Dwarf Fortress!

[Muffincat]

Okay, so I have gotten addicted to this game. It was recommended to me by a friend, and I didn't really want to try it out because of how it looked and everything, but I did, and WOW. I have gotten horribly addicted and can't stop playing. So I thought I would share, in case any of you are interested

Firstly, it's an ASCII art game (though there are many tilesets you can add - though very old-school-looking graphics, but much more user-friendly). It is incredibly complex and has SO MUCH to it. Basically, your goal is to build a fortress for your dwarves, and build it up, etc. :P

Also, you NEED to look at a tutorial before/as you play the first time. You will have absolutely no idea what you are doing without doing this.

After you get the basics down, you can experiment with your own ideas, etc., but it is essential to look things up in order to understand how the game works.

I don't even know how to begin explaining this game to you, but it's fantastic. You can randomly generate worlds, and then you go about and pick the perfect little spot to start your fortress. The level of depth to the game is astounding. It has a "Legends" mode in which you can see everything about gods, monsters, dragons - each dwarf has its own personality, god it worships, and a bunch of other insanely detailed information (that can be ignored for the most part, but is still incredible).

The terrain and everything is random, so you will never play the same game twice - and, yes, you can anticipate losing. A lot. It seems the motto of the game is "Losing is fun!" and I don't even know if there is a way to "win."

Let me paste some of the comments from the official website, as it explains it better than I could:

-The world is randomly generated with distinct civilizations spanning over 1000 years of detailed history, dozens of towns, hundreds of caves and regions with various wildlife.

-The world persists as long as you like, over many games, recording historical events and tracking changes.

-The combat model uses skills, body parts, individual tissues, material properties, wrestling, charging and dodging between squares, bleeding, pain, nausea, various poison effects and much more.

-A dynamic weather model tracks wind, humidity and air masses to create fronts, clouds, rain storms and blizzards.

-Over two hundred rock and mineral types are incorporated into the world, placed in their proper geological environments.

-Add new creatures, weapons, plants, metals and other objects via modifiable text files.

There is nothing left untouched in this game. It has EVERYTHING. I haven't even begun to figure things out, and I haven't gotten very far, so I don't think I can adequately give a proper explanation given its incredible vastness, but you should definitely at least try this game out.

It's basically a civilization-building game, but the MOST COMPLEX I have ever seen. While it doesn't have fancy-pants graphics like newer games, the amount of detail the people who created this put into it is unbelievable. It's probably got a pretty niche audience, but I want to put it out there as much as possible, because I think it is a game worth playing.

In addition to the Fortress mode, there is an Adventurer mode, in which you can be a single human, elf, or dwarf, and roam about the lands, but I haven't really played this.

I am too tired to make this the post it deserves to be, but no one is going to actually read this entire thing anyway.

tl;dr: PLAY THIS GAME.

Here is a link to download it (it's totally free):

Free File Hosting Made Simple - MediaFire

Click the first one, if you decide to play - it's the newest version with a graphics addition so it isn't just ASCII art.

The Dwarf Fortress Wiki:

Dwarf Fortress Wiki

Great Text-Based Tutorial:

The Complete and Utter Newby Tutorial for Dwarf Fortress After Action Reporter

Part 1/40 of a Youtube Tutorial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGBTNPbUvFM

(I haven't watched all of them - but it's good to watch the first video, as it gives some information that the text-based tutorial doesn't)

Official Website:
Bay 12 Games: Dwarf Fortress

[Jaykub]

Hmm..

Graphics look like something I would of played when I was 6 :P
But maybe i'll check it out.

[Diligence109]

Graphics look like something I would of played when I was 6 :P

isn't it a shy step away from Runescape, anyway? :P

steepest learning curve ever + no multiplayer kinda deters me.

[Muffincat]

No, I know, I felt the same way

I was like, "these are terrible graphics and I don't want to read a tutorial"

and then I did it anyway

and I got hooked

:P

[DirtyDMan]

IDK I might check it out but 1 of 40 vids?!.... I dont know if I want to watch that many vids just to know how to play a game....

Thx for posting this tho and I sure someone will like it... If I play it I'll let you know if I like it or not...

[Muffincat]

Oh, me either, dude - I only watched the first two, and even then, not the entire things. I find the text-based one and the wiki way more helpful.

And yeah - I really don't expect anyone to play it, buuut if it reaches anyone who might, then that's cool :P But I fully realize it isn't exactly the kind of game most people want to just pick up and play :P

[Subb]

yeah i think i have better things to do than watch all those videos or read a tutorial of a game that looks like utter horse pucky

[BobTD]

So yeah I did some looking and you should be able to get "stonesense" that makes the game look more like this:

I already played this game a bit. My nerdy friends laughed at me... and also for some reason I have an unnatural hate for fantasy races. If I where to play DnD I would be a racist human rouge who uses poison to slowly kill off any elf of dwarf allies he had to endure...

isn't it a shy step away from Runescape, anyway? :P

steepest learning curve ever + no multiplayer kinda deters me.

oh dili... everyone knows steepest learning curve belongs to EVE.

 

[Muffincat]

Are you sure? I saw that, and I thought it said "this is not dwarf fortress" and was being used as a comparison. But I could be wrong I guess oO

Anyway, people need to not be graphics snobs :P As long as it is playable, readable, and the interface is clear enough, there isn't really an issue if it is otherwise a well-done game.

I mean, I don't think the way something looks should be the reason you not play something. But that's just me ;3

[BobTD]

Are you sure?

Stonesense

I think if graphics are what it takes for people to enjoy a worth while game then its an acceptable compromise. Never been one for pen and paper myself.