Bay 12 Games Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 342

Author Topic: Future of the Fortress: The Development Page  (Read 1551738 times)

Toady One

  • The Great
    • View Profile
    • http://www.bay12games.com
Future of the Fortress: The Development Page
« on: July 01, 2010, 03:08:11 am »

The new development page is up.

Bug fixes are still the priority, but it's also time to start an infusion of new stuff.  Adventure mode has never really been a game so much, and we've now prepared an outline of how we think that can be changed.  For dwarf mode, we've incorporated many of the eternal suggestion voting items as well as the military changes we've been (very slowly) trying to get to over the last few years.  The bulk of the new page is under adventure mode headings, but there's a considerable amount of material applicable to both modes in those sections.  I wouldn't say the development page is a full picture of the new additions we plan to do as we continue, but they give a pretty good picture.  The core items, reqs, bloats and power goals of the previous pages still represent out plans for the game, and anything not on the new page is still fair game -- it's just the system itself that has been updated, because the previous system wasn't working well (not a single power goal was checked off, for example, and items often became outdated).

Regarding the two of the top ten ESV items not specifically addressed on the new page, sped-up pathfinding and graphics support, the idea with the first is an upcoming date with the linux profiler now that we've got DF running over there to address the low-hanging fruit on the main grievance behind the suggestion (large, slow forts).  In the case of supporting tiles for each game object, I need to figure out the deal with all the new SDL code before I can lay anything out in stark terms.  The textures are stored differently (in a single atlas if it still works that way), and I'm not sure if it'll be feasible to move to full item/map texture support without altering the way that works.

In any case, the purpose of the thread is much like the list of remaining items from before, except that there won't be a long release delay hanging over it.  Specific bugs should be reported on the bug tracker, and specific suggestions belong for the most part in the suggestion forum, although the discussion here regarding the dev pages can certainly involve suggestions.  Questions and comments about the new development page or DF development somewhat more broadly work here, though any contentious topics that lead to derails are discouraged -- there are threads for those too.

If you have specific questions, I'll try to answer them all.  In the past, we've all found the practice of making questions green works pretty well.  You do that like this:
Code: [Select]
[color=limegreen]making questions green[/color]
Logged
The Toad, a Natural Resource:  Preserve yours today!

RCIX

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Future of the Fortress: The Development Page
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2010, 03:46:55 am »

Will i be able to define my guilds? Because i'd honestly like those to match up with my generalized dwarf labor plans, and not have infighting among, for instance, Crafters because they share different guilds and happened to get into a brawl.
Logged
Quote from: Naz
Quote from: dwarfhoplite
I suggest you don't think too much what you build and where. When ever you need something, build it as close as possible to where you need it. that way your fortress will eventually become epic
Because god knows your duke will demand a kitten silo in his office.
Quote from: Necro910
Dwarf Fortress: Where you aren't hallucinating.

Dohon

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Future of the Fortress: The Development Page
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2010, 04:03:59 am »

I just browsed through the new dev page and I must say that there are a lot of goodies on it! A LOT! I'm not an adventure dwarf myself, but even I got excited at the prospects. I thank you, Toady (and Threetoe), because DF is in my mind THE game and it keeps getting better and better.
Logged
Quote from: Lolfail0009
Quote from: GuesssWho
Also, why is there a stray hen having a tantrum?
CLUCK CLUCK MOTHERF***ER

Sorcerer

  • Bay Watcher
  • [magical]
    • View Profile
Re: Future of the Fortress: The Development Page
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2010, 04:06:19 am »

brb, putting myself into cryostasis for a few years!
Logged

Tehran

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
    • Dwarf Fortress Stories
Re: Future of the Fortress: The Development Page
« Reply #4 on: July 01, 2010, 04:08:42 am »

Magmawiki has the old dev page archived HERE if anyone wants to see it.

Quote from: New dev page
· Moving fortress sections (lifts, crushing traps, etc.)
I cannot wait to see the insane things that people will build with this one.
Logged
Visit http://dfstories.com for stories!
And here's my solution for sand modeling: http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=58397.0

ILikePie

  • Bay Watcher
  • Call me Ron
    • View Profile
Re: Future of the Fortress: The Development Page
« Reply #5 on: July 01, 2010, 04:13:08 am »

Wow, I really like where adventure mode is going. Hopefully it'll be at least as deep dwarf mode at the moment.
also, this: Vein Auto-mining

Are you planning on making certain 'wilderness' areas a bit more defined? Currently there is hardly any difference between a hill and a forest. Having, for example, denser bushes that, maybe, obscure vision, or multi-tile trees would make the denser forests much more foresty.
« Last Edit: July 01, 2010, 04:21:10 am by ILikePie »
Logged

Haspen

  • Bay Watcher
  • Cthuwu
    • View Profile
Re: Future of the Fortress: The Development Page
« Reply #6 on: July 01, 2010, 05:03:15 am »

After checking the dev page, I found myself shivering a little and drooling from excitement.

So much good stuff there.
Logged
SigFlags!
Fire Emblem on Forums: 8! + 6re!
Quote from: Draignean@Spamkingdom+
Truly, we have the most uniquely talented spy network in all existence.
Quote from: mightymushroom@Spamkingdom#
Please tell me the Royal Physician didn't go to the same college as the Spymaster.

jfs

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Future of the Fortress: The Development Page
« Reply #7 on: July 01, 2010, 05:12:52 am »

Lots of really cool-sounding stuff there.
I'm just hoping things can be implemented in smaller releases that can then receive a bit of polish, before the next couple of features are dumped on top. I don't think anyone want to experience another dev cycle similar to what led to 0.31.
Logged

nuker w

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Future of the Fortress: The Development Page
« Reply #8 on: July 01, 2010, 05:28:25 am »

The siege part at the bottem has me the most hyped up, folowed by guild wars and a Adventure mode Justice/stealing part.

With the digging part, does that involve digging up through the ground and popping up in the storage room? That's what i'm guessing. Also, is their a possibility that the digging could also be used to take out defensive walls?
« Last Edit: July 01, 2010, 05:57:57 am by nuker w »
Logged

Arihim

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Future of the Fortress: The Development Page
« Reply #9 on: July 01, 2010, 05:31:36 am »

Yea I agree. There was soo much new stuff in 0.31 but the pleasured was dulled a little by all the various bugs. Took me a a few weeks to really get into it again.

The new adventurer mode stuff is very exciting though. I especially like the adventurer mode roles.  It's like Toady is combining everything I've ever liked in role playing and builder games into one. I cannot wait until they are realized. Thief, slayer of night creatures, and hero remind me so much of the elder scrolls! Given Toady can pull of generating complex environments for these roles to be fully explored I predict adventurer mode might become more popular than fortress mode!
Logged

Jiri Petru

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Future of the Fortress: The Development Page
« Reply #10 on: July 01, 2010, 06:09:11 am »

Looks fascinating. I think the change of focus to specific roles is a good approach. It's a sign that the gameplay is more important than the simulation itself - good to see there's no simulation for the sake of simulation, always for the sake of enhancing a specific role.

By the way... minecarts sure sound fun but I can't imagine what would they be good for  ::) It sounds that the shear amount of workforce required to make tracks and minecarts would be larger than having dwarves haul all the rocks from a vein individually. I guess minecarts would work for large quarries or situations where there's a huge concentration of ore in one place (which would require changing the way how veins spawn now - in almost regular distances).
Logged
Yours,
Markus Cz. Clasplashes

Hummingbird

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Future of the Fortress: The Development Page
« Reply #11 on: July 01, 2010, 06:10:35 am »

I'm jumping up and down with glee right now at all the planned Adventurer development. It looks ridiculously ambitious; if this were anybody but Toady posting this list, I'd scoff in disbelief. But I believe in the power of Bay12 to make it work!


Will adventurers be able to dig as freely as miners can in Fort mode? If so, how much easier would that ability make cave exploration?
Logged
But Elves aren't Vegetarians. They eat people.
So they are humanitarians.

SmileyMan

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Future of the Fortress: The Development Page
« Reply #12 on: July 01, 2010, 06:22:22 am »

Vein Auto-mining
Ooh, yes, as a dedicated coal-based industry fan, when I find some lignite or bituminous I'd love to be able to say "Just dig that out" rather than the constant dig-designation that you have to do at the moment.

I'd like it to be configurable though - at the moment I like to dig out veins with a 1-tile buffer around them, because a) it creates nicer looking exhausted mines, and b) it means a slightly increased chance of finding something else exciting!

PS - are we using orange for suggestions?
Logged
In a fat-fingered moment while setting up another military squad I accidentally created a captain of the guard rather than a militia captain.  His squad of near-legendary hammerdwarves equipped with high quality silver hammers then took it upon themselves to dispense justice to all the mandate breakers in the fortress.  It was quite messy.

Nintenlord

  • Bay Watcher
  • Adamantine fever
    • View Profile
Re: Future of the Fortress: The Development Page
« Reply #13 on: July 01, 2010, 06:48:44 am »

Quote
# Extend adv mode starvation/dehydration times to appropriate number of days

Does this mean that travelling will no longer cure hunger, thirst and sleepiness? And in what sense appropriate, real world or fortress mode appropriate?
Logged
The only dragon I've seen in game walked into my rats nest of a fortress and died in the flames of the conflagration he started in the dining hall.  Of course, nearly every dwarf was dead by then, but we consider it a tactical victory.

Askot Bokbondeler

  • Bay Watcher
  • please line up orderly
    • View Profile
Re: Future of the Fortress: The Development Page
« Reply #14 on: July 01, 2010, 07:10:40 am »

following this thread. the new devpage is delicious :D
Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 342