Optionally display message window at top of terminal.

Set messages_at_top=true to use.

This is not quite aesthetically pleasing since character name
and title which form a kind of heading for the screen are now
in the middle. It might be better to display them in an extra
line across the top.

Also, the layout should really be moved out to lua and made
completely user configurable.

5 files changed, 20 insertions, 3 deletions

diff --git a/crawl-ref/docs/options_guide.txt b/crawl-ref/docs/options_guide.txt
index e9f55dd4ca..0ed1da5dae 100644
--- a/crawl-ref/docs/options_guide.txt
+++ b/crawl-ref/docs/options_guide.txt
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ The contents of this text are:
                 status_caption_colour, delay_message_clear,
                 show_inventory_weights, show_gold_turns, show_beam,
                 item_stack_summary_minimum, list_rotten,
-                mlist_min_height, msg_max_height,
+                mlist_min_height, msg_max_height, messages_at_top,
                 mlist_allow_alternate_layout, mlist_targetting, classic_hud,
                 menu_colour, menu_colour_prefix_class, menu_colour_shops,
                 message_colour, force_more_message,
@@ -1329,6 +1329,11 @@ msg_max_height = 10
         expanded, the message area will expand up to this height.
         The monster list will get the rest.
 
+messages_at_top = false
+        Put the message window at the top of the screen. This moves
+        the last message close to the center of the view in conjunction
+        with delay_message_clear.
+
 mlist_allow_alternate_layout = false
         Display the monster list wherever Crawl may find space on
         your console display, usually to the left of the map, rather
diff --git a/crawl-ref/settings/init.txt b/crawl-ref/settings/init.txt
index 6056ea971b..bcc34aeb43 100644
--- a/crawl-ref/settings/init.txt
+++ b/crawl-ref/settings/init.txt
@@ -247,6 +247,7 @@ sort_menus = inv: true : equipped, freshness, charged
 # mlist_min_height             = 5
 # msg_max_height               = 10
 # mlist_allow_alternate_layout = true
+# messages_at_top              = true
 # mlist_targetting             = true
 # show_gold_turns              = true
 
diff --git a/crawl-ref/source/initfile.cc b/crawl-ref/source/initfile.cc
index 559239da67..b0e1d91e14 100644
--- a/crawl-ref/source/initfile.cc
+++ b/crawl-ref/source/initfile.cc
@@ -608,6 +608,7 @@ void game_options::reset_options()
     mlist_min_height = 5;
     msg_max_height   = 10;
     mlist_allow_alternate_layout = false;
+    messages_at_top  = false;
     mlist_targetting = false;
     classic_hud = false;
     msg_condense_repeats = true;
@@ -2425,6 +2426,7 @@ void game_options::read_option_line(const std::string &str, bool runscript)
     else INT_OPTION(mlist_min_height, 0, INT_MAX);
     else INT_OPTION(msg_max_height, 6, INT_MAX);
     else BOOL_OPTION(mlist_allow_alternate_layout);
+    else BOOL_OPTION(messages_at_top);
 #ifndef USE_TILE
     else BOOL_OPTION(mlist_targetting);
 #endif
diff --git a/crawl-ref/source/options.h b/crawl-ref/source/options.h
index 8467480cdc..2e64f1f680 100644
--- a/crawl-ref/source/options.h
+++ b/crawl-ref/source/options.h
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ public:
     int         mlist_min_height;
     int         msg_max_height;
     bool        mlist_allow_alternate_layout;
+    bool        messages_at_top;
     bool        mlist_targetting;
     bool        classic_hud;
     bool        msg_condense_repeats;
diff --git a/crawl-ref/source/viewgeom.cc b/crawl-ref/source/viewgeom.cc
index 7c2c2bd156..784a402bcc 100644
--- a/crawl-ref/source/viewgeom.cc
+++ b/crawl-ref/source/viewgeom.cc
@@ -130,8 +130,16 @@ class _inline_layout : public _layout
         }
 
         // Finish off by doing the positions.
-        viewp  = termp;
-        msgp   = termp + coord_def(0, std::max(viewsz.y, hudsz.y+mlistsz.y));
+        if (Options.messages_at_top)
+        {
+            msgp = termp;
+            viewp = termp + coord_def(0, msgsz.y);
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            viewp  = termp;
+            msgp   = termp + coord_def(0, std::max(viewsz.y, hudsz.y+mlistsz.y));
+        }
         hudp   = viewp + coord_def(viewsz.x+hud_gutter, 0);
         mlistp = hudp  + coord_def(0, hudsz.y);