Bay 12 Games Forum

Quote from: Met on July 24, 2011, 02:26:19 am

Quote from: SalmonGod on July 24, 2011, 02:10:36 am

Quote from: Man In Zero G on July 23, 2011, 11:07:50 pm

It's caffeine dependency. It's entirely common and not really harmful to one's health in the least. It's no different than somebody who needs that cup of coffee in the morning to get going. As far as the "one-meal-a-day rule" he follows, there's support out there for it being a viable eating pattern with distinct health benefits, especially if you're trying to lose weight.

The soda is the only thing I worry about.  Caffeine is alright, as you say, but there are far worse things in soda.  It's seriously unhealthy.

How seriously? Last I checked, the soda drinking population wasn't dropping dead. My heart is still beating.

2,600,000 ammericans die from heart problems each year.

I've cut out almost all the soda I consume (maybe 12 fl. oz a day, tops) in favor of good, clean water.  So, I clearly agree it's a healthier option than soda.  Having said that, your cited fact is a tad misleading: of those millions, how many die from high cholesterol, or heart disease?  How many have genetic histories that predisposed them to heart maladies?

I'm just saying, there are stronger arguments for why soda is unhealthy than that.  Personally, I think Toady's health is a matter to be discussed and handled by himself, his doctor, and his family.  I personally think it's inappropriate for us, as supportive fans but ultimately strangers or acquaintances at best (for the most part), to be more involved than that.  Just my opinion though.

To clear up any remaining confusion (for any passersby and possibly, though unlikely, the OP):

"Goblinite" is a humorous term used as a catch-all for the metals left behind after slaughtering goblin invaders.  Since an experienced fort can, with the aid of ‼SCIENCE‼, reliably wipe out goblins and collect their gear for melting, the suffix "ite" was used to imply that goblins are more a source of combat metal (aka, another ore of iron/etc) than a true threat.

So far, a story-fort I've got on hold is my pride and joy.  It's got a massive windmill farm, a magma pump stack, a rather nice defensive bunker at the entrance, and the entry hall has statues ensconced behind clear glass panes for display as new visitors enter the fort.  It also has a large pasture and greenhouse that I'm in the process of completely covering with glass.

The whole thing is on hold because the place is able to, on a day to day basis, survive and thrive.  I don't want to waste time playing the game while designing my first megaproject, so I'm currently drawing up plans.  Once they're finished, I'll resume the fort and start working.  I've got a lot of ideas, but they all need to be fleshed out and planned first, lest the whole thing be ruined by invasions or the like.

War grizzly bears are my pick.  They just seem so damned dwarfy; I even modded them to be available at embark for my dwarves (they're a hefty 250 points for untrained ones though, so save your pennies).

I keep to a single, broadly-interpreted rule that can make the game rather challenging depending:  No Meta-Gaming.  Basically, I try to approach design, defenses, etc. from the mindset of what my dwarves would do if they were in charge.

I do usually have a bridge (since IRL drawbridges were frequently used to keep out invaders), but few if any weapon traps (I had a few friendly dwarves get caught in the crossfire once, and felt real dwarves would deem them too risky, and too cowardly for handling invaders), and few cage traps (I felt it made sense for dwarves to take captives, but it's TOO easy to catch things, so I limit my cage traps out of fairness).

You'll quickly be amazed how this rule can really alter how you play the game; anything I can't dismiss as a simplification/extrapolation for the sake of gameplay is considered too "gamey" or "exploity" and forbidden.  So, no atom-smashers, perpetual motion machines, wells that magically desalinate sea water, etc.

It can even affect your approach to certain projects (maybe the dwarves would consider an expanded farm, better defense system, or nicer jail more important than a magma-works or massive deathtrap).  Granted, this may not be the answer you're looking for, but it DOES make for nice storytelling and forts that can be significantly more complicated to run than one where the lives of your dwarves revolves around seeing your vision through to completion, danger and costs be damned!

I do find the slowdown somewhat disheartening, mainly because it seems like you have to choose between certain projects or a blazing fast embark.  Now, I personally never complain about FPS because I was still over 100 FPS with over 100 dwarves, a brook being rerouted into a waterfall, and the caverns breached.  I've got a damn good rig, but it IS noticeable (I was at 150 constantly, my cap, until I started the water works).

Really though, even on my old computer where 50+ FPS after the first year was incredibly fast, I had few complaints.  The game has so much content, and is so much fun in SPITE of being under construction, that I find myself the opposite of the OP.  Rather than finding the flaws and gaps grating on my nerves, I instead find news of completed features and squashed bugs giddying.  For me, the game feels so complex and fun it's easy to forget it's STILL in alpha, and not even a third complete.  So, I guess the best approach is to shift your mindset, really.

By the way, this isn't to say I don't have my own complaints (I find the inability of dwarves to wear the f-ing clothes they incessantly claim and leave ALL OVER THE FLOOR EVEN AFTER I GIVE THEM TWO CABINETS AND TWO COFFERS IN EVERY ROOM!!!!!! nothing less than steadily infuriating), but they are easily outweighed by the positives.

All you noobs have pretty good screwups, but I recently usurped George Costanza for the title "lord of the idiots." Observe:
I spent two years building a 40 z-level deep pit trap with two bridges over them and a pillar in between that supported a pressure plate that did...fun stuff. The pit had a magma cleanup system, and then a draining system for the magma so it would return to its grated-cistern that led to a volcano and leave the goblinite behind. It was a masterful piece of dorfen engineering.
On the LAST z-level, after the bottom bridge that covered the magma, I accidentally dug through a support pillar when I hit d-h and didn't take the time to un-designate the pillars. The magma-covers collapsed, killing 3 Legendary Miners, and the bridge above collapsed. The debris killed an Adept Mechanic as he was climbing back up a staircase from the bottom, and the colapse itself killed a Grand Master Woodcutter who was getting wood, and a Legendary Gem Setter who had just finished making an artifact and carrying it back across the bridge: InkyShield, a Black Diamond Window.
The magma pit was connected to an underground volcano, so everything sunk to the semi-molten rock.

Bow and pay tribute to your king! For I am franti, Dwarf Lord of the idiots!

The King is a fool!  Long live the King!