Tilesets

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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)

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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". This article is only about tilesets.

Overview and installation

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!

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 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.

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, river sources in main map, caves in main map, moon on travel map, flower buds*
008 ◘	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
009 ○	Well, vermin colony, millstone, quern, vertical axle, fortress walls on travel map, sun behind clouds on travel map, fortresses on world map, creeping eye out of view (adventure mode)*, staring eyeball*, bubble bulb*
010 ◙	trunk interior$
011 ♂	Male sign, bags, Various Cephalopods#
012 ♀	Female sign, amulet
013 ♪	Ladles*
014 ♫	Armor stands
015 ☼	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, paralyzed indicator, fireballs, bandit camps on travel map

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, 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 ↓	Various status indicators, Interface text (bridge direction)
026 →	Interface text (bridge direction)
027 ←	Interface text (bridge direction)
028 ∟
029 ↔
030 ▲	Head of Ballista arrow facing north, ramp up, track ramp up$, mountain on world map
031 ▼	Head of Ballista arrow facing south, ramp down, track ramp down$

Row 03 (032-047)

032	Unexplored underground, spaces in text messages, black background on the title screen and interface menu
033 !	various status icons, text, sound indicator in sneaking mode, tracks (footprints) in sneaking mode
034 "	Shrub*, quotation marks, Carpenter's workshop tile, kobold out of view*, goblin out of view*, blizzard man out of view*, fallen leaves[Verify], tracks (bent vegetation) in sneaking mode, various stones*, savanna, swamp, shrubland, marsh
035 #	floor grates, various stones*, smoothed branches in elven forest retreats, labyrinths on travel map, text
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 '	Rough floors, unexplored underground, various stones, one eyed creatures with GLOWTILE " (kobold, goblins, and blizzard in vanilla), various grasses*
040 (	Foreign object opening tag, tile in bowyer's workshop, waxing moon on travel map, text
041 )	Foreign object closing tag, waning moon on travel map, text
042 *	Unmined ore*, glowing pits, superior quality tags, key reference, working gear assembly, gem floodgate, various stones*, chestnut fruit*, other fruits and flowers*, moving armies on quick travel map
043 +	Smooth/constructed floors, finely-crafted quality tags, text, block/bar bridge or road, Bauxite*, injury indicator, towns on world map
044 ,	Rough floors, Claystone*, unexplored underground, text, various grasses*
045 -	Scepters, arrows in flight, well-crafted quality tags, keyboard reference, various stones*, overlapping creatures animation
046 .	Rough floors, various stones*, text, unexplored underground, various grasses*
047 /	Weapons, bolts, Ballista tile, text, overlapping creatures animation

Row 04 (048-063)

048 0	Coffins, tombs on world map, text
049 1	Text, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
050 2	Text, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
051 3	Text, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
052 4	Text, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
053 5	Text, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
054 6	Text, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
055 7	Text, fluids if SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS is YES in d_init.txt
056 8	Fortress gates on travel map, text
057 9	Text
058 :	Wild strawberry*, prickle berry*, fisher berry*, sun berry*, snowstorms, underground shrubs*, command menu text
059 ;	Mason's workshop, Kitchen, Selenite*, command menu text (Movies key), twigs$
060 <	Stairs up, brackets around squad names, "Less than 1 unit weight" on Trading screen.
061 =	Empty Stockpiles, hamlets on world map, various stones*, middle-left tile of Furnaces, up-right tile of Carpenter's workshop
062 >	Stairs down, brackets around squad names.
063 ?	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	Various creatures#, Tile in Farm Workshop, text
066 B	Various creatures#, text
067 C	Various creatures#, text
068 D	Various creatures#, Depot Access Display, text
069 E	Various creatures#, text
070 F	Various creatures#, text
071 G	Various creatures#, text
072 H	Various creatures#, text
073 I	Various creatures#, support, Necromancer's tower on world map, text
074 J	Various creatures#, text
075 K	Various creatures#, text
076 L	Various creatures#, text
077 M	Various creatures#, text
078 N	Various creatures#, text
079 O	Various creatures#, trade depot post, glass portal, Tile in Farm Workshop, column$, wall construction, full moon on travel map and dwarf mode, text, trunk$, staring eyeball*, bubble bulb*

Row 06 (080-095)

080 P	Various creatures#, text
081 Q	Text
082 R	Various creatures#, text
083 S	Various creatures#, text
084 T	Various creatures#, text
085 U	Various creatures#, text
086 V	Badlands on map, Text
087 W	Various creatures#, text, Depot Access Display
088 X	Bin, floodgate, shop post, building footprint, Depot Access Display, text, up/down stairs, Tile in Ashery, keyboard cursor, Archery target, various status indicators
089 Y	Text, Yak#, Yeti#
090 Z	Sleep indicator, text
091 [	Clothing, armor, item stack opening tag, moon on travel map, text, tracks (bootprints) in sneaking mode
092 \	Overlapping creatures animation, Ballista tile
093 ]	Floor tile in workshops and furnaces, item stack closing tag, text
094 ^	Trap, Alabaster*, Aluminum*, Volcano on world map
095 _	Channel designation, text

Row 07 (096-111)

096 `	Rough floors, unexplored underground*, various stones*, various grasses*
097 a	Various creatures#, text
098 b	Various creatures#, text
099 c	Various creatures#, text
100 d	Various creatures#, text
101 e	Various creatures#, text
102 f	Various creatures#, text
103 g	Various creatures#, text
104 h	Various creatures#, text
105 i	Various creatures#, text
106 j	Various creatures#, text
107 k	Various creatures#, text
108 l	Various creatures#, text
109 m	Various creatures#, text
110 n	Various creatures#, text, Hills on map
111 o	Various creatures#, text, Graphite*, well construction, bridge construction, millstone in action, vertical axle in action, floor tile in magma furnaces, staring eyeball*, bubble bulb*, winter melon*, watermelon*

Row 08 (112-127)

112 p	Various creatures#, text
113 q	Text
114 r	Various creatures#, text
115 s	Various creatures#, text
116 t	Various creatures#, text
117 u	Text
118 v	Various creatures#, text, various stones*,
119 w	Various creatures#, text
120 x	Saltpeter*, text
121 y	Text
122 z	Text
123 {	Forbidden opening tag, tile in Jeweler's workshop, vermin, purring maggot#
124 |	Talc*, pipe sections, overlapping creatures animation
125 }	Forbidden closing tag, vermin, purring maggot alternate*
126 ~	Unfinished rough stone road, flowing water, dirt road, farm plot under construction, sand, furrowed soil, blood smear, guts, Various creatures#, Magnetite*
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