Dwarf Fortress

[Gargantou]

I was just checking if anyone here plays Dwarf Fortress, and a warning, if you're a graphicswhore, go away from this topic right now, this game is ALL about gameplay and not the LEAST about graphics.

Dwarf Fortress is basically one of the deepest and most awsome roguelikes ever to have been made by man, it is freeware and released by Bay12games, being developed by two brothers, it is in early alpha stage but still highly playable and very fun(If you're not a graphicwhore), the graphics are pure ASCII but in the future a tileset MIGHT arrive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_Fortress great wikipedia article on the game.

http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/ official site.

For those of you who read PCGamer UK; you might remember the VERY POSITIVE review they gave of this game, which in my opinion speaks alot for itself, when a PROFESSIONAL PC GAMING MAGAZINE gives a early alpha game that looks like THIS positive reviews, its either gotta be really good, or the devs have paid'em a shitload of cash.

 

[HunterSeeker]

I have played it and it is frigging great. I have shelved it in anticipation for the next version where we will get 3d fortresses...

And also, calling it a roguelike is misleading. The game is really about the fortress mode which makes is very dungeon keeper like in my opinion.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

Yea I played this and the gameplay is DEEP.

Huge learning curve. As in, don't expect to know what's going on until you've had a few days of playing time. It really forces you to think logically about what you need and how to go about it.

Oh, and ASCII char set isn't bad. You just need to use your imagination and learn what's what and you can easily see things out in the blur of characters. After two days of playing, I could recognize everything in the world without having to hold my cursor over them.

 

[Gargantou]

I'm glad to see other here are enjoying it, and you are right HunterSeeker, calling it a roguelike isnt really right, I just meant view-wise.

I like to play adventure mode just as much as Fortress mode though, like earlier, I ventured to the northern tundras, encountered a polar bear, I shoved a spear into its body and pierced its heart, sadly the f*cking spear got stuck, next thing I know it has ripped off one of my arms and bitten me in my head causing me to die, a short while later it died from bloodloss.... Damned evil polar bears..

And I agree Iced_Eagle, ASCII char sets lets you use your imagination alot more, which I've come to become quite good at after playing games like ADOM and NetHack alot.

Man just imagine if these guys got a GOOD publisher that gave'em a large team of coders, what they could accomplish..*Dreams*

 

[HunterSeeker]

First time I played adventure mode I encountered a herd of wild horses. My sword gut stuck in one and it ran away, taking my sword with it. My poor unarmed character got stampeded by the rest of the herd...

 

[Gargantou]

I can see that before me haha, I remember the first time I myself got a weapon stuck in ME, after I finally pulled it out, I started bleeding like hell, and used the blood to write "OMG" on the floor below me, you just cant do that in any other game.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

Hahaha, just set myself up another world.

I love the name it gave one of the zones in the game.

"The Mighty Forest of Pregnancy"

 

[DannyC.]

I don't play it, but I enjoy grabbing a soda and watching my brother try to carry out his insane plans that sometimes turn out badass, but most of the time result in his fortress filling with magma or something. But this also means I have to occasionally listen to him as he tells me of what him and his Something Awful buds plan to do with the next patch that I understand vastly bolsters the dynamics of the game.

 

[Acepilotf14]

I am starting it up..
This better be awesome.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

If you're expecting next-gen this or that, expect to be taken a back.

If you've never experienced pure ASCII graphics, expect to be taken for a loop. No there is no special graphics settings you can change. You just need to learn what symbols mean what and colors and such.

Gameplay has a STEEP learning curve. Go to the wiki and find tutorials to get your feet wet. Like I said, expect a few days to even begin to learn the game, and weeks to become somewhat decent, but by that point you're probably going to be so sucked into the game anyway.

Main point if you've never played a game like this before is simply get lost in it and use your imagination!

 

[HunterSeeker]

I have yet to build a fortress that survives until I strike admantite.

Known causes of desutruction includes: Famine (Very common in your first attempt), Civil War (Aka, tantaruming dwarves of deatht. It is kinda painful when they destroy farm plots and bridges), Goblin Invasion and Irrigation System Mishap (Darned kobold pulled a level connected to my irrigation system without me being ready for that. It flooded my entire fortress, I am now digging redirecting channels to prevent this sort of thing from happening).

 

[L3adCannon]

Man just imagine if these guys got a GOOD publisher that gave'em a large team of coders, what they could accomplish..*Dreams*

That`s the thing, the moment they get a good publisher who is willing to put lots of money into it, will turn it into a mindless, crap-ass game with the lastest DirectX support.

Can`t be asked to read, what is that game about? bulding a fortress? is it turn based?
EDIT: K i read the wiki article, rpgs aint my thing. Still gonna try it though.