Bay 12 Games Forum

Right now the deformity sphere only pairs with disease sphere directly, but indirectly tends to be paired next to murder or suicide a great deal. This is trope-y but also pretty unfortunate; especially given that Dwarf Fortress has such a robust medical industry already implemented and a stated commitment to avoiding player eugenics. Maimed dwarves and those made chronically, even terminally ill, by forgotten beast expulsions feature prominently in DF lore, which is something very few games are willing to portray at all. Making it a few logical steps from sick to evil is pretty far from where the game has gotten with its social model, so now that you're shaking it up I had a few suggestions.

1) Make beauty/deformity in myth translated differently based on the society talking about the myth. This one is pretty obvious, but should become even morseo as generated creatures come to resemble each other and resemble humanoids less and less.

2) Let myths generate with deformity/disease tied to other social expectations. Having body parts or affects from illnesses resembling a deity; or having a deity of sickness and sacrifice also being one of rebirth and knighthood make for more interesting and subversive stories.

3) Positive social roles in societies that have disease and deformity sphere values. Having only sick people be doctors is probably a losing bet, but only allowing doctors already affected by a plague, or immune because of having something else, to treat people that have that plague is good writing. People living within social layers of society they otherwise can't access, passing messages out, maybe becoming disaffected or banding together with ill refugees against old peers. People being given story teller/scholar status to accommodate for bodies that can't fill crafting or combat roles is another example. Players already do this instinctively, but it's also the myth about Cerridwen and Morfran.

4) More plant, rebirth, and animal associations for disease. Illness is often the product of robust life. Even forgotten beasts don't show up before there's a few warm dwarven bodies to feed on.

5) Witches. Witches. Witches.

I made it through a vault and now I have a cute new friend made of filth and grime. What will "befriending" such a creature mean for its role as a villain? Will it still generate schemes for its home civ? Can it be made to very easily influence the civ it is/was running? Will people notice its run off with that supposed monster hunter from Far Away Civ and elevate a new ruler? Could it be switched to using the swapping between adventures interface upon it joining your party (since it is a pretty big investment to get)? If it's sent off screen can it do its own schemes? And please oh please can it try to have its controller assassinated?

I feel like once there's more sense of antagonism possible my friend wouldn't be so friendly in the arrangement we have now. I wouldn't in that position. It certainly seems to want to fight about the nuance of every value, so maybe it'll never really trust me enough to control it directly even if it's compelled to tag along to the extent it is now.

Also, I've gotta say, vaults are a pretty fun dungeon after all my time lost in sewers. Those levers have me so excited for the future.

Will your adventurer be able to talk about how much they love their pets? How much can you interact with a pet? Can I show off my cool pet to someone I think will like it, and will vermin haters be like "ack, gross! get that outta my face?" Can I give my vermin pet stuff to chew on, put it in barrels, or put it down? Will we be able to put animals in wooden cages on our property now? If you made an animal whose younger forms were shoulder pet sized but as an adult is bigger than you, which of those sizes is it going to think about in terms of its mechanics? Can you tag a pet for both vermin and mounts?

Unrelated, what about pits and dark fortresses make them unsleepable?

I've modded my goblins to be more sociable but their new taverns still don't sound very inviting since you have to stumble through the trenches drunk to sleep. Although that is a very Dwarf Fortress experience.

When adventure pets goes in, will it including lifting animals? Will adventurers be able to be included in cattle raiding and the like by snatching stray chickens in villages? Will there be stocking fish in ponds since vermin fish are often sold as an item already?

Let's see how many steps removed we are from a carp moat in adventure mode.

i don't know where it might be particularly found on the development plan or a appropriate place where it falls if Toady has even thought about it in-depth.

Dang. If only there were somewhere I could go to ask Toady about his future plans.

Since there's already people being identified by descriptions with the new made up identities do you plan to eventually have artifacts spotted somewhere described by appearance if someone doesn't really know about it? I know you've played Caves of Qud and their artifacts need to be identified, but that game obviously doesn't have all the same tracking code DF does

Will people seeking artifacts react different ways when they see an adventurer with said artifact based on their personality? Does respect for the law increase the chances someone will try to demand it over whether they'd barter for it? Are reactions usually positive or do some fellow questers see high reputation as an artifact finder as threatening?