ASCII characters shown instead of tiles in graphical interface

[youbo0]

I sometimes see floor items displayed with ASCII characters instead of tiles since 5.0.0 even though I only play on the graphical NethackW.exe.

Weirdly, it fixes itself after a couple turns only to reproduce again as I continue through the dungeon.

[nhmall]

That really needs to be improved.

What you are seeing are the "generic tiles" that are being displayed for something that you don't have sufficient information about in the game for an accurate visual representation to be displayed, so a tile for a "generic" object of the type is being displayed.

Those "ASCII characters" are actually tiles in the stock tile file. I think they were meant as temporary placeholders.

Improved tiles are needed, for a better immersive experience. Artists, take heed.

# tile 2 (weapon / generic weapon)  - perhaps a sheathed weapon image?
# tile 3 (armor / generic armor)  - perhaps an armour in a garment bag?
# tile 4 (ring / generic ring) - perhaps a small jewelry box?
# tile 5 (amulet / generic amulet)  - hmm, not sure. Any suggestions? 
# tile 6 (tool / generic tool) - a blanket-wrapped tool?
# tile 7 (food / generic food)  - a package labelled "food"
# tile 8 (potion / generic potion) - a clear bottle, with a question mark?
# tile 9 (scroll / generic scroll) - a scroll, with no indicators, perhaps a question mark on it?
# tile 10 (spellbook / generic spellbook) a generic-looking book?
# tile 11 (wand / generic wand) - a plain brown stick?
# tile 12 (coin / generic coin) 
# tile 13 (gem / generic gem)  - an unopened geode?
# tile 14 (large rock / generic large rock) - 
# tile 15 (iron ball / generic iron ball)
# tile 16 (iron chain / generic iron chain)
# tile 17 (venom / generic venom)
#_ end of generic object tiles

[youbo0]

That really needs to be improved.

What you are seeing are the "generic tiles" that are being displayed for something that you don't have sufficient information about in the game for an accurate visual representation to be displayed, so a tile for a "generic" object of the type is being displayed.

What you are seeing are actually tiles in the stock tile file. I think they were meant as temporary placeholders.

Improved tiles are needed, for a better immersive experience. Artists, take heed.

Ohh, that explains so much, thanks.
But why my character would not have sufficient visual information about a few of those items in the example screenshot? He wasn't blind, the room was fully lit and he had direct line of sight.

As for what improved tiles for generic items should be, I think it would be jarring to see a box turn into a ring for example. IMHO, the goals of such images should be to convey:

1. This represents a normal ring, not some new or different item.
2. You just don't know what exact kind yet.
3. This image is a placeholder until you know more, expect it to change when you do instead of being surprised.

My best suggestion is a silhouette of a common item of its type, with a white outline and a large prominent white question mark in the middle. Think "game character that you haven't unlocked yet" style.

[nhmall]

As for what improved tiles for generic items should be, I think it would be jarring to see a box turn into a ring for example. IMHO, the goals of such images should be to convey

You need to understand the limitations of the current implementation. The current implementation may not be granular enough to avoid the "jarring" result that you mention.

For instance, all weapons (arrows, bolts, shuriken, boomerangs, spears, tidents, daggers, athames, scalpels, knives, worm teeth, axes, swords, polearms, sickles, hooks, pick-axes, lances, maces, hammers, clubs, hoses, aklyses, flails, whips, bows, crossbows, and slings) map to the single generic weapon tile.

Every object maps to one of the 16 generic objects listed below (numbered 2 through 17), the way it is currently implemented. Likely jarring in many cases, considering the vast range of objects. Perhaps no less jarring than a '+' turning into a book though, as is currently the case.

# tile 2 (weapon / generic weapon) 
# tile 3 (armor / generic armor)
# tile 4 (ring / generic ring)
# tile 5 (amulet / generic amulet)  
# tile 6 (tool / generic tool)
# tile 7 (food / generic food) 
# tile 8 (potion / generic potion)
# tile 9 (scroll / generic scroll)
# tile 10 (spellbook / generic spellbook)
# tile 11 (wand / generic wand)
# tile 12 (coin / generic coin)
# tile 13 (gem / generic gem)
# tile 14 (large rock / generic large rock) 
# tile 15 (iron ball / generic iron ball)
# tile 16 (iron chain / generic iron chain)
# tile 17 (venom / generic venom)

Despite that, the use of a generic tile in NetHack 5.0.0 makes an improvement over previous versions, which drew ongoing complaints about information being leaked, when it should not have been.
Here's one open issue:
#305
We've received other reports via email.

Could the implementation be improved further? Of course, but it may not be the highest priority change to make.

[nhmall]

But why my character would not have sufficient visual information about a few of those items in the example screenshot? He wasn't blind, the room was fully lit and he had direct line of sight.

That is another matter, unrelated to this issue that you opened. If you feel that generic objects are being displayed inappropriately, or at inappropriate times please open another issue and provide as many details as you can. Generic object use for objects not fully identified is a general feature, not limited to the use of tiles.

Note, also, that I said "sufficient information...for an accurate visual representation" not "sufficient visual information."