Bay 12 Games Forum

I'll start by saying I mainly play adventure mode but I'll make the occasional distillery in the mountains that supply the world with high craft booze.
All the time during both my travels and when overseeing a fortress I see conversations taking place. Already in adventure mode taking part in conversation is heavy handed at best. It does get the job done however as currently there are not really that many things to talk about. But with all the recent posts about updating knowledge/rumors/incident/witness reports/historical events, what is going to happen if any thing to the conversation system?

Given the attention to detail Toady usually puts forward in every thing the conversations are going to end up getting more complicated, covering a wide array of topics. Do you guys think it would be possible/a good idea to use some kind of chat AI in game and filter replies by the NPCs preferences, needs, and knowledge?

Sorry if this was already asked. Did a check didn't see any thing.

Today I bring you the Mystery of the Missing Horse.

First off, the fort to be in question is the outpost Emgashlogem "Riderpaints" is a small logging and farming village with about 18 members sat in a very helms deep like area. Forrest to the west rising form the river valley to the hills. To the east is the steep face of the mountain. From north to south runs the river and on the river is the mott and baily with basic needs covered. The dorfs are eager to spread production else where but for some reason the last few years the home land really wants us to strip the forest because logs are fetching a high price. All was well during the first two years. We sold enough lumber each year to stay in fresh cloths and maintain ample stocks of emergency supplies. However there was a small hiccup in the first winter.

There was construction problems that postponed some crucial work on the farm plot. A lazy lever puller flooded the plots on the first try so a small drain area was dug out. Soon the plots were built and being seeded but by then it was mid autumn. Right away I got them digging a well on the surface level. However right as I was about to connect the well to the river winter fell and the river was frozen. So great, first winter is a no drink winter. Not even booze. The farms yielded some plants but not enough. A month passed and I was watching the drinks count dwindle. There were plant gatherers out in the forest, hopefully they might find some thing. Eventually they did but by then winter was two months in. We lost 5 dwarves. Among them the original expedition leader. Early the following spring I had a small tomb dug across the river to the east in the mountain face. Water thawed and well filled thirst was quenched and soon after there were enough plants grown to fill the booze stocks. Since then all the needs of the outpost citizens have been met by either hard work or trade.

Now you may be wondering, where is this horse? Now is the time I remember I had a horse, because I was going to butcher it for some meat. Only I had no horse. Since when? I haven't been attacked yet, nothing dangerous wandered by either. Took a quick look around the fort and into the first two under ground levels. At that time the first two levels held populated areas. Couldn't find it. Guess it ran off.

Fast forward to late next year. With the new tavern bringing extra attention to the outpost I found it a good idea to expand the farms. So far no migrants have come since the first winter dehydration deaths. I'm still stunned I avoided a total loss by sadness spiral and survived the dehydration. It probably has some thing to do with nothing special going on besides the logging industry. Seriously, the home land is paying well, the new expedition leader is embezzling it all but still. He has one fancy office and home. Suddenly I see a notification, Missing Horse Found, starved. WHAT? zoom to location.

After zoning out the new sewers to match the expanded farm one of the miners uncovered the horse. It some how stumbled into the original drain plan but that area was sealed off.... Until now. What happened next is why I tell this story. I hit resume and watched the miner that found the horse just stop digging and stand there for a second or two. Then he just picks up the horse with hands only, and drags it all the way out of the fort to the surface and out back to dump zone. Like he was all "Great, since no one else picked this up in two years I guess I gotta do it", and just throws the horse over his back like it aint no thang. Had a good chuckle.

Today I am the Human Copnut "Ferrygrabbed" I forget the full dwarven name. But my characters name sounds like copping a feel on some ones nuts. Any way, I am Hearthperson to the Lord King of The Contentious Nation. Though it is a small town. Seriously just a market with a few import stores, two temples, and tavern called the Cook of Muffins right out side the keep. A town in its infancy. After taking a walk around and talking to various people to understand my surroundings and brief site history I spoke to my Lord for orders. The Jaguar man Lord gave me the task of hunting down a vampire that has been terrorizing the area lately, it lives close by but the Lord is unsure so he says to find a Dwarvin scout familiar with the area.

Minutes later I find him returning to town, presumably fresh from a scouting run. During our conversation he tells me he has been scouting in this town for 84 years of his life, that he is bored of this, and would love the chance for glory and death. So I tell him my quest, he tells me where to find the dwelling, and I ask him to join me. Later that day we come across the lair but night is beginning to fall so we set up camp a few tiles away on the over map. The plan is to catch the creature as she is returning to her lair in the morning. The night it self was uneventful and eerily quiet. Neither of us got much sleep.

When the day came we immediately made our weapons ready and stormed the lair. In the back was the vampire and we both ambushed her at once, swinging fast and furiously. But the Naked vampire deftly dodged between us and escaped the lair as if we were both standing still. Within moment she was gone. Not wanting to admit defeat I turned on tracking mode and got to work. It was slow going at first with hardly any skill. A foot print here or there some north, others west. At noon the same day the tracks began to make more sense and there was more to be seen, we must be getting close. Another hour goes by, still nothing. By now we have almost doubled back to the lair. Perhaps the vampire tried to lose us and return. Only the trail started to lead North/East now. Still we pressed on. Now the sun was getting low in the west, darkness will soon be upon us and with it the trail broken. Just as we were getting ready to give up for the day and set camp I saw her in the distance. Standing with her back to us clearly convinced we lost the trail.

Activate sprint! Charge, thirsting for blood! She begins to run again, but it's too late. I get a fast swing in on her upper left leg and the sword bites deep. Muscles severed and bone bruised she falls to the ground. Knowing the fight was over I walk along side of her as she trys to crawl away leaving a trail of blood while I state my emotional satisfaction of mastering my tracking ability. She spits at me in hatred, calling me unhinged, and that I have wounded her.
Those were her last words as I sever the head and store it as proof of quest completion to my Lord. The rotting head is still in the dungeon to this day.

I started as hearth person to a Human faction. Got asked right away to kill a night creature known as a Husband of Evil. It took a while to prepare but eventually my group killed it. We fought about 3 more in the area. Seems in 250 years this kingdom has suffered a bunch of reversed limb scaled leathery winged night creatures stabbing people with copper slicing knives.
No wonder every one I talk to is in a bad mood and warns of the night. Dorf worlds are terrifying places.

On a side note I started with musical stringed instrument strung with some forgotten beast hair.

It really depends on what you mean by 'Flavour'. Is it flavour text like how Magic:The Gathering cards have them? No, but then, there's probably nothing that is flavour in that manner in dwarf fortress.(Outside of dwarven beardstyles)

Dwarven Beard styles should represent Clan and kingdom and are passed down generations. Would be a neat feature.

Interesting science project. I too am curious about this. If I had to guess and I know how very scientific of me, I don't think they keep track of these things yet, at least not in quantity. IIRC there is no real economics system in place just yet. However I do think the civs know what they have access to, just not how much and there is no flow of items form site to site.

That's just my limited understanding of what the wizard toady has conjured. I could be way wrong.

Unlike my understanding of prior versions of the game, there was a real world carp attack but there were no fatalities.  The lake apparently did not even change the tile color to red.

Row, row, row — yikes! Asian carp attack WashU rowing team at Creve Coeur Lake or (print version with no ads)

Quote

One of the fish smacked him in the side.

“It was like getting punched in the rib cage,” he said.

...

“There was mostly just a lot of surprise. It was almost comical,” Dever-Harris said.

In the video, the rowing team is seen ducking, dodging and whacking the swarm of slimy attackers.

“The fish was flopping on my legs. It was so slippery that I couldn’t get a grip on it,” ...

No one was injured, and the fish offensive did not scare away any of the freshmen rowers.

I am saddened that I was never (un)fortunate enough to experience the lethal carp in the prior versions.

The Carp strikes the Freshman rower in the rib cage shattering the bone and puncturing the right lung.
The Freshman Rower is having trouble breathing
The Freshman Rower Looks sick
The Freshman Rower gives into pain
The Carp strikes the freshman rower in the head, tearing the brain.
Freshman rower has been struck down.