User interface

Dungeon features
Air	_ Altar
# Corridor	# Cloud
#. Drawbridge	+-| Door
. Doorway	{ Fountain
| Headstone	.  Floor
>< Ladder	. Ice
# Iron bars	} Lava
} Moat	# Sink
Solid rock	>< Staircase
\ Throne	^" Trap
# Tree	- | Wall
~ Vibrating square

NetHack's user interface is primarily ASCII. Graphical interfaces based on tiles are available for nearly all platforms, and some platforms have exotic interfaces such as Falcon's Eye, Vulture's Eye and glHack.

Even using only ascii, the curses interface provides much of the convenience normally associated with windowing systems. It is available on the public server NAO.

A screenshot of the ASCII interface is below. Click on some parts to find out what they mean.

                                                Pick up what?                   

                                      ----                                      
                                      |..|      Coins                           
   ----            ---   --------------..--     a - 21 gold pieces              
   |..|            |.|---|................|---- Weapons                         
   |..|            |.|...|................|.*.| b - a cursed mace               
   |..|   -----    |.|...-..--|--.........|.%.| Armor                           
   |..|  --.(.--   |.|...|..|...|..-----..|..)| c - a piece of cloth            
   |..|  |.....--- |.-----..|...|--|...|..--|-- d - a small shield              
   |..---|.......--|........|...|  |.(.-..%...) Scrolls                         
   |....|--........|........|---|))|.(.|)..).)- e - a scroll of create monster  
   |.|..----.........----...|(((||------..%...| Spellbooks                      
   |.|...............|..-...|(((|..........)..| f - a plain spellbook           
   |.|------.........|..|..)|...|-|-.....---.-- g - a thin spellbook            
   |<---|  |.........----...--|-|..|..-.-|....( h - a bronze spellbook          
   |...--  |---........|....(...|..|..|..|----. i - a velvet spellbook          
   ---... --  |........|..#.....----..|..|.(.-% (end)                           
     | ...|   ---......|-....{.%.[....|..|../|....-.0..+.||.||.........--.---   
    -- ...|     ---....--..|..%.#...[.--------....|00(@..||.||........-----     
    |   ..|       --.......|-........*............|---.------------...|         
    -- ----        --------------------------------  |..|         --.--         
     ---                                             ----          ---          
Valkyre the Woman-at-arms   St:25 Dx:18 Co:18 In:8 Wi:13 Ch:8  Neutral S:50886  

Dlvl:7  $:12922 HP:110(110) Pw:40(40) AC:-5 Xp:12/20905 T:11712 Burdened