Dwarf Fortress

http://www.bay12games.com
Bay12Games is the maker of Dwarf Fortress, a free computer-run (non-browser) game featuring ASCII-based graphics, an astonishingly complex play structure, and a learning curve steep enough to go base-jumping.

Download Page:
http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/]http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/]http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/]http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/

Concept: You begin with seven dwarves: a miner, a jeweler, a mason, a woodcutter, a carpenter, a fisherdwarf, and a fish cleaner.
You can change what tasks they pursue, such as plant gathering and farming, animal training, charcoal-making (woodburning in menu), stone detailing, soap making, weaving and spinning...

...and it goes from there, with migrants arriving in numbers based on the accumulated 'wealth' of the fortress, and traders from Dwarven, Elven, and Human settlements, by season. Your dwarves will require fortifications and a military as the game progresses, to fend off goblin ambushes and sieges... and the occasional attack by rampaging turkeys and pandas.
That wasn't a typo.

I am totally in love with this game; Chunes introduced me to it some months ago, and happily I've mastered the keyboard commands enough to get my fortress up and thriving. Unfortunately, I enjoy starting new sites more than sustaining existing fortresses, so I don't tend to stick with any single embark for very long... I'm the type to pursue optimization over duration. XD

Does anybody else here play it? If so, let's talk! I love to discuss fortress optimization and military strategies.
If not, give it a go! I recommend the Mayday or Phoebus tilesets.

I played before the military arch started, but I never got into combat really, the game was more fun to me when there was less of a focus on it, I have had a hard time learning all the military management stuff. I'd like to get back into it, but I'm a bit afraid to seeing how much time it soaked up when I was playing regularly the first time.

Do you know of any good tutorials for the newer versions that walk you through the military stuff all right and proper? That would probably go a long way.

http://afteractionreporter.com/2009/02/10/the-complete-and-utter-newby-tutorial-for-dwarf-fortress-part-3-%E2%80%9Cdwarf-whatnow%E2%80%9D/
This tutorial series is excellent, although I mostly self-taught and got pointers from Rabbit (who introduced me to DF).

I can't tell you how many fortresses I've started, gotten to the first set of migrants, and abandoned because I decided the initial layout wasn't optimal, or I disliked the types of resources on that embark. XD
I'm a Fortress Optimizer, not a player-through-military-campaigns. That said, I'm great at trading, heh.

Tegid wrote:http://afteractionreporter.com/2009/02/10/the-complete-and-utter-newby-tutorial-for-dwarf-fortress-part-3-%E2%80%9Cdwarf-whatnow%E2%80%9D/
This tutorial series is excellent, although I mostly self-taught and got pointers from Rabbit (who introduced me to DF).

I can't tell you how many fortresses I've started, gotten to the first set of migrants, and abandoned because I decided the initial layout wasn't optimal, or I disliked the types of resources on that embark. XD
I'm a Fortress Optimizer, not a player-through-military-campaigns. That said, I'm great at trading, heh.

That is definitely the tutorial I started on, and it was truly excellent, but as far as I can tell it hasn't been updated since the start of the military arch, and those are the functions I really need to acquaint myself with, unfortunately. I guess I'll find somebody I know to tutor me in it or something (I have a few friends that play, I will just have to commandeer one of them)

One of these evenings I'll pester Rabbit about it, take notes, and repost here. Might be awhile until then, though. Other priorities. :-P

Tegid wrote:One of these evenings I'll pester Rabbit about it, take notes, and repost here. Might be awhile until then, though. Other priorities. :-P

No worries, hopefully I'll have it figured out by then

Masterwork Dwarf Fortress has been released! WOOHOO!

^ That text is a link to where it can be downloaded and where a description of it can be read.^