I'm pretty sure alt+tab doesn't trigger anything by itself but you probably had the game's cursor over a symbol when you tabbed out. When you bring the window back up you have to click to activate the game cursor again but the game cursor will first click wherever you left it last before it aligns with your hardware cursor.

Just remember to position your game cursor somewhere where clicking won't do anything before you alt+tab.

Something handy to remember as it caused me some frustration while I would have a monastery's saint list up with my cursor inadvertently on a saint's name, alt-tab out to look at the saints' stats, bring the window back up, and accidentally learn a saint I didn't want to when I click on the window.

in a game where you take notes why not just make up a cheat sheet on notebook paper I have one with time and monetary conversions this came has a total of 20 simple copy protection questions that are hard-coded into the game Gog can't do anything about them. even if they could it would probably cause more problems than its worth.

I had a Game by Avalon Hill called Kingmaker that had a similar copy protection. it was pictures of different castles not simple symbols and I painstakingly copied each by hand. they weren't perfect but i had no printer and access to files on the internet in that age was very poor to non existent.

Ever since the Darklands FAQ version 1.21 (October 1996) the Code-Sheet has been available in PDF format.

From Darklands FAQ 1.21, Section 6.12 "Additional Files"
"""
Code-sheet of DARKLANDS (PDF-Format): People who bought DARKLANDS in some CD-Collections weren't provided with the copy protection- codes, which are necessary to play the game. We first decided not to put these out, 'cos we were afraid of a copyright-argument with MICROPROSE. However, since MICROPROSE doesn't appear to serve people's requests on a code-sheet, we'll provide it. Please, do not use this sheet for pirating the game, otherwise we'll remove the file again! Find it at [url=http://www.rhrz.uni-bonn.de/~uzs3f8/darkland.pdf]http://www.rhrz.uni-bonn.de/~uzs3f8/darkland.pdf[/url]
"""

That original URL cited is no longer valid, but it can still be retrieved today from the Files section on the Darklands Domain (as well as many other sites now across the ole' interWeb):

PDF: http://www.darklands.net/faq/files/darkcode.pdf
PDF ZIP: http://www.darklands.net/faq/files/darkland.zip

Not long afterward it was converted into easier-to-use GIF and JEPG formats:

GIF: http://www.darklands.net/faq/files/symbols.gif
JPEG: http://www.darklands.net/faq/files/Symbols.jpg

HOWEVER! . . . There is another, unbelievably kuul solution to this problem.

How would it be if the game itself gave you the answer to the question right in the game while you were playing it?

Well, it can! Thanks to an ingenious solution devised by Joel "Quadko" McIntyre almost exactly 17 years ago. I'll let the the README file he included with the download explain:

"""
These are the alchemy "copy protection" pictures from
Darklands, altered to contain the label as well as the image.
This means you do not have to refer to the reference card,
you can read the copy protection image labels right in the game.
Needless to say, you shouldn't use them unless you own
the game.

This also provides proof that the PicConverter application
can create .pic images readable by Darklands.

To use these images, copy them into the darklands\pic directory
(backing up old images if you choose.)

Files:
StartScr.pic - Darklands Startup menu - added "www.darklands.net". :)
Copy*.pic - Copy protection "alchemy" images

"""

Note: It is of course only necessary to copy the twenty(20) files "COPY0.PIC" through "COPY19.PIC".

Until late 2019 this archive has been available for download from the Darklands Yahoo!Group, but with the demise of Y!groups that resource has been migrated in its entirely to Groups.IO. You can download this package today from there in the group's Files archive:

https://groups.io/g/darklands/files/Quadko%27s%20Files/AlteredAlchemyImages.zip

But since the Files section of the Darklands GIO group currently requires a login (which is FREE), for the convenience of all I've also uploaded the archive to the Darklands Domain for direct download:

ZIP: http://www.darklands.net/files/AlteredAlchemyImages.zip


You can ask here if you have any problems or questions, But you can also ask them on the Darklnds GIO group as well: https://groups.io/g/darklands

Enjoy. Cheers!
-mwirkk

I have created a new page on the Darklands Domain site (darklands.net) dedicated to the illustration and use of Quadko's "Altered Alchemy Images" tiles for you to use, to take the hassle out of getting past the copy-protection interrogations.

http://darklands.net/files/AlteredAlchemyImages.shtml

Be sure to visit this page so you can *see* it for yourself, before deciding if it's something you would like to try.

****************

Also, the Altered Alchemy Images archive is still available where it was posted originally 18 years ago, on the Darklands Discussion List/Group. Originally that was on Yahoo! Groups, but a couple of years ago moved to Groups.IO (GIO) when Yahoo! (Verizon) retired its popular groups service.

Darklands Group: https://groups.io/g/darklands
Quadko's Files Folder: find AlteredAlchemyImages.zip here

Note: you must be a group member to access the Files repository on the Darklands Group. I would rather make them available to the general public myself, but it's just the way that GIO does it. That's why I copied these up to darklands.net, to avoid any unnecessary hassles. Of course, you may choose to join the group. There's lots there to explore.

****************

Let me know if anyone has any questions or comments.

Cheers! pax
-mwirkk

Is it possible GOG could patch the game with these graphics? They are the only reliable way to answer the copy protection query (alt-tabbing results in the game quitting).

I suspect they would not unless the originals were retained with different names so that users who preferred the originals could readily reinstate them. More likely, if they were to ever fiddle with the assets in this way it would probably be the other way around, keeping the originals as-is and adding replacement tiles for those few who elect to employ them. Not everyone experiences the problem.

Anyway, it would be the developer or publisher who would be responsible for making such changes. A lot of folks are under the impression that GOG are the ones responsible for removing DRM features, but that is generally not the case.

-mwirkk