Nethack 3.6.0 - Game window too small

[Jonathan Ellis]

So the game window is waaay too small on my screen.

(1) How do I make it bigger? I can't find out how to do it, and some of
the instructions seem to date back to MUCH older versions of NH.

(2) Is it possible to change the gaming window and text font size (I
only use text, not graphics) from within the game, or do I have to go to
options outside of the game?

-- JLE

[Pat Rankin]

Post by Jonathan Ellis
So the game window is waaay too small on my screen.

You've neglected to specify what type of system you're using, so
anyone trying to respond has to guess. I'll guess MS Windows of some
recent flavor.

Post by Jonathan Ellis
(1) How do I make it bigger? I can't find out how to do it, and some of
the instructions seem to date back to MUCH older versions of NH.

You used to be able to tell Windows to make the window be full screen.
Microsoft changed the type of window being used to no longer support
that, starting with Windows Vista. As far as I'm aware, they've never
reverted to the XP and earlier behavior in Windows 7 or 8.x or 10.

This is a 'feature' of Windows which is outside of nethack's control.
There was a suggestion a long time ago that taking the right driver
program from an XP system and putting it in place on the current system
would restore the old behavior. That seems a bit extreme--for me, the
risk of breaking something outweighs the benefit of making a game run
a little nicer--so I never tried it.

Post by Jonathan Ellis
(2) Is it possible to change the gaming window and text font size (I
only use text, not graphics) from within the game, or do I have to go to
options outside of the game?

If you set up a desktop shortcut for invoking the program, then you
can set the font type and size in the properties of that shortcut. Pick
a bigger font and the window will automatically be enlarged to handle it.

The number of lines can be increased. That will make more room for
showing inventory and putting up menus, but not affect the level maps.
I don't recommend fiddling with the number of columns but you do have
the option to do that too. Like with lines, it won't affect the size of
nethack's levels. Some parts of nethack know how to take advantage
of wider lines but other parts think the map width is also the limit for
text display, so increasing beyond 80 columns may be a bit iffy.

[Jonathan Ellis]

Post by Pat Rankin

Post by Jonathan Ellis
So the game window is waaay too small on my screen.

You've neglected to specify what type of system you're using, so
anyone trying to respond has to guess. I'll guess MS Windows of some
recent flavor.

Post by Jonathan Ellis
(1) How do I make it bigger? I can't find out how to do it, and some of
the instructions seem to date back to MUCH older versions of NH.

You used to be able to tell Windows to make the window be full screen.
Microsoft changed the type of window being used to no longer support
that, starting with Windows Vista. As far as I'm aware, they've never
reverted to the XP and earlier behavior in Windows 7 or 8.x or 10.
This is a 'feature' of Windows which is outside of nethack's control.
There was a suggestion a long time ago that taking the right driver
program from an XP system and putting it in place on the current system
would restore the old behavior. That seems a bit extreme--for me, the
risk of breaking something outweighs the benefit of making a game run
a little nicer--so I never tried it.

Post by Jonathan Ellis
(2) Is it possible to change the gaming window and text font size (I
only use text, not graphics) from within the game, or do I have to go to
options outside of the game?

If you set up a desktop shortcut for invoking the program, then you
can set the font type and size in the properties of that shortcut. Pick
a bigger font and the window will automatically be enlarged to handle it.
The number of lines can be increased. That will make more room for
showing inventory and putting up menus, but not affect the level maps.
I don't recommend fiddling with the number of columns but you do have
the option to do that too. Like with lines, it won't affect the size of
nethack's levels. Some parts of nethack know how to take advantage
of wider lines but other parts think the map width is also the limit for
text display, so increasing beyond 80 columns may be a bit iffy.

It's a Windows 10 computer. I don't actually want it to be full screen,
I just want it to be a bit larger screen and larger font. Like, same
number of columns and rows but each one to be a millimetre or two larger
in each direction.

(For instance: I can still play Angband - even older versions of it -
and use a selection of larger or smaller fonts. The window size changes
with the font size, and it Just Works Like That, from within the game,
even on Windows 10.)

How do I do that? Is there an options file I can edit, in or out of
game, and if so, how? What's the actual syntax I need to type in to make
it work, not just once but all times?

-- JLE

[David Damerell]

Post by Jonathan Ellis
How do I do that? Is there an options file I can edit, in or out of
game, and if so, how? What's the actual syntax I need to type in to make
it work, not just once but all times?

Changing the font size in the Windows console is done in Windows, not
Nethack. Angband (AFAIK) doesn't run in the console but in a window of its
own. http://www.nethack.org/v343/bugmore/vista-win7.txt details how to
change the console font size, and a little experimenting suggests that
right-clicking the bar at the top of the window lets you change the
default.

Or you can use nethackW.exe, which is similar to the Angband port. From
the Map menu you can select ASCII or tiles and a font size.

[Pat Rankin]

Post by Jonathan Ellis

Post by Pat Rankin
If you set up a desktop shortcut for invoking the program, then you
can set the font type and size in the properties of that shortcut. Pick
a bigger font and the window will automatically be enlarged to handle it.

[...]

Post by Jonathan Ellis
It's a Windows 10 computer. I don't actually want it to be full screen,
I just want it to be a bit larger screen and larger font. Like, same
number of columns and rows but each one to be a millimetre or two larger
in each direction.

I can't give specific instructions because I don't have access to a Windows 10
system. The Windows system I do have access to is running Vista, so there
have been lots of chances for specific details to have changed....

To create a shortcut, use Windows Explorer to find nethack.exe and right
click on that, then pick "create shortcut" from the popup menu. Alternatively,
right click on the desktop background and pick "create shortcut" from the
menu there. The first method will have the program and the path to find it
already filled in, the second will require you to modify the shortcut to add
that.

Once you have a shortcut, right click on it and select "properties" from the
menu. There are several tabs across the top of the resulting window, one
of which is for fonts. Choose one and click on "apply" to save your choice
then you can close the properties window. Once you set that up, double
clicking on the shortcut will always start the program using the settings
you've set for the shortcut. In other words, it's persistent as long as you
use the shortcut instead of explorer or a command line from a command-
prompt/dos-box window or the 'run' box to start nethack, and it won't affect
any other programs which utilize that type of window.

[b***@barthouse.com]

Post by Pat Rankin

Post by Jonathan Ellis

Post by Pat Rankin
If you set up a desktop shortcut for invoking the program, then you
can set the font type and size in the properties of that shortcut. Pick
a bigger font and the window will automatically be enlarged to handle it.

[...]

Post by Jonathan Ellis
It's a Windows 10 computer. I don't actually want it to be full screen,
I just want it to be a bit larger screen and larger font. Like, same
number of columns and rows but each one to be a millimetre or two larger
in each direction.

I can't give specific instructions because I don't have access to a Windows 10
system. The Windows system I do have access to is running Vista, so there
have been lots of chances for specific details to have changed....
To create a shortcut, use Windows Explorer to find nethack.exe and right
click on that, then pick "create shortcut" from the popup menu. Alternatively,
right click on the desktop background and pick "create shortcut" from the
menu there. The first method will have the program and the path to find it
already filled in, the second will require you to modify the shortcut to add
that.
Once you have a shortcut, right click on it and select "properties" from the
menu. There are several tabs across the top of the resulting window, one
of which is for fonts. Choose one and click on "apply" to save your choice
then you can close the properties window. Once you set that up, double
clicking on the shortcut will always start the program using the settings
you've set for the shortcut. In other words, it's persistent as long as you
use the shortcut instead of explorer or a command line from a command-
prompt/dos-box window or the 'run' box to start nethack, and it won't affect
any other programs which utilize that type of window.

On Windows 10, the following works:
1. Double click on Nethack.exe which launches the Nethack console window
2. Right click on the top window border (the white part with the Nethack icon)
3. Select Properties
4. Click the font tab
5. Select the size you want

Your font settings will be remembered the next time you launch Nethack.exe

Bart

[f***@gmail.com]

Similarly, with the NetHackW.exe, you can set its Compatibility Properties (right click) to "Run in 640x480 screen resolution" with the graphics tiles. It temporarily resets the display's resolution while you have the application running. Not ideal, since all other apps are running under that resolution, too.

I'm not sure there's an ideal, yet... many of the phone-based ports have pinch zooming, and so that would be the ideal way under windows 10.

Post by b***@barthouse.com

Post by Pat Rankin

Post by Jonathan Ellis

Post by Pat Rankin
If you set up a desktop shortcut for invoking the program, then you
can set the font type and size in the properties of that shortcut. Pick
a bigger font and the window will automatically be enlarged to handle it.

[...]

Post by Jonathan Ellis
It's a Windows 10 computer. I don't actually want it to be full screen,
I just want it to be a bit larger screen and larger font. Like, same
number of columns and rows but each one to be a millimetre or two larger
in each direction.

I can't give specific instructions because I don't have access to a Windows 10
system. The Windows system I do have access to is running Vista, so there
have been lots of chances for specific details to have changed....
To create a shortcut, use Windows Explorer to find nethack.exe and right
click on that, then pick "create shortcut" from the popup menu. Alternatively,
right click on the desktop background and pick "create shortcut" from the
menu there. The first method will have the program and the path to find it
already filled in, the second will require you to modify the shortcut to add
that.
Once you have a shortcut, right click on it and select "properties" from the
menu. There are several tabs across the top of the resulting window, one
of which is for fonts. Choose one and click on "apply" to save your choice
then you can close the properties window. Once you set that up, double
clicking on the shortcut will always start the program using the settings
you've set for the shortcut. In other words, it's persistent as long as you
use the shortcut instead of explorer or a command line from a command-
prompt/dos-box window or the 'run' box to start nethack, and it won't affect
any other programs which utilize that type of window.

1. Double click on Nethack.exe which launches the Nethack console window
2. Right click on the top window border (the white part with the Nethack icon)
3. Select Properties
4. Click the font tab
5. Select the size you want
Your font settings will be remembered the next time you launch Nethack.exe
Bart

[a***@gmail.com]

Post by Jonathan Ellis
So the game window is waaay too small on my screen.
(1) How do I make it bigger? I can't find out how to do it, and some of
the instructions seem to date back to MUCH older versions of NH.
(2) Is it possible to change the gaming window and text font size (I
only use text, not graphics) from within the game, or do I have to go to
options outside of the game?
-- JLE

You can right click the top of the form, click 'Defaults', then 'Font' then change the font size and restart nethack. Size 24 appears to be nearly fullscreen for me.

[c***@gmail.com]

You could also start playing on NAO and use putty to connect. Putty is free, allows for fullscreen, and works great with Nethack. This way your scores and ascensions would be more "official" as well.