This seems to be my theme lately when I start a game I've never played before. I just make a single topic for me to keep going back to in case I forget what I've been told. I don't mind telling ya, brain fog sucks!

So, I've got 3 questions right now (assuming I'll remember them all...any mental list I have with more than 2 things is a crapshoot on whether I'll be able to recall it).

1> Is there a quick way to switch from ranged to melee?

I've been using the I-key for inventory, then clicking the button to switch, then hitting ESC to go back to the map. This gives my foes a free turn, presumably because I'm switching weapons (which I'm fine with because it makes sense that it takes time to switch weapons), but is there an easier way?

2> Is there somewhere I can sell this stuff I find?

No need to tell me exactly where, since I'm lawnmowing my way through each area (and making use of Auto-Explore when I think I've been everywhere already), just tell me if I'll find a place eventually.

3> Ingredients??!!

I've been told I picked up some Troll intestine in the little text commentary (twice), but I don't see it anywhere in my Inventory.

4> Unlockables ?

I see various races/classes that need to be unlocked. Is that just part of the game, or can we enter a code somewhere to unlock it all since we bought it from GOG and aren't just using the free trial version?

There is a key binding for switching between weapon sets. I changed a bunch of my key binds, so I'm not sure of the default, but I have it on X. It still takes a turn! Yes, there are shops. Hit Esc. There's an option to see the ingredients you've collected. Yep. They unlock when you've done certain things in the world.

I think Q is the default binding to switch.

Thanks guys. And yes, Q is the default I was looking for. :-)

[EDIT] And another question...why do I have this text overlap?

The user interface is both configurable and moddable. I dunno if you're playing with any UI mods, but if you are that could explain your issue. Alternatively, are you on a smaller display? I don't get overlapping text in that particular menu, but I'm usually playing with Marson's UI mod and on a 1080p display.

I've only played the free version (unmodded), and it's a few versions out of date now (haven't bothered to update it since I haven't been playing it, plus it would break compatibility with a character I haven't yet manage to get killed), but I've had that same issue on my laptop (1366x768). Probably not just on that screen, either, though I can't think of where else it would've cropped up.

The free version has access to all mods, just not the paid DLC expansions (just Ashes of Uhr'rok, one forthcoming expansion named Embers of Rage, and the Stone Warden bonus class.) It's almost criminal to play without any, you can go to te4.org and download them directly. http://te4.org/addons/tome

I know, but I'm not really into mods -- and like I said, I haven't really been playing ToME much for a long time. (Been getting into Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup, though, which I've had way more fun with, to be frank. In fact, I'm coming off a 6+-hour session with it right now!) I guess I'll just have to remain an almost-criminal for the forseeable future. ; )

I get the overlap too. i think it's just a screen resolution issue. What I think is happening is that, Dark God made it so the yellow text is locked to the right part of the character window. The window is sized to be proportional the main game screen. So if the game screen window is too small. It overlaps.

I've found the wiki for zone order to be especially helpful

and also the rest of the guide is good: how to unlock the classes, some other good info.