Option Descriptions

Options are accessible through the = command, which provides an interface to the various sets of options available to the player.

In the descriptions 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.

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), “fresh” (dump any pending output to the screen), and “sub-windows” (see below).

User Interface Options

When setting the user interface options, there are a handful of commands to make it easier to get to a well-known state for all of those options. They are: ‘s’ to save the current selections so that they will be used as the starting point for future characters, ‘r’ to reset the current selections to the defaults for a new character, and ‘x’ to reset the current selections to the ZangbandTK maintainer’s defaults for the user interface options.

Rogue-like commands rogue_like_commands

Selects the “roguelike” command set. See Playing the Game for some description of the command sets. The “roguelike” command set may work better for you if use a keyboard which doesn’t have a numeric keypad.

Autoexplore commands autoexplore_commands

Modifies how the commands to use staircases work: if not already at the appropriate staircase, attempt to move to the nearest known staircase of the appropriate kind. Adds a command, p, in both the original and “roguelike” command sets to move to the nearest unexplored location.

Use sound use_sound

Turns on sound effects, if your system supports them.

Show damage player deals to monsters show_damage

Shows the damage that the player deals to monsters for melee and ranged combat in the messages.

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.

Always pickup items pickup_always

Automatically picks up items when you walk upon them, provided it is safe to do so.

Always pickup items matching inventory pickup_inven

Like pickup_always, but picks up an item only if it is a copy of an item that you already have in your inventory.

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.

Highlight target with cursor show_target

Highlights the current targeted monster with a cursor. Useful when combined with “use old target by default”.

Highlight player with cursor between turns highlight_player

Highlights the player with a cursor. Useful if you have trouble finding the player.

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 existence of “telepathy” for the purpose of determining whether a monster is “viewable”.

Show walls as solid blocks solid_walls

Walls are solid blocks instead of # for granite and % for veins. Veins are coloured darker than granite for differentiation purposes.

Show walls with shaded backgrounds hybrid_walls

Walls appear as # and % symbols overlaid on a gray background block. This overrides solid_walls.

Color: Illuminate torchlight in yellow view_yellow_light

This option causes special colors to be used for “torch-lit” grids. Turning this option off will slightly improve game speed.

Color: Shimmer multi-colored things animate_flicker

Certain powerful monsters, and treasure lying on the floor, will shimmer in real time, i.e. between keypresses. With the option off they still change colour, but only as game turns pass, so a shimmer becomes a slow drift.

In graphics mode this needs a tileset that can recolour a tile without changing the picture on it, which means one that declares cycle: in lib/tiles/list.txt. At present that is the Neon set; the four tilesets inherited from Angband paint colour into their art, so nothing shimmers in them and the option has no effect.

Center map continuously 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 - the display will “flip” to the next section when the player nears the edge.

Color: Show unique monsters in purple purple_uniques

All “unique” monsters will be shown in a light purple colour, which is not used for any “normal” monsters - so you can tell at a glance that they are unique. If you like the idea but don’t like the colour, you can edit it via the “interact with colors” option.

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.

Color: Player color indicates low hit points hp_changes_color

This option makes the player @ turn various shades of colour from white to red, depending on percentage of HP remaining.

Allow mouse clicks to move the player mouse_movement

Clicking on the main window will be interpreted as a move command to that spot.

Notify on object recharge notify_recharge

This causes the game to print a message when any rechargeable object (i.e. a rod or activatable weapon or armour item) finishes recharging. It is the equivalent of inscribing ‘{!!}’ on all such items.

Show effective speed as multiplier effective_speed

Instead of showing absolute speed modifier (e.g. ‘Slow (-2)’ or ‘Fast (+38)’), show the effective rate at which the character is moving (e.g. ‘Slow (x0.8)’ or ‘Fast (x4.1)’).

Birth options

The birth options may only be changed when creating a character or using the quick restart option for a dead character. When setting the birth options, there are a handful of commands to make it easier to get to a well-known state for all of the birth options. They are: ‘s’ to save the current selections so that they will be used as the starting point for future characters, ‘r’ to reset the current selections to the defaults for a new character, and ‘x’ to reset the current selections to the ZangbandTK maintainer’s defaults for the birth options.

Generate a new, random artifact set birth_randarts

A different set of artifacts will be created, in place of the standard ones. This is intended primarily for people who have played enough to know what most of the standard artifacts do and want some variety. The number, findability and power of random artifacts will all match the standard set - approximately.

Generate connected stairs birth_connect_stairs

With this option turned on, if you go down stairs, you start the new level on an up staircase, and vice versa (if you go up stairs, you start the next level on a down staircase).

With this option off, you will never start on a staircase - but other staircases up and down elsewhere on the level will still be generated.

Force player descent (never make up stairs) birth_force_descend

Upwards staircases do not work. All downward staircases, including the one in town, transport the character one level below the previous maximum depth. Recalling from the dungeon works and brings the character to the town. However, recalling from town brings the character one level below the previous maximum depth. The character cannot recall from quest levels until the quest is complete, however you will be warned before descending into a quest level. Any status effects that sometimes teleports the character up and sometimes teleports them down will always choose down. When combined with the option for word of recall scrolls to have no effect, this recreates the previous “ironman” option.

Word of Recall has no effect birth_no_recall

Word of Recall scrolls have no effect. When combined with the option to force player descent, this recreates the previous “ironman” option.

Restrict creation of artifacts birth_no_artifacts

No artifacts will be created. Ever. Just how masochistic are you?

Stack objects on the floor birth_stacking

With this option turned on, multiple items can occupy one grid.

With this option off, items dropped on the floor will spread out instead of stacking. Normal items will disappear if there is no empty grid within a radius of three squares.

Lose artifacts when leaving level birth_lose_arts

Normally if you leave a level with an unidentified artifact on it you may still find it later. With this option on, if you leave a level with an artifact on it’s gone for the rest of the game whether you knew it was there or not. Note that this option has no effect on artifacts which you have already identified (i.e. picked up) - these will always be permanently lost if you leave a level without taking them with you.

Show level feelings birth_feelings

With this option turned on, the game will give you hints about what a new level has on it.

With this option off, these hints will not be shown.

Increase gold drops but disable selling birth_no_selling

Shopkeepers will never pay you for items you sell, though they will still identify unknown items for you, and will still sell you their wares. To balance out income in the game, gold found in the dungeon will be increased if this option is on.

Start with a kit of useful gear birth_start_kit

Start with items, a useful option for new players, or ones that wish to descend immediately into the dungeon. If turned off, the character will start with additional gold with which to purchase starting gear.

Monsters learn from their mistakes birth_ai_learn

Allow monsters to learn what spell attacks you are resistant to, and to use this information to choose the best attacks. This option makes the game very difficult and is not recommended.

Know all runes on birth birth_know_runes

For players who don’t enjoy the “identify by use” process for wearable items. This option means all object properties are known at the outset, so artifacts and ego items will be identified on walking over them.

Know all flavors on birth birth_know_flavors

For players who don’t enjoy the “identify by use” process for consumable items. This option means all object flavors are known at the outset.

Persistent levels (experimental) birth_levels_persist

Each level is generated for the first time when the player enters it, and from then on when the player returns the level is as they last saw it, including monsters, items and traps.

To-damage is a percentage of dice (experimental) birth_percent_damage

Instead of bonuses to damage being just added on to damage dealt, each +1 adds 5% to the value of the damage dice. This option is currently not very balanced.

Cheating options

Press = then x. These are for testing the game and for looking at how it works from the inside — not for winning it.

Using any of them ends the character’s chances of a score. Each cheat has a hidden twin that is set the moment the cheat is used and is never unset, and on death the game says “Score not registered for cheaters.” Turning the cheat back off afterwards does not undo that: the record is of having used it, not of having it on.

ZangbandTK also says so at the time. A character who has used any of these — or wizard mode, or the debug commands — carries Cheat in red at the left of the status line, for as long as that character exists. It is not a punishment; it is so that a screenshot of a character walking about invulnerable is not mistaken for a bug report about hit points, which is exactly what happened once.

Peek into monster creation cheat_hear

Cheaters never win. But they can peek at monster creation.

Peek into dungeon creation cheat_room

Cheaters never win. But they can peek at room creation.

Peek into something else cheat_xtra

Cheaters never win. But they can see debugging messages.

Allow player to avoid death cheat_live

Cheaters never win. But they can cheat death.

Gain a pet cheat_pet

Asks which monster, and puts one beside you as yours. Also on the debug menu as Gain a pet (^A then N).

Every route the game offers to a pet is a roll — a Trump summon, a charm that has to beat a saving throw, a Chaos-Warrior’s patron in a good mood — so seeing what pets do otherwise means playing until one arrives and hoping it is the kind you wanted to look at.

Racial and mutation powers never fail cheat_powers

Every racial and mutation power fires, every time. The listing shows 0% to fail and the roll agrees with it — both ask the same function.

This exists because some powers used to be almost untestable. A power costs mana, and a character short of mana pays in hit points instead — and the failure chance also charged 5% per point of the shortfall, so a class with no spell points at all was 100% over budget on a cost-20 power and sat near the 95% ceiling. A level 21 Beastman Chaos-Warrior looking at Polymorph saw 20 hp, 95% to fail.

That surcharge is gone (DEC-56): a power paid for in blood is not also penalised for it, because the condition charging the surcharge was the same condition that made the price blood in the first place. The same character now sees 20 hp, 7% to fail, which is what a full pool gives. Spells keep their penalty, and that is not an inconsistency — a spell short of mana is paid for in unconsciousness rather than blood.

So the cheat is no longer the only way to see a racial power fire. It is kept because it still removes the roll entirely, which is useful when the question is what a power does rather than whether it goes off.

Take gold cheat_gold

Asks how much and puts it in your pocket. This one is ZangbandTK’s, added because the magetower charges a fare and there was no way to test whether the fares were sensible without a purse to test them with.

It is a button rather than a switch: select it, give an amount, and it turns itself back off. The record that a cheat was used stays.

Take hit points cheat_hp

Asks how many and sets them there. Written into the character’s hit dice rather than straight into the total, so it survives levelling up and the next step taken — putting it into the total alone would last until the game next recalculated bonuses, which is almost immediately.

For walking through country that would otherwise kill you on the way to whatever you actually meant to test.

Know every place cheat_places

Puts every town and every dungeon mouth in the world on the map at once.

The magetower carries you only to towns you have stood in and dungeon mouths you have seen, so testing anything that happens in a particular town means walking there first. With this, the magetower becomes a way of getting anywhere in the world immediately.

Debug commands

A second and much larger set, reached with ^A — control-A. The game asks for confirmation the first time, and the character is marked from then on: on death it says “Score not registered for wizards.”

These are not options but commands. There are forty-eight of them in nine submenus: pick a submenu with the movement keys, then a command by its letter.

They are development tools and there are no guard rails. Nothing asks whether you are sure.

Worth knowing which of the two sets you want. The cheat options change how the game behaves; the debug commands change the state of your game directly.

Commands marked ★ are ZangbandTK’s. The rest are Angband’s, and are documented here because they were not documented anywhere.

Items

Making things out of nothing.

Key	Command	Notes
c	Create an object
C	Create an artifact
V	Create all from tval
g	Acquire good
v	Acquire great
o	Play with item	Repeatedly regenerates one item so you can see its spread of outcomes.

Player

Changing the character directly.

Key	Command	Notes
a	Cure everything
A	Make powerful
x	Increase experience
h	Rerate hitpoints
e	Edit player
$	Gain gold ★	The magetower charges a fare by distance, and there was no way to test whether the fares were sensible without a purse.
i	Gain hit points ★	Written into the character’s hit dice rather than the total, so it survives levelling and the next step taken.
k	Know every place ★	Every town visited and every block seen, which turns the magetower into a way of getting anywhere at once.
N	Gain a pet ★	Asks which monster and puts one beside you, already yours. N because p and P are taken elsewhere in the debug lists, which share one key namespace.
U	Mutations ★	All ninety-six, with the character’s own marked [*]; select one to toggle it, Escape to leave. Chaos hands these out and the player does not choose them, so anything that touches them — Polymorph Self, the patrons, the Chaos Tower — is otherwise close to untestable on purpose. U because m and M were taken, and because U was Zangband’s own key for these. To read what a character has, use the third page of the character sheet rather than this.
B	Learn all monsters ★	Fills in the whole bestiary, so every monster’s recall reads as though you had met and killed it. The companion to Learn object kinds, and what the manual’s picture of the bestiary is taken through.
l	Learn object kinds
r	Recall monster
W	Erase monster recall

Teleport

Going somewhere without walking.

Key	Command	Notes
b	To location
p	Random near
t	Random far
j	Jump to a level	No guard rails: a first-level character can jump to depth 100, and will die there.

Effects

Firing off game effects by hand.

Key	Command	Notes
d	Detect all nearby
u	Detect all monsters
m	Map local area
H	Hit all in LOS
E	Perform an effect
G	Graphics demo

Summon

Putting monsters in front of you.

Key	Command	Notes
n	Summon specific
s	Summon random
y	Set allegiance ★	Target a monster first, then say whether it is hostile, friendly or yours. It makes a pet without doing whatever the spell that makes pets does, which is what you want when the question is the AI. y because p is the teleport menu’s Random near and every debug submenu shares one key namespace.

Files

Writing things out to disk.

Key	Command	Notes
"	Create spoilers	Writes the object, artifact and monster lists to files.
M	Write map

Statistics

Generating a great many levels and counting what comes out.

Key	Command	Notes
S	Objects and monsters	Generates hundreds of levels and tallies what comes out. This is where the How Balance Differs figures came from, and it is not quick.
P	Pits
D	Disconnected levels
f	Obj/mon alternate key

Query

Asking the game what it thinks is where.

Key	Command	Notes
F	Feature
q	Square flag
_	Noise and scent
L	Keystroke log

Miscellaneous

The rest.

Key	Command	Notes
w	Wizard light level
T	Create a trap
z	Banish nearby monsters
>	Push objects from square
X	Quit without saving	Exactly that, with no confirmation.

Window flags

Some platforms support “sub-windows”, which are windows which can be used to display useful information generally available through other means. The best thing about these windows is that they are updated automatically (usually) to reflect the current state of the world. The “window options” can be used to specify what should be displayed in each window. The possible choices should be pretty obvious.

Display inven/equip

Display the player inventory (and sometimes the equipment).

Display equip/inven

Display the player equipment (and sometimes the inventory).

Display player (basic)

Display a brief description of the character, including a breakdown of the current player “skills” (including attacks/shots per round).

Display player (extra)

Display a special description of the character, including some of the “flags” which pertain to a character, broken down by equipment item.

Display player (compact)

Display a brief description of the character, including a breakdown of the contributions of each equipment item to various resistances and stats.

Display map view

Display the area around the player or around the target while targeting. This allows using graphical tiles in their original size.

Display messages

Display the most recently generated “messages”.

Display overhead view

Display an overhead view of the entire dungeon level.

Display monster recall

Display a description of the monster which has been most recently attacked, targeted, or examined in some way.

Display object recall

Display a description of the most recently selected object. Currently this only affects spellbooks and prayerbooks. This window flag may be usefully combined with others, such as “monster recall”.

Display monster list

Display a list of monsters you know about and their distance from you.

Display status

Display the current status of the player, with permanent or temporary boosts, resistances and status ailments (also available on the main window).

Display item list

Display a list of items you know about and their distance from you.

Left Over Information

The hitpoint_warn value, if non-zero, is the percentage of maximal hitpoints at which the player is warned that they may die. It is also used as the cut-off for using the color red to display both hitpoints and mana.

The delay_factor value, if non-zero, will slow down the visual effects used for missile, bolt, beam, and ball attacks. The actual time delay is equal to delay_factor squared, in milliseconds.

The lazymove_delay value, if non-zero, will allow the player to move diagonally by pressing the two appropriate arrow keys within the delay time. This may be useful particularly when using a keyboard with no numpad.