Dwarf Fortress

PulsePulse To create, to create and escape. Join Date: 2002-08-29 Member: 1248Members, Constellation
edited March 2008 in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">How I mine for ore</div><!--sizeo:7--><span style="font-size:36pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--><b><a href="http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/" target="_blank">Dwarf Fortress</a> <!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec--></b>

<b><a href="http://dwarf.lendemaindeveille.com/index.php/Main_Page" target="_blank">Dwarf Fortress Wiki</a></b>

<b><a href="http://fromearth.net/LetsPlay/Boatmurdered/intro.html" target="_blank">The Chronicles of Boatmurdered</a></b> - An epic tale of great kingdoms, murder most foul, treachery, and elephant genocide.

I recently discovered on IRC that I'm not the only member of the NS community who has heard of DF, and the ensuing conversation spawned a lot of "lol wut is Dwarve Fortran???" So I figured now would be a good time for a thread with an explanation and tutorial.

Dwarf Fortress is a sort of real time city building game/roguelike, if that makes sense. Imagine Dungeon Keeper and Nethack had a [person born of unmarried parents] (lol censorship) child, and it was a midget. You control a band of dwarves making an (eventually) massive mine in real time with a vaguely Sim City like interface, mandating jobs and waiting for somebody to do them rather than controlling anyone directly.

If you don't know what a roguelike is, go <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roguelike" target="_blank">here</a>.

The learning curve is extremely steep, even compared to "normal" roguelikes, but once you get past the initial hurdle, you get a very compelling and unique experience.

<b><a href="http://dwarf.lendemaindeveille.com/index.php/Your_first_fortress" target="_blank">Your first fortress</a> - Read this first!</b> The probability of you figuring out how to play this game without a tutorial like this is pretty much zero.

dorf dorf dorf dorf dorf dorf dorf
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Comments

  • RedfordRedford Monorailcatfjord Join Date: 2002-04-28 Member: 528Members, NS1 Playtester
    Why, fortress pictures? I'd love to!

    <img src="http://members.cox.net/redford22/year2.JPG" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />

    pictured: corpse of insane jewelmaker who could not find the exact right type of uncut gem. Twas a pity.
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  • PulsePulse To create, to create and escape. Join Date: 2002-08-29 Member: 1248Members, Constellation
    If anyone was wondering why world generation takes so long, <a href="http://pulsaris.googlepages.com/huegdorfmap.png" target="_blank">now you know</a>.
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  • PulsePulse To create, to create and escape. Join Date: 2002-08-29 Member: 1248Members, Constellation
    edited November 2006
    <img src="http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/2203/wowlk2.png" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />

    I forgot to mention that there is a mini roguelike included called 'Adventure Mode' in which you can explore the world you've generated, including past fortresses that you've abandoned. It has an interesting wrestling and dismemberment system, which can be <i>tres drole</i>.
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  • SkyrageSkyrage Join Date: 2003-08-27 Member: 20249Members
    Mentioned it in another topic here a few days ago <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />

    DF is awesome fun though.
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  • BlackMageBlackMage [citation needed] Join Date: 2003-06-18 Member: 17474Members, Constellation
    dwarfmittens?
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  • SoulSkorpionSoulSkorpion Join Date: 2002-04-12 Member: 423Members
    Oh cool. ASCII Dungeon-Keepery, Nethackery goodness. If I had time to get addicted to something else I'd definately give it a look.
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  • SloppyKissesSloppyKisses omgawd a furreh&#33; Virginia Join Date: 2003-07-05 Member: 17942Members, Constellation
    those screenshots make it look totally complicated <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
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  • SidSid Corwid of the Free Join Date: 2003-01-28 Member: 12903Members, Constellation
    I'll have to check this out. Seems interesting, to say the least.
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  • SkyrageSkyrage Join Date: 2003-08-27 Member: 20249Members
    This game IS fun...tell me what games that allows you to create elaborated magma traps <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
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  • DiscoZombieDiscoZombie Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
    <img src="http://knitemare.org/cats/tldrcat.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />

    seriously though, sounds pretty awesome. must try out when get home.
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  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    The water bug still exists, by the way. It, combined with year-round blizzards, completely destroyed any chance of survival I might have had.
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  • SidSid Corwid of the Free Join Date: 2003-01-28 Member: 12903Members, Constellation
    I'm still trying to figure this out. I keep imagining what it'd be like in full 3D. *Drool.*
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  • SoulSkorpionSoulSkorpion Join Date: 2002-04-12 Member: 423Members
    edited November 2006
    <!--quoteo(post=1579235:date=Nov 21 2006, 01:06 PM:name=Sid)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sid @ Nov 21 2006, 01:06 PM) [snapback]1579235[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    I'm still trying to figure this out. I keep imagining what it'd be like in full 3D. *Drool.*
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Probably like Dungeon Keeper or Dungeon Keeper 2, by the sounds of it (haven't played it yet).
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  • SidSid Corwid of the Free Join Date: 2003-01-28 Member: 12903Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1579241:date=Nov 20 2006, 10:24 PM:name=SoulSkorpion)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SoulSkorpion @ Nov 20 2006, 10:24 PM) [snapback]1579241[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    Probably like Dungeon Keeper or Dungeon Keeper 2, by the sounds of it (haven't played it yet).
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Or maybe Evil Genius? Now there was a great game! I wanna play that again..
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  • NEO_PhyteNEO_Phyte We need shirtgons&#33; Join Date: 2003-12-16 Member: 24453Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1578956:date=Nov 20 2006, 03:39 AM:name=Black_Mage)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Black_Mage @ Nov 20 2006, 03:39 AM) [snapback]1578956[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    dwarfmittens?
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Yes, there are mittens.

    anywho, I add to this thread 3 screencaps of bad*** kills I have made in Adventurer mode.

    <img src="http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/2734/fatalityfm3.png" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
    I killed him dead, with WATER. still not sure how this one happened

    <img src="http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/836/fatality2mc9.png" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
    I'm fleeing a town after looting a store, and a child attacks me. In the ensuing carnage, he drops a mitten.

    <img src="http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/8540/fatality3nz5.png" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
    Mauls are kickass weapons.
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  • UltimaGeckoUltimaGecko hates endnotes Join Date: 2003-05-14 Member: 16320Members
    I think the more impotant question is how a blast of water exploded the kobold into a fountain of gore.
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  • SwiftspearSwiftspear Custim tital Join Date: 2003-10-29 Member: 22097Members
    God, that may be the coolest RPG combat reporting I have ever seen. Let it be known, DF has taken the thrown from Fallout!
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  • SidSid Corwid of the Free Join Date: 2003-01-28 Member: 12903Members, Constellation
    I can't get it to work! My Dwarves went nuts and killed each other. ...Maybe because I tried to make them share a bed. *Shrugs.*
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  • DiscoZombieDiscoZombie Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
    yeah I suck at it too. took me forever to figure out how to queue up things to be made in workshops... so now I have the essentials like a few beds and a well, but I can't seem to get my dwarf population to go up so the game is moving really slowly...
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  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    Sharing beds doesn't work, really. Once a dwarf uses a bed, he claims it for himself. You need one bed for every dwarf. Lack of food can also make them go berserk.
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  • RedfordRedford Monorailcatfjord Join Date: 2002-04-28 Member: 528Members, NS1 Playtester
    edited November 2006
    In order to get more dorfs you need to attract immigrants. The number of immigrants you get is based on two major factors: 1. The networth of your fortress. 2. The amount of stuff you exported to the caravan(s) last fall.

    Around the start of fall of the first year you will allways recieve an immigrant, with metalsmithing skills and your first anvil. DON'T LOSE THAT ANVIL. If you misplace it you will be unable to build your metalsmith (which needs an anvil to be built and is where you build anvils). Note that if the immigrant gets hungry or thisty or tired while he is lugging the anvil he will perform dorf haul logic and drop the anvil at his feet in order to fill the need, so if it gets dropped somewhere you might want to deactivate all other orders for a little bit.

    At the end of fall, just before winter starts you will recieve your first wave of dorf immigrants based on the Two Factors. If you havn't been making many crafts don't expect this number to be huge, but if you got lucky and made some nice stuff, you might end up with 10 or more. After this bit of odditiy, dwarfs will arrive, each year sometime during spring. This is also when you will recieve any nobels you are designated to gain.

    My advice is make sure to allways have plenty of food, beds, and doors, because if you are doing even moderatly well, you will get a LOT of new dorfs every spring, which can quickly put a strain on your supplies.

    Quick note: sometimes when your dwarves are posessed by a mood they will make artifacts. If you are having trouble handling your current population and don't wish to attract more you'll want to lock the dwarf in a workshop until he goes crazy and dies. This will not only put you down one dwarf, but his highly valuable artifact won't be pushing up the networth of your fortress, attracting more dorfs.
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  • SprengiSprengi Join Date: 2003-02-23 Member: 13860Members, Constellation
    <img src="http://img393.imageshack.us/img393/940/ouchew7.png" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
    <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/confused-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="???" border="0" alt="confused-fix.gif" />
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  • DiscoZombieDiscoZombie Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
    so is farming with river mud as the above blurb suggests really the only reliable food source? I've been trying to get by on fishing and hunting so far - of course I can hardly tell if my fish and hunted animals r getting eated. I think I built a butcher's and a fishery (which is I assume where fish are cleaned, not where they're caught?) and a kitchen; not sure if I use em right =p
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  • RedfordRedford Monorailcatfjord Join Date: 2002-04-28 Member: 528Members, NS1 Playtester
    Select the fishery and put the "clean a fish" task on repeat. Butchers automatically work. If a good corpse is created the butcher will automagically recieve a task to reduce the animal to delicious meaty chunks and you can also select one of your stray animals to be butchered too. It's suggested you only use the kitchen to cook normally inedible things (unplantable seeds, etc). You can also cook drinks, which is actually a really good idea because one piece of food is made into 5 drinks, which can then be cooked back into 5 food.
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  • RustySpoonRustySpoon Join Date: 2003-07-10 Member: 18069Members
    edited November 2006
    I love the whole roguelike thing, dorf fortress in particular sounds awesome. That said, after 30 minutes I just kinda gave up. I suppose people like me is why EA exists. It's great and all but a little too much to do and not enough ways to do it. For me at least.
    I'd ###### if some good dev took to making rogue-likes with modern UI's and leet graphix. No, it's not the visuals that make a roguelike.

    *edit*

    EVEN THE WORD FOR SEXUAL STIMULATION IS CENSORED? WHAT IS THIS? JESUS!
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  • DiscoZombieDiscoZombie Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
    diablo is pretty much a graphical roguelike (tons of random dungeon crawl with millions of mobs to squish), and as others have said, dungeon keeper is similar to dwarf fortress... but you can never recreate the feeling of a roguelike completely =p
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  • SidSid Corwid of the Free Join Date: 2003-01-28 Member: 12903Members, Constellation
    I can't take it anymore! I'm freaking out! I need a mouse cursor, man! And a UI that doesn't make my eyes bleed, oh god!
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  • SidSid Corwid of the Free Join Date: 2003-01-28 Member: 12903Members, Constellation
    Ack help! I forgot to supply my dwarves with an axe to chop down wood. D: What do I do?
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  • SidSid Corwid of the Free Join Date: 2003-01-28 Member: 12903Members, Constellation
    There's something in my stockpile stealing my goods. :/ It's a.. Maraquee something or other? Or something like that...

    How do I get my dorfs to attack it? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
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  • OttoDestructOttoDestruct Join Date: 2002-11-08 Member: 7790Members
    How does one build a bridge across the cave river (without ending up getting flooded)? Just... build a bridge?
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