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Author Topic: New(ish) dwarf trying to find out how to have fun losing.  (Read 1470 times)

Walrusking

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New(ish) dwarf trying to find out how to have fun losing.
« on: July 06, 2014, 06:14:14 pm »

Hey! So I've been playing for a while now. I think I'm getting the hang of the controls, but I'm still trying to find out how to find the fun part of losing. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this game, I'm just trying to find out how to enjoy the losing aspect I'm hearing about so much.

I'm sorta new to the forums as well, so I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong place to post this.
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sal880612m

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Re: New(ish) dwarf trying to find out how to have fun losing.
« Reply #1 on: July 06, 2014, 06:24:18 pm »

My first experience with this was dropping a section of soil on a child. I almost up and restarted but instead decided to stick with it and got him medical care, eventually he got up and started walking around on his new crutch. So for me the FUN isn't really about losing so much as it is in the fact that despite misfortune occurring it is sort of the narrative you put to it. When a dwarf survives something like that it becomes of greater interest to me than a lot of my other dwarfs. This is primarily the reason I have been playing low pop-cap games it gives you more time to spend on each dwarf, get more invested in their stories.

It isn't just that things go wrong but that sometimes it can be fixed and makes the experience more interesting.

I am not sure how common that particular line of thinking is though.
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"I was chopping off little bits of 'im till he talked, startin' at the toes."
"You probably should have stopped sometime before his eyes."

kingubu

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Re: New(ish) dwarf trying to find out how to have fun losing.
« Reply #2 on: July 06, 2014, 07:52:16 pm »

It's not about falling in the pit.  It's about falling in the pit enough times that you can finally miss that pit..  and fall in the next pit.
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Melting Sky

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Re: New(ish) dwarf trying to find out how to have fun losing.
« Reply #3 on: July 06, 2014, 08:01:05 pm »

Once you get the basics down there really is no reason you have to lose at this game if you play carefully. But that's the catch, careful is boring. Anyone can create a grim little box under the earth completely sealed away from the threats of the surface and the underworld and have their dwarves live there boring little lives out in untouchable peace and safety.

What sets the dwarves apart from the men is when instead of cowering in utilitarian safety, you build some insane, glorious adamantine spire into the sky to show up the four shoddy looking necromancer towers you have as neighbors. Then you figure out a way to capture and utilize the necromancers to unleash undead armies of your fallen foes against the accursed demons you accidentally let loose while digging out all that adamantine.

Sure cage traps can solve your elephant problems, by why use cage traps when you can flood the entire surface of the embark with magma? Sure you could embark on some tranquil meadow next to a babbling brook, but how much more awesome would it be to carve a mighty fortress from some cursed wasteland where the dead come back to life and flesh melting clouds drift across the landscape? Generally the more needlessly difficult and spectacular your aspirations are, the more gloriously it will all come to a bloody, burning end.
« Last Edit: July 06, 2014, 08:04:26 pm by Melting Sky »
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Walrusking

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Re: New(ish) dwarf trying to find out how to have fun losing.
« Reply #4 on: July 06, 2014, 08:32:06 pm »

Ah, okay! That makes more sense now. Thanks guys!
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Broseph Stalin

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Re: New(ish) dwarf trying to find out how to have fun losing.
« Reply #5 on: July 07, 2014, 09:42:39 am »

There's really one rule I've found and it's never savescum unless the fortress has actually been destroyed. As long as you never undo the little tragedies that occur you'll find plenty of hilarity, drama, and insanty.

FallenAngel

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Re: New(ish) dwarf trying to find out how to have fun losing.
« Reply #6 on: July 07, 2014, 10:49:29 am »

Remember - always do something extremely stupid dwarfy.
Magma cannon? Awesome.
Burning goblins and elves with your magma cannon? Awesome.
Accidentally setting fire to the most popular member of your fortress? !!Fun!!.