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Author Topic: Bloodfeud, a quick new way to play Dwarf Fortress multiplayer  (Read 4394 times)

Dragons_Ire

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Bloodfeud, a quick new way to play Dwarf Fortress multiplayer
« on: November 30, 2013, 12:13:29 am »

While we're waiting for the new version I have thought of a quick new way to play df with you're friends - soon to be enemies.
In keeping with the naming convention of Bloodline, let's call it Bloodfeud that's exciting. Now this can be done in person or over the internet, of course in person being the more preferable choice. The basics are as follows.

RULES
2 players take control of 2 separate forts, (1 each).
The first player to have a fortress crumble on their watch is the loser.
At the end of each year players switch forts and take control of the other player's fort. The idea is to put your fort in a position where it's likely to fall without losing yourself. It's important that you STOP playing when the year changes, no lever pulling or door opening once it's spring. So if you're going to have a flood of magma flow through your fortress to kill your dwarves, it has to be set loose before the year changes, but not too early or you will end up having the fort fall during your turn.
If your opponent loses while in control of your fort they lose, the same is true in reverse.
If both players lose during a turn it's a draw, (you're just too devious for each other).
If you accidentally lose during your first turn, (you're traps are a bit too good), then you lose, so be careful.


Something to keep in mind
This way of playing df is probably not as well suited for more experienced players; I wouldn't be surprised if some of you were able to; in your first turn, kill all but one of your dwarves, have him standing on a one tile wide pillar of stone 20z levels tall, the bottom of which is a moat of magma and the top open to the sky where zombie birds are swooping down at him from.
So it may be better for more experienced players to reduce turn length to prevent such elaborate traps.

For a bit of a mix up, you can try using http://www.fungie.info/bell/# to give you a random time to change control; so you may have to let your trap loose as soon as it's constructed, and just hope control changes before you lose. The shorter the periods for the random tone the more hectic the game will be; so I advise setting it short, 2 minutes earliest and 10 minutes latest. Perhaps shortening the maximum length over time until you get to about 2 minutes and 5 minutes. With that 2 minutes of grace period to try to make the fort worse for your opponents next turn. Of course when using a timer instead of going off of the seasons the honour rule will apply; no pausing after setting your trap in motion and just waiting for the turn to change. Because of this, it would probably be best to only use a timer when playing in person, and only with someone that you trust - for now.


Enjoy, and tell me what you think about Bloodfeud! Any rule suggestions are much appreciated. Also, if you know any other random timers please let me know, that's the only one I could find. Also not entirely sure if this is the right place for a post like this.
Post your stories below, but delegate one person to post both sides of the story to make it easier to follow.
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Cruxador

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Re: Bloodfeud, a quick new way to play Dwarf Fortress multiplayer
« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2013, 04:20:17 pm »

This sounds like a magnificent premise. There's a lot of really unsporting things you can do that wouldn't be easily noticed though, like forbidding all the food/booze.
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MDFification

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Re: Bloodfeud, a quick new way to play Dwarf Fortress multiplayer
« Reply #2 on: December 05, 2013, 04:06:49 pm »

This sounds like a magnificent premise. There's a lot of really unsporting things you can do that wouldn't be easily noticed though, like forbidding all the food/booze.

Well, almost everybody would dig these little subtle exit shafts to allow cavern creatures/siegers a way in.
Another dasterdly thing to do would involve pressure plates. Set up a fortress self destruct button, link it to a pressure plate in front of a workshop and set it to be triggered by citizens, and then on the very last day of the year que up a dozen jobs...
They'll get the save, get a few days while the dwarf paths, and then suddenly BOOM! no more fort.
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King Mir

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Re: Bloodfeud, a quick new way to play Dwarf Fortress multiplayer
« Reply #3 on: December 06, 2013, 12:54:00 am »

Play with no dwarf civ, have a chamber or all of your fort with no way out except by mining. Put all dwarves in in, and destroy or dump the last pick. Destroy all food and booze and water access.

Seems too easy.

ChuckWeiss

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Re: Bloodfeud, a quick new way to play Dwarf Fortress multiplayer
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2013, 03:20:43 pm »

I love it. You're right that an experienced player could insta-crumble a fort within a year, but if you're opponent is as experienced as you, so can he :). Equal skill level and knowledge (of both content and game mechanics) would be important; however, sportsmanship is probably the most vital ingredient.

Set up a fortress self destruct button, link it to a pressure plate in front of a workshop and set it to be triggered by citizens, and then on the very last day of the year que up a dozen jobs...
What about a minor grace period to prevent this kind of thing? I can't think of how it would work without causing other kinds of problems though.

I'm gonna try to run one of these with a friend; I'll report back with our findings. And if all goes well, the Bloodfeud game mode should be added to the wiki.
« Last Edit: December 07, 2013, 03:26:51 pm by ChuckWeiss »
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Armok

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Re: Bloodfeud, a quick new way to play Dwarf Fortress multiplayer
« Reply #5 on: December 07, 2013, 05:05:12 pm »

Hmm, what about the cycle has 3 players instead of 2, and the player after the one the fort crumbles for is the winner? that is, you have to make it so that the fort will crumble in 2 years; if it crumbles for the next player the third player wins, and if you take to long or the player after you manage to delay it just one more year, it'll crumble for you and you lose as well. basically, each game has 2 losers and 1 winner. Basically, you have to either make a trap timed for 1 year for now the player after you cant disable in a year, or set up a situation you can handle and the player after you can handle but not repair, and the player before you can't handle. Should have some interesting game theoretical properties.
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