% screen colouring

[Kokor Hekkus]

Hi,

I've not really been able to work out the meanings of the colouring on the % screen for items I'm wearing/wielding, it being different to the inventory screen (and much more variable)... Could anyone explain them to me? I'd think it was the usual red=evil/dangerous/bad, but my Merfolk's starting trident appeared as red, and various other colours that don't seem to appear anywhere else are used too.

I have *not* changed the settings in any of the config files that define colours.

Version is Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup 0.7.1-1-g7ce9b19.

[danr]

I asked the same question myself once.

For weapons, red is the colour for polearms. For some reason, that's the only kind I notice the colour of. Others, if they are grey, green, blue, whatever, I just figure it's because it's enchanted or runed or something, but it probably has to do with weapon type as well.

I think there should be documentation somewhere of what colour coding means in different contexts. I think there's a problem with colour being used to indicate too many things - cursed status, randart, item type, and usefulness (e.g. items that the player can't / shouldn't use are greyed out).

[Kokor Hekkus]

Makes sense now Thanks minmay!

[danr]

It shows the color of the items you're wearing.

No, seriously. If you're wearing a red robe it will be colored red. Artefacts are colored white. The colors have no significance.

I think the rules for colours are different for different items. That may be true for clothing / armour. I'm pretty sure polearms are red (see in ASCII a spear lying on the floor will be red). With food chunks I think purple is mutagenic, green is poisonous, grey is inedible, or something like that.

[MrMisterMonkey]

those are inventory display colours

this thread is about % screen colours

[danr]

Right, sorry. I just assumed the different screen would use the same colours, and I'm guessing a lot of players share that assumption.