On the Windows port, it can be tough to distinguish between neutral and lawful altars sometimes.

I like it only if it tells you the color if you are directly adjacent to the altar (like with items). Otherwise, it just says "an altar" or whatever.

Isn't this problem better taken care of by solving the actual problem: if the colours are bad, change them?

Good colors or bad, the 'l'ook mode should give that information - after all, not everyone has good eyesight (there are even blind people who play roguelikes!).

I like this idea, with Kyreles' caveat.

If it's implemented, 'l'ooking should logically give the same info to the character as it does to the player: the player can see the color of the altar, so why can't the 'l'ook command tell you?

Presumably, the reason that the altar is black/grey/white on the screen is because the character can see the color.

The problem right now is that ADOM stores the physical information for a tile (the character and the color), but not its semantics. Thus - if altar alignment were to change for some reason while you can't see the altar - 'l'ook would provide information that would not match the on-screen display.

I don't know of any reason why an altar could change alignment while you're unable to see it. Unless there is an unrevealed secret in the game that makes altars change alignment, this shouldn't be an issue afaik.

edit: oh wait, maybe if you're saccing things while blind? Hmm..

In that case why should you be able to look while blind? I guess it depends on whether the player is looking, or the character...

While I understand the concern about it, I don't see why it couldn't just look at the colour of the tile and report based on that.

After all, if you look at a space that had an item on it from outside of LOS, it still says there's an item there, even if it's been picked up or destroyed/rotted. Just use the same approach to altars - when the PC last saw the altar, it was white, so it's a "white altar" until they see otherwise.

Actually, due to a bug, it does not :D

Ah, then that also needs to be fixed up.

Would it be possible to add a check to see if the altar is within the PC's range of vision whenyou 'l'ook at it? If so, then one possible solution would be to have the altar's colour reported in those circumstances, but not if you're further away. Alternatively, have it report the altar's colour if you're standing right next to it, in the same way you can identify items by 'l'ooking only when you're adjacent to them.

I definitely think that this issue should be addressed somehow, though. It can be very annoying not to be able to tell an altar's allignment without taking the potentially fatal step of standing on it.

I played safe: If the PC can currently see the altar the player is informed about altar alignment.

In 1.2p9 the altar color messages are wrong - I've encountered a neutral altar (didn't check the message), converted it to chaotic, then remembered to check the message (shows correctly).
However, I've found lawful deeper in CoC, and the message still says it's chaotic. Same for neutral one in DT.
Attaching a file (PC on D:10 near the lawful altar, DT with neutral one can be found on previous level)