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Dwarf Fortress => DF General Discussion => Topic started by: Jh00 on June 30, 2010, 09:32:05 am

Title: What I most liked in DF
Post by: Jh00 on June 30, 2010, 09:32:05 am

As I promised in this thread (http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=60482.0), here are a list of the things I most liked in DF when I started playing it. If I developed a game for free, I would like to read something positive about it, so here is my 2 cents.

• The world creation seems very detailed and rich. It is very nice to see mountains getting eroded, rivers getting formed and forests raising. This gives the game a greater replayability value!
• I love designing my fortress prior to actually mining it. I have built fortresses totally different from one another. Everytime I create a new fortress I have new ideas to avoid the drawbacks I had on the previous one. This versatility really captivates me
• I was really astonished by the fluids in game. It was really nice to see how water flows when I activate a pump or drain a lake, and I was even able to design a waterfall!
• Traps are so much fun! It was nice to see a goblin rushing into my fortress and stepping into a weapon trap that didn´t kill him right away. Instead, he missed a foot and just tried to move away very slowly. I laughed so much I even spared him. Next, I created a retractable bridge over a pit full of spikes. When I opened the bridge, I could see the dispair in the face of that ASCII character as he plummeted into my sadistic device. So fulfilling!
• The need to irrigate a farm was very well thought. Usually, when I start a fortress, that´s my first concern.
• I liked the variety of crops, in which certain plants are only good for specific things (drink, dye, thread etc).
• The fact that creatures are actually composed of limbs were a very intelligent feature. Once my dwarf accidentally suffered a cave-in and I was amazed to see the list of damaged limbs and organs he had. And it is fun to see a goblin being overwhelmed by my military and end up with broken noses, missing limbs, bruised face and so on. Great addition!
• The "Health" system is very detailed, I can´t wait to see it to its fullest! This is the first game I play that makes me happy when I see one of my characters being hurt, because then I know I will see something interesting in the Health panel. :-)
• The fact that "dwarves prefer to eat seated in front of a table", although obvious, is a elegant touch to the game. Something so simple, in my opinion, greatly compensates for the lack of graphics. I love to see my nobles going to their personal dining rooms and I usually "k" the table to see what they are actually eating just for the sake of imagining if he is liking it (nerd, I know)
• Some of the workshops are very interesting. For instance, the fact that I need to mill plants before producing flour, or that I need to make lye to end up with soap. The production chains in DF are complex and that´s what I most liked in it.
• Moods is what kept me going in DF lately. When some dwarf claims a workshop, I immediately focus on him to make certain he has everything he needs, and I keep waiting to see what will be produced. I kinda remember the anticipation I had when I was a kid about to open a pack of album stickers.
• Caravans have the potential to be great! I was used to games where I simply opened up a window and traded with other civilization. I like the fact that I need to escort the caravans to my base, request the broker on site, select the goods I actually want to be moved to the trade location and wait until the caravan unloads/loads the goods. I had a great time a few days back when I had traded lots of valuable items and was expecting my export rates to take off, but then the caravan was attacked when they were leaving the map! Fortunately my squad was nearby and I could defend them flawlessly.

These are some initial thoughts I had when I started playing the game, but there are lots of other things I liked that unfortunately I can´t express correctly due to my lack of English or lack of time. I really can´t wait to see some new features on it, like working bowmen, better health treatments, larger sieges and so on, and I´ve been visiting the site, the forum and the bugtracker religiously everyday. Thanks again for the developers for the amazing work!

Title: Re: What I most liked in DF
Post by: Noble Digger on June 30, 2010, 01:16:54 pm

Always glad to see a positive thread about DF. It's very easy to focus on negatives, but *something* has kept so many people playing this game despite it being in alpha, right?!

I love how massively complex and open-ended DF is. I make my own goals and the game can handle expressing my ideas, and still manages to surprise me after a long time. Sharing stories and fortresses with friends is one of the best parts.

Title: Re: What I most liked in DF
Post by: darkrider2 on June 30, 2010, 01:41:01 pm

I like the world generator, I spent days configuring the perfect world, and I still use the settings today (with some modification as of 0.31).

I like the actual constructions and workshops, rather than those games that are like 'you built a factory! you get +9 industry here!'

Title: Re: What I most liked in DF
Post by: tfaal on June 30, 2010, 02:08:42 pm

Does this apply to the development of DF as well? If so, I like that Toady's focusing on combat improvements. Other than that:

• I like the mechanics system. It provides a lot of fun during peacetime
• I like the mod support, since it lets us adjust the game's difficulty and theme to our tastes.
• I like the new demons and forgotten beasts. You never know what horrors lurk below.
• Building off of that, I like that DF is kind of Lovecraftian when you look at it.
  Spoiler (click to show/hide)

  There's no evidence that benevolent gods exist, and the world as we know it is but a thin veneer of relative sanity. There is nothing above but empty sky, and nothing below but an infinite delve into the madness of the underworld. Our world is mortal, but the hell below holds an endless horde of demons who shall one day rule even this last refuge of the sane.
• I like the complete freedom adventurers are given. If it's alive, you can kill it, no questions asked.