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[smjjames]

Well, deinonychi are closer in size at least.

Pedantry alert: I don't think "deinonychus" pluralizes like that.  Many Greek-derived words can look like Latin when Anglicized.

If I wanted to be a hard-core pedant I would have a working knowledge of classical languages. Lacking that, "deinonychuses" sounds wrong, so I went with the next best. should it be deinonychodes, like octopodes?

Do we really need to start an argument over grammar?

@Neonivek: They would still be claws. The core is bone, but the outside part is usually keratin or something. Just take a look at dinosaur fossils (or big cat ancestors), you can see the bone part of the claw, but in life, it would have a keratin sheath or something.

[zchris13]

They sometimes aren't even stuck on bone at all.

For example, I think the cats (big and small) have floating claws attached to muscle and tendons.

[Aqizzar]

An argument over the grammar of stuff that's not in the game, and isn't likely to be for a long time.

Really, this is "Future of the Fortress", not "Future of All Your Unrequited Suggestions".

Re: Claws, I believe they are all made of keratin.  I don't know of any claws that are actually bone, at least on endoskeletal creatures.  For crabs and such, they're just called claws.

[smjjames]

@zchris: I thought the cats had a bone core for the claws, but anyways.....

@Aqizzar: I was thinking of dinosaur skeletons though...

Edit: Yea, I don't think there are any claws that are pure bone, they are always covered in a sheath of keratin. The claws that you see on dinosaur skeletons are just the bony core of the claws.

[Ironhand]

Yay. Squads updated today!

That list is looking pretty green anymore!

[Doomduckie]

Because of my everincreasing love of graphs and ways of visualising data, and an interest in infographics, here are two ways of visualising the dwarf fortress completion.


Box form- each row is a representation of a macro-item, such as the top one being 'wounds'. Each 2x2 'megapixel' is a single item on the development list, save the top and side row which are decorative (they encode meaning, but I doubt it's decipherable to anyone).

Alternatively:

Bar form- the vertical aspect is now meaningless, pixels are duplicated to make it easier to see. The separated first pixel on the left is decorative and encodes meaning that does not matter. This display mode resembles a defrag meter. Each pixel of width is now a development item. This one is less pretty, but perhaps more intuitive.

In any case, the raw percents for pixels are are:
158/195 100% completed (81.02%)
003/195 090% completed (01.54%)
001/195 050% completed (00.51%)
001/195 020% completed (00.51%)
001/195 010% completed (00.51%)
022/195 000% completed (11.28%)
009/195 feature deferred (04.62%)

170.5/195.0 raw completion score (87.44%)
It has been 435 days since release. This translates to 0.392 items per day, and gives an estimated release date of 63 days hence, on 17 January 2010. This is probably not the release date, since all items aren't equal (a fundamental assumption of these graphics), but it's how a guess via the dev item completion data looks.

This probably helps visualise how far the development has gone- there is a lot of green on these graphs.

EDIT- Bar Form's bordering has been updated to look better.

[Aqizzar]

Fascinating!  However, when it comes to Items Per Day, wouldn't it be more appropriate to start from the posting of the list, Jan 21, 2009?  All of the development before that date was essentially undocumented and virtually all after it was part of the list.

It would make the number more optimistic anyway.  Not that ~13% to go isn't hopeful anyway.

[CobaltKobold]

But items-...*Grants aqizzar ninja bandanna* Well, they weren't undocumented. They were part of the Countdown.

[Neonivek]

Aqizzar is less a ninja and more like a squatter. He really doesn't have anywhere else to go.

[Aqizzar]

Aqizzar is less a ninja and more like a squatter. He really doesn't have anywhere else to go.

Be glad I'm posting in the Dwarf Fortress areas at all.  This is as far north as I normally go since like March.

[Doomduckie]

I have no idea if the list was posted with some items already greened out, which matters. If the list only records items done from January 21 onwards, it has been 298 days, making 0.578 items per day, which implies a finish at 34 days hence, on 19 Dec 2009.

I would discount that date, since Toady seems dubious of a Christmas Release. However, he could have 0.578 items per day and still be dubious of a christmas release- neither estimate factors in the fact that a single item (testing) is likely to be a long, long process, while some like 'fix cat bug' will probably only take a few minutes (assuming he's going to use a grasping mouth part to fix it).

Also, the 'Dev Countdown Number' seems unusable for this purpose- there is no known correlation between item lists (which is a few hundred) and the dev countdown, which was above a thousand at the beginning. It probably isn't 1-1, and without that knowledge a more accurate forecast can't be made.

I debated whether or not to even include an estimate, since it'll be so inaccurate due to pixels not being equal work to finish off (rewrite entire creature raws for instance was huge), but I figure people are smart enough to realise it's by no means a good estimate. I also debated whether it'd seem pushy or rude or presumptive towards Toady by "setting" a date, but I'm sure it's apparant it's just a guess.

 In any case, the estimate is of less interest to me than the graphs, which are pretty.

[Footkerchief]

Pedantry alert: I don't think "deinonychus" pluralizes like that.  Many Greek-derived words can look like Latin when Anglicized.

If I wanted to be a hard-core pedant I would have a working knowledge of classical languages.

I meant the pedantry was mine, so, agreed.

I have no idea if the list was posted with some items already greened out, which matters. If the list only records items done from January 21 onwards, it has been 298 days, making 0.578 items per day, which implies a finish at 34 days hence, on 19 Dec 2009.

Yeah, it was posted with no green items.

[CobaltKobold]

Might also want to add a few items for bonus features that aren't on the list, like statues being differentiated, arena mode.

North/south? Civil forum war?

Whereas I usually don't go SOUTH of here, which is why some forum issues seem odd.

Footkerchief: oh. If google is to be trusted, evidently it's like fish...  One deinonychus, two deinonychus.

It was also posted with few squad items. The list has increased in items since.

[smjjames]

Okaayyy, you want pedantry? I'll give you pedantry!!

*throws a whole bunch of pendants at Cobaltkobold and Footkerchief*

I'm bieng silly, so..... lol

[Neonivek]

I don't expect some items on the list to even take a single day. I mostly predict items taking multiple days or extra side items that arn't on the list.