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[Strato1]

So, what got me thinking about this is that Dragons (as well as Giants, and other mega/semi-mega beasts) don't seem to do much in Adventure Mode.  Sure, you can go hunt them down in their caves and fight them, and all the poor, helpless villagers will cower in fear of a dragon located halfway across the world.  But ultimately (in Adventure Mode, at least), all these beasts ever do is stand around and sleep inside their lairs for years on end, waiting for an adventurer to kill them.

Why not allow the player to take control of a (semi)megabeast, in a new game mode?  Allow the player to scroll through a list of available monsters and beasts that exist in the world, and choose one to play as in a new, Adventure Mode-like game.

For example, a player could control a Dragon, who lives in a lair/cave.  They could hibernate to pass the time, waiting for adventurers to show up to attempt killing them.  They can go outside to hunt, attack villages & forts.  They could gradually build up a hoard at their lair.  The ultimate goal could be to survive as long as possible (since megabeasts are very long-lived).  Other activites, such as expanding their lair, finding a mate, fighting for control of territory with other megabeasts, etc could be implemented.  There would also be differences depending on what beast you are playing as (i.e. dragons breathe fire, rocs fly, bronze colossuses don't need to eat, etc.).

Of course, this idea could use a lot of fleshing out, and I'm not entirely sure how difficult it would be to implement.  But I, for one, would love to be able to play as a (semi)megabeast, rather than being limited to civilized races.

[☼Another☼]

Someone in the what's going on in your fort thread found a way to get goblins to siege with forgotten beasts, and make them playable. I imagine you could do the same with titans. But if you want a mode that isn't either of those, Toady will have to put it in.

[Bumber]

You can just mod them to be playable. Your scenario describes the life of a glorified bandit.

Toady's hesitant to make megabeasts (and other historical figures) playable because he's worried players will just commit suicide with them.

[FantasticDorf]

You can just mod them to be playable. Your scenario describes the life of a glorified bandit.

Toady's hesitant to make megabeasts (and other historical figures) playable because he's worried players will just commit suicide with them.

Well time passes and no doubt everyone and their grandma will know that the beast is dead via the agent system & go pick up the loot (same kind of thing happens locally with armor & battleground scrounging between armies on the march) and brag about a fake fight later.

> When Kobolds are involved, nothing will stay on the ground too long, you fortress dwellers might find a few scraps of rotting meat & a odd bone but nothing valuable off the creature.

I initially like the idea of playable megabeasts given some of the interactions some of them can do (for all intensive purposes a cyclops is a monsterous player, go demand stuff out of rulers etc)

[Strato1]

I understand many players might simply commit suicide as a megabeast, and I understand that it might be unbalancing to the game.

Although I never did (and still don't) expect this to actually be added to the game, I personally like the idea.  And though modding the game can make it possible to play as megabeasts, as I understand it, it usually doesn't result in very smooth/balanced/well-integrated gameplay...

[Rethi-Eli]

Well, I'd love to play as a megabeast and burningate the peasants, but this seems like it's a pretty complicated suggestion, with a few possible flaws.

I love the basic idea, and a bit of fleshing out may make it wonderful.

[Dyret]

Isn't this just how adventure mode used to work. Murder, loot, rinse, repeat. All you need is to mod the critters to be playable.

[Bumber]

@FantasticDorf
Was that supposed to be a response to my post or just the thread? It's left me confused as to how it relates to what I wrote.

I initially like the idea of playable megabeasts given some of the interactions some of them can do (for all intensive purposes a cyclops is a monsterous player, go demand stuff out of rulers etc)

You can actually already demand tribute from a site as an adventurer if you intimidate the ruler enough.

[FantasticDorf]

@FantasticDorf
Was that supposed to be a response to my post or just the thread? It's left me confused as to how it relates to what I wrote.

I initially like the idea of playable megabeasts given some of the interactions some of them can do (for all intensive purposes a cyclops is a monsterous player, go demand stuff out of rulers etc)

You can actually already demand tribute from a site as an adventurer if you intimidate the ruler enough.

Your response particularly & generally i guess. Just remarking that in the time it takes to create a new hero for that world after retiring/dying as a megabeast, the very curious will already know about it and steal/butcher your corpse, and if you retire you could always have it that your megabeast flew/walked back to the cave they came from on autopilot.

> Especially threatening to a ruler if you already are a mega-beast and have razed settlements, lots of kills & a 'monster' opinion malus under your name.

[Inconspicuous]

Another solution to this is to actually have megabeasts go out and do things. Sort of like bandit camps sending out raiding parties to attack and loot towns. Example:

The dragon FlameDestruction The FieryDeathtrap leaves his lair, appearing on the map as an asterisk(Possibly a different color, eg. red, to distinguish them from a herd of horses.). He travels to the town of GenericHelplessSettlement, lights some peasant huts on fire, steals some gold coins, and returns. This could spawn a quest, for example, Urist McHelpless has lost a valuable artifact crown, forged by his dead father or something like that. He begs you to travel to the lair of the dragon FlameDestruction The FieryDeathtrap, who has killed 32 in his list for gold, etcetera etcetera...

Now, the player has several options: Sneak in and steal the crown (Thief), or kill the dragon (Warrior). They could also wait until the dragon leaves his lair or is sleeping, sneak in, and grab it, or have an epic duel of the fates.

Other applications for this include, but are not limited to:

• Legends. A dragon could steal x artifact, and Urist McEpicHero could defeat it and be honored by his nation. Another thing that could happen is a dragon or other megabeast destroying a city, perhaps making the ruins into its home. The possibilities for legends are endless.
• Adventure mode play styles. Usually, the only solution to a dragon/other megabeast problem is to grind your skills to level 99999, then hire 12 expert mercenaries. Then you just might win. Adding in more megabeast dynamics would allow players to be a stealthy burglar, using their wits instead of brute force to complete a quest
• Better quests. More reasons to kill a megabeast, for example it stealing a priceless artifact, you need to get it back to whoever lost it. It might have killed the king's nephew, go get revenge. The list goes on and on...
• Better lairs. Currently, so called "Lairs" are holes dug in the ground, which might be fine for that scary giant mole, but how can a megabeast fit in there? Maybe, the dragon found a kobold cave, or destroyed an entire dwarven fortress, and is now residing there. This dragon/other megabeast would be a terrifyingly massive, 100 kill brute, and with a sizable treasure hoard, possibly containing artifacts.
• Fortress mode. I know, megabeasts will come and rip you to pieces, but what about other interactions with the fort? Maybe the outpost liaison comes with a word of warning at the approach of MurderMachine the bronze collosus, and urges you to prepare for an imminent attack. Maybe migrants could come from forts brought to ruin by a hydra, their clothing tattered, and maybe with injuries. Maybe, they could be traumatised at the event?

There are many more practical applications for adding more active megabeasts, rather than having a player play as one.

Say, would it be okay for me to start a thread about this? I'm on mobile, so I can't get all my ideas down as of now, but later I could put up a thread with more ideas.

[Shonai_Dweller]

Megabeasts attack sites. Always have done so. They often made the site they destroy into their home. Have you read Legends recently?
Megabeasts stealing artifacts is the one of the main points of the artifacts update.
That entire last post is almost a quote of the dev notes.

[Inconspicuous]

Megabeasts attack sites. Always have done so. They often made the site they destroy into their home. Have you read Legends recently?
Megabeasts stealing artifacts is the one of the main points of the artifacts update.
That entire last post is almost a quote of the dev notes.

Wait, really? The game does that?

Man, if I had a nickel for every time I say that about Dwarf Fortress...

[Shonai_Dweller]

Megabeasts attack sites. Always have done so. They often made the site they destroy into their home. Have you read Legends recently?
Megabeasts stealing artifacts is the one of the main points of the artifacts update.
That entire last post is almost a quote of the dev notes.

Wait, really? The game does that?

Man, if I had a nickel for every time I say that about Dwarf Fortress...

Well, the artifact stealing beasts are part of the upcoming release, but yeah megabeast attacks happen.

Now, there do seem to be a lot of megabeasts who attack one place then settle down for the next thousand years, so it certainly could be improved. I imagine beasts lusting after artifact thongs in the next release will liven things up a bit.

[Hinaichigo]

I think this is planned, and it would just be an extension of adventure mode. Toady has mentioned being able to play as a god so why not a beast?

[Shonai_Dweller]

I think this is planned, and it would just be an extension of adventure mode. Toady has mentioned being able to play as a god so why not a beast?

Play as a beast is part of the dev notes....