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Any Dwarf Fortress geeks here?
November 28th, 2007, 17:50
Originally Posted by RinaWell, it is, strangely enough.
Actually it's "losing is fun".![]()
DF is really the NetHack of sim-games. Meaning, a big part of the appeal of NetHack was the wide variety of YASD's (Yet Another Stupid Death, for the uninitiated) in it. DF takes that to a whole new level -- you can YASD an entire tribe.

(I'm starting over once again. My dwarf king just died in a horrible magma engineering accident and I don't feel like continuing without the little bastard.)
RPGCodex' Little BRO
November 28th, 2007, 20:22
I tried and failed miserably.
There is a reason why I usually shy away from builder-type games. They… uh… are far too complicated for my taste. I was unable to play the Settlers for more than 30 minutes, and I'm far too thick for this one. I'm paid for staring at code and other strange stuff on a screen, and I just can't bring myself to do it in my time off as well.
There is a reason why I usually shy away from builder-type games. They… uh… are far too complicated for my taste. I was unable to play the Settlers for more than 30 minutes, and I'm far too thick for this one. I'm paid for staring at code and other strange stuff on a screen, and I just can't bring myself to do it in my time off as well.
--
ESO-playing machine
Semper HiFi!
Motto of the 54th Groove Bde.
ESO-playing machine
Semper HiFi!
Motto of the 54th Groove Bde.
November 28th, 2007, 21:25
Yeah, well, it's definitely not a game for everyone. I suppose it's like stout porter -- takes a while to learn to like, but becomes increasingly addictive.
RPGCodex' Little BRO
November 29th, 2007, 12:02
I personaly think a Turorial would be a great asset to this game. I tried the "your first keep" tutorial on the DF-wiki page, but got turned off pretty quickly because of all the aspects that tutorial didn't bring up (on the map, what is what? Magma's supposed to be nice, but what is it, and what does it look like?).
It looks like the game I've been waiting for (I've been waiting for a really good sim for ages), but I'm afraid I won't be able to get into it
. I'll give it another (more serious) go when I'm ready…
Übereil
It looks like the game I've been waiting for (I've been waiting for a really good sim for ages), but I'm afraid I won't be able to get into it
. I'll give it another (more serious) go when I'm ready…Übereil
--
For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.
H. L. Mencken
The Chaos Cascade
For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.
H. L. Mencken
The Chaos Cascade
November 29th, 2007, 12:45
Übereil, don't get discouraged. The first 5-8 hours will be confusing as hell, but it gets a lot clearer from there on out -- or, rather, you're confused by things happening in the game rather than the way the game presents them.
The DF wiki is an a fantastic resource; there are a quite a few good tutorials there. Here's my dime's worth on getting started:
(1) Don't worry about fancy stuff like magma, steel, glass, clothing, trade, diplomacy, or war when you start your first fortress. Just concentrate on surviving the winter. For that, you need to figure out:
* Digging lodgings
* Basic comforts (beds, tables, chairs) => needs wood, carpenter's workshop, mason's workshop
* Irrigation (floodgates, levers, connecting the two, channeling water) => needs mason's workshop, mechanic's workshop
* Requirements for farming (muddy floor => getting water at a depth of 1 onto it)
* The kitchen (otherwise your produce will spoil)
* The still (otherwise your dwarves will have to drink water, which they don't like)
That's a quite a handful already, and, as stated, it took me about 6-8 hours to get my first farm going, the first three or four of which were spent in utter confusion.
The DF wiki is an a fantastic resource; there are a quite a few good tutorials there. Here's my dime's worth on getting started:
(1) Don't worry about fancy stuff like magma, steel, glass, clothing, trade, diplomacy, or war when you start your first fortress. Just concentrate on surviving the winter. For that, you need to figure out:
* Digging lodgings
* Basic comforts (beds, tables, chairs) => needs wood, carpenter's workshop, mason's workshop
* Irrigation (floodgates, levers, connecting the two, channeling water) => needs mason's workshop, mechanic's workshop
* Requirements for farming (muddy floor => getting water at a depth of 1 onto it)
* The kitchen (otherwise your produce will spoil)
* The still (otherwise your dwarves will have to drink water, which they don't like)
That's a quite a handful already, and, as stated, it took me about 6-8 hours to get my first farm going, the first three or four of which were spent in utter confusion.
RPGCodex' Little BRO
November 29th, 2007, 13:44
Originally Posted by ElwroThanks for pointing me to that. I was pretty sure that someone would be working on a tileset by now, since the game has been available for some time.
One of the Codexers is working on a tileset. Look here:
http://rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic….r=asc&start=25
and scroll down to see examples and a download link (it's still a work in progress).
November 29th, 2007, 18:04
Originally Posted by Prime JuntaFloodgate farming is mostly obsolete now.
* Irrigation (floodgates, levers, connecting the two, channeling water) =>
needs mason's workshop, mechanic's workshop
* Requirements for farming (muddy floor => getting water at a depth of 1 onto it)
Sand or clay are the way to go, and at least in the current version you dont need to worry about irrigation with them.
Last edited by Rina; November 29th, 2007 at 18:16.
November 29th, 2007, 20:26
Seriously? No wonder I'm starving every winter. Gotta try that… so you don't need to irrigate at all with sand or clay? Just dig a room and plant your plump helmets, cave wheat, sweet pods, and quarry bushes?
RPGCodex' Little BRO
November 29th, 2007, 20:59
Originally Posted by Prime JuntaYup! It's that easy. I'm not sure if Toady did that to ease the learning curve or if there is something else behind that, but enjoy it while you can.
Seriously? No wonder I'm starving every winter. Gotta try that… so you don't need to irrigate at all with sand or clay? Just dig a room and plant your plump helmets, cave wheat, sweet pods, and quarry bushes?
There is also a neat little trick you can do now: expose part of the farm to the sunlight by digging channels on the surface level, and you can grow outdoor crops inside next to your subterrean stuff.
RPGCodex' Little BRO
November 29th, 2007, 22:26
I'm makeing slow progress. I have a way of starting over if I make some mistake (which I'll have to get rid off…), so I have so far started four or five new fortresses (with one world per fortress). I was going to really start seriously on the last one but I somehow managed to pick a spot where I started at the top of the mountain, three levels above the forest…
Übereil
Übereil
--
For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.
H. L. Mencken
The Chaos Cascade
For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.
H. L. Mencken
The Chaos Cascade
November 30th, 2007, 11:55
Übereil, I think starting over is a big part of the fun. I must've started a dozen fortresses by now, although the latest ones have lasted a bit longer as I figure out more of the basics (I think I finally understand how food works, for example).
However, being three levels up on a mountain is no problem -- just tunnel down and dig a passage to the trees. It's a good idea to add a door and some stone-fall traps to keep the wildlife from wandering in, though. Not to mention kobolds and goblins.
However, being three levels up on a mountain is no problem -- just tunnel down and dig a passage to the trees. It's a good idea to add a door and some stone-fall traps to keep the wildlife from wandering in, though. Not to mention kobolds and goblins.
RPGCodex' Little BRO
December 1st, 2007, 00:14
Rightyo, I have survived my first year and received my first couple of immigrants. The interface is pretty nice, though click-and-drag would be quite a timesaver in some instances. I think I managed to find a nice starting area with a river and various kinds of rock/sand/clay ground, have so far found copper and aluminum. I think my greatest hurdle will be the whole "no victory conditions" thing, until I'm overrun by a bunch of goblins, of course, at which point I'll probably start anew with the goal of surviving my first invasion.
December 1st, 2007, 00:28
I just had my first invasion… and it was bugged. Apparently as of the latest version, the invaders just stand around the edge of the map and do nothing. IOW, play v0.27.169.33b if you want sieges to work. I'm sure it'll be fixed real soon. I guess that's why they call it an alpha…
I'm freezing that game until the next version; it's actually the first fortress I've made that's gone beyond mere survival -- I had about 50 dwarves, a sheriff, a couple of military squads, a big food surplus, and a neat little metal industry. It's kinda amusing that the most expensive metal (other than adamantium) is… aluminum. With platinum.
Next time, I'll pick a spot with flux materials for steelmaking. Iron somehow seems so… primitive.
I'm freezing that game until the next version; it's actually the first fortress I've made that's gone beyond mere survival -- I had about 50 dwarves, a sheriff, a couple of military squads, a big food surplus, and a neat little metal industry. It's kinda amusing that the most expensive metal (other than adamantium) is… aluminum. With platinum.
Next time, I'll pick a spot with flux materials for steelmaking. Iron somehow seems so… primitive.
RPGCodex' Little BRO
December 1st, 2007, 14:04
Originally Posted by Prime JuntaActually, unless I'm mistaken, it has been bugged ever since 0.27.169.32a was released, because of the Z levels. So I think that if you want them to work you need to get the last january's release. And as the invaders will come sooner or later in any case, I dont see much point in saving that for later.
I just had my first invasion… and it was bugged. Apparently as of the latest version, the invaders just stand around the edge of the map and do nothing. IOW, play v0.27.169.33b if you want sieges to work. I'm sure it'll be fixed real soon. I guess that's why they call it an alpha…
I'm freezing that game until the next version;
Edit: Apparently 33d released yesterday by the way.
Last edited by Rina; December 1st, 2007 at 15:51.
Reason: Fixed something.
December 1st, 2007, 17:02
I was quoting the wiki: [ http://www.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Siege ].
RPGCodex' Little BRO
December 1st, 2007, 19:17
Well, I appologize in advance for a half-assed linkjob…but this guy has a lot of usefull info about dwarf fortress in his blog. He's the reason I got interested in it in the firtst place since I respect his opinions about games (one of the few reviewers who also hated deus ex:invisible war back when he wrote for gonegold.com).
You need to scroll down to September 7th (an inch or so from the bottom of the page) on this one and start from there:
http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2…1_archive.html
He does a walkthrough/tutorial for the first part of the game over a few days, and there's plenty of posts with DF stories from various other people tossed in later…including some here (start almost at the bottom):
http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2…1_archive.html
and there's also this:
http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2…interview.html
There's a 2nd part to that interview but I'm entirely too hungover and lazy to look for it and link it…if you care you can find it yourself.
I'd imagine some of the tutorial stuff he wrote is outdated since the game has been updated at least once (twice I think) since then (I haven't played it in awhile) but it still might be useful.
You need to scroll down to September 7th (an inch or so from the bottom of the page) on this one and start from there:
http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2…1_archive.html
He does a walkthrough/tutorial for the first part of the game over a few days, and there's plenty of posts with DF stories from various other people tossed in later…including some here (start almost at the bottom):
http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2…1_archive.html
and there's also this:
http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2…interview.html
There's a 2nd part to that interview but I'm entirely too hungover and lazy to look for it and link it…if you care you can find it yourself.

I'd imagine some of the tutorial stuff he wrote is outdated since the game has been updated at least once (twice I think) since then (I haven't played it in awhile) but it still might be useful.
Sentinel
December 12th, 2007, 23:26
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