How the @#!!* do I get out of ASCII mode?

[furrykef]

I turned it on under the assumption it would be easy to find out how to get back into Tiled mode. This assumption was wrong. What do I do to fix it?

[Jarinex]

Should be able to press the same key you used before to access. I think it’s the f10 key

[furrykef]

I didn't use a key to access it, I used the menus.

Anyway, I found it. I have to hit ctrl+n, then d. It's listed in the controls as "Ctrl+nd", which meant little to me. I did try ctrl+n, but it seemed to do nothing, so I thought it wasn't working.

This game is pretty user-hostile. :/

[furrykef]

Just now I got the "Error in the NotEye script" message in less than an hour of playing, too.

In light of these events, I will be refunding my purchase. I'll play something that isn't user-hostile.

[Jarinex]

That’s unfortunate. The game is usually not that hostile. Probably just some bad luck and error stuff. It has been reported on the forums and is currently in process of being fixed.

That being said, I can understand the frustration. Hopefully this gets fixed ASAP :/

[C H R 0 S]

I grew up playing this game in ASCII, honestly it looks better than the japanese toon tiles.. Game isnt user hostile. Stick to playing Minecraft and leave ADOM to the big boys

[Decay]

That sucks as a new player experience I must admit :) Refund totally justified.

- That bug is being worked on, it's surprisingly tricky
- Two-key shortcuts are going away. It came out in playtesting that they are dreadfully difficult to explain and totally not user friendly. We'll be getting rid of them in the near future. First from the game itself, then from the engine options.

Sorry for the bad impression, but thanks for your feedback, it really is valuable!

[Psyringe]

Originally posted by Ravenmore:

- Two-key shortcuts are going away. It came out in playtesting that they are dreadfully difficult to explain and totally not user friendly. We'll be getting rid of them in the near future. First from the game itself, then from the engine options.

Wait, WHAT?? What kind of testing are you doing? Two-key shortcuts are absolutely necessary if you want to to control the multitude of commands efficiently (i.e. without constant repositioning) with just one hand (since the other rests on the mouse). They are also incredibly helpful for people with disabilities and reduced mobility of their fingers.

I spent about 6 hours devising a control scheme that makes all commands reachable with one hand. I use wersfxcv for movement, and then I have:
- 18 two-key shortcuts starting with 'd' for walk / go to commands
- 19 two-key shortcuts starting with 'a' for common actions
- 19 two-key shortcuts starting with '<' for less common actions (German keyboard, so the key is below 'a')
- 19 two-key shortcuts starting with 'q' for settings (tactics, display, sound)
- 20 two-key shortcuts starting with 'g' for displaying important information
- 19 two-key shortcuts starting with 'v' for displaying less important information
- 9 two-key shortcuts starting with 'h' for leftovers
As you can see, _every_ command apart from basic movement is using a two-key combination. I always considered the two-key system a brilliant idea, and a massive plus for ADOM that it supports such flexible, efficient controls for managing its vast amount of commands.

If you remove this functionality from the engine because you tested the game with a group of people that didn't understand it, then I literally cannot play the game. I understand that you don't want new players to be _required_ to wrap their heads around such an unusual system, but removing the _option_ would be a massive slap in the face for everyone who's interested in a fast, efficient, blind-type-able control scheme.

Please, please reconsider. I can say with sad certainty that removing this feature will lose me as a player, and I've been playing ADOM since the mid-90s.

Sorry about the semi-rant, but this absolutely shocked me. I just got into ADOM once again, and now it seems I'll have to stop playing it soon. :(

[Decay]

Woah, slow down :) Also, massive effort, props for that. I should have been much more precise:

We're not removing the functionality (removing from engine options = from NotEye menus), just making sure a new player can do just fine and access common options without having to input VI-style key combos :)

There will gradually be less of them required for efficient play. I think calling this 'getting rid of' was a misleading mental leap :X

[Psyringe]

Originally posted by Ravenmore:

Woah, slow down :) Also, massive effort, props for that. I should have been much more precise:

We're not removing the functionality (removing from engine options = from NotEye menus), just making sure a new player can do just fine and access common options without having to input VI-style key combos :)

*casts Slow Monster on self* ;)

Ah - I misunderstood "removing it from the engine options" as "removing it as optional feature from the engine". I'm inordinately glad that it was just a misunderstanding! :)

I totally agree that, in order to provide a smooth experience for new players, they shouldn't need to learn an input style that 90% of gamers probably never encountered. Even though the two-key style is actually more efficient and ergonomically superior to using Ctrl/Alt-combinations (try blind-typing combinations like Ctrl-a or Ctrl-w fast, versus aa or aw), most people just aren't used to them.

Regarding the amount of commands in general, I think ADOM _could_ use fewer commands than it does. For example, there is no good reason why "eat", "drink", "read", and "use tool" need to be 4 different commands. You can't eat a tool or drink a scroll, so these could easily use a common "use primary function" command instead. But that's probably a discussion for another day. ;)

[furrykef]

Just to be clear, I'm totally willing to give ADOM another shot in the future. I just don't think it's right for me right now.