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Author Topic: A Mac newbie wondering about version 43  (Read 783 times)

Keybounce

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A Mac newbie wondering about version 43
« on: August 11, 2017, 06:56:58 pm »

I am an absolute newbie to Dwarf Fortress. Until recently, I thought it was a graphical game for the PC. Now, however, I'm looking for advice.

I downloaded the official Mac release, but apparently, what I want is actually a newbie starter pack, not the official game. Lazy Mac pack comes in three different flavors, and the latest version of the game there is missing almost everything. As much as I see people saying that DFHack is a must, I've had other people tell me that the current version is perfectly playable vanilla without it. I'm seeing other saying that managing the dwarves without an addon is next to impossible, and at least the DfHack's mini-version of therapist is a must. I don't know what to know or where to turn to.

Equally, what I thought was a graphical game output turns out to be a separate modeling program -- so it's not just "Make a flat defense on the exterior ground" (one layer on the display at ground level) but "Build a 3d structure into the sky" as well as multiple layers underground -- so some sort of imaging program to keep this all straight and visible is going to be needed. But from what I understand, that means Armok Vision -- which according to Lazy Man means going to an older version of the game that is now running into memory allocation issues as a 32 bit program.

So I notice that I am confused. Please help me.
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Fleeting Frames

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Re: A Mac newbie wondering about version 43
« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2017, 07:41:42 pm »

For 3D and isometric view, there are Armok Vision and stonesense, but they're are more used to get cool screenshots and visualize battles than to actually play as it is. Closest to original game but still viewing more than layer at time, Text Will Be Text (TWBT) enables one to to see z-levels beneath open space (as well as having different tiles for same symbols in text and game view). All three require dfhack, of course.

However, note that for a typical multi-level fortress the floors are on top of each other, so you'll still be seeing just 1 floor at time. Even with transparent glass floors in Armok Vision, other things will be just in the way :P While there's probably exceptions, people generally do the heavy lifting inside the normal DF screen.


Now, what to get - I'd say go ahead and take 43.03 pack - the 43.05 version main gameplay difference is combat wear, which will not concern much your first few practice fortresses. You can always copy-paste your save over if you want to upgrade later.

DFHack adds lot of quality of life options, and as a newbie you could put off learning about dozens of skills by using automatic labor assignment via autolabor command and try making your first drunk and fed outpost for a start; you won't be able to learn the entire game in an afternoon. I recommend following a guide.

(The vanilla labor UI difficulties compound cubically with time, so it's absolutely fine to learn with - what they're talking about is late game. )
« Last Edit: August 11, 2017, 07:47:33 pm by Fleeting Frames »
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Shonai_Dweller

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Re: A Mac newbie wondering about version 43
« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2017, 02:55:13 am »

The only thing the newb pack will help you with (over vanilla) is a graphical menu for setting your options (vanilla is a text file - a very self explanatory one) and a bunch of graphics packs, because some people don't like to look at the vanilla ascii-style tileset (of course, graphics and alternative tilesets/color schemes can all be simply added manually without a pack)

Some people are obsessed with micro-managing their dwarves, so they'll tell you it's impossible to play without having tools like Dwarf Therapist to do it for them. But since you're starting out, you're much better off playing the game before working out for yourself what you might need help with.

No matter how many tools you have, you'll still need to learn how to play the traditional way - one step at a time with heavy reliance on the manual (dfwiki). Luckily you really only need to learn things one step at a time (since watching dwarves die in a wild variety of pointless ways is part of the Fun).

Once you're convinced you need Dfhack to further your enjoyment of the game, go ahead and install it. It does some nifty stuff, none of which a noob ever has to know.
« Last Edit: August 12, 2017, 03:02:36 am by Shonai_Dweller »
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Madrigal

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Re: A Mac newbie wondering about version 43
« Reply #3 on: August 12, 2017, 02:41:31 pm »

I use a Mac and I've never needed or even wanted to use a newb pack, DFHack, or any 3D visualizer. Early on, I did want to use some kind of dwarf management program (as I was overwhelmed by huge migrant waves and unable to keep track of all my dwarfs), but I was too lazy to look into it and finally figured out that I could solve my problem by limiting population, which is easy to do in plain vanilla DF using the d_init.txt file, as Shonai_Dweller pointed out.

Building multi-level constructions on the surface is also doable, since the vanilla game does give you some idea whether there's something on the level below the one you're currently looking at (such as a wall or a ramp).
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Thisfox

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Re: A Mac newbie wondering about version 43
« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2017, 07:11:15 pm »

I play on mac (always have) using vanilla and find it works just fine. Sure, there's a steep learning curve, but that's Dwarf Fortress for you... There is no requirement to start with a pack, it's simple enough to play vanilla.
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Fleeting Frames

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Re: A Mac newbie wondering about version 43
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2017, 06:09:36 am »

No requirement and it's good to do it some of the time to understand the difference, but to quote another recent player from reddit today:

Quote from: SentientCaveSpider
I recently started playing myself... I'd recommend getting the Lazy Newb Pack and using one of the tilesets within - the default one it starts you with, Phoebus, and is my fav, very simple and easy to recognize.

The pack gives you a lot more options for customization, as well as a lot of extra features you WILL need (Dwarf Therapist, auto-labor if that is your preference, multi-layer view to give the world more life and you less dizziness, etc.)

http://dffd.bay12games.com/file.php?id=7622

Even if you want to play with ASCII down the line using a tileset like this helps give you a sense of what the world of Dwarf Fortress looks like, allowing you to focus on the UI - and dont worry! Though it seems horrifically complex from a distance, all it really is is a series of hotkeys. Look to the sidebar, look for what you want to do, press the button, brings up more hotkeys to follow.

It gets natural after only a week or so of practice.

Probably the best tutorial out there - to the point, ignores most of the complex stuff and just introduces you to the basic controls. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXSwxQYrSB0
(Note that the link is to Windows pack, sadly.)

When I read Boatmurdered before starting playing, I found the non-curses tilesets easier to recognize and understand, even with the very helpful guide/legend to symbols at start, though it is the other way around now.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2017, 06:11:50 am by Fleeting Frames »
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