Let's Play Dwarf Fortress: Syndrome Conundrum

[Scizophrenic Llama]

The Chief Medical Dwarf is "quite susceptible to disease". Yeah that sounds about right.

Poor analytic skills is what stuck out to me. Seems like it'd be hard to determine what is wrong with somebody if you can't properly analyze.

 

[repeating integers]

Commander Root came back from the crypt carrying a new baby girl in her hands. Apparently she gave birth down there. While fighting zombie trogs.

"Grand Master Fighter" really sounds about right now.

 

[killthenrun1]

Looks like more brave (dumb) souls have joined the fort. I give them three days.

 

[Chaza]

Hey can I be re-dwarfed please?

 

[scotth266]

You know what, whenever I get around to seriously trying to play Dwarf Fortress, I'm going to draft only men into the military. Not that the female dwarfs can't fight: it's just that the whole "dragging children into deathmatches with local fauna" thing kind of weirds me out a bit.

 

[repeating integers]

You know what, whenever I get around to seriously trying to play Dwarf Fortress, I'm going to draft only men into the military. Not that the female dwarfs can't fight: it's just that the whole "dragging children into deathmatches with local fauna" thing kind of weirds me out a bit.

But don't you know that babies make the BEST shields?

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Commander Root came back from the crypt carrying a new baby girl in her hands. Apparently she gave birth down there. While fighting zombie trogs.

I have nothing further to add.

 

[AlexiVolkov]

Root is kinda terrifying... I'm almost afraid of being dwarfed now, god only knows what she would do to poor volkov.

 

[Internet Kraken]

So, let me get this straight.

We make this really complex game. So complex that it defies modern conventions.

But we don't even lift a finger to help the player, you know, EXPLAIN how to play the game.

This is why we don't have complex games anymore. Because the people who make complex games don't even bother to teach the player how to play it.

There's actually a developed guide ingame teaching you what to do. The problem is that it's incredibly shallow compared to the depth of the game and the nature of Dwarf Fortress makes it kind of useless. Considering it's a free game made being mad by two dedicated guys, I don't expect them to be making it easier for people. It'd certainly give the game for more appeal but Toady and his brother wouldn't enjoy doing it, and I can't say I blame them. Dwarf Fortress is more of a pet project than a game. Toady is developing it primarily for his own satisfaction.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

But we don't even lift a finger to help the player, you know, EXPLAIN how to play the game.

Like Minecraft, Amnesia, The Path, Machinarium, Terraria, Sam and Max, Sword of the Stars...

The reason we don't have complex games anymore is that people are unwilling to put the time in to learn them. They just want instant killstreaks.

Dwarf Fortress doesn't do that. It doesn't even let you win.

Root is kinda terrifying... I'm almost afraid of being dwarfed now, god only knows what she would do to poor volkov.

Feel sorry for poor @Aidinthel: He married her.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Then maybe they could have even sold the game and made a living.

They don't particularly want to sell the game, and they make quite a good living off the many Dwarf Fortress fans that send in donations. Their living costs are reasonably low.

I know this is quite hard to believe, but they're just doing it because they like doing it, not to make any money off of it.

...that's not "wrong", is it?

 

[Internet Kraken]

So the solution is to make it even harder to learn?

The very least they could do was to at least help players get their foot in the door with an interactive tutorial.

Then maybe they could have even sold the game and made a living.

The problem is your thinking of Dwarf Fortress as a marketable game like Minecraft. It's not. It's a Toady's pet project before anything else, and therefore he does what he wants with it. He takes the communities opinion into account because they give him good ideas, but he is primarily doing this for his own satisfaction.

Toady actually could have sold the game and made a living off it. At least one major company has approached him with marketing deals, but he declined. He doesn't want to turn Dwarf Fortress into a mainstream project right now because it would kill the spirit of the game. The reason we have so many cool and interesting features is becuase Toady is allowed to do whatever he wants with it.

That's not say to game's brick wall of a learning curve and terrible interface aren't frustrating though. However, I don't think it is really fair to criticize him to much for it.

 

[greatorder]

Then maybe they could have even sold the game and made a living.

They don't particularly want to sell the game, and they make quite a good living off the many Dwarf Fortress fans that send in donations. They're living costs are reasonably low.

I know this is quite hard to believe, but they're just doing it because they like doing it, not to make any money off of it.

...that's not "wrong", is it?

nope. nothing wrong. in fact, it's somewhat awesome that they are doing what they want for their living, and living off of donations.

also, I reckon you just simply held off the trogs with one hand while giving birth.
gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Push!'

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Push!'

You don't want to know what "Over the top" means then

 

[greatorder]

gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Push!'

You don't want to know what "Over the top" means then

*prepares brain bleach*
oh god no!
*applys brain bleach*
now, what was I screaming about? what's this post? OH GOD!
*applys brain bleach*

 

[killthenrun1]

Over the top?

Also I am suprised they do not ask the community to write one for them to include as the one they have now ... frankly is shit and made me almost not want to play the game. They should do what some indie music bands do and let people donate what they think it is worth when they get it but that does not turn out well.

Has anyone else read that in think it was a huge new york times artice about them? They live for under a grand a year apparently but I am not sure if that is even possible.

 

[Internet Kraken]

A good tutorial for this game could make the game more approachable, make the game marketable and make complex games like this one profitable.

If there is profit seen in good, complex games then there will be more of them. That's the way of things.

How is this relevant to what I just said? Toady doesn't care about Dwarf Fortress being profitable. He could have marketed it, but declined the offer. He could work on making the game more accessible, but then he wouldn't have time to work on the stuff he wants to. In the far distant future maybe we'll see a more accessible Dwarf Fortress marketed to the masses, but Toady has no interest in that right now. He's focusing on adding new features to the game. It isn't even close to being out of alpha in his opinion, and this is after 7 years of work.

Not wanting to get into Dwarf Fortress becuase it's so god damn obscure is perfectly understandable. Complaining about it is kind of pointless though.

Has anyone else read that in think it was a huge new york times artice about them? They live for under a grand a year apparently but I am not sure if that is even possible.

Toady doesn't live under a grand a year, that's just insane. However, his living standards are pretty low which is how he manages to sustain himself on donations alone.