Is there any console "graphics" library for .Net?

Question

My basic goal here is writing a .NET remake of Kingdom of Kroz. For those not familiar with the game:

http://www.indiefaqs.com/index.php/Kingdom_of_Kroz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHwlNAFXpIw

Originally it was supposed to be a quick distraction project to give me a break from all the generic enterprise WCF/WF/LINQ2SQL/etc work projects occupying most of my time lately. While the result of my effort is playable, it looks like absolute arse (even for a console-based game) because of the way I'm redrawing everything in each frame.

I'm aware of some alternate approaches but in the brief tests I've done they still don't offer significant performance or aesthetic benefits. I almost can't believe I'm asking this, but... does anyone know of a fast and efficient "console graphics" library for VB.Net / C#?

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Edit: failing the availability of a "library" as such, perhaps there's a reference for fast console drawing/update techniques?

Answer 1

You could try Curses-Sharp http://sourceforge.net/projects/curses-sharp/ or libtcod http://doryen.eptalys.net/libtcod/

curses-sharp is a "A full featured, object-oriented, multi-platform C# wrapper for the curses terminal control library. "

and libtcod is "...a free, fast, portable and uncomplicated API for roguelike developpers providing an advanced true color console, input, and lots of other utilities frequently used in roguelikes."

Answer 2

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms682073(v=VS.85).aspx

Some/many of these functions you might need to use P/Invoke for, but they should do what you need. You can write at arbitrary locations in the buffer and get key-based, non-buffered input. Usually you start with GetStdHandle() to get handles to the console input and output "streams" and then you call one of the appropriate functions from the above list to do something, like WriteConsoleOutputCharacter(), or PeekConsoleInput().

I once wrote a library to create an in-process windowing system using the Windows console and plain Win32 on C. Fun project, but I don't know where it is now.