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Masterwork DF / Re: Future of the Mod - What I will do next.
« on: August 28, 2014, 09:25:44 pm »
Hey Meph!
Thanks for the hardwork, Masterwork sure is a great addition to Dwarf Fortress.
I've been playing DF for a couple of years now.
When I first started I tried MDF and my fort died very fast due to some merchants that turned into were-creatures and killed everyone. =)
I was just learning then and this experience scared me a bit so I returned to play vanilla.
Two weeks ago I saw a youtuber playing MDF and I decided to give it a try.
I have been playing since then and I can sure tell you that I changed my mind about MDF.
I will tell you now what I enjoyed the most and things I think that need improvement.
I hope it helps.
WHAT I ENJOYED ABOUT MDF
The thing that I enjoyed the most was the increase of the workflow complexity.
Little additions as processing the ore before smelting it gave the game more life.
It also allowed me to have more jobs for my dorfs to do.
Another thing that I enjoyed is that MDF gave Dwarf Fortress more replay-ability.
There a more things to do, more options to test, more races to play with.
I have only played with dwarfs and I still got a lot to learn before I move to other races.
I also like the simplification of meat, milk, leather and other raw materials.
Although I think it looses some depth and food for imagination, it helps with the FPS and makes things easier.
WHAT I THINK NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
I believe that most of the things I think need improvement are related to one single cause.
There is not enough clarity on how to deal with the new features.
I learned how to play DF watching videos on youtube, asking questions on forums and reading the wiki.
Despite the manual that comes with MDF, I believe that there is a lack of information on how to take the most of the new features.
For example, I have no idea on how technology and magic works.
Also, I had to embark several times and create several worlds until I was capable to play with the dwarfs.
I still don't know for sure how to best create a world with as many races as possible and choose the right civilization when embarking.
I also have the feeling that there many good additions to MDF that I'm not even aware of.
Some are not detailed on the the GUI or the Manual, others I just turned it off because I didn't know for sure what it meant.
I believe that an effort to help introduce new players to the new features of MDF would be a great addition to the mod.
Some examples that come to my mind are workflow charts, a more detailed manual and in game tips.
Regarding the Manual, I see it as a good catalog, but it is not designed to introduce players to the new features.
I'm not sure if I'm making my point clear... but as a board game player I know that there is a difference between a good manual and a great manual!
The only other problem that I have experienced so far were the crashing bugs.
The mod seems very buggy on world creation. It constantly crashed while generating the history. (disabling races seemed to solve, what is a pity...)
Also, it crased more often that I would like while playing the game. What is a huge problem.
I highly recommend that stability should be your number one priority.
Even if you could make MDF the best game/mod of all time, it would be worthless if no one could play it.
The only real issue that could make me stop playing MDF and going back to vanilla would be getting sick of experiencing crashes all the time.
---
Well... that is it.
I hope my comments where helpful and didn't sound too hard.
I do enjoy MDF and I think it is a great mod.
Thank you very much for all the effort you have put into it.
Best Regards!
Thanks for the hardwork, Masterwork sure is a great addition to Dwarf Fortress.
I've been playing DF for a couple of years now.
When I first started I tried MDF and my fort died very fast due to some merchants that turned into were-creatures and killed everyone. =)
I was just learning then and this experience scared me a bit so I returned to play vanilla.
Two weeks ago I saw a youtuber playing MDF and I decided to give it a try.
I have been playing since then and I can sure tell you that I changed my mind about MDF.
I will tell you now what I enjoyed the most and things I think that need improvement.
I hope it helps.
WHAT I ENJOYED ABOUT MDF
The thing that I enjoyed the most was the increase of the workflow complexity.
Little additions as processing the ore before smelting it gave the game more life.
It also allowed me to have more jobs for my dorfs to do.
Another thing that I enjoyed is that MDF gave Dwarf Fortress more replay-ability.
There a more things to do, more options to test, more races to play with.
I have only played with dwarfs and I still got a lot to learn before I move to other races.
I also like the simplification of meat, milk, leather and other raw materials.
Although I think it looses some depth and food for imagination, it helps with the FPS and makes things easier.
WHAT I THINK NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
I believe that most of the things I think need improvement are related to one single cause.
There is not enough clarity on how to deal with the new features.
I learned how to play DF watching videos on youtube, asking questions on forums and reading the wiki.
Despite the manual that comes with MDF, I believe that there is a lack of information on how to take the most of the new features.
For example, I have no idea on how technology and magic works.
Also, I had to embark several times and create several worlds until I was capable to play with the dwarfs.
I still don't know for sure how to best create a world with as many races as possible and choose the right civilization when embarking.
I also have the feeling that there many good additions to MDF that I'm not even aware of.
Some are not detailed on the the GUI or the Manual, others I just turned it off because I didn't know for sure what it meant.
I believe that an effort to help introduce new players to the new features of MDF would be a great addition to the mod.
Some examples that come to my mind are workflow charts, a more detailed manual and in game tips.
Regarding the Manual, I see it as a good catalog, but it is not designed to introduce players to the new features.
I'm not sure if I'm making my point clear... but as a board game player I know that there is a difference between a good manual and a great manual!
The only other problem that I have experienced so far were the crashing bugs.
The mod seems very buggy on world creation. It constantly crashed while generating the history. (disabling races seemed to solve, what is a pity...)
Also, it crased more often that I would like while playing the game. What is a huge problem.
I highly recommend that stability should be your number one priority.
Even if you could make MDF the best game/mod of all time, it would be worthless if no one could play it.
The only real issue that could make me stop playing MDF and going back to vanilla would be getting sick of experiencing crashes all the time.
---
Well... that is it.
I hope my comments where helpful and didn't sound too hard.
I do enjoy MDF and I think it is a great mod.
Thank you very much for all the effort you have put into it.
Best Regards!
