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Dwarf Fortress discussion thread

Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 9:48 pm
by IskatuMesk
I swore I made a DF thread already, but here we go.

In case you haven't noticed, I've been maintaining these sort of blogs in the Doackendium that cover the tales of dwarves in fortresses. I know a few people here happen to play DF, so I figured it might be nigh time to make a thread for actual discussion.

Dwarf Fortress

First off, what the hell is dwarf fortress?

Think Dungeon Keeper or sim city on crack with a billion times the depth. DF is the most intricate and exciting game since Starcraft. While the graphics may put you off, and the complexity a bit overwhelming at first, DF is pretty much the only game where you can battle vomit-soaked goblins with oceans of magma and have members of your society kill themselves with ballistas.

Quick links -

The version I use, Mayday tileset for shinier graphics - http://mayday.w.staszic.waw.pl/df.php
DF wiki, great to answer specific inquiries about gameplay elements - http://dwarf.lendemaindeveille.com/index.php/Main_Page
The guide I used to get started - http://afteractionreporter.com/2009/02/09/the-complete-and-utter-newby-tutorial-for-dwarf-fortress-part-1-wtf/

Dwarf Fortress is a pretty intricate game despite the looks. There's weather, temperature (it's possible to mod the game and cause cats to turn into massive walking explosions by raising their internal body temperature), goblins, dragons, and pointy-eared faggots who arrived on your doorstep with nothing but reed cloth.

My current fortress is Boatcudgel, a fortress in which I an naming the many dwarves after members of the community. Lavarinth, for example, slaves away deep in the mountain as a miner, while Arcan is becoming a stout hammerdwarf to help defend the fortress against future threats.

http://www.campaigncreations.org/forum/index.php?topic=1856

Questions? Comments? Ask away! The Fancy Hats Facility in the Doackendium has 3 threads, each thread representing the life tale of a fortress of mine. I update regularly, so even if you just have some time to burn and want something to read, feel free to check out my threads.

http://www.campaigncreations.org/forum/http://www.campaigncreations.org/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=4.0

Re: Dwarf Fortress discussion thread

Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 10:19 pm
by Whiplash!
Add me to your team!

Re: Dwarf Fortress discussion thread

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 1:25 am
by Lavarinth
As much as I deeply love Dungeon Keeper and point it out as one of my top games of all time, I can't help but shun myself away from Dwarf Fortress (as amazingly fun that it is to read your threads) due to the graphics. I love it when a game overwhelms me (if there's a way to understand it all eventually), however I almost wish I could drop in and say "hey, let me get some guys for you and just please convert this to something in a game with perspective."

Re: Dwarf Fortress discussion thread

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 3:19 am
by DrumsofWar
Ricky has become addicted to this game so I'll let him know.  I believe he has some Fraps too.

Also, this.

Re: Dwarf Fortress discussion thread

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 8:51 am
by Ricky_Honejasi
Since I know that more than a handful are interested in DF. I might as well post my videos.

However keep in mind the following :

-> About all videos are around 60 megs for 20 minutes each.
-> Due to the length and lack of my gaming skill in those videos, you are recommended to skip at times rather than watching at full length.
-> Both of my recorded fortresses were "abandoned" rather than finished until the end (no battles to boot) since I tend to prefer to restart over and over as I learn new things that I could have applied a long time ago in the current game.
-> Codec used : x264, no audio (anyway, it's just a same annoying piece of music otherwise that would make the videos 2-3x bigger and I got audio recording desync issues anyway)
-> EDIT : My game version's tileset uses the same tileset as Mesk's although the game's original tileset uses mostly ASCII characters to represent graphics. If you try it, I do recommend the tileset Mesk uses.

Ricky's Fortress 1
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game1_Part1.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game1_Part2.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game1_Part3.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game1_Part4.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game1_Part5.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game1_Part6.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game1_Part7.avi

Ricky's Fortress 2
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game2_Part1.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game2_Part2.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game2_Part3.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game2_Part4.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game2_Part5.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game2_Part6.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game2_Part7.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game2_Part8.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game2_Part9.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game2_Part10.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game2_Part11.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game2_Part12.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game2_Part13.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game2_Part14.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game2_Part15.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game2_Part16.avi

Re: Dwarf Fortress discussion thread

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 11:22 am
by IskatuMesk
Lavarinth wrote: As much as I deeply love Dungeon Keeper and point it out as one of my top games of all time, I can't help but shun myself away from Dwarf Fortress (as amazingly fun that it is to read your threads) due to the graphics. I love it when a game overwhelms me (if there's a way to understand it all eventually), however I almost wish I could drop in and say "hey, let me get some guys for you and just please convert this to something in a game with perspective."
Too bad. Despite the graphics, DF is the best game I've played in a very long time.

Re: Dwarf Fortress discussion thread

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 12:15 pm
by Lavarinth
IskatuMesk wrote:
Lavarinth wrote: As much as I deeply love Dungeon Keeper and point it out as one of my top games of all time, I can't help but shun myself away from Dwarf Fortress (as amazingly fun that it is to read your threads) due to the graphics. I love it when a game overwhelms me (if there's a way to understand it all eventually), however I almost wish I could drop in and say "hey, let me get some guys for you and just please convert this to something in a game with perspective."
Too bad. Despite the graphics, DF is the best game I've played in a very long time.
I'm still looking into it, however ;) Reading that tutorial is helpful, not that I've touched the game yet.

Re: Dwarf Fortress discussion thread

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 2:21 pm
by Ricky_Honejasi
And now, I decided to start yet again another DF game. This game although I try to cut the recording when it comes to taking quite a bit of time for decisions or when I prefer to check the wiki instead of fiddling 5 minutes to know how to build something that I don't remember too well for prerequisites or how to.

For fun, I also went with a CC naming scheme like Mesk did this time around.

Re: Dwarf Fortress discussion thread

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 2:31 pm
by DrumsofWar
I'm a smithy!

Re: Dwarf Fortress discussion thread

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 3:18 pm
by UntamedLoli
He has a devious scheme for my dwarf when he shows up.

Re: Dwarf Fortress discussion thread

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 5:47 pm
by AA7Dragoon
This is Mac compatible.  I approve.

I'll let you know what I think.

Re: Dwarf Fortress discussion thread

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 9:35 pm
by IskatuMesk
DrumsofWar wrote: I'm a smithy!
You're dead. You went out like a champ, but you're still dead. Now your body rests at the end of some abandoned hallway inside a stone box.

Re: Dwarf Fortress discussion thread

Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 11:36 am
by Ricky_Honejasi
So my new game in progress that I am much more likely to finish to the very end.

Ricky's Fortress 3
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part1.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part2.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part3.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part4.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part5.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part6.avi

EDIT : Extension of more videos x4
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part7.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part8.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part9.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part10.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part11.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part12.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part13.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part14.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part15.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part16.avi
Newest :
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part17.avi
http://hosted.samods.org/replays/RHvideos/Dwarf_Fortress_Game3_Part18.avi

Not feeling like writing any real log but for the first year, I stayed with my 7 initial dwarfs and then BOOM 23 new dwarfs next year. Although two died to goblins recently (a fisherman directly and a military badly injured then finished off due to falling unconscious under a stone trap).

Re: Dwarf Fortress discussion thread

Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 8:43 pm
by Ricky_Honejasi
In the end, ill write some mini-log since few are posting in this thread anyway :

So with my 7 first dwarves, I actually went more directly for expanding instead of just fooling too much around (especially when I didn't know many things).

So my goals were :
-> Making rooms and avoiding turtling my underground (since I tend to under-mine and such)
-> Farming and made create lot of food
-> Wine creation (since they leave seeds off food thus leading to more farming anyway)
-> Make lots of stone mugs as usual but start considering gems and such
-> Make traps even more early to avoid early ambushes/sieges wiping me out
-> At winter, dig/channel the water so I can have wells in my base to drink water instead of going outside.

Stuff happened and such and here's the highlights :

1) Very early on, Mantis (male, miner) romanticized Honejasia (female, leader) so they are likely to be the first couple to make babies in my base.
2) Mesk (Farmer)  and HKS (Winery) works closely each other.
3) DoW made traps, Tipereth cut wood and used it.
4) AA7 used stone for tables/chairs.
5) As winter arrived, I made Mantis mine/channel near the water to move it into spots for internal wells. A failure and a near-failure.

Immigrants only arrived one year later and I was surprised ... 23 new dwarves in one shot. It's for new since the second best I ever had was 10.

So with the immigrants :
1) One of them went into a fey mood and rushed head start into a workshop and became a legendary woodworker. It was fitting to name him Desler (since I didn't name any yet)
2) RazorclawX is set to be a sheriff eventually.
3) Quite a few CC contest competitors are in the military. Mucky is in the military despite Arcan(a)'s wifely objections.
4) Wibod is going to be a kitty killer (butcher).
5) BilltheEmu arrived with her daughter Shadowflare. She does as she pleases.
6) Many other things but didn't feel to list them all. All immigrants were named after CC or SA's known population. From what I remember name-wise : Lavarinth, Milldawg, Taeradun, Zilla-, Aekenon, Sodon, Adun are in.

So with the key events :
-> Had to protect Shadowflare from a child snatcher. PhoenixIV's squad did an okay job to guard the entrance.
-> Goblins killed the fisherman on an ambush (don't remember who) and then Mucky's squad went to save the home the VERY manly way (aka fists only). However, Rocco in Mucky's squad was the meat shield and took almost all the beating. Due to negligence in bed assignation and overall ignorance of military-related aspects, Rocco was bleeding severely even if many dwarves including DoW passed right in front of him. Rocco fall unconscious near one of the traps and died from it. So DoW is "guilty" at no concrete cost of ignoring Rocco's suffering and leading to its death (via traps). DoW approves of Rocco's death.
-> Probably one or two other minor things that I forgot.

Fortunately, I believe in reincarnation mentalities and "soul transfers" so we didn't heard the last of Rocco and the fisherman.

Re: Dwarf Fortress discussion thread

Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:58 pm
by Zilla-
lol, mantits fucked ricky