systems may choose to set this option if they are unable to support the special "color" processing, but if they handle graphics "correctly", by using attr/char pairs with the "high bits" set, then not only will the game correctly avoid using any "dangerous" color processing, but it will allow such processing to occur when it is not dangerous. So if you are using graphics, and you use a "normal" attr/char for the "floor" grids, then you can use the "special lighting effects" for floors. ***** Flush input on various failures [flush_failure] This option forces the game to flush all pending input whenever various "failures" occur, such as failure to cast a spell, failure to use a wand, etc. This is very useful if you use macros which include "directional" components with commands that can fail, since it will prevent you from walking towards monsters when your spells fail. ***** Flush input whenever disturbed [flush_disturb] This option forces the game to flush all pending input whenever the character is "disturbed". This is useful if you use macros which take time, since it will prevent you from continuing your macro while being attacked by a monster. ***** Flush output before every command [fresh_before] This option forces the game to flush all output before every command. This will give you maximal information, but may slow down the game somewhat. Note that this option is only useful when using macros, resting, running, or repeating commands, since the outout is always flushed when the game is waiting for a keypress from the user. ***** Flush output after certain things [fresh_after] This option forces the game to flush all output after not only every player command, but also after every round of processing monsters and objects, and after every message, which will maximize your information, but may slow down the game a lot, especially on slower machines, and on faster machines you cannot see the results anyway. ***** Compress messages in savefiles [compress_savefile] Compress the savefile, by only saving the most recent "messages" that the player has received. This can cut the size of the savefile by a drastic amount, but will result in the loss of message information. ***** Avoid centering while running [run_avoid_center] The map does not centre on the player if the player moves with the "run" command, only when the running finishes. ***** Scroll map while targetting [scroll_target] This allows the player to target monsters which are off-screen from the player's point of view, as the view will scroll to show the whereabouts of all monsters in line of sight so the player can target them.